Contents: |
|
Rhythm- The heartbeat of music, ordered flow
through time.
a. beat- regular pulsation in music
b. meter- organizing beats into regular groupings
c. accent- stress/emphasis on a note
d. syncopation- when a stress appears between 2 beats (an offbeat note)
e. tempo- the speed of the beat
- Andante: slow
- Moderato: moderate
- Allegro: fast
- Presto: very fast
Melody- A series of single notes that add up to a recognizable whole. It
has direction, shape, and continuity.
a. melodies move by steps/skips, and are made up for shorter parts called
phrases.
b. Phrases are then broken down into motives.
c. A melody is also a theme.
d. It�s emotional focal point is its climax
Harmony- refers to the way the chords are constructed, how they follow
each other. It�s when many notes of a chord are sounded together. Some chords
are stable, others are tense.
a. chord- a combo of three or more tones sounded at once
b. consonance- a combo of stable and restful tones
c. dissonance- tones or combos that are unstable and require resolution in some
other tone or chord.
Tone Color- the quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument/ voice
from another. Is described as bright, dark, brilliant, mellow, and rich. Timbre
is another word for tone color.
Motive- a short musical idea which is developed with a composition.
Form- organization of musical ideas in time. Is made up of phrases, which
are combined to make parts or sections of a composition.
- Important forms: two-part form (binary), AB form, three-part form (ternary),
or ABA form.
ABA form- Sonata Allegro Form
Rondo Form
Through-composed
Ritornello Form
Dynamics- degrees of loudness or softness. Loudness is related to its
amplitude of the vibration that makes a sound.
Italian words for dynamics:
- pianissimo(pp): very soft
- piano(p): soft
- mezzo piano(mp): moderately soft
- mezzo forte(mf): moderately loud
- forte(f): loud
- fortissimo(ff): very loud
Textures- a # of
layers of sound that are heard at once, what kind of layers they are and how
they�re related to each other.
Monophonic: a single unaccompanied melodic line, one melody w/ out accompaniment
Polyphonic: simultaneous melodies played at the same time
Homophonic: one melody with accompaniment
examples- chords, broken chords, background music, etc.
Sacred music:
a. Gregorian Chant- the official music of the Roman Catholic Church, named after Pope Gregory the Great I., who assembled hymns, not composed them. These melodies are sacred to the Latin text and sung without accompaniment. Are monophonic, based on passages from tehillim.
b. Unison- when the people are singing all together
Music sang in this era:
Kyrie-monks Sadeness- Enigma
Secular music:
a. minstrels- people who sang, played, and composed no religious music of the middle ages.
b. Troubadours- (south) nobleman who wrote music and poetry
c. Trouveres- (north) nobleman who wrote music and poetry
d. Minnesingers- singers of love in Germany, performed and composed own music.
e. Ars Nova- a new system of notation in which rhythm could be noted more precisely.
f. Harmonization- minstrels were singing. They accompanied themselves on instruments (harp). Textures were homophonic.
Sacred Music: composers continued to work with older forms such as the motet and mass. We find the clearest international style in this music.
Secular Music: composers created new forms that reflected national trends, such as the Italian madrigal and the French chanson.
- Renaissance was an age of innovation, technology, science, and politics. It brought civilization out of the middle ages and into the modern world.
- When the church began to lose power, many composers worked on compositions of non-religious music.
- Was the age of Humanism: self awareness. An attempt to discover individuality.
Characteristics of Renaissance Music:
- vocal music was more important than instrumental
- no standard orchestra
- mostly polyphonic
- no contrast in dynamics, tone color, and rhythm.
- Close relationship between words & music
- This period was a golden age of �capella� singing, an unaccompanied choral music.
- Birth of Madrigal: a composition style for several voices usually in polyphonic textures, music about love. This is without accompaniment, which often uses �word painting�- a musical representation of specific poetic images.
Music sang in this era:
�Soul of love�, �When the rooster crows�
a. Ornament-
b. Detail-
c. Magnificent Setting-
d. Wealth/Power-
IV. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
- a violinist, who composed over 600 concerto grossos
Concerto Grosso- a type of musical composition for an orchestra + soloists, usually in 3 movements.
Movement- a section of music, which sounds complete, but its part of a larger composition.
Tutti- orchestra
Ritornello Form- a form in which the concerto grosso is written, in which the tutti alternates with a solo (tutti-solo-tutti-solo)
Virtuoso- a musician who developed mastery (play an instrument fast)
�terraced� dynamics- suddenly soft, suddenly loud
Composed: �The 4 Seasons� � Spring (#1) and Winter (#4)
V. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
-wrote music in all musical forms of the Baroque Era, except opera
Fugue- polyphonic composition for several voices/instruments based on one main theme
Suite- a set of movements that are all in the same key, but differ in tempo, meter, and character (it means speed, count to 3 or 4, happy-sad)
consists of the following dance- inspired movements:
1. Allemande- German, moderate
2. Courante- French, fast
3. Sarabande- Spain, slow
4. Gavotte (Bouree, Badinerie)- French, fast
5. Jig (Gigue)- Irish, very fast
Composed: Little Fugue in GM, Badinerie, Toccata and fugue in DM, Air for Strings in D Major, Kyrie Eleison, Brandenburg Concerto
VI. George Frideric Handel (1685- 1759)
- A master of Italian opera and English oratorio.
- Composed 39 operas, and was a director of the Royal Academy of Music.
- When it went bankrupt, he started to compose oratorios.
ex- �Saul�, �Israel in Egypt�, �Judah Maccabeaus�, �Joshua�, �Solomon�, and the most famous �messiah�.
- Oratorio- a large scale composition for chorus, vocal soloists, and orchestra, set to a narrative text.
- There is no acting, scenery, or costumes.
- Most oratorios based on biblical stories, but not intended for religious services.
- Performed in concert halls/churches.
Symphony- an extended ambitious composition usually in 4 movements, typically lasting between 20-40 minutes. For a full orchestra it can be called a sonata.
1st movement- allegro, in sonata allegro form (vigorous, dramatic-fast)
2nd movement- andante in ABA form, slow, lyrical
3rd movement- minuet or scherzo, ABA, dance-like
4th movement- finale, rondo form, fast-brilliant-heroic
Sonata- a composition for one or two instruments usually in 3 or 4 movements. First movement usually written in sonata allegro form.
Strong Quartet- a composition for 4 instruments: 2 violin, viola, cello, usually in 4 movements. First movement in sonata allegro form
Concerto- composition for a solo instrument and an orchestra usually in 3 movements.
Sonata Allegro Form- a form of a single movement consisting of 3 main sections: exposition, development, recapitulation
-Sometimes there is an intro and/or coding (ending)
Exposition- First (main) theme, transitional theme (bridge), second theme, closing theme.
Development- themes are broken into fragments, polyphonic textures
-Sudden ff, then PP most dramatic section
Recapitulation- like the exposition, back to stability, all the themes return in the same order
Sonata Allegro Form- used in first movement of symphony, concerto, sonata, etc.
Rondo- a form of a single movement featuring a main theme (A) which returns several times in alteration, with other themes (B,C,D). The main theme is called refrain. The section between the refrain is called the episode.
Rondo Form- is used for last movement in symphonies, concertos, and sonatas.
- a common rondo pattern is A-B-A-C-A-D-A
VIII. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
-wrote masterpieces in all musical forms of this time (symphonies, concertos, sonatas, etc.)
Composed: Symphony #40, opera �Don Giovanni�, Rondo Alla Turka, & Requiem
IX. Ludwig van Beethoven
-composed symphony #5, concerto #3, symphony #7, & symphony #9
- he bridged classical and romantic eras
