Music Section 3 Flashcards
When and why did European started to write music down during the medieval ages?
The instigator of this endeavor was the Catholic Church since it was growing impossible to keep its chants consistent from parish to parish. Prior to notation, monks, nuns, and priests had to memorize all the Church’s increasing hundreds (even thousands) of devotional and ceremonial chants. Therefore, although we are sure that people sang secular (non- religious) music all the time in their daily lives, the earliest surviving written music is entirely sacred, intended to support religious services and activities.
What type of texture did the first Catholic Church’s chants had and why?
The Catholic Church’s chants were monophonic, so when notation first developed, only melodies needed to be transcribed. Monophonic music consists of a single, unaccompanied melodic line. Multiple instruments or voices may be presenting that melody, but they are all performing the same pitch at the same time—that is, they are playing the one melody in unison.
What did the earliest form of counterpoint look like and what modern process does it resemble?
The earliest form of counter point hey would often use an old, familiar chant as a foundation and develop new tunes that would coordinate with it. The process is a little like sampling today, in which older works are borrowed and quoted in new pieces.
T/F. “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” and “Are You Sleeping? (Frère Jacques)” are examples of singing rounds.
TRUE
Where was Sumer is icumen in (“Summer Has
Come”) preserved?
From the mid-thirteenth century it survived in an abbey near Reading (pronounced “Redding”), England.
What is the modern translation and meaning of “Sing, cuccu, nu” in “Summer is Icumen in?
The modern translation is “Sing Cuckoo, now” and is a celebration of summertime when the cuckoo would sing once again.
Why is the rondellus in Summer is icumen labeled as “pes”?
The repetitive rondellus (ostinato pattern) becomes an accompaniment pattern for the other four voices, so the medieval manuscript for Sumer is icumen in labels the rondellus as a “pes” (written in red ink, alongside a bracket), meaning “foot” or “ground.” The rondellus is the footing, or foundation, on top of which the other polyphonic rota layer is built.
What dynamic level finishes Sumer is icumen in?
Pianissimo dynamic at minute 1:36
In what language is the religious second poem underneath each staff of the rota in Sumer is icumen in?
Underneath each staff of the rota there is a second poem in Latin notated in red (although only one language accompanies the pes). The Latin poem begins “Perspice christicola” (“Behold, Christian”), and it is a religious text, in contrast to the secular spirit of the Sumer poetry.
What do some scholars believe is the reason religious monks added a second poem in Latin below the cheerful secular song (Sumer is icumnen in)?
Some scholars suggest that the sacred poem was added in order to justify the inclusion of this joyous secular piece within an expensive document intended for the Church.
What were the main reasons musical notation was not a necessity until the Middle ages?
Songs were learned “by ear” or “by rote.” This sort of imitative polyphony is easy to master. In addition, writing materials were extremely expensive in that era.
Why is Sume is icumen in different from the other music notations of its time?
The earliest surviving written music was entirely sacred and unlike this pieces this pieces which were usually stored in manuscripts, Sumer is icumen in is secular.
When was the first attempt to write down music in means of “musical notation”?
Ninth Century, during the Middle Ages by Europeans
What is one main comparison between Ansel Pereia’s “Let It Snow, Let It Snow” (1945) and Frans Schubert’s “Winterreise” (1827)?
Let it snow displays more happy emotions about winter while in comparison Winterreise displays more despair heartbroken emotions of a young man wandering during winter
What kind of “relatable feelings” was captured in “The Lonely One in Autumn” in “Das Lied Von Der Erde” by Gustav Mahler? (BE SPECIFIC)
Captured the sense of isolation people experience as the plants wither and the days get colder
What are nicknames for “Sumer is icumen in” (c.1250)?
“Reading Rota” (Rota meaning Round) this was named after the abbey that preserved the manuscript, another nickname is “Summer Cannon”
How does musical notiation (specifically the staff lines) from “Sumer is icumen in” (c1250) differ from how it looks today?
The staff has 6 lines while modern day staff’s only have 5 lines
For the clef in “Sumer is icumen in” (c.1250) they put a capital “C” on the fourth staff line. Why did they do that, and what does it tell you?
They put it on the 4th staff line (counting up from lowest) to tell singers to read pitches on that line as C. With the 4th line placement, it resembles the “tenor clef” from section 1
What language is “Sumer is icumen in” (c.1250) written in?
Old English
What does the the large red cross, or “plus” mean in the manuscript of “Sumer is icumen in” (c.1250)
When singer 1 gets to that point, singer 2 should start singing the same tune, and so on. this is called “polyphony” of the round, also could be seen as staggered singing
What is the second layer of musical activity happening in “Sumer is icumen in” (c.1250)? (hint: layer one is Polyphony)
a rondellus that contains two short motifs (a and b) which the two singers harmonize with one another and switch. Also known as a “voice-exchange”
What is the definition of “Rondellus?”
polyphonic genre for two or more voices, that was popular in the middle ages, it is considered a layer of musical activity separate from “imitative polyphony”
The manuscript for “Sumee is icumen in” labels rondellus as a “pes.” What do some scholars believe about the pes from this piece?
The pes was quoted, or “sampled” from an older sacred chant. “Regina caeli laetare”
What dynamic levels are mostly featured in “Sumer is icumen in” (c.1250)?
piano, and mezzopiano (note: 0:59 features a forte, and 1:36 features pianissimo)
From what years was the singer “What a wonderful world” alive
1901-1971
Who was the singer for “What a wonderful world”
Louis Armstrong
At what age was Louis Armstrong first arrested
nine
When Did Louis Armstrong shoot bullets into the New York sky, causing him to need to be relocated
New years eve 1912
Who was hired to be a band director for a intuition that Louis Armstrong stayed at
Peter Davis
After being arrested for the first time, who did start to live with
His Aunt
What musician showed an interest to young Louis
Joe “king” Oliver
Who was the pianist of Joe “king’s band and wife of Luis Armstrong
Lillian Hardin
Which famous musician nickname was Satchmo
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong version of “Hello, Dolly!” get to number one of billboard charts in what year
1964
before 2023 who was the oldest person to have a song reach number one of the bildboard chart
Louis Armstrong
who made the song “hello dolly”
Jerry Herman
Who was the first singer of “What a Wonderful World”? (Hint: the song was also written for him)
Louis Armstrong
In what form was Listening Companion 7: “What a Wonderful World” (1967) composed by Bob Theile [“George Douglas”] and George David Weiss written in?
32-bar “song form” (A-A-B-A)
In Listening Companion 7: “What a Wonderful World” (1967) composed by Bob Theile [“George Douglas”] and George David Weiss but sung by and dedicated to Louis Armstrong, how are the first two A melodies different despite the contour of each being nearly identical?
because the first phrase cadences on “A” (the mediant of the F major key) while the second phrase ends on the tonic “F”
What is the common nickname for the third phrase of a 32-bar form (A-A-B-A)? And in what way is different from the A phrases?
the common nickname for the B phrase is bridge and it differs harmonically from the A phrases
Describe the first half of the bridge (B phrase of the 32-bar form) in Listening Companion 7: “What a Wonderful World” (1967) composed by Bob Theile [“George Douglas”] and George David Weiss but sung by and dedicated to Louis Armstrong
it lingers on several repetitions of the supertonic “G” and the mediant
Describe the second half of the bridge (B phrase of the 32-bar form) in Listening Companion 7: “What a Wonderful World” (1967) composed by Bob Theile [“George Douglas”] and George David Weiss but sung by and dedicated to Louis Armstrong
it alternates between the high “D” and “C” before descending to a cadence on “G”
When singing “What a Wonderful World” (1967), which is Listening Companion 7 composed by Bob Theile [“George Douglas”] and George David Wiess, Louis Armstrong improvised a brief “Oh, yeah” at the end of the final A that returns to the mediant yet again which allows the song to feel what?
as if it were lingering onward without ever ceasing
How is there a lack of resolution that builds our anticipation for the short coda phrase that does cadence on F in final A phase of “What a Wonderful World” (1967) composed by Bob Theile [“George Douglas”] and George David Weiss but sung by and dedicated to Louis Armstrong?
when A returns a third time as the last eight measures of the 32-bar form, it does not include on the expected tonic instead pauses on the mediant “A”
True or False? When singing Listening Companion 7: “What a Wonderful World” (1967) composed by Bob Theile [“George Douglas”] and George David Wiess, Louis Armstrong changes up the melody a little to better suit what he envisioned.
False; other than adding “Oh yeah” in the third A phrase, Armstrong stuck quite closely to the songwriters’ melody. He does not “jazz it up” in anyway in order to maintain the tender, ballad-like atmosphere that the record producers had envisioned.
In what form is ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” written in?
ternary form (A-B-A) with its B consisting of two repetitions of a 5-4-3-2-1 descent
What other lullaby-like celebrations of the natural world is our Listening Example 7: “What a Wonderful World” (1967) composed by Bob Theile [“George Douglas”] and George David Weiss but sung by and dedicated to Louis Armstrong, similar to?
the A phase of “What a Wonderful World” (in the upper staff) is similar to the first phrase of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” (in the lower staff)
In what film of his, did Barry Levinson choose to include “What a Wonderful World” (1967) composed by Bob Theile [“George Douglas”] and George David Weiss but sung by Louis Armstrong?
Good Morning Vietnam (1988)
In what meter does “What a Wonderful World” (1967) begin in?
12/8
When was “What a Wonderful World” (1967), composed by Bob Theile [“George Douglas”] and George David Weiss but sung by Louis Armstrong, added to the Grammy Hall of Fame?
in 1999
True or False? “What a Wonderful World” (1967), composed by Bob Theile [“George Douglas”] and George David Weiss but sung by and dedicated to Louis Armstrong, was more popular in Britain before the U.S.
True; the record of this song had shot up to Number 1 in England and remained on the top of British list for four weeks and sold over six hundred thousand copies. This was despite Newton trying to get revenge by refusing to spend any money promoting the new recording as few than 1000 copies were sold in the United States over the next year
What did the Catholic Church begin devising in the Middle Ages, around the ninth century?
Musical notation to standardize the worship rituals.
What type of music was the earliest notated music?
Monophonic.
What language is the anonymous Sumer is icumen in set in?
Old English.
What is Sumer is icumen in nicknamed?
The “Reading Rota”.
What was the overture Global Warming inspired by?
The fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism.
When was Global Warming made?
1990
Who created Global Warming?
Abels
When did Louis Armstrong record “Hello, Dolly!”?
1964
Why did the Catholic Church rarely do secular music?
The handwritten manuscripts were expensive to produce.
What two types of counterpoint does Sumer is icumen in blend?
A rota and a rondellus.
What may the rondellus melody have been taken from?
A Latin chant called Regina caeli laetare.
What form is “What a Wonderful World” in?
“What a Wonderful World” is in 32-bar “song form”.
What scale does Irish music often use?
The Dorian mode scale
What is a Bodhran?
A single-headed Irish drum
What technique is used to mute a French Horn?
stopped horn
What mode does the B section of “Global Warming” use?
Mixolydian mode
Not all times of year are viewed with one emotion. Winter is described with opposite emotions in these 2 songs.
“Let is snow!” & “Winterreise” (Winter Journey)
Spring & Summer tend to be viewed in Negative lights by most of humanity. T/F
False, Spring & Summer are the majority of the time positive
What event inspired the subject matter of “Global Warming”
The fall of the Berlin Wall.
When did the Berlin Wall fall?
11/9/1989
Who were the leaders that announced the end of the Cold War on December 3, 1989?
Mikhail Gorbachev and George H. W. Bush.
What positive sign did Abels see in world politics?
Cultures warming to each other.
Where does Michael Abels live, which influenced his perspective on music?
Los Angeles.
What did Abels find intriguing about folk music?
The similarities between the folk music of different cultures.
What city commissioned the piece “Global Warming”
Phoenix, AZ.
