The classical Era and 19th century Flashcards
Enlightenment
An intellectual movement of the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that advocated critical thinking, empirical science, and reasoned discussion as means to advancing humankind.
Classical Era
The period from approximately 1750 to 1800 in which the ideals of balance, clarity, and naturalness were highly valued in the arts.
- Texture: more homophonic, but both
- Melody: periodic phrase structure
- Rhythm: more smoothly flowing melodies
- orchestras playing
- form: ABA, rondo, sonata, double exposition concerto form
- not as much word-painting.
Periodic phrase structure
A musical structure in which antecedent and consequent phrase units make up a larger whole.
Consequent Phrase
In periodic phrase structure, a closing phrase that follows an antecedent phrase and creates a sense of musical completion.
Musical Appropriation
The use or adaptation of a work to serve something other than its original purpose.
Half Cadence
A point of musical arrival that is not yet closure. If thought of as punctuation, a half cadence is like a comma, whereas a full cadence is like a period.
Theme and Variations form
A form in which a theme is presented and then altered in some way—through harmony, melody, texture, dynamics, or some combination of these—in a succession of individual variations.
Finale
A last movement of a multimovement work.
Contrafactum
A work setting new words to an established melody.
Full cadence
A musical point of arrival that creates a strong sense of closure.
Antecedent Phrase
In periodic phrase structure, an opening phrase, which sets up the consequent phrase to follow.
Rounded Binary form
A binary form in which the opening idea returns in the tonic key about halfway through the second section, ”rounding out” the form.
Binary Form
A musical structure consisting of two repeated halves (AABB).
Rondo form
A form in which an opening theme (A) returns repeatedly over the course of the movement, interspersed with contrasting ideas (B, C, etc.).
- catchy melodies, and bright
Finale (Haydn): ABACADACA
Minuet form
A ternary form (ABA) in which the opening section, known as the minuet proper (A), is followed by a contrasting trio (B), which is followed by a repeat of the minuet proper. The minuet is always in triple meter and its individual units—the minuet proper and the trio—are each in binary form.
Symphony
A large-scale work for orchestra, most commonly consisting of four movements.
Sonata form
A musical structure consisting of an exposition, development, and recapitulation, allowing for the presentation, development, and resolution of multiple themes within a single movement. Sonata form was widely used throughout the Classical Era and the nineteenth century.
Double-exposition concerto form
A structure based on sonata form but with two expositions, one for the orchestra alone and one for the soloist and orchestra together. It also includes, near the end of the recapitulation, a cadenza for the soloist.
Cadenza
In a concerto, an elaborate improvisation by the soloist on themes heard earlier in the movement, with no accompaniment from the orchestra. It occurs near the end of the recapitulation.
Hymn
A sacred poem or song, often sung by a large group of worshippers.
Nationalism
In music, the use of melodies, rhythms, harmonies, or instruments that reflect the musical practices of a particular nation.
- composers expressed sense of national pride.
Romanticism
An artistic movement of the nineteenth century that emphasized imagination and freedom from structural conventions.
Cyclic form
A form in which individual movements are linked in some tangible and distinctive way, usually through the use of a common musical idea.
(short-short-short-long)
Double variation
A type of theme and variations form featuring two themes, each of which is varied in alternation (A B A’ B’ A’’ B’’ etc.).
Scherzo
In Italian, ”joke.” A musical scherzo is a lighthearted movement in a fast tempo and in triple meter, similar in form to the minuet.
Recapitulation
The third and final section within a sonata-form movement, in which all the themes presented in the exposition return, all in the tonic key.
Ballad
A poem or song that tells a story
Forte
The commonly use Italian term for “Loud”
Lied (Lieder)
German for “song”. A genre for voice and piano, popular from the late eighteenth century onward, particularly in Germany but in many other countries as well.
Modified Strophic form
A form in which each strophe is modified musically to fit the text in a particular way.
Idee Fixe
I psychology, a “fixed” or unchanging idea, an obsession; in music, the term used by Hector Berlioz in his symphonie fantastique to indicate the melody associated with the artists’ beloved
Orchestration
The manner in which various instruments are assigned to the musical lines.
Program music
An instrumental work that is in some way associated with a story, event, or idea.
Chromatic
A type of harmony or melody that incorporates many more notes than occur naturally in the scale or key area on which a work is based. A chromatic scale is produced by playing all half steps. On the piano, this would mean all adjacent keys-black or white.
Leitmotif
A brief musical phrase or idea connected dramatically to some person, event, or idea in the drama
- demonstrates what happens on stage
Libretto
The text (words) of an opera.
Joseph Haydn
- music director for prince Nicholas Esterhazy
- wrote music and conducted the court orchestra
- composed string quartets, operas, sonatas, and symphonies.
- celebrity in London
String Quartet in C Major, 2nd movement
melodic theme dedicated to Emperor Franz 2
- theme repeated 4 times unchanged
-each player has equal status
- string quartets typically have 4 movements.
- homogeneous texture.
4 instruments: 2 violins, viola and cello (soprano, alto, tenor, bass)
- each instrument plays the main theme at some point
- 2 part homophony, 4 part polyphony
- form: AABCC
- A&B: antecedent - end in half cadence
- C: consequent = ends in full cadence
- periodic phrase structure.
Symphony no. 102 in Bb major, 3rd and 4th movements
- full orchestra playing (~30 strings + 10 winds, and timpani)
- dynamics change, very loud and very soft throughout
- heard as mirror of ideal society
- 12 symphonies composed for London audiences
- 4 movement plan: fast, slow, fast ,slow
3rd movement: Minuet
- elegant dance, playful character, triple meter, accent on the first beat of each measure.
Form: ABA - binary
4th movement: Finale
- lighter in tone, serves as a happy ending.
- uses rondo form
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
he performed his own symphonies and concertos at his own subscription series.
Piano Concerto in A Major, K. 488 first movement
- uses 4 main themes (each theme has a different feel and shape)
- modified sonata form
- 2 expositions, 1 for orchestra , and 1 for soloist and orchestra
William Billings
- “Chester”
- think the guy who names the pieces after places.
- self taught composer
- ## published 6 collections ,more than 300 compositions
Chester
- melody in each of the 5 verses were sung by the tenor voice
Hymn: 4 voices move together (soprano, alto, tenor, bass), slowly adds voices. - largely syllabic, and secular
- Two antecedent and two consequent phrases
Accompanied Recitative
A type of recitative in which the orchestra (and not merely the basso continuo) accompanies the singer.
Nineteenth Century
1800-1900
- fascination with imagination and emotion
- Romanticism
- music reflects freedom from convention
- pianos became common to be fund in homes.
- music publishers distributed music globally.
-idealizes the power of music.
- Texture: both homophonic and polyphonic.
- Melody: period phrase structure continues, but also more fragmented thematic ideas, some use of pentatonic scales.
- Rhythm: highly varied from simple to complex
- Timbre: orchestras growing
Harmony: becomes increasingly chromatic
- Form: Sonata forms, ternary forms, theme and variations, modified strophic form
- Word-music Relationship: greater importance of program music.
-
Ludwig Van Beethoven
- Symphony no.5 in C minor op.67
- studied with Joseph Haydn
- began to go deaf in his late 20s , and contemplated suicide.
- ## hailed as a national hero
Symphony no.5 in C minor op.67
- short, short, short, long rhythm
- loud and soft dynamics
- form:
1. sonata form
2. variations of 2 themes
3. ternary form ABA’ (soft)
4. Sonata form (loud) - possible program of fate
- greatest instrumental composer of his time.
Franz Schubert
-“Erkonig”
- composer of songs for piano and voice
- only lived to age of 31
- he had composed 144 songs by the age of 18
-
-Erlkonig
- word painting: horse’s hooves beating along the road.
- 4 perspectives: father, child, narrator, and the Erlkonig.
- high and low dynamics
- father always sings in forte
- A ballad, lied
- text has 8 strophes (stanza)
Hector Berlioz
Symphonie fantastique, 4th movement (“march to the Scaffold”)
- obsessed with actress Harriet Smithson
- wrote music criticism to supplement income
- originally trained in medicine before studying music.
Symphonie fantastique, 4th movement (“march to the Scaffold”)
- massive orchestra
- minor and major modes.
-most celebrated example of program music. - music illustrates gothic and grotesque details
- Berlioz first great master of orchestration
- melody associated with the artist’s lover called idee fixe
- alternation of 2 themes ABABA Coda
A = in minor, B= in major - each section represents a particular mood.
- Abrupt ending represents fall of guillotine blade.
Clara Wieck Schumann
“Forward”
- her father opposed her marrying a musician
- eventually married her father’s student Robert Schumann
- hailed as piano virtuoso and composer.
- she became more independent when her husband died.
Forward
- range of voices (soprano to bass), no instruments in this work
- Birthday present to her husband, Robert Schumann
- text is political not personal
- A cappella with mixed chorus including men and women voices
- 5 strophes:
1,3,5: loud and energetic
2,4 - soft and smooth
each melody is varied when it returns- approximation rondo form: ABA’BA’’
word painting: heaven, calm and peace
Richard Wagner
The Valkyrie, act 3, selection (“Wotan’s Farewell”)
- his music provoke extreme reactions
- operas full of social and political messages.
- carefully studied Beethoven’s music.
- gained fame as a conductor
- Wagner’s music later appropriated by the Nazis.
- He travelled throughout Europe during his career.
The Valkyrie, act 3, selection (“Wotan’s Farewell”)
- usually orchestra supports the voice, but in this both blend into a single unit.
- Wotan bids an emotional farewell to his daughter Brünnhilde, who falls into a deep sleep and is encircled by fire
- plot centred on controlling the ring
- less virtuosity and text repetition
- Leitmotif occurs:
unstable music for an unstable character or element, the sword,
