How to tell what period a piece of music is from

1. How do you tell if a piece is from the baroque period?
2. How do you tell if a piece is Baroque or Classical?
3. How do you tell if a piece is from the Romantic period?
4. How do you tell if a piece of music is in the 20th century?

How do you tell if a piece is from the baroque period?

Baroque music is characterised by:

1. long flowing melodic lines often using ornamentation (decorative notes such as trills and turns)
2. contrast between loud and soft, solo and ensemble.
3. a contrapuntal texture where two or more melodic lines are combined.

How do you tell if a piece is Baroque or Classical?

Baroque: counterpoint - listen for one part entering after another, a bit like a round or canon. Ornamented melody line (trills and twiddles). Strong bass line, often a bit like a second melody. Romantic: pieces feel bigger, both in terms of notes used and bigger dynamic ranges.

How do you tell if a piece is from the Romantic period?

Key Features of the Romantic period

New structures/forms – rhapsody, nocturne, song cycle. Increasingly elaborate harmonic progressions. Longer melodies than classical period. Bigger range of dynamics.

How do you tell if a piece of music is in the 20th century?

If you can hear dissonant or clashing chords, that's likely to be romantic or 20th century. If it gets so clashy that you can't make out a key (atonal) then its definitely 20th century!