Absolute/Abstract Music Flashcards
What did the orchestra look like in Absolute music?
It became much bigger, moving from 30-40 players to 70+, even calling for 100 or more.
What were some advantages of a bigger orchestra?
More variation in tone colour, larger sound
What technical developments happened to instruments in the 19th century? (General)
Instruments themselves could play louder and carry farther (Valves were added and tuba+trombones were added so brass could play by itself in the orchestra)
The Romantic Orchestra became capable of…
Major changes in volume (could move easily from whispers to roars)
Why was the Orchestra’s drastic range in Dynamics important during the romantic era?
It could produce the dramatic sound quality that romantic composers wanted to acheive
What technical advancement was added to brass instruments?
Valves
What was the importance of valves to trumpet players?
They could now play quick runs of notes, which allowed them to have a starring role more often instead of support.
What instruments were added to the brass section?
Trombone and Tuba
With the new additions in the brass section, what could the section now do within the orchestra?
Play by itself as an ensemble within the orchestra.
What new woodwind instruments were added to the Orchestra?
Piccolo, Bass Clarinet, English Horn (Added diff sound colours)
What new wind instruments were developed?
Tuba and Saxophone
What happened to the strings section during the Romantic Period?
It increased in size, to contribute during loud parts (composers wrote differently for them)
What did the percussion section expand to include?
Bass Drum, Snare Drum, Cymbals, and exotic percussion instruments (castanets or gongs)
Composers began to develop skill in mixing instruments… what was it called?
orchestration
Many romantic composers became…
Superb Orchestrators
What was new in the strings section?
2 Harps
What was in the woodwinds section during the romantic period?
flutes, piccolo, oboes, English horn, clarinets, bass clarinet, bassoons, contrabassoon
What was in the brass section during the romantic period?
French Horns, Trumpets, Trombones, Tuba
What was in the percussion section during the romantic period?
Tympani, Bass Drum, Snare drum, Cymbals, Triangle, Bells, Piano
What happened as orchestras grew more complex?
Conductors began to emerge
Composers usually conducted their own works but…
there were also conductors that travelled around the world conducting
Who was one of the first musicians to specialize in conducting?
Hans von Bulow of the Munich Opera
Why was abstract music called abstract?
As it did not follow the form of a symphony, instead changing it
Why was it called absolute music?
Because they were musical patterns with no literary meaning or image associated with them.
Who was a well known composer who preferred to write absolute music?
Johannes Brahms
