MIDTERM 2 Flashcards
Who is the most famous composer of character pieces (19th c)?
Chopin
Character pieces are one movement piano works (genre).
Étude, Nocturne, Prelude
What year/centuries were the classic period vs the romantic period?
Classical: 1750s-1800s, 18-19c
Romantic Period: 1800s-1900s. 19c-20c
Who would be considered the 3 most influential musicians (Viennese classicists) of the Classical Period and what city are they associated with?
- Mozart
- Beethoven
- Haydn
Vienna, Austria
Who were amongst the wealthiest and most powerful families of Hungary and were close relatives of the imperial family in Vienna?
Esterhazy family
Haydn became in charge of a musical establishment in the palace of Esterhaza which belonged to the Esterhazy family. What position did he occupy and what were the advantages of having this family as patrons?
Kappellmeister
- Financial security
- Free access to talented ensemble
- Opportunities to compose
- Popularity, as Haydn himself was one of the attractions
Who is responsible for codifying the classical model (2 violins, 1 viola and 1 cello) of the string quartet and what type of music is most commonly associated with this?
Haydn and chamber music
What would a classical orchestra during the 18th and 19th c. look like?
Bowed Strings (1800s):
- Violin
- Viola
- Cello (violoncello)
- Double Bass (contrabass)
Woodwinds (18th c. orchestra):
- Flute
- Clarinet
- Bass Clarinet (19th c.)
Double-reed woodwind instruments:
- Oboe
- Bassoon
- Contrabassoon (19th c.)
Brass Instruments:
- Trumpet
- Horn (French horn)
*Romantic period we ALSO add to the two above:
- Trombone
- Tuba (invented in the 19th c.)
Percussion (which expanded in the 19th c.)
- Timpani
18th c. orchestras no longer contained basso continuo section, although continuo players were still featured in opera orchestras to accompany recitatives.
What was chamber music in the classical period?
Typically, it involved string quartets, amateur performance and social music making. Other forms of chamber music also include the genre of SONATA.
What can be said about domestic music making in the classical period?
Domestic music making can largely be linked to women of higher status, as these women were largely limited to this sphere. Societal attitudes discouraged women from engaging in the public life and restricted their activities as musicians and composers.
The piano is also linked to the domestic sphere, as daughters of wealthy families were expected to play or sing.
What is the patronage system and what changes occurred during the classical period?
Patrons ultimately provided individuals with financial and creative opportunities for livelihood.
During the classical period, the rise of the middle class lead to a decline in this system. An increase in wealth of the middle class also increased their power, which shifted how, where and for whom art was created, funded and received.
Describe the life and career of Mozart.
Precocious child, serving as assistant Kapellmeister in Prince-Archbishop’s aristocratic music establishment.
Kicked out of the court (literally) –> Struggle for financial security
Supported himself through subscription concerts, usually variety shows.
He was very aware of the tastes of the large public.
His greatest commercial success was in music theatre:
- The Magic Flute (Italian Opera Buffa)
- Don Giovanni (Dramma Giocoso)
- The Marriage of Figaro (Singspiel)
During his day, best known as a great pianist and composer of opera (even though for us now his work is canonic literature).
Movie prof. keeps referring to: Amadeus
What is the SONATA FORM in the classical period.
- Exposition (A) – Tonic, modulation and secondary key
- Development (B) – modulatory, no stable key
- Recapitulation (A) – Tonic key, modulation
Historically, it was a binary form (AB) but later developments (especially 19th c.) lead to changes making the work sound like it has 3 parts.
What is a SEQUENCE?
Short musical motive that is repeated repeatedly in different pitch levels, typically in modulatory sections (key changes within a piece, usually to the dominant and then back to tonic).
What is a cadenza?
Section near end of a concerto movement where a soloist plays completely alone, usually even improvised.
Ex: Mozart using piano cadenzas
When was the piano invented and when did it became the most important instrument?
The piano was invented during the Baroque period (circa 1700s) but became the most important instrument of the Classical Period.
The piano was originally called pianoforte (or fortepiano) as it was capable of playing louder and softer than plucked keyboard instruments.
What is the composition of “Beethoven’s orchestra” and why is it called that?
Core of bowed string: 2 violin, viola, cello
Brass: Horn and trumpet
Woodwind: Bassoon, Clarinet, Flute and Oboe
Percussion: Timpani
These 1750s-1800s orchestras commonly played at least 4 separate parts and were larger than Baroque orchestras. This composition was used in Beethoven’s symphonies and is often called such as a result.
What is a CODA and which romantic era composer often used them?
Meaning tail in Italian, it is the last section of a musical movement, after the overall formal scheme of the movement is complete. Not all movements have codas and they are often brief.
Beethoven greatly expanded the coda section.
Describe the life and career of Beethoven.
Born in Germany, he moved to Vienna to study with Haydn. He is considered a transitional composer, composing in the styles and genres of the classical era but his later symphonies took on a more creative form, making use of chromatic harmony and motivic development.
He wrote 9 symphonies (5, 7 and 9 most famous). He prioritized individual expression.
Considered a “suffering artist” as he had poor health and eventually became completely deaf.
He had no single patron and made his money through subscription concerts.
Beethoven’s legacy includes being one of the first to be placed within the canon of classical concert music. He was revered throughout Europe in the 19th c. as a Romantic Hero.
What is NATIONALISM and who’s work is considered to be NATIONALIST?
Give an example from the midterm study list.
The desire among composers and artists to recreate, represent, and/or celebrate their own foreign ethnic or national identity with their creations.
Chopin’s work is considered NATIONALIST (mazurka or polonaise).
ADD EXAMPLE FROM LIST
What is EXOTICISM? Give an example from the midterm study list.
The desire among composers and other artists to recreate, represent and/or celebrate a foreign ethnic or national identity within their artistic creations.
These works can be quite reductive and inaccurate.
Ex: Madama Butterfly?
What is program and absolute music?
Give an example of each one from the midterm study list.
Program music is a broad category of music with a descriptive title, revealing the source of inspiration. Program music does not have TEXT, it is meant to express without lyrics.
Ex: Schumann - Frauenliebe und -leben
Absolute music is instrumental music not meant to portray a more specific message or imagery, usually it has a generic title not suggestive of an extra-musical association.
Ex: Sirmen - String Quartet No. 4
What is the tonic?
First note of a scale
What is the dominant in a scale?
The fifth note in a scale
What are opus numbers and why is Mozart catalogued in K numbers?
“Op.” is short for “Opus”, meaning “work”, and it numbers the composer’s works in chronological order.
Mozart is in K numbers because a musicologist named Kochel was the first to collectively catalogue all of Mozart’s works.
What is strophic form, modified strophic and through-composed form?
Strophic form: 3 verses each sung to the same melody, which is only applicable to vocal music.
Modified strophic form: Strophic form with a modification
Ex: 2 same verses with a third different one
Through composed form: None of the music repeats
