Music - (15% of Exam) Flashcards
Key Figure
Details
Hildegard von Bingen
Time Period: Medieval
Contribution: One of the earliest known female composers, known for sacred monophonic music and visionary texts.
Guillaume de Machaut
Time Period: Medieval
Contribution: French composer and poet, known for Messe de Nostre Dame, one of the earliest complete polyphonic mass settings.
Josquin des Prez
Time Period: Renaissance
Contribution: Master of polyphony, known for works such as Ave Maria… Virgo Serena.
Giovanni Palestrina
Time Period: Renaissance
Contribution: Composer of sacred choral music, known for Missa Papae Marcelli, which influenced the Counter-Reformation.
Claudio Monteverdi
Time Period: Baroque
Contribution: Pioneer of opera, composer of L’Orfeo, one of the earliest operas.
Henry Purcell
Time Period: Baroque
Contribution: English composer known for Dido and Aeneas and his contributions to early Baroque opera.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Time Period: Baroque
Contribution: German composer known for The Well-Tempered Clavier, Brandenburg Concertos, and Mass in B Minor.
George Frideric Handel
Time Period: Baroque
Contribution: Known for Messiah, Water Music, and Music for the Royal Fireworks.
Antonio Vivaldi
Time Period: Baroque
Contribution: Italian composer famous for The Four Seasons, a set of violin concertos.
Domenico Scarlatti
Time Period: Baroque
Contribution: Composed over 500 keyboard sonatas, influencing later classical piano styles.
Christoph Willibald Gluck
Time Period: Classical
Contribution: Opera reformer known for Orfeo ed Euridice.
Franz Joseph Haydn
Time Period: Classical
Contribution: Known as the ‘Father of the Symphony’ and ‘Father of the String Quartet’, composed The Creation and London Symphonies.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Time Period: Classical
Contribution: Prolific composer of symphonies, operas, and chamber music, including The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, and Symphony No. 40.
Ludwig van Beethoven
Time Period: Classical/Romantic
Contribution: Bridged Classical and Romantic periods, known for Symphony No. 9, Moonlight Sonata, and Eroica Symphony.
Franz Schubert
Time Period: Romantic
Contribution: Austrian composer known for Erlkönig, Unfinished Symphony, and Winterreise.
Hector Berlioz
Time Period: Romantic
Contribution: Known for Symphonie fantastique, which introduced new orchestral techniques.
Felix Mendelssohn
Time Period: Romantic
Contribution: Revived interest in Bach’s music, known for A Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture.
Frédéric Chopin
Time Period: Romantic
Contribution: Polish composer known for piano works like Nocturnes, Polonaises, and Études.
Johannes Brahms
Time Period: Romantic
Contribution: Composer of Hungarian Dances and A German Requiem.
Richard Wagner
Time Period: Romantic
Contribution: Composer of epic operas such as The Ring Cycle, Tristan und Isolde, and The Flying Dutchman.
Giuseppe Verdi
Time Period: Romantic
Contribution: Italian opera composer known for La Traviata, Aida, and Rigoletto.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Time Period: Romantic
Contribution: Russian composer known for The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and 1812 Overture.
Claude Debussy
Time Period: Impressionist
Contribution: French composer known for Clair de Lune and Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune.
Igor Stravinsky
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Russian composer known for The Rite of Spring, Firebird, and Petrushka.
Arnold Schoenberg
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Developed the twelve-tone technique, known for Pierrot Lunaire.
Dmitri Shostakovich
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Russian composer known for Symphony No. 5 and String Quartet No. 8.
George Gershwin
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: American composer known for Rhapsody in Blue and Porgy and Bess.
Aaron Copland
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: American composer known for Appalachian Spring and Fanfare for the Common Man.
John Cage
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: Avant-garde composer known for experimental works like 4’33”.
Philip Glass
Time Period: Contemporary
Contribution: Minimalist composer known for Einstein on the Beach and Glassworks.
Leonard Bernstein
Time Period: 20th Century
Contribution: American composer and conductor known for West Side Story.
John Williams
Time Period: Contemporary
Contribution: Film composer known for Star Wars, Jaws, and Schindler’s List.
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Time Period: Contemporary
Contribution: Composer of musical theater hits like The Phantom of the Opera and Cats.
Duke Ellington
Time Period: Jazz
Contribution: Jazz composer and bandleader known for Take the ‘A’ Train.
Louis Armstrong
Time Period: Jazz
Contribution: Trumpeter and singer known for What a Wonderful World and Hello, Dolly!.
Miles Davis
Time Period: Jazz
Contribution: Jazz trumpeter and innovator, known for Kind of Blue.
Charlie Parker
Time Period: Jazz
Contribution: Saxophonist and key figure in the bebop movement.
John Coltrane
Time Period: Jazz
Contribution: Saxophonist known for A Love Supreme and Giant Steps.
Bob Dylan
Time Period: Folk/Rock
Contribution: Singer-songwriter known for Blowin’ in the Wind and Like a Rolling Stone.
The Beatles
Time Period: Rock
Contribution: One of the most influential rock bands, known for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road.
Title
Details
Gregorian Chant
Composer: Anonymous
Time Period: Medieval
Synopsis: A form of plainchant used in Roman Catholic liturgy, characterized by monophonic melody and free rhythm.
Messe de Nostre Dame
Composer: Guillaume de Machaut
Time Period: Medieval
Synopsis: One of the first complete settings of the Mass Ordinary by a single composer, demonstrating early polyphony.
Ave Maria… Virgo Serena
Composer: Josquin des Prez
Time Period: Renaissance
Synopsis: A motet showcasing Renaissance polyphony and imitative counterpoint.
Missa Papae Marcelli
Composer: Giovanni Palestrina
Time Period: Renaissance
Synopsis: A Mass that helped demonstrate polyphony’s compatibility with clear textual expression, aiding the Counter-Reformation.
L’Orfeo
Composer: Claudio Monteverdi
Time Period: Baroque
Synopsis: One of the earliest operas, blending Renaissance and Baroque elements with expressive recitative and instrumental color.
Dido and Aeneas
Composer: Henry Purcell
Time Period: Baroque
Synopsis: An English opera featuring the famous lament ‘When I Am Laid in Earth’.
The Well-Tempered Clavier
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Time Period: Baroque
Synopsis: A collection of keyboard works exploring all major and minor keys, demonstrating counterpoint and harmony.
Brandenburg Concertos
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Time Period: Baroque
Synopsis: A set of six concertos showcasing Baroque instrumental forms and techniques.
Messiah
Composer: George Frideric Handel
Time Period: Baroque
Synopsis: A sacred oratorio famous for the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus, combining biblical texts and grand choral writing.
The Four Seasons
Composer: Antonio Vivaldi
Time Period: Baroque
Synopsis: A set of violin concertos depicting seasonal changes through musical imagery.
Orfeo ed Euridice
Composer: Christoph Willibald Gluck
Time Period: Classical
Synopsis: An opera reforming Baroque conventions with simpler, more expressive melodies and dramatic unity.
Symphony No. 94 ‘Surprise’
Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn
Time Period: Classical
Synopsis: A symphony known for its unexpected loud chord in the second movement.
Don Giovanni
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Time Period: Classical
Synopsis: An opera blending comedy and drama, portraying the legendary seducer Don Juan.
Symphony No. 40 in G minor
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Time Period: Classical
Synopsis: A symphony known for its urgent, dramatic themes and rich orchestration.
Symphony No. 9 ‘Choral’
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Time Period: Classical/Romantic
Synopsis: The first symphony to include a choral finale, featuring ‘Ode to Joy’.
Erlkönig
Composer: Franz Schubert
Time Period: Romantic
Synopsis: A lied (art song) depicting a supernatural chase through dramatic piano accompaniment and vocal expression.
Symphonie fantastique
Composer: Hector Berlioz
Time Period: Romantic
Synopsis: A programmatic symphony depicting a young artist’s hallucinations and obsessive love.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture
Composer: Felix Mendelssohn
Time Period: Romantic
Synopsis: An orchestral work capturing Shakespeare’s play’s magic and whimsy.
Nocturnes
Composer: Frédéric Chopin
Time Period: Romantic
Synopsis: A set of piano pieces exploring lyrical, expressive melodies and delicate harmonies.
The Ring Cycle
Composer: Richard Wagner
Time Period: Romantic
Synopsis: A four-opera epic drawing from Norse mythology, using leitmotifs and expanded orchestration.
La Traviata
Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Time Period: Romantic
Synopsis: An opera exploring love and sacrifice through emotionally charged melodies.
Swan Lake
Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Time Period: Romantic
Synopsis: A ballet telling the tragic story of Odette, a princess transformed into a swan.
Clair de Lune
Composer: Claude Debussy
Time Period: Impressionist
Synopsis: A piano piece evoking moonlight through delicate harmonies and fluid rhythms.
The Rite of Spring
Composer: Igor Stravinsky
Time Period: 20th Century
Synopsis: A ballet featuring primal rhythms and dissonant harmonies, causing riots at its premiere.