MUEL 1832 Exam 2
Baroque Era
- *AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT; HUMANISM* - Reason, intellect, learning, science, arts - Doctrine of Affections; unified affect Giacomini (1597); Descartes (1649) - *Tonality*: system based on melody, harmony and form (goal-oriented) - Major/Minor → *Triad hierarchy* (tonic/dominant) - *Invention of opera*; dramatic expression - Rise of instrumental music; generic forms; conservatories - Style: ornate, abundant decoration; flamboyance
Piano Music
- Piano as a status symbol - Large market for piano music; A large audience interested in piano virtuosos Frederic Chopin (1810-1849): - Born near Warsaw, Poland - Studied at Warsaw Conservatory - Made his career in Paris, among the elite - Made money teaching, publishing - performed for small gatherings Compositions: - Primarily composed for the piano - Many compositions based on Polish folk dances (ex: mazurka) -etudes
Opera in the Romantic Era: Realistic Opera (verismo)
- Realistic opera (verismo) - part of late romantic music: the vulgar has an aesthetic value Social Realism: - Characters from the poorer social stratum - Depicts a gritty, violent view of life - Pessimistic - Movements in France and Italy
Modernism and the "-isms" of the 20th Century
- Serialism - Expressionism - Primitivism - Neoclassicism - Avant Garde (-ism) - Minimalism - Traditionalism - Post-Modernism
Classic Era Background (1750-1820)
- Shift from contrapuntal heights of the late baroque to animated homophony of the Rococo - Great advances in musical form (ex:sonata) - genres: symphony, string quartet - return to SIMPLE elegance after the baroque (galante) - piano invented during baroque, developed into the modern piano during the classical era - AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT continues (Kant, Hume, Rousseau, Jefferson) - Musicians patronized by "enlightened" rulers (Mozart, Haydn)
Modernism
- Shock of the new; "make it new!" - artists reject past traditions - experimentation and innovation - artistic autonomy: "art for art's sake" - Crisis of Representation - painting becomes abstract - Literature and poetry uses concrete language - music becomes atonal
The Baroque Orchestra
- Sizes varied from small to large - one player per part to several - 14-80 players - renaissance instruments disappeared - violin family dominates sound (e.g., 12 violins, 4 violas, 2 cellos) - gradually added pairs of winds, flutes, oboes, bassoons, trumpets - Harpsichord used for basso continuo
Baroque Sonatas
- TRIO SONATA: a type of chamber ensemble. 2 violins and accompaniment group who performed figured bass. 4+ performers, 3 lines of music. - CHAMBER SONATA: a trio sonata for a 4 person dance that followed binary form - CHURCH SONATA: relied less on dance and more on "abstract" forms (meaning "purely" musical)
Ex D. J.S. Bach: First movement, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, cantata (1731)
Based on a Lutheran chorale (hymn or religious folk song); note use of ritornello; FORM: A (1,2,3) A (1,2,3) B (4, 5, 6, 7 and 3) Ritornello
Ex P. Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique, Fifth movement: Dream of a Witches' Sabbath
Programmatic music, using an idée fixe (melodic theme) 0:00 Tremolo in strings set an eerie mood 1:22 Idee fixe is heard in the high clarinet, transformed into a grotesque, witch-like version of the original theme 1:41 The deformed idee fixe returns, joined by other instruments representing hellish creatures that torment the artist.
Ex C. Vivaldi: Violin Concerto, Op. 8, No. 1 (Spring from The Four Seasons), First movement, Allegro.
Programmatic music: based on a story or poem. Sonnet: author unknown, possibly Vivaldi. Ritornello
Recitative and Aria
RECITATIVE: - Communicates the plot; advances the story - Singing style: heightened speech; characters "talking" - Rhythm: set to the rhythm of speech patterns - Text setting: syllabic; rapidly repeating notes, long notes at end - Accompaniment: basso continuo ARIA: - Expresses the character's emotion - Singing style: passionate, tuneful, a character singing - Rhythm: clear meter and regular rhythms - Text setting: melismatic; virtuosic vocal display - A self-contained, independent musical unit - Accompaniment: basso continuo and orchestra
Recitative and Aria
Recitative: Lines used to advance the plot in theatre production. -Made to sound like spoken word. -Syllabic, rapidly repeating notes, long notes at end - rhythm set to speech patterns - accompaniment: basso continuo Aria: parts of the play sung in verses - expresses characters emotion -passionate, tuneful - clear meter and regular rhythms - melismatic - accompaniment: basso continuo and orchestra
The Rococo and Galante
Rococo (often referred to as late baroque): artistic style in the mid-18th century; Florid, ornate, curvaceous, graceful, charm. Reaction against symmetry and grandeur of the early Baroque - featured pseudo-counterpoint, rhythmic motion but no real counterpoint GALANATE: musical style that emphasized melody; graceful melodic line; a reaction against the complexities of Bach and Handel; pleasant sounding and light ANIMATED HOMOPHONY: the purpose was to make one voice (instrumental) stand out (like the baroque invention of opera) - ALBERTI BASS: a famous technique for "animating" chords. - periodic phrasing: musical phrases structured like a question and an answer. A way of achieving balance. Antecedent - the question Consequent - the answer
Sonata Form
Sonata Form: the predominant musical form of the classical era. Goal-oriented approach to musical works a kind of musical "gravitation" Structured in three parts that work with tonic-dominant relationships: Exposition; Development; Recapitulation
Classical style in Mozart
Style in the Classical Era was a move toward simplicity; singable melodies; frequent cadences Periodic Phrasing: antecedent and consequent phrases - used in rococo - first phrase (antecedent) proposes a question, second phrase (consequent) answers the question - antecedent: Opening, incomplete-sounding phrase; often cadences on the dominant (V chord) (often ends on dominant) - consequent: Brings closure; usually cadences on the tonic (I chord)
Mozart's Operas
Written in a variety of traditions Popular with audiences of the day - Traditional opera seria: La clemenza di Tito - Opera buffa: The Marriage of Figaro - Singspiel: Spoken dialogue replaces recitative; The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte) - Opera semi-seria: Mix of opera seria and opera buffa; Don Giovanni
CQ: ____________ was the Romantic composer best known for his programmatic symphony.
a. Frederic Chopin b. Hector Berlioz c. Johannes Brahms Answer: B
CQ: The Baroque era orchestra...?
a. featured many instruments from the Renaissance. b. was generally smaller than orchestras today. c. was dominated by woodwind instruments. Answer: B
Rondo Form
keep brining certain material back into the foreground (first A section brough back repeatedly)
Social Changes in Music
public concerts: - performances gradually moved from palace to concert hall - supported by the middle class - comic opera: simple songs; bawdy humor; satire of aristocracy The Piano invented during the Baroque Era (ca. 1700); developed into the modern piano during the Classical Era
Chorales
tunes for religious text - ex:// bach
Ex N. Chopin: Mazurka No. 5 in B-flat major, Op. 7, No. 1
- Nationalism: use of folk style common in home country - Mazurka: fast, triple-meter Polish dance - Accent on the second beat - Melody draws upon native folk tunes - Harmony: drones imitate bagpipe accompaniment
CQ: An aria in opera...?
A. tends to be syllabic and advances the storyline. B. tends to be more melismatic and song like. C. is often performed separately from the opera. D. B and C only Answer: D
Baroque Era Background
- 1600-1750 - Began with invention of the opera - Instrumentalists got a stronger foothold in the musical world. Opportunities to join orchestras and study music at conservatories - Instruments started being treated idiomatically (cultivates for their own voice) - Enlightenment age: understanding of the world championed as an outgrowth if reason and applied science - science of music, tonality - Musicians dealt almost exclusively with major and minor scales - triad hierarchy: tonic/dominant - style: ornate, abundant decoration, flamboyance
Claudio Monteverdi
- After Monteverdi's great achievement, the Italian style of opera, with its distinct recitative and aria elements, became and international standard, spreading from france to england - Orfeo, first important opera
Ex A.2 Monteverdi: Arioso, "Thou art dead" from Act II of Orfeo
- Arioso - a mix of the two forms (aria and recitative) - Orpheus laments the loss of Eurydice Word painting: vocal line descends when he sings "deepest abyss;" upper register used for bringing her back up; vocal line rises as Orpheus' determination grows.
Bach Experimentations
- Bach experimented with various ways to turn a single melodic line into different things by either: 1) AUGMENTATION: slowing it down proportionally 2) DIMINUATION: speeding it up proportionally 3) RETROGRADE: making it move from its last note back to its first note 4) INVERSION: making all the intervals reverse direction so that what had originally gone up a certain interval would now do down
Orchestral Music in the Romantic Era
- Beethoven's legacy: standards set very high *Composers in the romantic era composed fewer symphonies. Absolute vs. Programmatic Music: - absolute music: "pure" music without external reference (e.g., Beethoven's Fifth Symphony; Sonata form) - programmatic: depicts events and emotions external to the music (story, play, legend, poem, place, etc.) → Specific musical gestures evoke particular associations - Lyrical melody = love; dissonance = conflict; trumpet call = heroes arrival - Almost programmatic: Beethoven's 6th Symph. "Pastorale" - composers write fewer symphonies
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
- Born in Salzburg, Austria in a musical family - European child prodigy; toured northern Europe and Italy with father; exposed to a wealth of musical styles - Most famous child prodigy in history - rococo - geared his music to the audience he was playing for - classical solo concerto: showcase for a virtuoso. tutti (orchestra) and solo (soloist) would alternate. led to Double exposition sonata - composed operas (Don Giovanni) - reputation: Compositions display diversity, breadth of expression, and perfect formal control Vienna - Free-lance musician 1781-1791 - Peak of success: 1785-1787
Beethoven Late Period
- Brother's death and nephew's suicide - formal innovations, intellectual depth - totally deaf and withdrawn from society - Music more remote and inaccessible - introspective chamber music; two large compositions: 1) Missa solemnis (1823) 2) Symphony No. 9 (1824) - large funeral; All Vienna mourned his death in 1827
Ex K. Schubert: Erlkönig, Lied (1815)
- Composed in one night at age 17 - Text by Goethe (1749-1832) - A dramatic tale of horror - Romantic fascination with the supernatural Form: Through-composed - Piano accompaniment suggests the galloping horse - Erlking sings a seductive line - Terrified boy sings in upper range, chromatic inflections - Father sings in lower, reassuring range
Expressionism
- Expressionism: an artistic movement based in germany in early 20th century - expresses the dark side of human mind, life, and experiences - The Red Stare, by Arnold Shoenberg - The Scream, Edvard Munch, 1893-1910
Young Beethoven
- Father tried to make him child prodigy - Moved from Bonn to Vienna - Studied with Hadyn; unlikely to have met Mozart - Piano playing as a way to move in society
Figured Bass (Basso Continuo)
- Figured Bass: a new rhythmic notation developed for expressive purposes for singers. - Created to support vocalists → Establishes a strong, supportive bass; Ensures purposeful chord structure - Requires two instrumentalists: Harpsichord (or organ) plays the chord progression; Sustaining instrument (cello, bassoon) plays bass line - backup band - two instruments: a single line, composed for only the bass part (bass, cello, bassoon), was notated, and numbers were used to indicate the kinds of harmonies that would play above it (keyboards, lutes, guitars)
Opera
- Florentine Comerata (group in florentine italy):goal to recreate greek theatre. - two key discoveries: (1) greek plays were sung throughout (2) greek music had strong feelings and expression - 1600: earliest operas were performed - dramatic work combining text and music that is entirely sung; elaborate stage sets and costumes; emerged in northern Italy - Florentine Camerata; desire to recreate ancient Greek drama - led to cultivation of specific single emotions in music in baroque era. Doctrine of affections. Criticism of polyphony for its complex tangle Liberetto (the text): early operas usually set in ancient Greece or Rome - monody: solo singer with accompaniment (emulate Greek music); reaction against the complex polyphony of the Renaissance - solo singing split into two forms: recitative and aria
Baroque Concertos
- Friendly "contest" between soloist and orchestra; from lating consere (to join) and conertino (to compete) - soloists: "concertino" (little concert) - orchestra:"tutti" (everybody) Two types: - SOLO CONCERTO: one soloist - CONCERTO GROSSO: 2 or more soloists (declined after Baroque Era) - ritornello form
Ex S. Wagner: "Leb' wohl" from Die Walkure (1856, first perf. 1870)
- From the second opera in Wagner's four-opera cycle Ring of the Nibelung. - Wotan, the King of the Gods, must punish the betrayal of his daughter Brunnhilde by putting her into a state of "magic sleep" surrounded by fire. 0:00 Leitmotif of the VALKYRIES is heard at the beginning 1:57 As Wotan sings of the fire, the orchestra plays MAGIC FIRE motif. 2:29 As Wotan finishes, brass plays the SIEGFRIED leitmotif
Role of Music as Art (after Beethoven)
- Music the preeminent (prominent) art form, express the inexpressible - Intensity of expression transcends experience or understanding Role of the composer: -Now a prophet or demigod, artistic genius → inspires the audience; music morally uplifting and beautiful - music no longer entertainment, but an art - Serious tone in the concert hall Extremes of form: - Large symphonic, choral, operatic, AND Small, intimate, solo or art song
Sonata cycles
- The basis for nearly all the symphonies, string quartets, solo sonatas, and various other works of the era - 4 movements: - FIRST MOVEMENT: - slow intro as a prelude or quick entrance to sonata (exposition, development, recapitulation) - sometimes a coda/postlude - SECOND MOVEMENT: - tempo is at walking pace (andante) or slower (largo) - slow movements following an abbreviated sonata (sonatina), often in ABA form, or theme and variation form - THIRD MOVEMENT: - the minuet and trio: sonata cycle movement paired for dance - tempo is moderate (moderato) - FOURTH MOVEMENT: - fastest tempo: allegro or presto (very fast) - lightheartened movement - rondo form - sonata rondo - this strict structure actually helped some composers
Symphonie Fantastique; Episode in the Life of an Artist (1827-1830)
- The first program symphony; program by Berlioz Program: artist hopelessly in love poisons himself with opium - Main theme inspired by Berlioz's despair over his unrequited love, actress Harriet Smithson Five movements: form based on the program Unifying theme: idée fixe ("fixed idea") represents "the beloved" Altered to reflect his changing mood about "the beloved"
Ex A.1 Monteverdi: Recitative, "At the bitter news" from Act II of Orfeo
- Two shepherds comment on Orpheus's reaction to the news of his wife's death. - Simple recitative accompanied by basso continuo only. - Note: listening guide begins at 2:46 - Shepherd 1: At the bitter news the unhappy man seems like a speechless rock and through too much grief cannot grieve - Shepherd 2: Ah, he would have the heart of a tiger or bear that did not feel pity at your misfortune, deprived of every happiness, wretched lover.
Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827)
- Virtuoso pianist & composer in Vienna - Led to celebration of musical GENIUS - Attitude to his patrons drastically different than earlier composers (saw himself as their equals) - Tragic figure: Deafness - pattern breaker, modeled career on both Mozart and Haydn - failed where mozart succeeded, as a child prodigy. Succeeded where mozart failed, in his Vienese career - progressively lost hearing - made important statements about social class, declared himself equal to his patrons (but looked down on them?) - melodies were not lyrical by themselves - Was a transitional figure to the Romantic Era Early period: influence of Haydn & Mozart Middle period (heroic): struggle against personal crisis Late period: formal innovations, intellectual depth
Solo Works
- Works written by instrumental composers for themselves. Featured improvisatory writing and music associated with dance, some of which were called SONATAS - Binary Form: move toward dominant harmony in one section, moved back to tonic to a tonic in another. Standard for dance music
Art Song: a new lyricism
- a new lyricism - inspired by Romantic era poets → Shelley, Goethe, Heine - strong bond between music and poetry → Music intensifies the poetry & Expresses emotions beyond words Art Song: a composition for solo voice and piano accompaniment; intimacy Lied: german term for art song
Balance
- an aesthetic goal in Classical era and rococo - created by harmony, melody, and rhythm
Atonality and Serialism
- atonality: music with no tonal center - Beginnings of Serialism: pitches arranged according to "tone rows" designed to equalize all 12 pitches - Arnold Schoeberg (1874-1951), Vienna, serialism, 12-tone method - The 7 note diatonic scale - The 12 chromatic pitches
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
- composed 600+ Lieder - lived a Bohemian life; inseparable from his musical expression - performed in the parlors of his friends
Georg Friedrich Handel (1685-1759)
- composer of late Baroque; often compared to J.S. Bach; born same year, but Handel never married, no children - moved from Germany to Italy and settled in England - famous in his time for his operas that brought him wealth and fame - "Messiah" 1741 → oratorio by Handel that has become his most famous work
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
- compositions demand great virtuosity - flamboyant artistic personality - Played more than one thousand concerts → Audience response often hysterical: LISZT MANIA! - established the modern piano recital → played from memory - etudes
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
- first composer to earn a livelihood as a music critic Wrote the definitive treatise on orchestration: - new instruments = new color - compositions require more musicians - programmatic music - ideé fixed: reoccurring theme - influenced by literature, especially Shakespeare - obsessive personality
Instrumental and Concert Music of the Early to Mid-Baroque
- first era in which works were composed only for instruments (sonatas, concertos) - chamber ensemble: music for small ensembles - orchestral music: music for large orchestra or symphony ensembles - Opera-style works for voices and instruments: Cantata and Oratorio (not staged) - distinguishing elements from operas: cantatas/oratorios were unstaged and used a chorus - oratorios have roots in renaissance (grew out of church leaders need to educate about bible)
Late Romantic Era: Absolute Music
- followed format of the Classical symphony - movements became progressively longer - Composers wrote fewer symphonies Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): - proclaimed a "musical messiah" in 1853 - A lifelong bachelor with modest lifestyle - the 3 B's: Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms Brahms once said: "I shall never compose a symphony!"
German Opera: Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
- german opera (musical dramas) Controversial visionary of enormous influence; wrote musical dramas; Norse mythology Gesamtkunstwerk (total art work) - Seamless flow of music - Eliminates tuneful arias - Heightens importance of orchestra! LIETMOTIF (leading motive): - a brief, distinctive unit of music that represents a character, object, or idea (usually played by orchestra) - Suggests the character's subconscious thought - Multiple lietmotifs can appear simultaneously
Classical style (as compared to late Baroque)
- harmony: simple chords - rhythms: greater variety within a single movement (unlike driving rhythm of the baroque) - mood changes, not one affeect - texture: greater emphasis on homophony; counterpoint used mainly for contrast timbre: -orchestra increased in size: 50 to 60 musicians common - strings are core - full woodwind ensemble - French horn and trumpets
CQ: The Classical era is important because of...?
A. the development of new genres and forms B. more public performances C. thedevelopmentofthepiano D. all of the above Answer: D ??
Beethoven Middle Period (heroic, tragic)
- heroic, tragic; personal crisis - By 1800: increasing deafness - 1802 Heiligenstadt Testament: letter expressing his desire to overcome his affliction through his art "But, think that for six years now I have been hopelessly afflicted, made worse by senseless physicians, from year to year deceived with hopes of improvement, finally compelled to face the prospect of a lasting malady (whose cure will take years or, perhaps, be impossible). - rarely performs; last time in 1814
Beethoven Early Period
- influence of Haydn and Mozart
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
- italian baroque composer and virtuoso violinist - ospedale della pieta: a Venice orphanage that Vivaldi helped make famous through its orchestra. Taught lessons, conducted, composed for than 450 concertos (1703-1740) Violin Concerto in E major: - "the spring" 1725 The first of four concerts entitled "The Four Seasons" - PROGRAMMATIC MUSIC: sonnet of poetry accompanies each concerto
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
- often called "Father of the Symphony", "Father of the String Quartet" (did not invent, just wrote a lot) - Trained as choirboy; spent nearly entire life in Austria; freelance musician during the 1750s - Worked for wealthy aristocrat family of Prince Paul Anton Esterhazy from 1761-1790: Conducted the prince's personal orchestra; Composed 104 Symphonies; introduced theme and variations in the genre - composed germany's national anthem - composed hundreds of pieces; comic opera, rococo, oratorios, concertos, work for other pianists - sonata cycles - explored special techniques that would tease or challenge his audience
ROMANTIC ERA (1820-1900)
- often described as 19th century music - great accomplishment of era: rediscovery of melody - era of extremes: some composers looked to fill large halls with music, others looked for ways to miniaturize and confine it. Some wore both hats - nationalism was strong. coincided well with folk music and poetry - instruments invented and redesigned. Designed to "sing", better serving the expressive needs
Clara Wieck Schumann (1819-1896)
- one of the great piano virtuosos of the 19th century - Toured Europe as child prodigy since age 11 - Composer - married Robert Schumann in 1840 - Surpassed him in international fame - Toured as performer up to age of 70 - intimate lieders
Beethoven's expansion on Sonata form
- pathetique piano sonata (long important introduction) - symphony no. 5 IV (long important coda)
Beethoven as Pianist
- played with "superhuman" speed and force; louder than anyone before him, sometimes hit wrong notes - known for his legato, singing style; caused an intense emotional response - piano evolved with Beethoven. Became more stable, and wider range - piano sonatas were more virtuosic than any earlier sonata, them emphasize extremes in dynamics, tempo, and range Early period: No. 8, Op. 13 Pathetique (1798-99) → The piano evolved with Beethoven From a 5-octave, double strung, 175 lb. piano in a harpsichord case to a 6-octave, triple strung, 350 lbs, with 6 tons of tension
Late Baroque Aesthetic
- refinement and perfection of existing forms - complex counterpoint: multiple independent melodic lines (unlike the clear homophony of early Baroque; unlike monody in opera) - dramatic power
The Fugue
- subject: primary musical idea - exposition: opening section of the fugue; each voice presents the subject - episode: free section → subject not heard in its entirety - pedal point (not only in fugues): low note sustained under several different harmonies - Bach's "Little" fugue in G minor - alternates imitative passages and "free" counterpoint
Mozarts Operas
- traditional opera seria - opera buffa - singspiel (spoken dialogue replaces recitative) - opera semi-serta (mix of seria and buffa)
20TH CENTURY Art Music
- upheaval and re-evaluation - Science: Relativity Theories; Quantum Physics; Freud and psychoanalysis. - industrialization on a massive scale -WAR: increasingly destructive - New technologies: Manufacturing, Transportation, Communications, Cinema, Broadcasting, Recording
ritornello form
- used in concertos - a section returns over and over again, and is always played by the full orchestra (tutti). Alternates with solos ("concertinos"). The repeated section by orchestra is called the ritornello
Musical Theme
- usually contains a motif within it. A theme, however, is a selection of melody usually defined as a full phrase (or half period), and so it forms a more definable unit
CLASSICAL ERA
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Instrumental and Concert Music of the Early to Mid-Baroque
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LATE BAROQUE (Bach and Handel) 1710-1750
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Form in Art Song
1) Strophic (A, A, A, etc.): - same music for each stanza of the poem; basis of folk song - single poetic mood 2) Modified Strophic (A A' A'', etc.): - Alters the music at some point - Variation can be minimal or significant 3) Through Composed (A B C D, etc.): - Each stanza set to new music - Projects a series of changing moods
Idée fixe-- the beloved (Harriet Smithson)
5 opium induced hallucinations: 1. Reveries, passions (sees her for the first time) 2. A Ball (the artist in festive situation, a party) 3. Scene in the Fields (trying to find solace in nature) 4. March to the scaffold (opium dream in which he kills her) 5. A Witches Sabbath (witches gathering for his funeral)
CQ: This composer has been called the "father of the string quartet"...
A. Wolfgang Mozart B. Joseph Haydn C. Ludwig Van Beethoven Answer: B
CQ: Opera in the Baroque era...?
A. emulated the ancient Greeks B. used the basso continuo C. used recitative and aria D. all of the above Answer: D
Ex L. Clara Schumann: "Liebst du um Schönheit" ("If You Love for Beauty"), Lied (1841)
Based on a poem by Eichendorff Question: what is the form? Strophic? Modified Strophic? Through Composed? → FORM: Modified strophic; slight alterations between stanzas → Vocal line is A, A', A'', A''' A 1) If you love for beauty, don't love me! Love the sun, with her golden hair! A' 2) If you love for youth, don't love me! Love the spring, which is young each year! A'' 3) If you love for money, do not love me! Love the mermaid, she has many pearls! A''' 4) If you love for love, oh yes, love me! Love me for always, and I will love you eternally! *not a listening example, but still questions on exam*
Beethoven and the piano sonata
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8, "Pathetique" 1798-1799 - More virtuosic than any earlier sonata emphasizes extremes of dynamics, tempo, and range - Passionate intensity "controlled" by the sonata form - Slow introduction suggests Beethoven's style of improvisation - Crashing chords return throughout the first movement - Beethoven frequently played it in aristocratic homes
Beethoven...
Bridge to Romanticism
Orfeo (1607)
By Claudio Monteverdi - The first important opera - Myth of Orpheus and Eurydice - Use of recitative and aria
Classical Concerto Artitecture / Sonata Form
COME BACK TO THIS - EXPOSITION: tonic, moves to dominant - DEVELOPMENT: themes not present - RECAPITULATION: tonic - goal oriented approach - three parts that work the tonic-dominant relationship
cantata(bach), oratorio(handel)
Cantata = a medium-length narrative piece of music for voices with instrumental accompaniment, typically with solos, chorus, and orchestra. Oratorio = a large-scale musical work for orchestra and voices, typically a narrative on a religious theme, performed without the use of costumes, scenery, or action
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Career: church organist, court composer, conductor Reputation: -renowned as an organ virtuoso -most famous for cantatas and fugues - extremely prolific (ex: wrote 500 cantatas) - legacy: fathered several composers (J.C. Bach; C.P.E. Bach) - never left germany -DIDATIC MUSIC: music made to teach members of ones family - viewed as a professional composer, not an artist - did not write operas
Classical vs. Romantic Values and Aesthetics
Classical: - Objectivity and reason - Rules & forms; balance - Monuments of ancient Greece - Happiness, fulfillment - Universal values Romantic: - Subjectivity and emotion - Passionate self-expression - Nature; fantasy; supernatural - Longing, despair - Individual values; originality
Ex H. Mozart: Don Giovanni, opera
Composed 1787 The myth of Don Juan: - Libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte (Mozart's principal librettist - Characters: Don Giovanni: aristocratic, rake, villain Leporello: servant to Don Giovanni Donna Anna: one of Don's many conquests Commandant: elderly father of Donna Anna; killed by Don Giovanni *not part of the listening example, but still on exam*
Ex J. Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
Composed 1804-1808 premiered Dec. 22, 1808 - Four movements convey sense of psychological progression triumphant victory over fate - Cyclical: 4-note motive in each movement: short-short-short-long Movements: 1) Sonata(4 note motive) - fateful encounter with elemental forces ** this is the listening piece on the exam ** 2) Theme and variations (4 note motive) - quiet soul-searching 3) Scherzo (4 note motive) (same form as Minuet) ... NO BREAK - further wrestling with the elements 4) Sonata (4 note motive) (with 3rd movt. coming back). Huge CODA - triumphant victory over Fate
Ex I. Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 76, No. 3 (Emperor), Second Movement
Composed for Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria Based on a hymn written by Haydn that became Austria's national anthem until end of WWII; currently anthem of Germany String Quartet: 1st and 2nd violins, viola, cello; common classical genre Form: theme and variations (single theme repeated in various ways)
Ex R. Bizet: "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle" from the opera Carmen (1875)
Composer: Georges Bizet (1838-75) - One of the most popular operas of all time, set in Spain, features a femme fatale named Carmen. Rhythmic form: Habanera, a Cuban dance rhythm
Transition to 20th century music
End of 19th century: wagner and the romantics - pushed boundaries of chromaticism and tonality - obscured tonal center - poetic expression 20th century: beyond tonality - broke through the boundaries of tonality entirely - all previous musical rules became irrelevant
Ex A.3-6 Monteverdi: Aria, "Powerful spirit," including instrumental interludes, from Act III of Orfeo
Ex 3: Opheus addresses Charon, the ferryman of the river Styx. He must convince Charon to grant him passage to the underworld. Orpheus charms him with a florid singing style. Note the violin flourishes. Ex 4: instrumental interlude on two solo violins with basso continuo. Ex 5: the aria continued, joined by two cornettos. Ex 6: same interlude, but played on two cornettos.
Ex J. Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 MOVEMENTS
Ex J-1. First Movement, Allegro con brio (sonata form) - Exposition: Theme 1 w/ s-s-s-L motive Ex J-2. Second Movement, Andante con moto (theme and variations form) - First theme introduced by low strings Ex J-3. Third Movement, Allegro (scherzo and trio form) - Low strings quietly play the rising scherzo theme Ex J-4. Fourth Movement, Allegro (sonata form) - Exposition begins - Theme 1 - Theme 2 (soft and loud contrast) - Coda tension builds and resolves several times until final cadence.
Ex G. Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major K.488, 1st Movement, Allegro (1786)
Exposition 1 (orchestra) Recapitulation Theme
Symphony No. 9, fourth movement
First symphony to include a chorus An die Freude (Ode to Joy) - Only appears in the fourth movement - Text written by Friedrich von Schiller - Text honors idea of universal brotherhood - Beethoven drawn to this text throughout his life - Worked on the melody for nearly twenty years
Ex E. J.S. Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor
Fugue
Ex F. Handel: "Hallelujah" chorus from Messiah, oratorio (1741)
Handel's oratorio Messiah tells the story of the life of Christ in three parts; this chorus concludes the 2nd part. - includes homophonic and polyphonic texture; imitative section
Composers of the Classical Era: Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven
Haydn (1732-1809) Mozart (1756-1791) Beethoven (1770-1827)
Motif
Motif (motives): the smallest unit of music that communicates a recognizable idea - may suggest certain harmonies, but the whole point of keeping them concise is so they can be introduced and reintroduces in all sorts of harmonic situations
Canon
One line of melody set against itself - ex:// bach
Ex B - Henry Purcell: Recitative, "Thy hand Belinda," and Aria, "When I am Laid in Earth," from the opera Dido and Aeneas (1689)
One of the first operas written in English; based on Virgil's epic poem Aeneid. Scene: Dido, Queen of Carthage, abandoned by her lover, the Trojan hero Aeneas, asks for comfort from her servant, Belinda. 1) Recitative: "Thy hand, Belinda" Chromatically descending vocal line, with basso continuo accomp. 2) Aria: "When I am laid in earth" (begins when we hear descending line in the basso continuo) Aria based on basso ostinato (repeated bass line) Provides a solid foundation; symbolizes grief