Understanding Music Midterm Flashcards
**Organization/duration of sound and silence through time **
–Notated with symbols called notes
–Each note has a specific duration
Rhythm
The pulse of music
Beat
Speed/pace at which music unfolds
*You can’t have rhythm without first having duration (notes + rests)
Rhythm ≠ beat ≠ tempo
Tempo
Indicates the relative speed of the music
*Italian words, such as Allegro, Adagio, Andante (relative speed)
*Metronome marking (specific speed)
TEMPO INDICATION
How many beats per measure (top number) (A measure is a grouping of beats)
-2. Which note value has the beat (bottom number) (Quarter note, half note, etc)
TIME SIGNATURE
tune (horizontal/linear aspect of music)
Melody
A section in a melody
Phrase
Music is written on a…?
Staff
corresponds to a register (high or low)
clef
the distance between two notes
interval
arrangement of notes
scales
major scale pattern
WWHWWWH
Three minor scales
natural, melodic, harmonic
Other scales
pentatonic, chromatic, whole-tone, church modes
tells the performer in which key the piece is written
key signature
supports/ accompanies the melody: vertical aspect of music
harmony
Provide brief moments of rest, like punctuation in English
cadence
(broken or arpeggiated) that supports the melody
Root - third (above the root) - fifth (above the root)
chords
refers to the loudness or softness
of a sound: volume
dynamics
Refers to the quality of the tone of a particular instrument or voice (its special and unique sound)
timbre
–Distance between the lowest and the highest note of an instrument or voice *
range
-One line of music, unaccompanied
monophony
–Several lines of music of the same importance being played simultaneously
polyphony
Melody + accompaniment, the melody dominates
homophony
Structure of music
*Binary (2) form: AB or AABB
*Ternary (3) form: ABA
*Rondo (several) form: ABACABA or ABACADA
Form
The Middle Ages Era
476-1453
The Renaissance Era
(1453-1600)
The Baroque Era
1600-1750
The Classical Era
1750-1800
The Romantic era
1800-1900
The Twentieth century
1900s
Mezzo-soprano
medium
Tenor
high
baritone
medium
keyboard instruments
Piano, Organ, Harpsichord
woodwind instruments
Flute, Oboe, Saxophone
Brass
French Horn, Tuba, Trumpet
Pitched Percussion
Xylophone, Timpani, Celesta
Unpitched percussion
Cymbals, Triangles, Gongs
String Instruments
Violin, Viola, Cello
Fall of the Western Roman Empire
4 September 476
Beginning of the Middle Ages
Fall of Constantinople
29 May 1453
End of the Middle Ages
Feudalism
Political division of territories into units based on a system of vassalage (servitude)
What is the language of the church?
Latin
Christian chants from the Middle Ages, named for Pope Gregory
plainchant or plainsong
Gregorian Chants
Characteristics of Gregorian chants
- Monophonic texture
- Modal music: the music is based on modes known as Church Modes and not on modern major and minor scales.
- Flexible rhythm: no meter, no bar lines, and no clear sense of pulse.
- All chants are in Latin except for the Kyrie Eleison, which is Greek.
- There are three categories of text setting (number of notes sung per syllable of text):
o syllabic, one note per syllable
o melismatic, many notes per syllable
o neumatic, a few notes per syllable (notes used to be called neumes.)
What’s the earliest type of polyphonic music
Organum
Troubadours and Trouvères (1100-1200s)
*Poets and musicians from France
*Well educated
*Courtly love
Ars Nova
*More complex music
*Duple division of the beat
*Less reliance on old existing chants
Guillaume De Machaut
*ARS NOVA
-Member of the clergy
*Composer and poet
*Chansons, masses, motets
*his mass Messe de Nostre Dame
Guillaume du Fay
Franco-Flemish composer
Central figure of the Burgundian School
One of the most influential composers in Europe in the mid-15th century
What is the genre of Nuper Rosarum Flores?
Motet
Who is the bridge composer between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance?
Guillaume du Fay
What does the word Renaissance mean?
the term Renaissance is French and means “rebirth.”
Other names for the Renaissance period
“early modernism” as well as the “age of exploration.”
What happened in the Renaissance?
This phenomenon sparked a revival of interest or “rebirth” of ancient Greek and Roman cultures, which paralleled a disdain for medieval practices. Rapid expansion of Europeans in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Keyword: humanism
What’s the trademark of Renaissance music?
Imitation
Josquin des Prez
He often found employment at various courts and churches, and thus wrote both secular and sacred music. He specialized in motets, chansons, and masses.
Overall, Josquin’s music differs from his predecessors because of the consistent use of imitation
The Protestant Reformation
as more people learned to read, they relied less on the Church to decipher the writings and meanings of the bible. Soon, many Christians formed their own interpretation of these writings, which led to many disagreements within the church. This literary emancipation caused the Protestant reformation led by Martin Luther in the sixteenth century.
What type of music did Luther write most?
He used simpler music for the whole congregation to sing in unison, and replaced Latin by the vernacular, in his case, German. Luther also harmonized some hymns which became known as chorales. Chorales could either be newly composed, or could consist of adding a religious text to an existing melody. The idea of substituting the words of an existing secular song with a religious text was known as contrafactum
What was the response of the Catholic Church to the Protestant Formation
The Council of Trent banished all the music that was, in its eyes, seen as impure and lascivious. Many complaints surfaced regarding polyphonic music in particular.
Who is the composer of the Counter-Reformation?
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
What instruments were common in the Renaissance?
Keyboard instruments- organs, clavichords and harpsichords (the piano has not been invented yet). Recorders, shawms, trumpets, sackbuts, and viola. The lute (oud) was most popular
What’s a madrigal?
Madrigals are secular compositions for voices (ranging from two to six voices, sometimes eight!) and unaccompanied by instruments. They feature elegant secular poetry mostly about love (sometimes, even erotism!) and nature.
Who is the bridge composer between Renaissance and Baroque?
Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643)
What does barroco mean?
The word Baroque is French but is derived from the Portuguese barroco, which originally referred to an oddly shaped pearl
What words usually describe the Baroque era as a whole?
Motion, flamboyance, and grandeur
How did people in the era after the Baroque regard their recent past?
Just as the people living in the Renaissance looked at the Middle Ages with disdain, people in the Classical era looked at their recent past, the Baroque era, without much admiration either. Consequently, the term Baroque was first derogatory!
How is the political context of the early seventeenth century?
Europe was now religiously divided, and many conflicts, sometimes fatal, erupted between Catholics and Protestants. The artistic homogeneity so characteristic of the Renaissance was now gone. As a result, many different artistic sensibilities and currents emerged in the Baroque.
Renaissance Art Vs. Baroque Art
*Renaissance:
–Smooth, homogeneous, stable
–Art features people that are poised, elegant, calm, and refined. May
feature a detailed background.
–Homogeneity of light and hues.
–Nudity is explored and, in some cases, celebrated
–Inspired by the art of Antiquity
Baroque:
–Rigid laws
–Elaborate codes of manners and dresses (wig)
–Emergence of nation states and national tastes
–Europe continues to be religiously divided
–Art features people that are moving and there may be unflattering things
on their faces, such as wrinkles and warts. Not much information in the
background; instead, there is darkness. The focus is directed on the
character that is presented.
–Lots of contrast and vivid colors
–The clothes are back! (Or partially back.)
Baroque music What’s new?
-instrumental music became as important and abundant as vocal music.
-The bass line, which supports the harmony, is usually heavy and continuous in Baroque music. This is called basso continuo and literally means “continuous bass line.
Creation of multiple-movement works
*One emotion per movement: Doctrine of Affections
*Music features heavy ornamentation, bar lines, figured bass
What’s the trademark of Baroque music?
basso continuo
instruments used in the Baroque era
the violin, the viola da gamba, and the harpsichord, the theorbo (or chitarrone), the cello, or the bassoon
instrumental genres popular in the Baroque era
Sonata
Toccata
Concerto
vocal genres popular in the Baroque era
Opera (secular)
Oratorio (most of the time sacred)
Cantata (either sacred or secular)
What’s an opera?
An opera can be defined as a “drama set to music.”
*Scenario of an opera is called a libretto
*A writer of libretti (plural of “libretto”) is called a librettist
*Usually, the composer is not the librettist (there are exceptions)
What are the two types of sung texts in an opera?
the recitative and the aria
The recitative
imitates the rhythms and freedom of speech. It is usually short, meant to advance the action of the story, and it is accompanied by a simple basso continuo
the aria
is lyrical and contemplative. It is fully sung, features repetition, and is usually supported by the whole orchestra
What’s a cantata?
A cantata is a vocal composition which became very popular in the baroque era, yet much less flamboyant than an opera.
What are the two types of cantatas?
The chamber cantata is a modest, un-staged secular work featuring one (sometimes more) singer and accompaniment.
By contrast, the church cantata is sacred and involves many singers, a whole choir, and an orchestra.
Who was Barbara Strozzi?
she was the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy Florentine aristocrat.
Unmarried yet mother of four children, Strozzi was a successful performer, poet, and composer.
Who was Lully? Where did he work? Whom did he serve?
Lully eventually became the superintendent of all royal music as well as the music master (teacher) of the royal family. Good friend of Louis XIV
With whom did Lully collaborate on his comédie-ballets?
Molière
the most famous one, produced in 1670, was Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme
What name did Lully give to his operas?
tragédies lyriques (“lyrical tragedies”)
What’s the story of Armide?
The story takes place during the first crusade in the late eleventh century. Armide is a sorceress campaigning against the French knight Renaud. Renaud frees his men from her power but she captures him and magically puts him to sleep. With Renaud asleep and helpless, she can finally kill him . . . but of course it’s an opera, which means that it’s never that simple! All of a sudden, Armide is seduced by her enemy’s beauty and realizes that she is in love with him. These sudden feelings cloud her initial plan and she is now incapable of harming Renaud. Instead, she curses him once more and makes him fall in love with her in return. Later, she cannot bear the idea that he only loves her because of her enchantment. She tries to restore her hatred for him, in vain. Meanwhile, two soldiers free Renaud and break her spell. In the end, Armide is left with nothing but rage and despair.
La Serva Padrona (“The Servant Girl as Mistress”) by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736) was successfully produced in France.
1752
rondeau, or “little round
a form of medieval French poetry characterized by a refrain, which is a line that repeats throughout the poem
Rondo
is a piece of instrumental music that alternates between a refrain (same music) and episodes (different music).
Refrains Vs. Episodes
refrain (same music) (A) and episodes (different music) (BCD).
The music played in between two recurrences of the ritornello/refrain is called an episode.
ABAACAADA
What’s programmatic music?
Writing instrumental music about something nonmusical is known as programmatic music. The so-called “program” of the music (the “idea” behind it, so to speak) can be anything: a story, a poem, a painting, a landscape, or a person.
Italian opera vs French opera: what’s the difference?
Italian opera, because of its lightness, simplicity, and spontaneity, was indeed the genre to embrace from now on. By contrast, French opera was regarded as too serious and too heavy on the ears.
“Querelle des bouffons”
*French opera against Italian opera
Who was Vivaldi?
(“the Red Priest”)
violinist, composer, and instructor
he is mostly remembered for his numerous concerti.
What’s a concerto?
genre of instrumental music written for solo instrument and orchestra, usually in three movements.
What does a concerto require?
It is a genre that requires highly trained musicians to play the solo part and many virtuosos have used this medium to showcase their skills
the concerto reinforces the idea of contrast so central to Baroque artistry. Here, the contrast resides first in the dynamics. It is common in Baroque instrumental music to hear the same phrase played twice, first forte (“loud”), then piano (“soft”). There is also contrast between the movements: the first movement is lively and moderately fast, the second movement is slow and lyrical, and the third and last movement is usually the fastest of the three. Finally, there is contrast as well between texture and forces: the tutti or orchestra versus the soloist.
What’s ritornello form?
You may find similarities between rondo form and ritornello form. Ritornello means “little return” and implies that a passage of music, the ritornello, returns throughout the movement. However, unlike the rondo, the return of the ritornello material is altered and not exact: it can be shortened, fragmented, written in a different key or in a different mode (major/minor), but it is usually easily identifiable.
What did Handel write?
Rinaldo
What’s the story of Rinaldo? Does it remind you of another opera we’ve listened to with the same story? Which one?
The story takes place in Jerusalem in 1099. Rinaldo is a knight working for the army of Goffredo. Rinaldo is in love with Goffredo’s daughter, Alminera (“Ahl-mee-nay-rah”). Goffredo promises that Rinaldo and Alminera will get married as soon as they vanquish their enemies. Argante, the Saracen King who is also in love with Alminera, calls upon the sorceress Armida, Queen of Damascus, for help. Armida (“Armide” in French) separates the lovers Alminera and Rinaldo, and abducts Alminera. Goffredo, his brother Eustazio, and Rinaldo seek the help of a Christian magician to save Alminera. But Rinaldo is tricked and then captured by Armida. Armida realizes she is falling in love with Rinaldo and now unable to harm him, declares herself to him. He rejects her. She then takes the appearance of Alminera but Rinaldo is not fooled and rejects Armida once more. Meanwhile, Alminera is still held captive by Armida. Argante visits her and declares his love for her, promising that he will free her and turn against Armida if she accepts him. Later, Armida, still disguised as Alminera, meets Argante who, not knowing that the woman he sees is in fact Armida disguised as Alminera, reiterates his promise to free her from Armida. Armida is furious, resumes her appearance, and vows vengeance against Argante. Wait, it’s not over yet. Then, the magician gives Goffredo and Eustazio a special wand to defy Armida’s monsters and free Alminera. They arrive just in time to watch Rinaldo save Alminera from being killed by Armida. The next day, Jerusalem is delivered by Goffredo’s army and Argante and Armida, accepting their defeat, embrace Christianity and are forgiven for their sins. Now it’s over.
The story takes place during the First Crusade in the late eleventh century. Doesn’t it ring a bell? Think. We have talked about this particular subject in Chapter 5. . . . Another composer set it to music in 1686, at the request of Louis XIV. . . . Do you have it now? Yes, it was Lully’s Armide! Although it was common for composers to set the same story or legend to music, they do it with a different libretto, which means that the details of the story may differ a bit from opera to opera. Lully’s work is written in French and the title Armide is the name of the sorceress. Handel, however, prefers to write in Italian and chooses, for the title, the male hero Rinaldo. (“Rinaldo” is simply the Italian version of the French name “Renaud.”)
What’s an oratorio? How does it differ from an opera?
The music of an oratorio is very similar to that of an opera: it includes a choir, soloists, and an orchestra. Yet, unlike opera, an oratorio is a rather sober production: it is not staged and does not contain any costumes or scenery. Performing oratorios is thus far less costly than producing operas. Oratorios can be sung in Latin, in which case they are called oratorio latino, or in the vernacular, oratorio volgare. Additionally, the subject matter of oratorios is almost always sacred, serious, and weighty. Operas, by contrast, are secular, sung in the vernacular, and their plots can be quite extravagant. Because of that, operas could not be produced during religious holidays such as Lent. Oratorios, by contrast, were a source of revenue for composers and singers alike during such times.
invented the genre of the oratorio
Emilio di Cavalieri
What is Handel’s most famous oratorio?
Messiah, composed in 1741
Who were the castrati singers
It may surprise you to know that the most cherished and famous singers of the day were male singers. But wait, there’s a catch . . . Castrated male singers! They were called castrati. (Singular: castrato. No need for a translation.) Recall that in previous centuries, boys were the soprano singers of the time, hence the masculine ending “o” of the word soprano. In the Baroque era, the Papal States (central Italy) forbade women from appearing on stage altogether, thus the castrati sung the parts for both male and female characters in operas
Who was the most famous castrato of all time?
Farinelli
What instrument did bach play?
organ, violin, chlavichord
Bach’s Kids
Had 20 kids,
THREE SONS became musicians:
the future composers Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, C. P. E. Bach, and the organist Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach
What’s a concerto grosso?
The reason this piece is called a concerto grosso (“large” or “big” concerto) and not just a concerto is that there are four soloists instead of one. Concerto with 4 or more soloists is a concerto grosso
Why does the Baroque era end in 1750?
The year 1750, year of Bach’s death, is generally used to end the Baroque era. This is no coincidence: Bach’s music has become a symbol of the Baroque style and when Bach died, the whole era symbolically died with him
WHo is Handel?
German born
*Very prolific composer
*Sacred and secular music
*Vocal and instrumental
*Travelled to Italy to learn about Italian opera
*Relocated permanently to England in 1712
*Famous for his many oratorios, including Messiah, 1741
Who is J.S. Bach?
Born in a family of musicians
*Composer and keyboardist
*organ and harpsichord
*Very prolific and hard-working
Wrote in all genres except opera**
