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MUSIC > Exam 1 > Flashcards

Exam 1 Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 6 periods of classical music and their corresponding dates?

A
  1. Middle Ages: ca. 600-1450
  2. Renaissance: 1450-1600
  3. Baroque: 1600-1750
  4. Classical: 1750-1820
  5. Romantic: 1820-1910
  6. Modern: 1910-Present
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2
Q

Why does classical music begin in the Middle Ages and not earlier?

A

We know there was music before the Middle Ages, but we don’t know how it sounded

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3
Q

Who is the god of music in Greek Mythology?

A

Apollo

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4
Q

Despite the partition of Europe, all nations had one thing in common: religion. All citizens were…

A

Christian

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5
Q

Because of the overwhelming presence of Christian religion throughout the Middle Ages, most music in the period is…

A

Sacred

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6
Q

What is the purpose of sacred music?

A

To help the listener pray and glorify god

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7
Q

What was the most important genre of sacred music in the first half of the Middle Ages?

A

Plainchant (also known as Gregorian chant)

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8
Q

What are some characteristics of plainchant

A

-vocal only
-sung in Latin
-no meter or key
-sung during Sunday mass
-monophonic
-melismas

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9
Q

What was the most important musical advance in the second half of the Middle Ages?

A

The discovery of polyphony

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10
Q

What problem arose with polyphony?

A

Dissonance

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11
Q

What is the system of rules on how to write a good polyphony?

A

Counterpoint

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12
Q

Who was the first renowned composer of sacred polyphonic music and his pieces have 2 melodies?

A

Leonin (1100 AD)

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13
Q

Who added a 3rd and even 4th melody to his music?

A

Perotin (1200)

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14
Q

Who wrote complete masses (all the prayers) using 4 voices?

A

Machaut (1300)

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15
Q

What were the problems with Machaut?

A

-All voices share the same range so the resulting sound is often messy and confusing
-A lot of dissonance

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16
Q

What music is well suited to Romanesque buildings because both the music and buildings are austere?

A

Monophonic

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17
Q

What music is well suited to elaborate tall Gothic buildings because of its resonance?

A

Polyphonic

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18
Q

What is humanism?

A

The idea that the human being, not God, is at the center

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19
Q

What is the most visible consequence of humanism?

A

The surge of secular music

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20
Q

What 2 things distinguish Middle Ages polyphony from Renaissance polyphony?

A

Consonance and imitation

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21
Q

Why does renaissance music sound more consonant?

A

-Greater range between voices
-Composers know the rules of counterpoint and what to do to avoid dissonant sounds

22
Q

What is imitative polyphony?

A

Voices enter one at a time during the beginning of a piece, imitating the melody sung just before

23
Q

Composers like Palestrina and Tomas de Victoria invented a new system of writing in polyphony where each voice sings a different note by all in synchrony, this is called…

A

Homophony

24
Q

What is the most important genre of secular music during the Renaissance?

A

Madrigal

25
Q

What is absolutism?

A

A political system that gave all the power to the king

26
Q

What 2 things distinguish Baroque music from the Renaissance?

A

Extravagance and rationalism

27
Q

What does baroque music typically have?

A
  1. A high-pitched instrument carrying the melody in the treble
  2. A low-pitched instrument sustaining that melody with a strong, solid bass line
  3. A middle-register instrument will fill the notes in between
28
Q

What is ostinato?

A

Occurs when a short melody repeats itself throughout the song without any changes.

29
Q

What is concerto?

A

An extended piece for a soloist instrument accompanied by an orchestra

30
Q

What must the title of the concerto specify?

A

Which instrument is the soloist

31
Q

What is a sequence?

A

A short musical pattern that keeps being repeated at different pitches

32
Q

What is concerto grosso?

A

A variant of the concerto, featuring 2 or more soloists

33
Q

What is the most “Baroque” genre of the Baroque period?

A

Opera

34
Q

An opera is divided into acts containing several “numbers”, including:

A

-overture
-arias
-recitatives
-ensembles
-choruses
(sometimes ballet and orchestral interludes)

35
Q

What is Castrati?

A

Choir boys who had been castrated before hitting puberty so they would not develop testosterone and keep their boy voice

36
Q

What is the structure of a da capo aria?

A
  1. Ritornello
  2. Vocal A
  3. Ritornello
  4. Vocal B
    da capo (and the singer starts the aria again)
37
Q

What is a cantata or oratorio?

A

A type of opera whose plot is based on the Scriptures rather than on fictional, mythical, or historical characters

38
Q

What is the difference between cantata and oratorio?

A

Cantatas are shorter, feature fewer arias, ensembles, recitatives than oratorios

39
Q

What was the primary purpose of cantata and oratorio?

A

To teach Christian religion

40
Q

What period is known as the Age of Reason/ Enlightenment?

A

The Classical Period

41
Q

What is ideal for a classical composer?

A

Simplicity of theme

42
Q

Melodies in the classical era tend to be symmetrical, describe the 2 halves

A

The first half is antecedent (question) and the second half is consequent (answer).
Both must have the same number of notes

43
Q

Who is the first modern opera composer?

A

Mozart

44
Q

What are the 2 most important new genres of the classical period?

A

The Sonata and the Symphony

45
Q

What is a Sonata?

A

An extended piece for a solo instrument (typically piano) divided into 4 movements

46
Q

What is a Symphony?

A

An extended piece for a full orchestra divided into 4 movements.

47
Q

What are the 4 movements in a sonata or symphony?

A
  1. Allegro (fast tempo)
  2. Adagio (slow tempo)
  3. Minuet (neither fast nor slow)
  4. Allegro (fast tempo)
48
Q

The 4th movement of a sonata or symphony (allegro) follows the pattern of…

A

Rondo

49
Q

What is a rondo?

A

One main melody is always followed by a different melody. The main melody returns and the pattern continues.

50
Q

How many sections does the first movement of a sonata or symphony contain?

A

4

51
Q

What are the sections of the first movement of a sonata or symphony?

A
  1. Exposition: 2 main themes (melodies) are introduced. They must have a different character and be in different keys
  2. Development: The melodies heard in the exposition are manipulated using sequences, variation, ornamentation, etc.
  3. Recapitulation: The theme and melody of the exposition return, but both in the same key
  4. Coda: the end of a piece
52
Q

What is modulation?

A

The process of changing keys

MUSIC (2 decks)

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