Exam #3 Flashcards
When was the Classical Period?
1750-1820
Where did classical music come from?
Vienna
What was significant that happened during this period?
This was the age of enlightenment and reason(when things became more reasonable).
When did the Declaration of Independence come about?
1776
When was the French Revolution?
1789
What is opera buffa and when did it come about?
It was comical opera and it came about in the classical period. Features real life circumstances. its an ensemble. typically written in the native tongue.
Who is the Hapsberg family?
They ruled the Roman Empire for 350 years and they were the most powerful. They settled in the thrown in Vienna in 1492.
Who is Joseph II?
His grandfather died and his mother co-rules the nation. He loves music. He is the enlightenment ruler and was a forward thinking guy, this is while music was thriving.
What was music to people during this age?
Music was thought of as a hobby. It was a simple singable melody.
What type of music was played?
Homophony was preferred, it was easily memorable, the rhythms were flexible. There were more crescendos and decrescendos. There were also more woodwinds, brass and strings. It had a bridge and was easy to follow.
What was the crowning achievement in the classical period?
Symphonies. They were a big deal.
Who could go to them?
At first only noblemen could attend them but once they moved to the concert hall more and more people could go to them.
Who created most symphonies?
Mozart.
How was a symphony set up?
The symphony had 4 movements.
1st: its fast-allegro. Its typically sonata form.
2nd: its slow. its typically theme and variation
3rd: its moderate. its minuet
4th: its fast and it is rondo
1st movement
its fast-allegro. Its typically sonata form.
it has 3 parts.
1. exposition: theme 1 and transition to theme 2 and then repeated
2. development: unstable and all over the place
3. recap: replays it all over–theme 1&2
4. coda: tail, last part of movement
2nd movement
its slow. its typically theme and variation
ex: A A1 A2 A3
Its the same tune, just written differently
3rd movement
-Its moderate and typically minuet.
-3 part form-ternary. ex: ABA…aba, cdc, aba.
-Trio form all together.
^this is the middle section-diff. part
4th movement
- Its fast and it is rondo
- Has theme A that keeps coming back.
ex: ABABCA
What is the string quartet?
- Haydn developed it.
- Contained 2 violins, 1 viola, 1 cello
- Its meant for a certain ear
- Very difficult to play
- Layout is just like a symphony- fast, slow, fast
- Mainly for piano
What is the piano concerto?
-Group of soloists against orchestra.
-Mozart made a living by writing these pieces
-This is for the pro
-Just like the symphony: fast, slow, fast
theme 1: orchestra
theme 2: solo, they do a key change
Who trained Mozart?
Leopold, he was an archbishop of Salzburg
Who was Mozart?
He was a prodigy, his taught him even more
What was his life like?
- He traveled with his mom around Europe at age 20.
- He couldn’t get the job that he wanted.
- He comes back to Salzburg and fights with archbishop and then goes back to vienna
- He was freelanced-he made a decent amount of money but not a lot
- The emperor never hired him full tim
- Salieri didn’t kill Mozart
- Salieri went crazy and said he killed him
- We didn’t know why he died, he drank a lot
- He was told by a masked man to make a funeral piece-thought it was for him. It was unfinished
- He was buried in a hole with many people, a mass burial
- He was immature
Who was Salieri?
He worked for the court
Who was Don Giovanni?
He was part of the opera buffa. He was a womanizer, murderer, thief. its a sad story. Leperello was Giovanni’s wingman. Catologaria: book of all women lep. wrote about.
Characters of Opera buffa?
The serious people got serious parts.
What was different about mozarts opera buffa’s?
He writes music to fit the characters
Beethovens music?
- Music is a mode of self-expression
- Completely changes after him
- He elevated status of composers
- He had a good attitude
- He was unbelievable at playing PIANO
- There were 3 elements of him music:
- Rhythmic drive
- Motivic unity-uses all 4 movements
- psychological procession
What are the 3 periods of Beethoven’s life?
- Classical period
- Heroic period
- Introspective/meditative period –after deafness
