Style and Development through each century

Question 1

Describe tone color in music from the Late-Middle Ages, roughly 1300-1420.

Answer 1

Instrumental doubling, especially in secular music; loud outdoor instruments: shawm, sackbut, etc.; soft indoor instruments: harp, psaltery, etc.

Question 2

Describe texture in music from the Late-Middle Ages, roughly 1300-1420.

Answer 2

Unequal-voice free counterpoint with overlapping ranges over slower cantus firmus; isorhtyhmic textures; ballade style; use of hocket and canon; 2-4 voices, with 3 usual

Question 3

Describe harmony in music from the Late-Middle Ages, roughly 1300-1420.

Answer 3

Modal, intervallic polyphony; mild dissonance; escape tones, accented passing-tones, weak-beat suspensions; 3rds, 6ths, and full triads now common; Landino, double leading-tone, and occasional V-I cadences; use of partial signatures and musica ficta

Question 4

Describe rhythm in music from the Late-Middle Ages, roughly 1300-1420.

Answer 4

French rhythm varied and complex, due to independence of voices and isorhythm; motion irregular, phrasing irregular, articulated by rests and cadences; introduction of duple meters; much syncopation and some diminution

Question 5

Describe melody in music from the Late-Middle Ages, roughly 1300-1420.

Answer 5

Mostly conjunct motion in relatively small range, but more leaps in supporting voices; melismatic treble; phrases follow the length of the poetry; some short phrases and recurring rhythmic motives

Question 6

Describe form in music from the Late-Middle Ages, roughly 1300-1420.

Answer 6

Text-dominated secular forms, especially refrain types with musical rhyme; cantus-firmus forms; isorhythmic structures; dance music in repeated sections

Question 7

Describe tone color in music from the Early Renaissance, roughly 1420-1480.

Answer 7

Inception of choral polyphony (SATB) in sacred music; instrumental doubling of voices in secular music; softer instrumental colors

Question 8

Describe texture in music from the Early Renaissance, roughly 1420-1480.

Answer 8

Homorhythmic textures include more harmonic ballade style and fauxbourdon; developing equal-voice counterpoint over cantus firmus, with occasional imitation; isorhythmic/isometric textures; 3-4 voices, sometimes reduced to 2-3 in sections

Question 9

Describe harmony in music from the Early Renaissance, roughly 1420-1480.

Answer 9

Modal, lots of Ionian and Aeolian; intervallic mostly, some chordal; expressive, regulated use of dissonance; escape tones, anticipations, accented passing-tones, proper suspensions; full triads, except at big cadences - Landino, double leading-tone, V-I, and some IV-I; musica ficta

Question 10

Describe rhythm in music from the Early Renaissance, roughly 1420-1480.

Answer 10

Less complex and varied; smoother flowing but with restless continuity and irregular quality (sacred more complex than secular); phrases articulated by rests and cadences; much use of duple meter; considerable syncopation; drive to the cadence, common in Netherlander style

Question 11

Describe melody in music from the Early Renaissance, roughly 1420-1480.

Answer 11

Flowing diatonic motion based on the 3rd, with leaps then filled in and penultimate melismas; chant often paraphrased in the treble; tenor and contratenor frequently unvocal (little or slow change); range of parts still within an octave

Question 12

Describe form in music from the Early Renaissance, roughly 1420-1480.

Answer 12

Text-dominated secular forms; decline of formes fixes; cantus firmus often ornamented in treble, sometimes in tenor; isorhythm becoming rarer; sectional motet forms

Question 13

Describe tone color in music from the High Renaissance, 1480-1600.

Answer 13

Homogenous use of families of instruments and voices; a cappella ideal; choral sacred music, solo secular; vast variety of colors, including cornetto, crumhorn, guitar, and harpsichord

Question 14

Describe texture in music from the High Renaissance, 1480-1600.

Answer 14

Imitative counterpoint and some canon with contrasting homophonic textures; fully equalized voices; accompanied solo texture; polychoal and concertato styles; 4 voices in secular, 5-6+ in sacred; textures vary amount of voices

Question 15

Describe harmony in music from the High Renaissance, 1480-1600.

Answer 15

Modal, increasingly tonal, polyphony; chordal sound with some harmonic sequence; highly regulated, expressive use of dissonance; stressing passing and neighbor-tones, as well as suspensions and pedal points; harmonic text-painting reflected in chromaticism and cross-relations; cadences usually V-I or IV-I; some double counterpoint; clear rules for musica ficta

Question 16

Describe rhythm in music from the High Renaissance, 1480-1600.

Answer 16

Smooth, regular flow or restless continuity; French chanson strongly metrical; meter generally unstressed; phrases complex and interlocking; use of constant tactus; ostinato, syncopation, and dotted rhythms; concern for text declamation; Netherlander drive to cadence

Question 17

Describe melody in music from the High Renaissance, 1480-1600.

Answer 17

Contrapuntal lines either mainly conjunct and relatively unarticulated, or shaped in well-defined themes with memorable intervals and rhythms; extreme text-painting; melody with accompaniment often given balanced phrasing

Question 18

Describe form in music from the High Renaissance, 1480-1600.

Answer 18

Systematic point imitation; cantus-firmus structures; sectional forms clearly defined, and some use of tonal unity; text-dominated forms used; NO formes fixes

Question 19

Describe tone color in music of the Early Baroque, 1600-1685.

Answer 19

continuo-based textures, variety of instrumental and vocal sonorities, greater dynamic range, omnipresent harpsichord

Question 20

Describe texture in music of the Early Baroque, 1600-1685.

Answer 20

melody-bass polarity, monody, concertato, and polychoral styles, melody with accompaniment, chordal, imitative textures

Question 21

Describe harmony in music of the Early Baroque, 1600-1685.

Answer 21

harmonic idiom between modal and tonal, more frequent dissonance, fast harmonic rhythm, V-I cadences, some step progressions

Question 22

Describe rhythm in music of the Early Baroque, 1600-1685.

Answer 22

meters, uneven and discontinuous rhythms, iregualr phrasing, hemiola, formal songs usually in triple

Question 23

Describe melody in music of the Early Baroque, 1600-1685.

Answer 23

in monody - circumscribed range and frequent use of stylized speech-rhythms, relatively short phrases, affective and dramatic quality, improvised ornamentation, bel canto style

Question 24

Describe form in music of the Early Baroque, 1600-1685.

Answer 24

built in short sections, much contrast and unsystematic use of imitation at phrase beginnings, much use of ground bass, ostinato, strophic form, variations, and expanded binary (AAB)

Question 25

Describe tone color in music of the High Baroque, 1685-1750.

Answer 25

variety of inst/vocal sonorities, concerto sound, 4-part strings and continuo, obbilgato parts, terraced dynamics, equal temperament, greater virtuosity

Question 26

Describe texture in music of the High Baroque, 1685-1750.

Answer 26

standardized melody w/ accompaniment texture, SATB homophony and polyphony in fugue, perfect balance between vertical and horizontal

Question 27

Describe harmony in music of the High Baroque, 1685-1750.

Answer 27

functional harmony, tonic-dominant relationships, large homophonic vocabulary, greater dissonance for expression, fast-moderate harmonic rhythm

Question 28

Describe rhythm in music of the High Baroque, 1685-1750.

Answer 28

regular and continuous motion culminating in constant motor rhythm, unchanging beat, assymetrical phrasing

Question 29

Describe melody in music of the High Baroque, 1685-1750.

Answer 29

longer, spun-out melodies, clearly articulated themes, expanded range, more ornate figuration, diatonic language gets more chromatic, words subordinated to more melismatic style, varied recitative styles

Question 30

Describe form in music of the High Baroque, 1685-1750.

Answer 30

development of standard multi-movement forms with particular tonal architecture, Baroque binary, ternary, ritornello, variations, motivic spinning-out helped determine form

Question 31

Describe tone color in music of the Early Classical Period, 1725-1775.

Answer 31

establishment of modern orchestra; pairs of winds, 4-part strings, timp; gradual decline of continuo and rise of modern chamber ensembles; wide variety of timbres, occasional use of piano, dynamics gradual as well as terraced and used to articulate thematic contrast

Question 32

Describe texture in music of the Early Classical Period, 1725-1775.

Answer 32

contrasting textures as the rule, with melody-with-accompaniment as the foremost type among basically homophonic textures; much use of 2-voice textures; empfindsamer Stil characterized by richer and more varied structures

Question 33

Describe harmony in music of the Early Classical Period, 1725-1775.

Answer 33

limited harmonic vocabulary (strong diatonic with major mode preferred); modulations sometimes surprising but limited in number and range of related keys; slower harmonic rhythm with much Albert bass; V-I cadences

Question 34

Describe rhythm in music of the Early Classical Period, 1725-1775.

Answer 34

variable rhythmic motion (themes contrasted by rhythm) within basically moderate tempi; articulation of short phrases by frequent rests and cadences; simple meters accented on first beats of measures

Question 35

Describe melody in music of the Early Classical Period, 1725-1775.

Answer 35

greater emphasis on melody featuring contrasting themes of simpler character (triadic and scalar); periodic structure with clearly articulated and balanced phrases of a short-breathed nature; expressive use of ornamentation

Question 36

Describe form in music of the Early Classical Period, 1725-1775.

Answer 36

dynamic tonal and thematic processes, principally in a binary sonata form with or without coincidence of tonal and thematic recapitulation; later in 3-part sonata-form, rondo, variations, etc; basic structural process - creation and grouping of more or less balancing phrases

Question 37

Describe tone color in music of the High Classical Period, 1775-1825.

Answer 37

timbre and dynamics important thematically, at times structurally; beginning of modern art of instrumentation; varying orchestral timbres based on 4-part strings, pairs of woodwings, pairs of reinforcing brasses (sometimes), plus timp; much contrast of full and light orchestral textures; gradual dynamics, more idiomatic use of instruments

Question 38

Describe texture in music of the High Classical Period, 1775-1825.

Answer 38

contrasting textures remain standard, from light and episodic to full and cadential with emphasis still on homphonic varieties of texture; noteworthy integration of counterpoint with Classical style; much 3-voice and then 4-voice writing

Question 39

Describe harmony in music of the High Classical Period, 1775-1825.

Answer 39

larger harmonic vocabulary with freer (unprepared and chordal) treatment of dissonance; more use of minor keys and of mode changes; greater use of modulation (including third relationships), especially in building bigger cycles of tension and release; harmonic rhythm variable and used to build climaxes

Question 40

Describe rhythm in music of the High Classical Period, 1775-1825.

Answer 40

highly differentiated rhythms over a basically regular periodic structure; tempi more extreme, longer phrases (no often unbalanced by overlapping and lision as well as by generally greater subtlety, sforzandi, and syncopation); development of highly original rhythmic motives common; harmonic rhythm used to articulate large-scale forms

Question 41

Describ melody in music of the High Classical Period, 1775-1825.

Answer 41

thematic differentiation between primary, transitional, secondary, and closing themes; trend towards more characteristic motives, antecedent-consequent phrasing (also extension and contraction ob balancing phrases), more chromaticism, use of buffa elements as well as seria, use of folk-like melodies

Question 42

Describe form in music of the High Classical Period, 1775-1825.

Answer 42

thematic development, 3- and 4-part sonata-forms, rondo, sonata-rondo, ternary forms, variations, and even fugue; increasing complexity and enlargement of scale, with three or four movements as conventional norms, founded on large-scale tonal relationships

Question 43

Describe tone color in music of the Early Romantic Period, 1800-1860.

Answer 43

gradual expansion of string-dominated Classical orchestra (by adding some brasses such as trombones and making greater use of the brass timbre), partly to aid in depiction of extra musical programs; traditionalists (Brahms) build on Classical framework, while radicals (Berlioz) introduce special effects (mutes, col legno)

Question 44

Describe texture in music of the Early Romantic Period, 1800-1860.

Answer 44

variable, but essentially homophonic approach (largely melody with accompaniment) with richer, fuller chords and constantly changing textures, including counterpoint in development sections or for tone painting

Question 45

Describe harmony in music of the Early Romantic Period, 1800-1860.

Answer 45

harmonic color very significant, with vocabulary expanded through chromaticism, third relationships, new altered and borrowed chords (diminished sevenths and augmented sixths) - all with less resolution of dissonance and increasing instability of key

Question 46

Describe rhythm in music of the Early Romantic Period, 1800-1860.

Answer 46

wider range of pace and motion, with preference for extremes, or simply for a slower pace; clear periodization likely in small pieces with symmetrical structures, but asymmetrical structures, but asymmetrical phrasing normal in larger works; loosening of basic concept of regular pulse and firm tempo through use of rubato freedom

Question 47

Describe melody in music of the Early Romantic Period, 1800-1860.

Answer 47

use of a wider range of pitches and moods, ranging from the intimate and the lyrical to the grand and the passionate; phrase structure often asymmetrical and irregular; voice dominant in vocal music, with accompaniment supportive rather than competitive

Question 48

Describe form in music of the Early Romantic Period, 1800-1860.

Answer 48

traditional, especially Classical, ways of organizing structure through tonal relationships and standard principles enhanced by an episodic approach to form and development of the cyclic principle and thematic transformation; small works gathered in sets

Question 49

Describe tone color in music of the High Romantic Period, 1860-1910.

Answer 49

greatly expanded orchestra in all families with love for dark colors (horn and cello) and completion of full range through contrabassoon, etc; orchestral families used separately, intermixed, or blended with very large but also chamber effects and even soloistic use of strings; wider range of dynamics and much concern for special effects and personal palettes (Wagner)

Question 50

Describe texture in music of the High Romantic Period, 1860-1910.

Answer 50

greater degree of variability, perhaps linked with programmatic content; more richness through doubling, enhanced accompaniments, and revival of counterpoint (Mahler and Strauss); parallelism and impressionistic planing of chords (Debussy)

Question 51

Describe harmony in music of the High Romantic Period, 1860-1910.

Answer 51

proportion of dissonance growing, as composers write around dominant instead of tonic and use more 7th chords, 9ths, tritones, enharmonic relationships, and much delayed suspensions; obscuring of cadences empirical harmonists (Mussorgsky), and non-functional use of chords (Debussy)

Question 52

Describe rhythm in music of the High Romantic Period, 1860-1910.

Answer 52

greater freedom of pulse along with preference for extremes of pace and motion, for simultaneous rhythmic contrast at different levels, or simply for a slower pace; reintroduction of cross-rhythms, hemiola, syncopation; much use of folk, march, and waltz rhythms; adoption of poetic rhythms and rhythms drawn from East European or other folk musics

Question 53

Describe melody in music of the High Romantic Period, 1860-1910.

Answer 53

still larger melodic range and larger leaps, along with greater emphasis on chromaticsm and thematic transformation (character variation), leading at one extreme to extraordinary lyricism; use of folk influence modes and speech inflections as one aspect of irregular melos and phrasing

Question 54

Describe form in music of the High Romantic Period, 1860-1910.

Answer 54

expanded time-scale reflected in innovative large-scale unity through freely-shaped dramatic intensity and graded dynamic climaxes, sometimes overlaid on greatly distended Classical formal principles; more frequent episodic quality and inception of so-called progressive tonality