Exam 3

Alfred Schnittke, Concerto Grosso No. 1, mvt 2 (Toccata) (1976)

12 violins, 4 violas, 4 cellos, 2 double bass, harpsichord, prepared piano diabolical parody of Vivaldi invokes Haydnian Galant style popular/hymn-like tune 12-tone melody beginning with BACH motif

What is musique concrète? When and where was it developed? How did it change the role of the composer and performer?

A musique conrete is musis that has been created using concrete sounds rather than traditional musical notation. It was created by Pierre Schaefeer in the 1940s at the Radiodiffusion Francasie in Paris. Composers could now use electronic devices to compose instead of writing music using traditional music notation. Performers used prerecorded tapes and live performers together. The performers were given a base that they interact with.

Arvo Pärt, "O Weisheit" and "O König aller Völker" f. Seven Magnificat Antiphons (1991).

Beautiful chorus Suggest the sound of a ringing bell Simple (spiritual minimalism)

Olivier Messiaen, Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine, mvt 2 ["Séquence du verbe, cantique divin"] (1944)

Chorus and orchestra Lots of high voicing Fun rhythm Glistening transparency, ringing sound characteristic of Messiaen Work that is cyclical and in a sense, easy to hold onto You listened to the whole piece in class Two tunes that keep returning as sound objects (A & B)

Francis Poulenc, "Le Lion amoureux" from Les Animaux modèles (1942)

Full orchestration Included the tune of the anti-German song "Vous n'aurez pas L'Alsace et la Lorraine" [you will not have Alsace and Lorraine] Tune right at the very beginning

Paul Hindemith, Symphony Mathis der Maler, mvt 2 (1933)

Full orchestration Pretty tonal, or very close to tonal ABA'C Continuous flow, offering open-endedness rather than closer Harmonies are neo-tonal (open fifths, octaves; triads built on fourths; dissonances of a second or seventh) Is this good or bad? -pro-Nazi reviewers it showed a turn against his earlier dissonances -To supporters of new music it was a triumph of modernism

Dmitri Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47, mvt 1 (1937)

Full orchestration Slow I kinda hate this Lots of screechy high notes Played beginning Both primary and secondary themes feel empty af Soft flute solo thing then violins Each thing goes nowhere

Describe Hindemith's career. How was his career affected by political developments in the Third Reich? Specifically, what was the background for his Symphony Mathis der Maler?

Hindemith had a complicated relationship with the Nazi party. Some in the Nazi party condemned his music as degenerate and him as an "atonal noisemaker". Much of his music had been banned at the time he composed his opera Mathis der Maler (1933-35) and his Symphony Mathis de Maler (1934) that was commissioned for the Berlin philharmonic concert tour. The opera and the symphony depict his solitary struggle as an artists: finding roots in the soil of his people amid political and religious chaos. The Nazi's took issue with the plot and the opera could not be performed in Germany. Hindemith withdrew from politics and eventually emigrated to Switzerland and later America.

What is an "integrated musical"? How do Showboat, Oklahoma!, and West Side Story exemplify this approach to the musical? How is West Side Storyreflective of Bernstein's interest in combining a variety of musical styles?

In an "integrated musical," every element of the show supports and shows the story and plot. The music and characters supplement the story and dramatic effect is important. Showboat does this by combining different musical genres and styles in ways that serve the drama. Oklahoma! does this through its comedic and dramatic elements along with its highlighting rural life. West Side Story exemplifies this approach by combining different styles, showcased in the song Cool. The show also combines comedy and tragedy with musical and opera elements as well as incorporating jazz and classical music.

How can indeterminacy be manifested in music? Who were some key figures in indeterminacy or chance music? To what musical trend was it a response?

Indeterminacy is when the composer provides indeterminate instructions in the score, leaving decisions to the performer. It is done by the composer purposefully choosing to exclude specific elements of the music. John Cage is the foremost indeterminate composer. Earle Brown, Witold Lutoslawski, and Morton Feldman also used this technique. It was ultimately drawn from Feldman's Projection I, which used graphic notation as instructions. It was a response to serialism and inspired by New York abstract painters.

Caroline Shaw, Partita for 8 Voices, mvt 1 (2010)

Lots of voices Solo speak singing overlap and humming/ooohing on notes together "To the side"

What is minimalism? How did it change during the final decades of the twentieth century?

Minimalism = materials are reduced to a minimum and procedures are simplified so that what is going on in the music is immediately apparent. End of 20th century = minimalism expanded and included interest in rock, African music, tonality, Romanticism, and Asian music. It was extremely popular and used in a variety of genres.

Describe key features of Messiaen's compositional style. How are they manifested in Quatuor pour la fin du temps?

Olivier Messiaen style was based on non diatonic modes, nonmetric rhythms, vibrant harmonies and timbre, and contemplation. He devoted his career to creating devotional works that transport beyond. He saw music as a series of objets sonores [sonic objects]. There was no Germanic development, but arrangement (of sound objects). His music was superficially accessible, but highly complex. His major influences were Debussy and Stravinsky. His Quatour pour la fin temps is devotional in that it was inspired from Revelation. He uses devices such as birdsong to achieve a sense of contemplation. He aslo uses modes of limited transposition which include notes from whole-tone and octatonic scales that remain when transposed in the piece. This suggest never ending contemplation by taking away any sense of resolution. Instead of basing his composition on traditional rhythm or meter, he practices musique mesurée as well as Indian music tala's duration system.

Jennifer Higdon, blue cathedral (2000)

Orchestra Flute and clarinet solo Very light, pretty, airy sort of sound Wow i love this Is that an english horn solo??? It makes me :( Glockenspiel Increasing tempo

Cornelius Cardew, Treatise (1963)

Perhaps listen to the lecture again, I think it's random and I wouldn't trust the recordings on spotify One note they keep returning to Weird bubbly sounds Electronic randomness basically But also a violin?

John Cage, Music of Changes, Book I (1951)

Piano solo bullshit I hate this so much

What is serialism? Why were so many composers interested in it in the years after World War II? What institutions promoted or sponsored it?

Serialism, rooted in the 12-tone method, utilizes a series of pitches and other musical features. Composers were interested in it because they could create musical elements in a personal way that reflected excitement for new possibilities. Their interest was also political, as this type of music was one that was banned from being listened to or written during the time of the Third Reich. The institution that primarily promoted serialism was the International Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt, Germany. The US supported these courses.

What is socialist realism? What is formalism? Why did the Soviets oppose formalism? How did political pressure in the Soviet Union affect composers like Prokofiev and Shostakovich?

Socialist realism is using a realistic style in all Soviet arts, representing socialism in a positive light, showing progress for those under the Soviet state as well as celebrating its heroes and revolutions. Formalism is interested in music for its own sake (art for art's sake) and is in modernist style. Soviet's opposed formalism because they wanted music to be written to further their political agenda, not for its own sake. Prokofiev had to leave Russia for 20 years. He returned under the promise of commissions and being able to perform his works; however, these works had to conform to what was considered appropriate by those in power. Shostakovich experienced a similar pressure. He went against what the State wanted, but eventually had to conform in order to achieve any sort of success.

Billie Holiday, "Strange Fruit" (1939

Solo female singer Slow jazz Says the words strange fruit Very recognizable

Olivier Messiaen, "Mode de valeurs et d'intensités" from Quatre Études de rythme (1949).

Solo piano Starts high and drops low quickly Nonsense. Utter nonsense. Sounds like a cat walking on a keyboard Score: 3 lines, every pitch has dynamic and accent marking

Describe the diversity of styles in Western art music of the late twentieth century. What were some of the major trends and who were some of the key figures? Choose two composers from the many mentioned in the assigned reading and describe their approach to composition in the face of the changing world of music.

The major trends and key figures are: - minimalism (Steve Reich) - Polystylism (Alfred Schnittke) - Rock (Beatles) -Neo-Romanticism (Krzysztof Penderecki) - Musicals (Rodgers and Hammerstein) - Fusion (Miles Davis) - Spectralism (Gerard Grisey) Miles Davis took elements of rock and R&B and infused these elements into jazz music, creating a new trend called fusion. This revolutionary approach to jazz resulted in his best selling album. Meredith Monk composed works across media genres , often combining theater, dance, and music. She dramatizes ideas of cyclic time against the notion of linear progress.

Edgard Varèse, Poème électronique (1957)

The work is entirely electronic, there is no score, no performers. It's just him, just a recording. Sounds: Church bells Some synthetic sound; percussive Sliding Percussion instrument Yawn Singing voice with just a list of vowels More extreme singing; operatic, perhaps Electronic and manipulated men's choir with various other sounds interspersed

Steve Reich, Clapping Music (1972)

This is literally a bunch of clapping

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, "Oklahoma" from Oklahoma! (1943)

You know this you literally were in the show also they literally sing "Oklahoma" multiple times so come on

Dmitri Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47, mvt 2 Allegretto (1937)

full orchestration I like this more than mvt. 1 *see what part she plays in lecture* Bassoon Ending: solo plays tune, everybody plays the tune all big and shit

John Adams, Short Ride in a Fast Machine (1986)

full orchestration clacky thing

John Cage, Imaginary Landscape No. 4 (1951)

radios

Pierre Boulez, No. 6 Bourreaux de solitude from Le Marteau sans maître (1955) [The Hammer without a Master]

solo moves through different instruments (one of them a woman's voice) Atonal Like no melody

Carl Orff, "Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi" from Carmina Burana (1935)

this is obviously recognizable full orchestration + chorus big, dramatic

Leonard Bernstein, "America" from West Side Story (1957)

you know this also they literally sing "America" multiple times

Freedom Singers, "We Shall Overcome" (1947).

you know this song chorus