Musical genres and their definitions. Genres of music

This article is intended primarily for those who are interested in what musical means their idols use when creating works within a certain genre. In addition, every self-respecting composer (and I’m sure you are one of them) must know what style the music he creates is. Good orientation in musical genres and subgenres is the first sign of high professionalism.

Most modern critics identify three main musical branches: pop, rock, rap, which in turn evolved from earlier styles and spawned many of their own branches.

Pop. Contemporary popular music. A very broad term that covers many genres: disco, trance, house, techno, funk, new wave, etc. Let's take a closer look at their features.

Disco. In the recent past, the most popular genre of dance-pop music. Disco is characterized by: an abundance of effects, the leading role of the rhythm section of drums and bass, and the secondary, background sound of strings and wind instruments.

Trance. This genre of electronic music is notable for the fact that it has a high emotional impact on the listener. A similar effect is achieved in trance through the use of sad, “cosmic” melodies.

House. Dance, completely electronic music. The main and only house instrument is the synthesizer. This genre is characterized by the presence of looped musical phrases and solo melodies. Effects are widely used.

Techno. Futuristic music of the big city. Signs of techno: fantastic melodies, dark, metallic sound, “cold”, unemotional vocals.

Funk. A dance genre characterized by clearly defined drummers dominating over other instruments, low melody, and “sloppy” rhythm.

New wave. A genre of popular music transformed from punk rock. Uses almost the same musical means as the parent.

Rock. Rock, as an independent genre, originated from the “black” American blues, which appeared in the 20-30s. Traditional blues has 12 bars. A measure is a segment of a composition consisting of several notes, the first of which has a stress or accent. The main instrumental set of blues: double bass or bass that sets the rhythm, lead guitar, drums, often keyboards and winds. Rock itself emerged from a branch of this genre - guitar blues, which sought to free itself from wind and keyboard instruments. To better understand the musical intricacies of the blues, let's launch Cakewalk and open the Blues in C Major file in the Sample Content folder:

This is an example of blues in the key of B major. Instruments used to create this composition: Chorused Piano, Acoustic Bass and Cymbal. Regular blues set. Notice the numbered scale located above the tracks. These are bars. As you can see, there are exactly 12 of them. Listen to this example. The emphasis is on the first note of each measure. Look at how the volume is distributed between the tracks: the solo piano sounds loudest, whereas in rock it is the prerogative of the drums. By the way, it's time to talk about rock itself.

The emergence of rock and rock and roll (these concepts are often equated) is associated with the name of Elvis Presley and the Beatles. The merit of the first is in popularizing this genre, turning it into a fun dance style. The role of the Beatles is somewhat different - this legendary group managed to turn rock into art.

In purely musical terms, rock is practically the same as the blues, but in a broader sense it is music of protest against society, power or something else.

Rock has a huge number of subgenres. We'll look at the main ones: soft rock, hard rock, pop rock, folk rock, punk rock, psychedelic rock, heavy metal and thrash.

Hard rock literally means “heavy, hard.” Indeed, the sound of music performed in this style corresponds to the name. Heaviness in hard rock is achieved by the dominance of a loud and powerful rhythm section over other instruments. Usually the drummers, bass or rhythm guitar are "weighted". Hard rock often uses Overdrive and Distortion effects.

Pop rock is popular rock. Well balanced, enriched with all sorts of effects and popular arrangements. Pop rock can also be called any rock music intended for a wide audience of listeners.

Folk rock - rock with elements of folk music.

Punk rock is rough, often unprofessional, but expressive music. Punk is characterized by simple, unpretentious, but shocking melodies.

Psychedelic rock is complex, non-standard music, stuffed with effects, which is characterized by a high level of emotional impact on the listener.

Heavy metal is harsh metal music, often not harmonious and far from the usual musical standards.

Thrash - this incomparably tough genre is characterized by the complexity and unusualness of melodies and improvisation.

Rap. Rap as a genre originated from dance music. It is characterized by uneven rhythm, complex experiments with drummers, and looped musical fragments. An important feature of rap is the absence of vocals, replaced by recitative. Rap is read like poetry, not sung. The main instrumentation of this genre: drums and complex, in many cases, solo bass. Often in their work, rap musicians use the scratch effect - the creaking of vinyl records.

One of the most likely musical ancestors of rap is reggae, a dance style that originated in Jamaica. It has a lot in common with rap - the same uneven, ragged rhythm, looped musical fragments, a complex drummer. Let's open a file in Cakewalk with an example of reggae - Reggae:

Instruments used in this composition: Synth Bass 2, Rock Organ, Clavinet, Jazz Drumset. The classic rap instrumentation is somewhat poorer, sometimes just a drummer and bass.

A musical work in a broad sense can be called a play, which is the result of the composer’s activity. It is characterized by internal completeness, individuality of content and form, and fixation of musical notation for further performance. And the concept of “musical genres” is used to characterize various works.

List of main musical genres and their brief descriptions

An art song is a genre in which the performer is both the author of the music and the words.
Blatnaya song - glorifies the morals and life of the criminal environment.
Blues is a genre that originated among African slaves on US cotton plantations.
Jazz is a musical genre synthesized from African and European cultures.
European music is a general concept for the music of European countries.
Indian music is considered an ancient genre, the music of the peoples of India.
Country - the so-called rural music, is a type of North American music.
Latin American music is a name that summarizes the genres of Latin America.
Pop music, divided into disco, pop and easy listening. Disco is dance music, pop is popular music of the masses, light music contains mainly simple catchy melodies.
Rock music is a general name for several types of this rhythmic music. These include such genres of musical art as country rock, southern rock, heartland rock, garage rock, surf rock, instrumental rock, folk rock, blues rock, rock and roll, psychedelic rock, Merseybeat, progressive rock, experimental rock, glam rock, hardcore, pub rock. There are also hard rock, punk rock, skiffle, bard rock, Japanese rock, metal, post-punk, stoner rock, alternative rock, post-rock, as well as new wave and no wave.
Romance is a short poem sung to music with lyrical content.
Ska is a style with a 2 by 4 rhythm, even-numbered drum beats are emphasized by the guitar, and odd-numbered drum beats are emphasized by double bass or bass guitar.
Hip-hop is a working class style from New York in 1974.
Chanson - basically has French roots with performance in cabaret style.
Electronic music is created using electronic musical instruments.

According to the method of performance, musical genres are divided into vocal, solo and vocal-instrumental.

Genres of music

Musical works also have their own genres. Like musical genres, they have a fairly long list.

Arioso is a small aria.
Aria is an episode performed by a singer in an opera or other similar work with orchestral accompaniment.
Ballad - instrumental compositions; solo vocal compositions with texts of poetic works.
Ballet is a performing art in which the narrative is told through dance.
Blues is a jazz song with sad content.
Bylina is a song story in Russian folk style.
Vaudeville is a theatrical play with a cheerful and humorous content.
An anthem is a song performed in a ceremonial setting.
Jazz is dance music with improvisational moments.
Disco is a rhythmic, simplified musical style.
Invention is a musical piece with an original finding of melodic development.
An interlude is a short musical piece.
An intermezzo is a free-form play or an independent episode in an operetta and other works of music.
Kant is a type of polyphonic song.
A cantata is a solemnly performed vocal and instrumental work.
A march is a piece of music with rhythmic moments.
A musical is a musical composition with elements of operetta, opera, ballet and pop music.
Ode is a dedication in a musical style.
Opera is a musical production.
Operetta is a comedy musical production.
Oratorio – intended for choral performance.
A song is a musical form of poetry.
A play is a small piece of music with a beginning and an end.
Requiem is a choral work of a mournful nature.
Romance is a work of lyrical performance.
Serenade is a song in honor of a beloved.
A symphony is an orchestral piece of music.
Touche is a small musical greeting.
A fugue is a work with multiple repetitions of a theme.
Elegy is a sad piece of music.
An etude is a work with virtuosic passages.

Musical genres are constantly updated and developed. They are affected by changing living conditions.

Today's post is dedicated to the topic - the main musical genres. First, let's define what we consider a musical genre. After this, the actual genres will be named, and at the end you will learn not to confuse “genre” with other phenomena in music.

So the word "genre" is of French origin and is usually translated from this language as “species” or genus. Hence, musical genre- this is a type or, if you like, a genus of musical works. No more and no less.

How do musical genres differ from each other?

How does one genre differ from another? Of course, not just the name. Remember the four main parameters that help you identify a particular genre and not confuse it with some other, similar type of composition. This:

type of artistic and musical content;
stylistic features of this genre;
the vital purpose of works of this genre and the role they play in society;
conditions in which it is possible to perform and listen (view) a musical work of a particular genre.

What does all this mean? Well, for example, let’s take as an example such a genre as “waltz”. Waltz is a dance, and that already says a lot. Since this is a dance, it means that waltz music is not played every time, but precisely when you need to dance (this is a question of performance conditions). Why do they dance the waltz? Sometimes for fun, sometimes to simply enjoy the beauty of plasticity, sometimes because dancing the waltz is a holiday tradition (this goes to the thesis about life’s purpose). The waltz as a dance is characterized by whirling, lightness, and therefore in its music there is the same melodic whirling and elegant rhythmic three-beat, in which the first beat is strong like a push, and the two are weak, flying (this has to do with stylistic and substantive moments ).

Main music genres

Everything, with a large degree of convention, can be divided into four categories: theatrical, concert, mass-everyday and cult-ritual genres. Let's look at each of these categories separately and list the main musical genres that are included there.

Theater genres (the main ones here are opera and ballet; in addition, operettas, musicals, musical dramas, vaudevilles and musical comedies, melodramas, etc.) are performed on stage.
Concert genres (these are symphonies, sonatas, oratorios, cantatas, trios, quartets and quintets, suites, concertos, etc.)
Mass genres (here we are mainly talking about songs, dances and marches in all their diversity)
Cult-ritual genres (those genres that are associated with religious or holiday rituals - for example: Maslenitsa songs, wedding and funeral laments, spells, bell ringing, etc.)

We have named almost all the main musical genres (opera, ballet, oratorio, cantata, symphony, concert, sonata - these are the largest). They really are the main ones and therefore it is not surprising that each of these genres has several varieties.

And one more thing... We must not forget that the division of genres between these four classes is very arbitrary. It happens that genres migrate from one category to another. For example, this happens when the real thing is recreated by the composer on the opera stage (as in Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera “The Snow Maiden”), or in some concert genre - for example, in the finale of Tchaikovsky’s 4th symphony a very famous folk song is quoted . See for yourself! If you find out what this song is, write its name in the comments!

P.I. Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 – finale

We immediately warn you that it is very difficult to answer in one article the question of what genres of music there are. Over the entire history of music, so many genres have accumulated that it is impossible to measure them with a yardstick: chorale, romance, cantata, waltz, symphony, ballet, opera, prelude, etc.

For decades, musicologists have been trying to classify musical genres (by the nature of content, by function, for example). But before we dwell on the typology, let’s clarify the very concept of genre.

What is a musical genre?

Genre is a kind of model with which specific music is correlated. It has certain conditions of execution, purpose, form and nature of content. So, the purpose of a lullaby is to calm the baby, so “swaying” intonations and a characteristic rhythm are typical for it; c – all expressive means of music are adapted to a clear step.

What are the genres of music: classification

The simplest classification of genres is based on the method of execution. These are two large groups:

instrumental (march, waltz, etude, sonata, fugue, symphony)
vocal genres (aria, song, romance, cantata, opera, musical).

Another typology of genres is related to the performance environment. It belongs to A. Sokhor, a scientist who claims that there are genres of music:

ritual and cult (psalms, mass, requiem) - they are characterized by generalized images, the dominance of the choral principle and the same mood among the majority of listeners;
mass household (varieties of song, march and dance: polka, waltz, ragtime, ballad, anthem) - characterized by a simple form and familiar intonations;
concert genres (oratorio, sonata, quartet, symphony) – typically performed in a concert hall, lyrical tone as the author’s self-expression;
theatrical genres (musical, opera, ballet) - require action, plot and scenery.

In addition, the genre itself can be divided into other genres. Thus, opera seria (“serious” opera) and opera buffa (comic) are also genres. At the same time, there are several more varieties that also form new genres (lyric opera, epic opera, operetta, etc.)

Genre names

You could write a whole book about what names music genres have and how they come about. Names can tell about the history of the genre: for example, the dance’s name “kryzhachok” is due to the fact that the dancers were positioned in a cross (from the Belarusian “kryzh” - cross). Nocturne (“night” - translated from French) was performed at night in the open air. Some names originate from the names of instruments (fanfare, musette), others from songs (Marseillaise, Camarina).

Often music receives the name of a genre when it is transferred to another environment: for example, folk dance to ballet. But it also happens the other way around: the composer takes the theme “Seasons” and writes a work, and then this theme becomes a genre with a certain form (4 seasons as 4 parts) and the nature of the content.

Instead of a conclusion

When talking about what genres of music there are, one cannot fail to mention a common mistake. There is confusion in concepts when classical, rock, jazz, hip-hop are called genres. It is important to remember here that genre is the scheme on the basis of which works are created, and style rather indicates the characteristics of the musical language of creation.

In a broad sense, a musical work is a piece (instrumental or vocal) that is the result of a composer's activity. It is characterized by internal completeness, individualization of form and content, and fixation of musical notation for the purpose of subsequent performance.

It can be single-voice (melody and accompaniment) or multi-voice (polyphony, homophony). It can be either an independent number or part of a certain cinematic or dramatic action. The peculiarity and uniqueness of each composer's creation is achieved by a number of expressive means, such as mode, tempo, harmony, meter, dynamics, rhythm, melody.

The concept of “musical genre” is used to characterize various works depending on their origin and method of performance.

Since ancient times, various songs (round dances, rituals, labor, etc.) have accompanied the life of the people and inspired soldiers to victory. This is how numerous vocal genres appeared. A characteristic feature of the songs is the repeated repetition of the tune, the main melody.

Romance is a genre of vocal music that emerged in the 19th century. This is a piece for a singer with instrumental accompaniment.

Unlike romance, choral works are intended to be performed by a large singing group with accompaniment or a cappella (without accompaniment).

A cantata is a rather voluminous piece of music intended to be performed by a singer - soloist (or choir) and orchestra. For a long time, works of this genre were written in honor of some significant date and were of a solemn nature. However, there are also lyrical, narrative cantatas.

An oratorio is a large musical and dramatic composition. It does not involve stage action and is intended to be performed by a choir, soloist and orchestra.

Opera is a musical and dramatic composition that combines theatrical action and music. The main feature of this genre is that the characters are replaced by singing.

Instrumental genres of works were formed later than vocal ones. They have practical value. Instrumental music accompanied parades, marches, religious processions, and city balls. In the 17th century, new genres, deeper in meaning and content, appeared.

A sonata is an instrumental piece that usually consists of three movements of contrasting tempo (fast-slow-fast). A little later, four-part works of this genre appeared in the work of L. Beethoven.

A symphony is a musical composition intended to be performed by a whole symphony orchestra. Just like the sonata, this work in its classical version consists of three parts. It is distinguished by its large volume, versatility of content and accessible melodic language.

A concert is a musical work intended to be performed by an orchestra and a solo instrument. Most often, works of this genre are written in a cyclic three-part form, but sometimes one-part concerts can also be found.

Musical form

This concept characterizes the relationship of parts in a work. Thus, the two-part form consists of two sections, usually contrasting in nature. Three-part - of three, with the first and third parts being similar in melodic language and mood, and the middle being contrasting in relation to them. Variations are a modified repetition of the main motive (theme).

There are other musical forms, such as rondo (the theme is periodically repeated unchanged), cyclic (consists of several independent parts united by a single concept) and free (found in modern music).