Music History Quiz #3

Question 1

accompanied recitative

Answer 1

Entire orchestra (not just continuo) accompanied soloist. Used for special effects. Orchestra was to supplement (not just represent) the meaning of words.

Question 2

siciliana aria

Answer 2

Compound meter, leisurely tempo, dotted rhythms, eighth note pickup at beginning.

Question 3

da capo aria

Answer 3

ABA (return to beginning again). Usually add ornamentation 2nd time. Most common type of aria in 18th c.

Question 4

sinfonia

Answer 4

Overture consisting of fanfare-like opening, slow middle section, dance section. Idea of harmony dictating form was biggest new idea of 17th c Italy.

Question 5

coloratura

Answer 5

Elaborately difficult passages within arias used to showcase singer’s virtuosity.

Question 6

cadenza

Answer 6

“ornamented cadence” - Used to display virtuosity. Often improvised. Preceded and prolonged important cadences.

Question 7

sonata da chiesa

Answer 7

“church sonata” - sonata form, sacred genre. Used by Corelli. Played during Mass. Contrasting speeds in movements (s-f-s-f).

Question 8

trio sonata

Answer 8

three strings + continuo

Question 9

concerto grosso

Answer 9

“large ensemble” - originally backup band for sonata da chiesa; became its own genre. Genre was played during mass. Contrasting speeds in movements (s-f-s-f). Corelli.

Question 10

sonata da camera

Answer 10

“charmber sonata” - Secular, aristocratic dance suite. Corelli.

Question 11

Vivaldi concerti

Answer 11

Lots. Followed a pattern. Virtuosity was most important. Candenza-like sections helped transition between tonal centers. Alternation between ritornello, ripieno, and episodes.

Question 12

ritornello

Answer 12

“little return” - small, recurring themes in a piece (used in concerti).

Question 13

episodes (concerto)

Answer 13

sections of a concerto where only the soloist plays.

Question 14

ripieno (concerto)

Answer 14

the full ensemble accompanying a concerto.

Question 15

binary form

Answer 15

AB where A comes back at the end but is not its own section. e.g. da capo aria or da capo al fine. imitative of a folk song. used a chorus or ritornello between verses.

Question 16

Alessandro Scarlatti

Answer 16

Dominated Neapolitan musical scene in late 17th c. Wrote many operas and cantatas.

Question 17

opera seria

Answer 17

serious opera. 18th c.

Question 18

Metastasio

Answer 18

Roman poet, librettist. wrote mainly for opera seria. Coined the method of distinction between aria and recitative.

Question 19

Arcangelo Corelli

Answer 19

First great instrumental-only composer. Revolutionized sonatas and concertos. Associated with beginning of harmony-dicatated form.

Question 20

Antonio Vivaldi

Answer 20

Famous for solo concertos. Able to write very emotional music (shock value).

Question 21

J.S. Bach

Answer 21

Incredibly talented, but had a very predictable and unglamorous career. Stayed in Germany. Wrote basically just for church, not for public. Fused French, Italian, and German elements to create his own style.

Question 22

chorale prelude

Answer 22

Single-stanza setting of solo organ used to cue the congregation to sing or accompany silent meditation. Bach.

Question 23

toccata

Answer 23

Rigorously imitative versus improvisatory passages.

Question 24

fugue

Answer 24

A composition with at least 2 voices with a subject on which the piece is based. Voices imitate the subject or repeat it at an interval. Countersubject is the ‘answer’ to the subject.

Question 25

episode (fugue)

Answer 25

A stretch of music in free counterpoint during which the subject is withheld.

Question 26

stretto

Answer 26

"straitened" - Many overlapping entrances of the subject phrase that are shortened to help bring the fugue to a close.

Question 27

Seufzer

Answer 27

"sighs" - appoggiaturas written as slurred descending pairs.

Question 28

suite

Answer 28

A collection of dances established in Gerbany by Froberger. May include a prelude.

Question 29

allemande

Answer 29

Slow, stately movie in a quadruple meter (4/4).

Question 30

courante

Answer 30

Grave triple meter. Written in 3/2 with 6/4 hemiolas.

Question 31

sarabande

Answer 31

Majestic, triple meter, used for ballet, emphasis on second beat. Used to be sexy-castanetty.

Question 32

gigue

Answer 32

Fast, usually 6/8. Usually began with imitation.

Question 33

galant

Answer 33

A style/quality of art focused on simplicity, refined wit, elegant manners, and easy grace.

Question 34

Bach suites

Answer 34

Written for keyboard, violin, cello, orchestra. Consisted usually of 6 (major Froberger 4, + gavotte, bouree).

Question 35

Couperin

Answer 35

Wrote specific instructions for performance (unusual). Was very specific about how/when to use ornamentation - NOT improvisatory.

Question 36

rococo

Answer 36

"rock/shell work" - Miniatures that had intricate and detailed embellishments (after the type of architecture with shell work at the time).

Question 37

Brandenburg Concertos

Answer 37

J.S. Bach from his Coethen phase. Written and dedicated to try to get a job; unacknowledged. Strange instrumentation. Commentary on the representation of society in the orchestra.

Question 38

Fifth Brandenburg Concerto

Answer 38

Flute, harpsichord, and violin are "protagonists." Weird for harpsichord to have prominent role. Lots of role reversals, fusion between Italian concerto, fugue, and gigue.

Question 39

George Frideric Handel

Answer 39

Mainly a secular writer, but recognized for sacred works (Messiah). Best known for operas and oratorios. Wrote concerto grosso, solo organ, oratorios, solo/trio sonatas, orchestral suites. Compared to Bach: more popular at the time, wrote theater music (Bach didn't). Most well-known works are orchestral suites Water Music and Music for Royal Fireworks.

Question 40

Well-Tempered Klavier

Answer 40

Bach, 1722-1742. Began in C, then c, then went through half steps major/minor for preludes AND fugues (48 total).

Question 41

Johann Jacob Froberger

Answer 41

Mid 1600s. Composed keyboard suites modelled after French dance types: allemande, courante, sarabande, gigue. Bach mimicked him.