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Western Art Music > Terminology 2 > Flashcards

Terminology 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is an episode?

A

A passage of music between the main thematic material

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2
Q

What is Opera seria?

A

A more serious opera that grew out of the Arcadian reform

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3
Q

What happens in act II of Orpheus and Eurydice?

A

The tragedy of Eurydice’s death; Orfeo celebrates his new found happiness but is interrupted by a messenger who tells of the sudden death of Eurydice due to a snake bite. Orfeo laments and then decides to travel to the underworld to bring her back.

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4
Q

What is accompagnato/obbligato recitative?

A

A recitative with a solo voice and orchestra (usually strings). Used for particularly emotional passages sung only by the most important cast members

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5
Q

What is a subject?

A

A theme or main melody/idea

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6
Q

What characteristics were unique to the madrigal?

A

1) Text used a single stanza of a poem
2) Through composed (different music for each line) instead of strophic
3) Each line was 7 to 11 syllables
4) Text expression was especially important
5) Were sung as chamber pieces (one voice on each part, alternating between homophonic and imitative passages)

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7
Q

What is first practice?

A

An older style of music in which the music was more important than the text (also known as Prima practica). The rules of dissonance and resolution were strictly observed.

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8
Q

What is an answer?

A

The second entry of a subject, usually on the dominant. Also refers to subsequent entries of the subject.

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9
Q

Which characteristic was unique to the Renaissance motet?

A

Points of imitation: a section of music in which a subject is imitated in a dialogue across the voices

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10
Q

Which recitative sets act I of Orpheus and Eurydice?

A

“In questo lieto e fortunato giorno”

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11
Q

What is second practice?

A

A newer style of music in which the text was more important than the music (also known as Seconda practica). The rules of dissonance were broken to better express the text and its meaning.

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12
Q

What is basso ostinato?

A

A bass line consisting of a repeated melodic or harmonic pattern

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13
Q

What was “La contenance angloise”

A

A new musical style developed in Europe around 1400 which was strongly influenced by English music

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14
Q

What is a recitative?

A

A vocal composition that is close to speech and follows the natural rhythms of the text to effectively express the text. Uses basso continuo and a free verse vocal line (also known as monody)

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15
Q

What happens in act III of Orpheus and Eurydice?

A

Orfeo enters Hades; Hope leads Orfeo to the gates of hell then leaves him there. He sings to Charon the ferryman of the river Styx to convince him to let him cross over into Hades (Aria “possente spirto”). Charon falls asleep and Orfeo enters Hades.

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16
Q

What unities for opera were developed during the Arcadian reform?

A

1) The elimination of comic scenes
2) Action was to take place in a 24 hour period
3) All action was to take place within a realistic geographical region
4) Characters were to be consistent in their behaviour and actions
5) The libretto was to use a very refined and high quality poetry

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17
Q

What is the structure of a da capo aria?

A

First Verse:

1) Introductory ritornello
2) First solo which moves to a new key
3) Ritornello in the new key
4) Solo which returns to the original key
5) Concluding ritornello in the original key

The second verse has less repetition and is often in a contrasting related key.

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18
Q

What happens in act IV of Orpheus and Eurydice?

A

Orfeo wins and loses Eurydice; Orfeo persuades Proserpina, the consort of Plutone (Pluto) to let him take Eurydice back. Plutone relents on the condition that Orfeo not look on Eurydice until they have reached the upper world once again. Orfeo gives in to doubt and turns to look on Eurydice just before leaving Hades which returns her to the underworld.

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19
Q

Who coined the terms “first practice” and “second practice”?

A

Claudio Monteverdi

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20
Q

What characteristics were unique to opera seria?

A

1) The subjects and stories were drawn from Greek or Roman history or Renaissance epics centred on the Crusades
2) All characters were high born or noble with the main character usually being a great general who showed qualities of justice, clemency, and emotional control
3) The music is split between two types of settings: recitatives (secco/semplice or accompagnato/obbligaro) and arias (particularly the da capo aria)

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21
Q

Which composer was notable for their concertos?

A

Antonio Vivaldi (Venetian tradition)

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22
Q

Which notable artists worked during the Renaissance?

A

Michelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci

23
Q

What are the two main cast members of opera seria called?

A

The primo uomo/musicus (a castrato, the young hero) and the prima donna (soprano, the love interest)

24
Q

What is a countersubject?

A

A second contrasting subject introduced against the original subject or an answer of the original subject

25
Q

Define the two types of answers

A

Real (in which the subject is transposed exactly) and tonal (in which some intervals present in the subject are modified to prevent a modulation to a new key)

26
Q

What happens in act I of Orpheus and Eurydice?

A

The marriage celebrations and joy of Orfeo; Orfeo is to marry the wood nymph Eurydice after years of suffering as the shepherds and shepherdesses come down from the mountains to celebrate

27
Q

What is augmentation?

A

The uniform lengthening of a melody using longer note values

28
Q

What were the main genres of music during the Renaissance?

A

Madrigals and renaissance motets

29
Q

What is a fugue?

A

A piece written in an imitative texture that is based on a single subject and begins with successive statements of the subject in difference voices

30
Q

How did musical trends change after 1450?

A

Imitative counterpoint and text expression/word painting were wildly used

31
Q

Which centres were particularly important to the development of early Baroque opera?

A

Florence (Jacopo Peri) and Mantua (Claudio Monteverdi)

32
Q

What is monody?

A

A single vocal line sung over a basso continuo part

33
Q

What features are characteristic of arias?

A

They are often in triple time and have dance-like character

34
Q

What is basso continuo?

A

A continuous bass line improvised by a bass instrument and a harmonic instrument. The bass line is written out and the harmonic line is improvised using notated figures under the bass line that indicate the chord to be played.

35
Q

What is an exposition?

A

A set of entries of the subject, usually ends once all voices have finished their answers of the subject

36
Q

What are the three types of concerti?

A

Ripieno concerto (whole orchestra with the soloists as part of the ensemble), Concerto grosso (small ensemble of soloists against the orchestra, also known as a concertino), and Solo concerto (single soloist against an orchestra)

37
Q

What was significant about the Renaissance?

A

The rediscovery of ancient Classical writings and culture, specifically of ancient Greece, as well as new trends in the arts

38
Q

What was the Arcadian reform?

A

A reformation of Italian literature beginning in the 17th century that moved away from the improbably complex, crude, and comedic plots of opera at the time to a more uniformed system established by Aristotle, using Classical Greek and Neo-classical French dramas for inspiration.

39
Q

What five trends were introduced with La contenance angloise?

A

1) Thirds and sixths are accepted as consonances and highlighted, giving music a warmer sound.
2) Parallel fifths and octaves are avoided
3) Panconsonance (all voices must be consonant with each other)
4) Careful treatment of dissonance (dissonances allowed only inn shorter note values and off the beat, excl. suspensions)
5) The same text is used in all voices

40
Q

What is secco/semplice recitative?

A

A recitative with a solo voice and basso continuo

41
Q

What musical elements are operas composed of?

A

Choruses and solos (recitatives and arias)

42
Q

What happens in act V of Orpheus and Eurydice?

A

Orfeo’s lament and transfiguration; Orfeo laments his loss of Eurydice and is comforted by Apollo who brings him to heaven in a final transformation.

43
Q

What was the structure of the movements in a concerto?

A

Fast, slow, fast (fast movements in ritornello form)

44
Q

What is inversion?

A

The reversal of the direction of a melodic line

45
Q

What is diminution?

A

The uniform reduction of a melody using shorter note values

46
Q

What trends in art were popular during the Renaissance?

A

Vanishing point perspective and accurate depictions of nude humans

47
Q

What is stretto?

A

Overlapping entrances of the subject

48
Q

What happens in the prologue of Orpheus and Eurydice?

A

The music proclaims the power of music and provides the myth of Orpheus as an example

49
Q

What is tonality?

A

A system in which there are two modes (major on C and minor on A) on which to build harmonic progressions. All chords in the progression reference and revolve around the tonic of the chosen mode.

50
Q

What is ritornello form?

A

1) Introductory ritornello
2) First solo which moves to a new key
3) Ritornello in the new key
4) Solo which moves to another new key
5) Ritornello in the new key
[…]
6) Solo which moves to the original key
7) Concluding ritornello in the original key

51
Q

What is madrigalism?

A

An extreme form of word painting in which the music tries to express the word directly through melodic lines or rhythmic ideas

52
Q

Which notable composers worked during the Renaissance?

A

Josquin Desprez, Roland de Lassus, Palestrina

53
Q

What is an aria?

A

A strophic musical number with an instrumental introduction called a ritornello that returns between verses

54
Q

What three concepts were introduced in the Baroque era?

A

Tonality, basso continuo, and basso ostinato

Western Art Music (6 decks)

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