Music Compare and Contrast two pieces of classical music

A Tale of Two Classics: A Comparison of Purcell's "Dido's Lament" and Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" Student Name Institution Course Professor Date A Tale of Two Classics: A Comparison of Purcell's "Dido's Lament" and Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" Western classical music is a vast collection of compositions that define the features of the periods they were composed in. “Dido’s Lament" by Henry Purcell from the opera Dido and Aeneas created in 1689, is one of the most touching vocal compositions, which represent the possibilities of the Baroque era operatic arias. A slow tempo marks this particular aria, the minor key, and a ground bass, a form of accompaniment that gives the piece a mournful feel. On the other hand, Edvard Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from the Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, composed in the year 1875, belongs to the Romantic period and is a dynamic orchestral piece characterized by the increase in tempo and a climactic build-up. This work has a rhythm pattern with a motif progressively built to a crescendo of chaos and anticipation. Both songs evoke emotions and demonstrate the composer's ability to use music to tell a story despite their distinct instruments, textures, and emotions. The two compositions, "Dido's Lament" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King," are very different in their instrumentation and texture due to the time of their composition. The song "Dido's Lament" by Purcell is a piece for a solo voice with a continuo, which usually consists of a ...