Final Exam Flashcards
Beethoven’s Three Periods
Early
- assimilating already established styles, building on music of Haydn and Mozart
- Piano Sonata No. 8 Op. 13
- Moonlight Sonata
- String Quartets
Middle
innovative, expansion of form, cyclical traits, extreme motivic development
-Symphony No. 3 (Eroica) (dedicated to Napoleon)
-Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral)
-Fidelio
Late -modern, blurring division between phrases, influence of Baroque conventions (fugues, canons, heavy ornamentation) -String Quartet in C# Minor -Symphony No. 9 Mass in D Missa Solmnis
Heliigenstadt Testament
Lette to brother describing his hearing loss.
He was close to suicide, but decided against it for the sake of his art.
Song Cycle
A group of songs meant to be performed together. Unifying narrative that tells a story.
Program Music
Music written to deliberately represent literature, an idea, feeling, or environment. Something specific, distinct from music for it’s own sake (absolute).
Beethoven’s Only Opera
Fidelio
Beethoven’s Only Ballet
Creatures of Prometheus
Schubert Song Cycles
Die Winterreise - The Winter Journey
Die Schöne Müllerin - The Beautiful Miller’s Daughter
Schwannengesang - Swan Songs (written shortly before his death)
Schubert String Quartet in d minor
Death and the Maiden
-Written after he fell seriously ill, began to face his own mortality
Schubert Piano Quintet
The Trout
-includes variations from another one of his works, Die Forelle (The Trout)
Ballad
Song form that incorporated narrative and dialogue. Often based on literature. Longer pieces and were the predecessor to lieder.
Schubert’s Harmonic Innovations and song form
- Modified strophic form
- three-key exposition (Great C-Major)
- key changes in thirds, alternates major and minor
Influence of Paganini on Liszt
- Paganini’s virtuosic performances and showmanship on violin
- made Liszt want to do the same thing on piano
Who is credited for the invention of the symphonic poem?
LISZT
Define symphonic poem
- multi-sectional, one movement programmatic piece
- sections of contrasting character and tempo
Contrast early and late music of Liszt
Early - flamboyant, technical, virtuosic piano performancy
Late - lyrical, thematic, less flashy and flamboyant, more chromatic and adventurous, progressive - wrote symphonic poems during this period
Background, music, program of Symphonie Fantastique
written by Berlioz
about his romantic obsession with Harriet Smithson (actress)
influenced by Beethoven symphony no. 6
large orchestration
incorporation of idee fixe (repeating melodic theme)
-repetition of melodic ideas in this manner is called cyclic
piece had 5 movements (most symphonies had 4),
4th movement was considered the extra one
2nd movement features a waltz in a symphony for the first time
features these characters: Faust (protagonist), Gretchen (love interest), Mephisto (the devil)
Comparison of background of Mendelssohn and Berlioz
- Mendelssohn was rich, Berlioz was poor
- Mendelssohn had extensive formal training, Berlioz had less training, taught himself a great deal about composition through textbooks
- Berlioz was not renowned during his lifetime, worked as a music critic. Mendelssohn was well known and successful as a composer during his lifetime.
Periods of Verdi
First - bel canto tradition, patriotic (risorgiomento), melodramatic (Aida, Macbeth)
Second - deepening of characterization, blurred division between numbers, increased role of orchestra, reminiscence themes (Moses, La Traviata, Il Trouvatore)
Third - concentrated on psychological study of human beings, libretti based on Shakespeare, orchestra described in detail happenings on stage (Otello, Falstaff)
Operas of Wagner vs Verdi
Wagner-supernatural, many based on Norse legends
Verdi- human themes
Wagner-wrote his own librettos, highly controlled many aspects of his productions
Verdi-worked with a librettist, collaborated with many others for costumes, scenery, etc
Wagner- drama created through the orchestra
Verdi- more drama in the vocal melodies
Wagner-leitmotives (melodic ideas that repeat tied to specific characters
Verdi-reminiscence motives: repeating ideas not necessarily tied to specific characters
