Modern Era Part One Flashcards

1
Q

Impressionism in Music

A

Late 19thand early 20th-century French style associated most closely with the music of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel; often programmatic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Expressionism in Music

A

Early 20th-century German style; marked by extreme dissonance, angular melodies, irregular rhythmic groupings

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Atonality

A

Music that has no tonal center; no sense of key

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Serialism

A

A compositional approach developed in the 20thcentury by the Second Viennese School; any number of musical parameters (such as pitch, rhythm, dynamics, tone colour) are organized using a specific ordering (set) that undergoes manipulation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Indeterminacy

A

a 20th-century development whereby composers introduced elements of chance and randomness into their scores and/or performances; also called aleatoric music

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Graphic notation

A

visually descriptive approach to music notation; symbols and shapes outside the realm of traditional notation used to convey microtonal pitches, texture, articulation rhythm, and tempo

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Neo-Classicism

A

A post-World War I style marked by a return to absolute music and traditional formal structures

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Minimalism in Music

A

A style of music that evolved in the latter half of the 20thcentury; generally characterized by the seemingly endless repetition of short melodic patterns, complex cross-rhythms, and a return to tonal/modal principles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Symphony

A

A multi-movement orchestral work; developed in the 18thcentury, especially by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Cyclical Structure

A

Material heard in one movement recurs in later movements

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Symphony NO.4 Mahler Genre, composition date, source of text, language, structure, performing forces

A

Genre- Symphony
Composition date- 1899-1901
Source of text- Des Knaben Wunderhorn (The Youth’s Magic Horn)
Language of text- German
Structure- four movements
Performing forces- large orchestra with soprano soloist for the fourth movement

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Symphony No. 4 Mahler one point each section

A

Introduction: Marked Sehr behaglich (very comfortably)
-begins with clarinet very softly
Verse1: mezzo-soprano, more expansive version of the theme
-melisma on heaven
Verse2: word painting for little lamb achieved by a two-note “bleating” figure played by oboes
Verse3: concludes with another version of the descending melodic line

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Gustav Mahler dates

A

1669-1911

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Mahler compositions

A

9 symphonies, unfinished 10th (resurrection, tragic, etc), lieder, das klagende, das lied von der Erde

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Impressionism in Music

A

Late 19thand early 20th-century French style associated most closely with the music of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel; often programmatic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Whole Tone Scale

A

A non-traditional scale employed by composers of the late 19thand 20thcenturies; consists of six different pitches, all spaced a whole tone apart

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Pentatonic Scale

A

A scale consisting of five different pitches; can be rendered easily by playing the five black keys on the piano

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Jeux d’eau Genre, Premiere date, Translation of title, Dedicated to, Premiered by

A

Genre- solo piano work
Premiere date- 1902
Translation of title- Water Games
Dedicated to Gabriel Fauré
Premiered by- Ricardo Viñes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Jeux d’eau key, key, form, tempo, meter

A

Key- E major
Form- resembles sonata form
Tempo- Allegretto
Meter- C

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is Symphony No.4 in G Major 4th movement about

A

-About a child’s optimistic and naive view of heaven, describing the bountiful feast prepared by the saints

21
Q

Maurice Ravel dates

A

1875-1937

22
Q

Ravel life

A

-Born in France, in the village of Ciboure, moved to Paris three months later
-Began piano lessons at age seven
-entered Paris Conservatory
-First published work was a piano solo
-Grew in popularity as a composer
-Maintained a comfortable lifestyle
-Began WWI military service as a military transport driver
-Mother’s death slowed his creative output
-Taxi accident (brain damage detected years later)
-Final years had failing health and reclusive behaviour
-Died in Paris after brain surgery

23
Q

Musical style Ravel

A

-expanded tonal language includes modes, pentatonic, whole-tone scales, parallel chord streams, unresolved seventh and ninth chords, and polychords
-humour and gentle, even naive, charm is evident in some works
-attraction to American jazz evident
-had a natural affinity for Spanish music because of his mother’s Basque heritage; Spanish influences revealed in works such as Rapsodie Espagnole, Boléro, etc
-Thin textures, contrapuntal writing, traditional forms (neo-classicism)

24
Q

Ravel compositions

A

Rapsodie espagnole, piano concerto for the left hand, menuet antique, bolero

25
Q

Twelve Tone Music

A

A method of composition developed by Schoenberg; an approach used to organize atonal music

26
Q

Expressionism in Music

A

Early 20th-century German style; marked by extreme dissonance, angular melodies, irregular rhythmic groupings

27
Q

Atonality

A

Music that has no tonal center; no sense of key

28
Q

Second Viennese School

A

musical style forged by Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern; encompasses atonality, Expressionism, and often the twelve-tone method

29
Q

Inversion

A

rewriting a melody upside down

30
Q

Retrograde

A

rewriting a melody backward

31
Q

Tone Row

A

Fixed order of the twelve chromatic pitches; the basis of a twelve-tone composition

32
Q

Canon

A

From the Latin for “law”; strict imitation of a musical line at a fixed interval throughout

33
Q

Klangfarbenmelodie

A

German for “tone-colour melody”; individual notes of a melody are distributed among several instruments and often over a wide range; a concept developed by Schoenberg in the early 20thcentury

34
Q

Sprechstimme

A

German for “speech-voice”; a vocal technique developed by Schoenberg and used for the first time in his song cycle Pierrot Lunaire; the singer/reciter performs what sounds like “pitched speaking”

35
Q

Pierrot lunaire op 21 genre, composition date, language, german, translation of title, source of text

A

Genre- song cycle
Composition date- 1912
Language- german
Translation of title- Moonstruck Pierrot
Source of text- twenty-one poems by Albert Giraud

36
Q

Die Mondleck key, form, tempo, meter, translation of title, performing forces, text summary

A

“Die Mondleck” (no.18)
Key- atonal
Form- Rondeau
Tempo- Very quickly
Meter- 3/4
Translation of title- The Moonfleck
Performing forces- voice, piccolo, clarinet, violin, cello, piano
Text summary (story)- Pierrot is upset by a white fleck on his black jacket. He doesn’t realize it is a moonbeam and rubs the spot.

37
Q

Die Mondleck summary

A

-brisk angular melody
-flickering effect
-contrapuntal devices such as three-voice fugue

38
Q

O alter Duft aus Marchenzeit key, form, tempo, meter, translation of title, performing forces, text summary

A

Key- Atonal
Form- Rondeau
Tempo- Bewegt (with motion)
Meter- C
Translation of title- “O Scent of Fabled Yesteryear”
Performing forces- voice and eight instruments
Text summary- A nostalgic Pierrot basks in warm sunlight, dreaming of life’s happy possibilities

39
Q

O alter Duft aus Marchenzeit

A

-Melodic lines are more flowing and lyrical, a traditional sound that hints at tonality
-Wistful and dream-like quality of the text is depicted through the parallel-third writing and the use of triads

40
Q

Schoenberg dates

A

1874-1951

40
Q

Schoenberg life

A

-Born in Vienna, Austria
-Family struggled financially after father’s death
-Schoenberg left school and worked at a bank for five years to support his family
-played cello in an amateur orchestra
-Married Mathilde
-Moved between Berlin and Vienna several times in his early career
-Attracted private students in Vienna
-Earned very little money as a teacher and composer
-Served briefly in WWI, left him depressed and slowed his musical output
-Moved back to Berlin to be master-class instructor
-Moved to Los Angeles

41
Q

Schoenberg musical style

A

-supported atonality and developed the twelve-tone method
-contrapuntal textures, chamber-like sonorities
Schoenberg’s music can be divided into four stylistic periods
-Post-romantic, programmatic elements, lush orchestration
-Expressionist, marked by rejection of tonality, polyphonic, dissonant procedures
-Twelve-tone, composed using twelve-tone, used classical forms
-American, greater stylistic diversity, more liberal twelve-tone composition

42
Q

Schoenberg compositions

A

-Pelleas und Melisande, three piano pieces, gurre-lieder

43
Q

Cluster Chord

A

A dissonant chord consisting of major and minor seconds; often employed in atonal music

44
Q

Expressionism in Music

A

Early 20thcentury German style; marked by extreme dissonance, angular melodies, irregular rhythmic groupings; explored deeply psychological themes

45
Q

Wozzeck genre, composition date, language, source of plot, libretto, and structure

A

Genre- Expressionist opera
Composition date- 1922
Language- German
Source of plot- 19th- century play Woyzeck, by Georg Büchner
Libretto- prepared by the composer himself
Structure- three acts; five scenes in an act

46
Q

Plot summary of Wozzeck

A

Plot summary- Wozzeck, a soldier, is subjected to Captain’s taunts and the Doctor’s dietary experiments. His wife, Marie, has been unfaithful to him. Wozzeck meets Marie by a pond, and he stabs her to death. When he returns to search for his knife, he wades into the water and drowns.

47
Q

Act 3, Scene 4 notes

A

-To open the scene, a six-note repeated chord is played by woodwinds and horns; the chord recurs throughout the scene in different guises
-Extended harp passage rises from the depths at the mention of the “blood-soaked moon”
-frenetic, angular vocal line covers a wide range
-a backdrop of dialogue between doctor and captain, dense, six-note chord formations swell chromatically

48
Q

Alban Berg dates

A

1885-1935