Musical genre

A musical genre indicates musical practices of the same natural and of the same destination .

Criteria to define a musical genre

According to the kind considered, various material characteristics or human can be taken into account.

Sound source

The sound source is often determining to apprehend a kind: this one defines the instruments, the voice, the effective formations or the of such or such music.

the voice being a completely particular instrument (it resides in the body of the executant and makes it possible to add text to the music, but also of the vocal sounds such as cries, rails, breaths…), the vocal Music and the Instrumental music will generate different musical genres.
From the point of view of the number of the interpreters, one can, for example, to distinguish: the kind string quartet (for four Soloist S), the kind serenade for Chamber orchestra (orchestral small formation), the kind symphonic concerto (for Symphony orchestra and Soloist).

Destination

The destination can sometimes determine a kind or another. It can be a question of music intended to be played in outside or interior and in varied types of place (standard of place, dimension, volume, acoustics,…).

For example, the military kind march is normally intended to be played in the open air, while a Trio of Chamber music is rather intended for a room, of size reduced preferably.

Intermediate duration of the music

The intermediate duration of the musical work can intervene for certain kinds.

For example, the kind opera, generally has vast proportions, while the kind Chanson is one duration usually more modest.

Social role

However, the sociological criterion is probably most operational to define such or such kind. This characteristic indeed makes it possible to answer the following questions: “for what is used this music? ” (its function), “with which does she address herself? ” (which social group) and “ in which circumstances ? ”. Thus the sacred music (or Sacred music) will gather certain musical genres, while its opposite (the Musique profanes) will gather others of them.

Some examples: music for the scene, Film music, Music of dance, military music, funerary music, music of elevator, Jingle, etc

Some distinctions

Kind and type of music

The musical genre must first of all be distinguished from the Type of music.

Indeed, the same kind can belong to several types of music.

the kind Song, for example, is found as well in the music of the Renaissance, as in the popular Musique of the 20th century.

In addition, the same type of music can evolve/move in several kinds.

the romantic Music, for example, exploited various musical genres, such as the opera, the Symphonie, the Ballet, the Concerto, etc

Kind and musical system

The musical genre must then be distinguished from the musical system , i.e., of the whole of the uses suitable for such or such musical practice: scales, rhythmic modes, writing rules and technical sides various.

Indeed a system compositionnel can create various musical genres.

the tonal System, since the end of the Rebirth until the 20th century, impregnated various kinds belonging as well to the Instrumental music, with the vocal Musique, the crowned Musique or with the Musique profane.

Réciproquement each kind can belong to various musical systems.

For example the crowned vocal music is likely to exist in a very great number of systems: Homophony, hétérophonie, modal music, tonal music, atonal music, Serial music, acousmatic Music, etc

Kind and musical form

The musical genre must also be distinguished from the musical Forme.

Indeed, of the musical works pertaining to a even kind can cover various forms .

For example, a melody can follow the binary form (ABABA…), the form rondo (ABACAD…), or, a more complex, and unusual form (ABCDE…).

Contrary, of musical works belonging to different kinds can cover the even form .

For example, the form Fugue can be found in a Messe, a part for Orgue, in a opening, a opera, etc

It is advisable however to note that to indicate the concept which is the subject of this article, the word “form” is often employed instead of the word “kind”, which does not fail to cause regrettable ambiguities. This confusion comes owing to the fact that in a given context - one time, an esthetics, a Type of music, etc -, a revêt kind often a privileged form, so much so that the first gives its name to the second - or conversely. At all events, the two concepts should not be confused, and one will have to always take care to distinguish, for example, the kind sonata of the Sonata form. If the use of the word “kind” were retained here, it is, on the one hand because in the field of the music, this word revêt a direction similar to that which it receives in others Art S - Cinéma, Littérature, Peinture, etc -, on the other hand and especially, because in this same field, the word “forms” has already other significances, as one comes to see it.

Kind and musical style

The musical genre finally, must be distinguished from the musical style .

the musical style is normally used to characterize the “manner of making music”, suitable for such or such Musicien, and this, even if the style of a interprets or of a Compositeur is likely to vary according to the repertory and from the kind approached.

One will note however that the word style is sometimes employed to define the characteristics of a Type of music. Thus one will oppose for example, the “style of the Baroque music” to “that of the Musique of the traditional period”. At all events, even taken in this second direction, this word should not be confused with the musical genre.

Limits of the concept

In spite of the distinctions above, it is unfortunately not always easy to get along on the exact definition of such or such kind: some have fuzzy borders, others are invented by the critics, the such Post-rock'n'roll, or more recently still, the Nu metal.

Sometimes, a name of kind is likely to evolve/move according to the time or of the place.

For example, in the Classical music, the kind sonata, at the 16th century, indicates roughly any piece of music exclusively instrumental (in opposition to the Cantate, vocal part primarily ); while to the 19th century, the same word returns more precisely to a “instrumental kind suitable for the Chamber music, generally made up of several movements”.

Of other times on the contrary, several words indicate more or less the same kind.

For example, in the Baroque music, the terms continuation, order, cassation, Partita, returns to the same kind (with possibly some nuances varying according to the Compositeur).

Classification of the various kinds

Between the various kinds, the number of common characteristics is likely to vary. Certain kinds are very distant from nature (for example, the Musical comedy has few common points with the Psaume); others on the contrary, can be regarded as very close, if not connected (for example, the Sonate corresponds to an evolution of the continuation).

Classification according to the type of music

An arborescent classification can be operated starting from each Type of music, by adopting the quadruple following distinction.

vocal Music

- vocal Music crowned

- vocal Music layman

Instrumental music

- Instrumental music crowned

- Instrumental music layman

This triple classification (standard of music, sound source, and social function) is not free from reproaches (for example, the same kind can exist in various types of music). But it avoids necessarily drowning the user in an avalanche of terms not belonging to the musical sector which interests it. In addition, it is relatively easy to use.

Other possible classifications

Musical genres of the classical music
Musical genres alphabetically
Musical genres by geographical area
Fusion of musical genres
Musical genres of the Western music
See also: Tags ID3 for the musical genres
Principles of classification of the printed music (PCDM)

Concept of kind in the music of ancient Greece

The word kind revêt a completely specific direction in the field of the music of the ancient Greece. In this context, the term then indicates a particular division of each tétracorde constitutive of a musical scale.

a tétracorde is the succession of four joint degrees - for example: semi , D, C, if . Among these degrees - which correspond to the four cords of the Lyre -, the extreme degrees - semi and if , in our example - are fixed, while the intermediate grades - D and C , in our example - are mobile. A range made up of two tétracordes consecutive - “semi , D, C, if ” and “, ground, F, semi ”, for example - is thus separated by a your, called disjunction - “ if, the ”, in our example.

Kind diatonic

The kind diatonic divides each tétracorde in the following way, of the acute to the serious : two let us tons (9/8) and a Demi-ton diatonic or filed (256/243).

Example: “semi , D, C, if ”.

the kind diatonic is the only kind which the Western music inherited, and who is at the base of the diatonic scale pythagorician.

Chromatic kind

The chromatic kind divides each tétracorde in the following way, of acute with the low register: minor third (32/27), chromatic Semitone or apotome (2187/2048) and Semitone diatonic or filed (256/243).

Example: “semi , do $\ sharp$ , do $\ natural$ , if ”.

Kind enharmonic

The kind enharmonic divides each tétracorde in the following way, of acute with the low register: third major (5/4 or 81/64, according to the theorists) and two diésis , equivalent roughly with the Quarter tone (according to the theorists: 36/35, 28/27, 39/38, 40/39, 31/30, 32/31…).

Example: “semi , C, xx, if ” - the note xx is halfway between C and if .

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