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1. The use of rich chromatc harmonies - this gives ambiguity to the key and more emotional impact to the piece. Examples of chromatic chords that could be used to achieve this are: Diminished 7th, Augm...

Recitatives and Arias serve two contrasting functions in the Baroque Opera.

A recitative, also known by the Italian name 'recitativo', acts as a dialogue and allows the characters to move the story...

Sonata form is the most important form of the Classical period (roughly 1750-1830). It is the most common form for the first movements of, for example, symphonies and sonatas (which usually have three or ...

Parallel fifths are an example of poor voice leading, especially in chorales. The melodic lines should be easy to sing. Lines composed using parallel fifths are incredibly difficult to sing and are not co...

The process of Italian unification, know as the Risorgimento, was a long and arduous process that lead to great struggles in Italy all the way up to the rise of Mussolini in 1921. It was the political and...