Music Styles Flashcards
A theatrical production combining drama, vocal and orchestral music, costumes, scenery, and sometimes dance.
Giacomo Puccini’s “La Boheme”, Georges Bizet’s “Carmen”, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “The marriage of Figaro” …
Opera
A musical drama for voices and orchestra, usually based on a religious narrative, usually performed without scenery or action.
Georg Friedrich Handel’s “Messiah”, Felix Mendelssohn’s “Elijah”, Joseph Haydn’s Creation.
Oratorio
A term used to indicate unaccompanied choral singing.
A Capella
In an opera, an oratorio or a cantata, an extended song for solo voice, often a showpiece for the singer’s vocal ability.
Giuseppe Verdi’s “La donna e mobile” form Rigoletto, Georges Bizet’s “Habanera” From Carmen, Christof W. Gluck’s”Che faro senza Euridice” from Orpheo ed Euridice.
Aria
A sentimental or romantic song, also, a song that telss a story.
R.Kelly’s “I believe i can fly”, Dido’s “Here with me”, Beyoncé’s “If i were a boy”
Ballad
A twentieth-century African American vocal jazz style, characterised by melancholy lyrics, flatted third and seventh notes, slow, syncopated rhythms, and the 12 bar blues harmonic structure.
Artists of that genre : Sonny boy Williamson, Albert King, John Lee Hooker…
Blues
In music, it refers to the unique way in which the elements of melody, rhythm, tone colour, texture, harmony and form are handled to create a special “sound.
Style
A religious folk song originating during the period of slavery.
Song like “Swing low sweet chariot”, Wallace Willis; “Oh happy day” Phillip Doddridge; “Amazing Grace”, John Newton…
Spiritual, Gospel
A style of music, popular in the 1930s to the 1950s, that incorporated Big Band and jazz Characteristics.
Artists like Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller…
Swing
The structure of a piece of music, the way its different moments are arranged.
Form
The period in music history dating from 1600 to 1750. following the renaissance and preceding the Classical period, The music of this era is characterised by contrasts, heavy ornamentation and the apparition of strict forms (concerto, suite…).
Composers like Henry Purcell (“Dido e Aeneas”), Tomaso Albinoni (12 concerto opus 9), J.S.Bach (Mass in B minor)
Baroque music
A music genre originated in the early XXth century in the United States which main characteristics are improvisation, syncopation and polyrhythms.
Artists like Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Herbie Hancock…
Jazz
To be completed
Bluegrass
Music written for chorus and orchestra. Most often religious in nature.
J.S.Bach’s”Sheep may safely graze”(from cantata 208) and “Jesu, Joy of Man’s”(from cantata 147)
Cantata
The period of music history which dates from the mid 1700’s to mid 1800’s. The music was spare and emotionally reserved, especially when compared to Romantic and Baroque music. Composers like W.A. Mozart, J.Haydn, L.V. Beethoven…
Classical music
