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Religious music predominates, especially Gregorian chant. Musical notation appears and polyphony develops. There is also secular music, represented by troubadours and minstrels.
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Music seeks balance, harmony, and clarity. Great development of vocal polyphony and instrumental music. The beauty of sound and the intelligibility of the text are highly valued.
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Highly expressive and ornamented music. New forms such as opera, concerto, and sonata are born. Use of basso continuo and strong contrasts between sounds.
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Search for order, balance, and clarity. Musical forms are clearly structured. Music is simpler and more balanced than in the Baroque period.
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Music expresses personal feelings and intense emotions. The size of the orchestra increases, and originality and creative freedom of the composer are valued.
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Composers incorporate melodies, rhythms, and folk elements from their country to reflect their cultural and national identity.
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Seeks to create atmospheres and sensations rather than defined melodies. Use of new scales, soft harmonies, and original timbres.
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Final evolution of Romanticism. Very intense and extensive works, with very large orchestras and emotional expression taken to the extreme.
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Music expresses deep and anguished emotions. Traditional tonality is broken, and very tense and dissonant sounds are used.
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Musical system based on the use of the twelve notes of the scale, all with equal importance. Classical tonality disappears.
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Return to order and classical forms, but with a modern language and new harmonies.
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Creation of sounds using electronic devices and computers. Great sonic experimentation and new textures.
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There is no single style. Multiple musical currents coexist, with great creative freedom and experimentation.