Required works details Flashcards
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- Historical context/date
- Type or genre
- performing forces
- structure
- musical character, mood, or atmosphere
- text
- plot
Haec Dies (Chant) by Anonymous
- Early Middle Ages
- Gregorian chant
- soloist and chorus
- monophonic, responsorial performance, unmeasured rhythm
- joyous celebration of Easter celebration, Psalms Old testament
- N/A
This is the base (Cantus Firmus) for many other medieval compositions.
Haec Dies (Organum) by Anonymous
- Early Middle Ages
- Organum (Notre Dame School)
- soloist and chorus
- polyphonic (with monophonic sections) | two voices
- Old Testament—Psalms
- No plot
This anonymous work illustrates how the techniques of the Notre Dame School were applied to create polyphonic compositions. The Haec dies (Chant) served as the point of departure and became the structural framework for this new composition. Polyphony
Format: The cantus firmus is drawn from the original Haec Dies chant, while the upper voice is newly composed and more rhythmically active than the cantus firmus
O mitissima/Virgo/Dies by Anonymous
- 13th century
- polytextual motet
- three voices
- The two lower voices are part of the organum and the tenor is a cantus firmus from the chant Haec Dies.
- Musical character varies
- Poems in praise of the Virgin Mary
- Plot is N/A
Most frequently used intervals are perfect fourths, fifths and octaves. The cantus firmus involves a repeated rhythmic pattern consisting of long-long-short-long notes.
Ce Fut en Mai by Moniot D’Arras
- Mid 13th century
- monophonic chanson
- solo singer, monophonic
- Strophic form, consisting of 5 verses, with 12 short lines in each verse. Internal structure of each verse is AABB
- Text is Romantic and Sad, while the music is jolly and happy
- Secular poem
- The poem is about a man with no love and get comforted by a couple
Royal Estampie No. 4 by Anonymous
- late 13th century
- dance music (Estampie- an early medieval dance with a stately character)
- variable instruments
- sectional with open and closed endings
- no text
- no text
Found in the Chansonnier du Roy
Kyrie from Messe de Nostre Dame by Guillaume de Machaut
- around 1350
- Mass
- four voices, singers with instruments
- 3 sections, text follows ABA form
- sacred
- cantus firmus in tenor is based on the plainchant Kyrie from Gregorian Mass IV
This is the first complete polyphonic setting of the ordinary of the mass by a single composer. This Mass also introduced another voice into the traditional 3 voice style: the counterpoint.
Ave Maria … Virgo Serena by Josquin des Prez
- 1470s-1480s
- motet
- four voices a cappella , polyphonic
- opening couplet, 5 quatrains (four lines)
- sacred
- rhymed strophic poem
- reflects the exalted position held by the Virgin Mary
The text is mostly syllabic with a short melismas emphasizing key words.
Important Change from perfect intervals to thirds and sixths, while still keeping cadences on fifths and octaves
Gloria from Missa Papae Marcelli by Giovavnni Palestrina
- 1567
- Mass
- six voices a capella, polyphonic (with homorhythmic passages)
- Mass Ordinary (Second movement)
- Sacred sounding
- Mass Ordinary Gloria
A polyphonic setting of the five movements of the Ordinary to demonstrate the potential for achieving clarity in text setting within a simple polyphonic texture.
Sectional form reflects the structure of the text
Moro, lasso, al mio duolo by Carlo Gesualdo
- 1611
- Madrigal
- Five voices a cappella, polyphonic
- Secular poem accompanied by music
- the music reflects the character of the poem
- no plot
Highly chromatic opening passage Imitative texture contrasts with earlier chordal passages
My Bonny Lass She Smileth by Thomas Morley
- 1595
- English madrigal (Ballett)
- 5 voices a cappella with largely homophonic textures with some polyphony
- strophic poem (AABB within each stanza)
- Dance-like character with nonsense syllables adding a lively light-hearted mood
- Based on a Italian madrigal, transformed into an English ballett
- A romantic story of a woman’s lover
- No plot
Section A:
- Duple meter
- A lively- light hearted mood is created
- large syllabic setting and homorhythmic texture project the text with clarity
- homophonic text setting in the verses is alternated with more imitative writing in the “fa-la-la” refrains
Section B:
- switch from duple to triple meter on the “fa-la-la” refina in the B section
- same music is repeated for the second verse of text
The Carman’s Whistle by William Byrd
- 1591
- Keyboard music, also arranged for lute
- solo keyboard
- theme and variations
- lilting, cheerful
- based off of a popular 16th-century tune
- the title “The Carman’s Whistle” refers to the men whose occupation involved looking after the horses and carts that moved goods and supplies between farms and markets, whilst whistling.
L’Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi
Overview:
- 1607
- Italian Opera
- orchestra
- prologue and five acts
- sad, deep and dark
- based on the Fables of Orfeo (Greek Mythology)
- Orfeo’s wife dies, then Orfeo goes to the underworld, loses her again after looking into her eyes, then Apollo feels pity on Orfeo, taking him to heaven to lead a happier eternal life
Tu se’ morta (L’Orfeo’s recitative)
Orfeo just learned that Euridice (his wife) is dead and resolves to retrieve her from the underworld in his grief.
- Demonstrates the new monodic style that defined early Baroque opera
- stile rappresentativo (a solo vocal line written in a declamatory style is supported by a simple framework of chords)
Ahi, caso acerbo (Chorus)
The chorus echoes Orfeo’s sorrow, lamenting the cruelty of fate.
- 5 voices act much like a Greek Chorus
- textual clarity achieved through primarily syllabic setting in the homorhythmic sections.
Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell
Overview:
-1689
- English opera
- orchestra
- 3 acts
- Sad romance
- Librettist was Nahum Tate
- Prince Aeneas and his men were sailing across the sea when their boat gets shipwrecked and land up is Carthage, where Aeneas falls in love with the queen. A witch tricks the couple inot believing that Aeneas needs to fulfill his destiny and leave Carthage. Queen then commits suicide
Dynamic string writing of the Italian tradition, the regal character of the French Overture, and the lyricism of the English vocal style
Dido’s Lament (Act 3 Final Scene)
Thy hand, Belinda (Recitative)
- Recitativo secco (accompanied by continuo only)
- Queen expresses her sorrow to Belinda, and prepares herself for death
When I am Laid in Earth (Aria)
- ground bass employed and has a chromatic line repeated eleven times
- solo vocal line soars above the continuo and string accompaniment.
With Drooping Wings (Chorus)
- A chorus of cupids gather to mourn Queen’s tragic fate with a poignant musical euology to Queen
Giulio Cesare in Egitto by George Frideric Handel
Overview:
- opera seria
- 1724
- A small ensemble, included muted violins, harp, and viola da gamba with oboe and violin doubling the vocal line
- 3 acts
- vivid and virtuosic
- Librettist is Nicola Haym
- based on ancient Roman history (Julius Caesar and his army arrive in Egypt, where Cleopatra needs Caesar’s support to regain the throne of Egypt from her brother Ptolemy. Cleopatra disguises herself as a servant and seduces Caesar. With Caesar’s support, Cleopatra secures her crown)
V’adore pupille (Cleopatra’s Aria)
Section A:
Dotted rhythm remains constant. Rhythm is inspired by the sarabande
Section B: contrast is created through the minor mode and new melodic and rhythmic motives. Restless and witful character
Da capo Section A
Singer embellishes the original melody with a variety of florid ornaments