Journal

Above: Bach
Below: Handel
ladies be proficient in sewing, singing and playing an
instrument. The piano was favoured, but the violin
was considered ‘unladylike’. Branwell played the
flute and this was undoubtedly also acceptable for
ladies. It is interesting that as the demand for musical
education increased, concern was expressed that
young people were neglecting reading and other
pastimes. In our own time, video games and
television are blamed for a lack of interest and skill
in reading, arts and outdoor pursuits.
The music of Bach and Handel, still popular even
today, comes from the Baroque period. It was a
highly structured polyphonic form of music,
themes weaving in and out of treble and bass, one
theme calling and answering another. Much of this
music was written for the pipe organ, such as
Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier, comprising 24 preludes
and fugues. His Toccata and Fugue in D is probably
the best known and is a challenge for aspiring
organists. There are passages which require as
much dexterity in the feet as in the fingers.
Handel’s best loved work is his choral piece The Messiah. At this time, Bach
and Handel’s music was a must for churches and an essential part of a
musician’s education, although by the time of the Brontës’ birth, the Classical
period had arrived.
Classical music has a lighter, clearer texture than music and is less complex. It
is mainly homophonic — melody above chordal accompaniment. Variety and
contrast within a piece became more pronounced than before. It was assisted
by the invention of the piano by Cristofori around 1700. The piano’s
improvement over the harpsichord is implicit in its name ‘PianoForte’
meaning ‘SoftLoud’. In a harpsichord, the strings are plucked. In a piano the
strings are struck with a soft hammer and then damped. This allows the
pianist to easily alter the volume.
The possession of a piano, harpsichord, violin and various wind instruments
plus the human voice for singing allowed for concerts at home for
entertainment. Instrumental and vocal music became a popular past time. The
possession of a piano was a status symbol in middle class households.
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