Understanding Music Final Review
Richard Wagner: Who was Wagner? In what genre did he write the most? How did he called his operatic works? What's his masterpiece?
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas. Famous for writing the libretto and lyrics and his operas (combined his two passions: theatre and music). Name his operatic works Music Dramas. The Ring of the Nibelung (Der Ring des Nibelungen) was a set of four Music Dramas based on Norse mythology composed between 1848 and 1874, and it was his great masterpiece.
Meanwhile, in the USA: Place of women and the minorities? What famous symphony did Antonin Dvořák write?
Women and the minorities became better accepted not just as performers but as music makers, too. The New World Symphony
Alban Berg: Who was Berg? With whom did he study? What type of music did he write?
Berg was an Austrian composer of the Second Viennese School. His compositional style combined Romantic lyricism with the twelve-tone technique. He was a student of Arnold Schoenberg. Wrote atonal music, dodecaphonic music in particular.
Who did Beethoven study with in Vienna?
Franz Joseph Haydn
"The Ride of the Valkyries" from Die Walküre: What is the genre of that piece?
Genre: Music Drama
Maple Leaf Rag: Genre? Instrumentation?
Genre: Ragtime Instrumentation: Piano
Hector Berlioz:: Who was Berlioz? Was he a prodigy? What important prize did he win?
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer and conductor. He was not a prodigy, he studied medicine at first. Won the prestigious Prix de Rome with his most famous composition, Symphonie Fantastique, 1830
Arnold Schoenberg: What artistic movement is Schoenberg associated with? Who was Schoenberg? What did Schoenberg "invent"? Who was the artistic equivalent of Schoenberg?
Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was associated with the expressionist movement, and leader of the Second Viennese School. Invented dodecaphonic music -> a way to "organize" atonal music to guarantee that all 12 tones are used equally. Schoenberg's artistic equivalent is Wassily Kandinsky, Oskar Kokoschka, and Jackson Pollock.
"Sempre libera" from La Traviata: Genre? Instrumentation? La Traviata was a contemporary work for the time; it can be seen as the precursor of ... ? What does verismo mean? What is it about? Who's involved?
-Genre: Opera -Instrumentation: Voice & orchestra -Precursor of verismo -Verismo is a type of opera that deals with "real" stories. Verismo is rooted in the everyday life of ordinary people: the drama, oftentimes violent, speaks to everyone. In a way, verismo bridged the Romantic operas of the end of the nineteenth century with the modern works of the early twentieth century.
Know the different types of opera in the second half of the eighteenth century. (Mozart wrote in all four.)
-Opera buffa (comic opera) -Opera seria (serious opera) -Singspiel (German opera with spoken dialogues instead of recitatives) -Dramma giocoso (mix of drama and comedy)
Beethoven's death. Beethoven's legacy: How many symphonies did Beethoven complete? Was he able to become a free lance composer? What changed? Movies about Beethoven.
9 symphonies, yes he was able to be a free lance composer (status of composer shifts from servant to artist), The cause of his death remains uncertain because Beethoven suffered from many diseases in his life (which his heavy drinking only worsened), 1812: Beethoven wrote a long and moving love letter to a woman he called his "immortal beloved" and the movie 'Immortal Beloved' speculates who it could be
What is a leitmotif?
A Leitmotif is a musical phrase associated with a character, place, or thing in the story. It is a recurring theme that helps the audience decipher the action and even apprehend or predict what can happen in future scenes.
Tchaikovsky: Who was Tchaikovsky? What did he write? Did he have a happy life?
A Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. Wrote many ballets like Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, six symphonies, three piano concerti, one violin concerto, one cello concerto, may orchestral overtures, miscellaneous piano works, chamber music, choral music, and 11 operas. He had a very sad life, he suffered from depression, harsh criticism, and lived with the secret that he was gay.
Composers emerging after WWII aimed at a different type of music. Which one? Why? What's "avant-garde"?
A new generations of composers vowed to write music that was the opposite of what the Nazis valued: romanticism. They aimed, instead, at a form of music that was rational and intellectual, not emotional. Avant Garde -> French military term to designate the advanced troops in the front, paving the way for the soldiers in the back to follow In art, the term Avant-Garde refers to a form of art far more radical and daring/ provocative/ experimental that ever before
What's another term for Big Band Jazz? What are the three groups of instruments featured in Big Band Jazz? What's another term for Avant-garde Jazz?
Another term for Big Band Jazz: Swing Three groups of instruments: Rhythm (piano, drums, double bass, guitar), sax (alto and tenor sax, sometimes clarinets), and brass sections (trumpets and trombones) Another term for Avant-garde Jazz: Bebop
Darmstadt and Total Serialism: What/where is Darmstadt? What's Total (or Integral) Serialism? What does it appeal to? What's the opposite of Total Serialism?
Darmstadt: A school for new music based in Germany, it attracted composers from all over Europe as well as the United States Total (or integral) Serialism: Extension of Schoenberg's dodecaphonic music/ serial music. Each row contains 12 notes, used only once per row. In Total Serialism, every parameter of music is thoroughly controlled, not just the pitches. Serial music was meant to appeal to the intellect. The total opposite is romantic music.
When was the classical era? What are the keywords of the Classical era?
Date: 1750-1800 Keywords: Light accompaniment, Measure, Clarity, Simplicity and symmetry of phrases, Reason and objectivity, Piano forte
Claude Debussy: What artistic movement is Debussy associated with? Who was Debussy? What did he write? Who was the artistic equivalent of Debussy?
Debussy is associated with impressionism. Debussy was a French composer and was among the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Known for his use of non-traditional scales, harmonic language, and refined sense of orchestration. Wrote many pieces of music, especially for piano, and many songs inspired by the poets Charles Baudelaire and Stéphane Mallarmé. His daughter, Chouchou, was a great source of inspiration for him, too. Debussy's artistic equivalent is Claude Monet.
What is the Enlightenment philosophy? Why? Who?
Enlightenment philosophy centered in France and led by the philosophers Voltaire and Rousseau. The philosophy promoted reason and scientific objectivity over religion and superstition. Other ideas of the Enlightenment, such as individual freedom, equality, and the separation of church and state, influenced the American Constitution as well. Philosophers also argued in favor of equality of men, the abolition of privileges, the concept of brotherhood, and the improvement of education.
Keywords of the Romantic era? Characteristics of Romantic art?
Era: Tragedy/ suffering/ sublime/ supernatural/ imagination above realism/ highly personal approach to a subject, also incredibly morbid Art: Passion and intense personal expression
How is Europe after WWI? What is the aftermath of WWI?
Europe in shambles, America getting wealthier. After WWI, America's presence and influence on the Old Continent grew significantly. Many European artists also moved to the United States and American music found its voice. The University became the new patron for many artists, especially for composers, historians, and theorists, in the twentieth century
A century of -isms Modernism. Modern-ism can be seen as the big trunk of a big tree: each branch represents a different artistic movement, but all these movements are linked under the general label "modernism." What is expressionism? Impressionism? Primitivism?
Expressionism: composition and performance that emphasizes the expression of strong feelings Impressionism: conveys moods, scenes, and emotions rather than detailed stories Primitivism: seeks to express ideas or images related to antiquity or to some "primitive" culture or attitude
Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn: What was their relationship? Who was Felix Mendelssohn? Was he a typical tormented romantic composer? Who was Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel? What was the place of wealthy women in the nineteenth century?
Felix and Fanny are brother and sister Felix Mendelssohn: Prodigy child, pianist, violinist, composer, conductor, and talented painter as well (His music, albeit beautiful and passionate, doesn't display the exaggeration and trends of the time. Mendelssohn had a more formal approach (Classical?) to music composition) Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel: Piano prodigy and composer, a woman born in a wealthy family, she couldn't pursue an open career in the arts, that was the place of wealthy women
What's form?
Form = Structure, how the music is built/ constructed/ thought of Binary: AA, BB Two parts: A and B, sometimes repeated as in AA and BB Ternary: A, B, A Three parts: A B A. A comes back again in the end. The A section is independent from the B section. Ritornello: The opening material, A, returns throughout but it can be modified. Theme and variations: A theme is presented. The rest of the music consists of variations on that theme. Pretty self-explanatory.
Who was Franz Joseph Haydn? What did he write most? What nicknames did he have?
Franz Joseph Haydn was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as string quartets and he wrote 106 symphonies total, 104 numbered. His contributions to musical form have led him to be called "Father of the Symphony," "Father of the String Quartet," and "Papa Haydn."
Franz Liszt: Who was Franz Liszt? What instrument did he play? What type of music did he favor? Who was his daughter? And his son-in-law?
Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer, pianist and teacher of the Romantic period. He was a piano virtuoso and favored programmatic music. He wrote many symphonic poems and two programmatic symphonies, his music is branded with Hungarian folk music as well. His daughter was names Cosima and she was married to Richard Wagner.
Piano Sonata No. 8, Op. 13 "Pathétique" (first movement) - From what period of Beethoven's life? What is the form?
From the early period of Beethoven's life, the form is Sonata
Symphony No. 5, Op. 67 (first movement) - From what period of Beethoven's life? What is the form? What are the characteristics of the music from the middle period?
From the middle period of Beethoven's life. The form is Sonata form. The characteristics of the music from the middle period: Longer works, expansion of form, expansion of the orchestra, originality of the music and ideas, audacious harmonic writing, passion, fire, tumult, panache.
Frédéric Chopin: Who was Chopin? Where was he born and why is this important? What instrument did he write for? Where is his heart buried?
Frédéric Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote almost exclusively for solo piano. He was born in Poland and was very attached with his Polish routes. His body was burried in Paris while his heart was burried in Poland.
Le Sacre du Printemps: Genre? Instrumentation? What happened at the première?
Genre: Ballet Instrumentation: The music opens with a bassoon playing in its highest registers, a prowess at the time, and features many meter changes, deliberate dissonances and clusters, percussive sounds What happened at the premiere: A riot broke out! The audience was split between the people who did not understand (or/and did not want to understand) the work, booed, made rude noises, and threw objects in the orchestral pit, and the people trying to shush them and follow the music (Le Sacre du Printemps to Le Massacre du Printemps (or The Rite of Spring to The Riot of Spring))
Der Erlkönig, What is the genre of this piece? Instrumentation?
Genre: Lied, Instrumentation: Piano and Baritone
"My man's gone now" and "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess: Genre? Was Porgy and Bess successful? How about now? Who was Anne Brown?
Genre: Opera Successful?: At first, a commercial failure; now, one of the most famous American operas ever written. Anne Brown: Anne Brown was the very first African American vocalist to be accepted to the Juilliard School of Music in New York at age 16. Gershwin was so impressed by her talent that he expanded the role of Bess just for her.
"Dialogue of the wind and waves" from La Mer: Genre? Instrumentation? Programmatic?
Genre: Orchestral work Instrumentation: Orchestra Programmatic?: It's quasi-programmatic. The wind is portrayed in the wind instruments; the sea in the low strings. Vibrant and beautiful, grand and triumphant ending to symbolize the grandeur and majesty of the subject matter: the sea.
"Putnam's Camp, Redding, Connecticut" from Three Places in New England: Genre? Instrumentation? What's going on in the music?
Genre: Orchestral work Instrumentation: Orchestra and piano, a lot going on (two separate pieces of music together) What's going on in the music: The music represents the impressions of a child at a picnic on July 4th. During this event, the child hears singing and different bands playing at the same time. When he falls asleep, however, he dreams of different patriotic music from the American Revolution, only to wake up to the music from the picnic.
Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, first movement: Genre? Characteristics of Bartók's music? (Two in particular)
Genre: Orchestral work in four movements Characteristics: Frequent meter changes and no key signature = tonal ambiguity. Frequent meter changes paired with the absence of a key signature are two of most significant characteristics of Bartók's works.
"Agnus Dei" (fifth movement) from War Requiem Genre? Languages? What does the tenor represent? And the chorus?
Genre: Requiem Mass Languages: Latin, English (Latin -> to represent the eternal, English, to represent the temporary) Tenor represents: The tenor represents a soldier Chorus represents: The chorus represents grief
"Nacht" from Pierrot Lunaire: Genre? Instrumentation? What is Sprechstimme?
Genre: Song Instrumentation: Soprano, piano, cello, bass clarinet Sprechstimme: It is half way between song and speech, but not like a recitative in an opera. Instead, the singer is excepted to follow the music precisely (pitch and duration) but the notes are spoken and not sung, resulting in an odd, almost frightening atmosphere.
Classical Symphony, first movement: Genre? Instrumentation? Form? What artistic movement is Prokofiev's Classical Symphony associated with? How?
Genre: Symphony Instrumentation: Orchestra Form: Sonata Form Artistic Movement: Neo Classicism (pays homage to the classical composers, Haydn and Mozart
The Barber of Seville: What is the genre of The Barber of Seville? Who's Figaro?
Genre: opera buffa ("comic opera") Figaro: barber, appears for the first time and presents himself as a "factotum" (someone who can perform a wide range of different works). Figaro helps Rosina and Count Almaviva marry in spite of Dr. Bartolo, her guardian, who wants to marry her for her inheritance
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2: What's a rhapsody? Instrumentation?
Genre: rhapsody - A rhapsody in music is a one-movement work that is episodic yet integrated, free-flowing in structure, featuring a range of highly contrasted moods, color, and tonality. Instrumentation: piano
Who are the three composers of the First Viennese School?
Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven
How is impressionism reflected in Debussy's music? (Think about the meter, the form, and the tonality.)
Impressionism is reflected in his music bc he blurs tonality, meter, and form. Tonality: Debussy's music is not atonal but it is not conventional. He uses different scales than the major/ minor scales (e.g. whole-tone scale) and a fair amount of chromaticism and dissonances which further help blurring any firm sense of tonality Meter: (grouping of beats in a measure): his syncopations and complex rhythm often blur any sense of strong beats Form: Debussy is always careful to not follow traditional form. There is structure, always, but nothing strictly "formal" as in "the forms of the past" (e.g., sonata form, rondo form, etc)
What's a symphony?
Instrumental music for orchestra comprised of four movements, usually abstract (= not programmatic), the most prestigious genre of instrumental music, originated from the three-movement sinfonia (Sinfonia: overture music, modest in scope, used as introductory music before another work such as an opera, cantata, or oratorio)
Most popular genres of Classical music?
Instrumental: String quartets, sonatas, concertos, symphonies Vocal: Opera (buffa, seria, singspiel)
Hungarian Dance No. 5: Instrumentation? Genre?
Instrumentation: Orchestra Genre: Dance
Charles Ives: Who was Charles Ives? What did he value/ write about?
Ives was an American modernist composer, one of the first American composers of international renown (even though his music most mostly ignored until much later in his life). Believed in the values of small-town America and the themes of his compositions often included sports, parades, marching bands, and national holidays
Who was Mozart? What are the two genres in which he excelled?
Mozart was one of the most influential, popular and prolific composers of the classical period. He composed over 600 works, including some of the most famous and loved pieces of symphonic, chamber, operatic, and choral music. Mozart was born in Salzburg to a musical family. From an early age, the young Mozart showed all the signs of a prodigious musical talent. Piano concerto and Opera were the two genres Mozart excelled in.
Look carefully at the table that compares Classical music and Romantic music - what is Romantic music all about? What do Romantic composers like to write most?
Music is subjective and personal, deep, beautiful music that implicates the composer's state of mind and personal struggle(s) at a much deeper level than ever before, love to write programmatic music most
What two new fields of study emerge at the turn of the nineteenth century?
Musicology: the study of music as an academic subject, as distinct from training in performance or composition; scholarly research into music Archeology: the study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of artifacts and other physical remains Phrenology: the detailed study of the shape and size of the cranium as a supposed indication of character and mental abilities
What's at the heart of Romantic artistry?
Nature (central element of Romanticism artistry)
What happened to the basso continuo in the Classical era?
No more basso continuo
Robert and Clara Schumann: What was their relationship? What did he do? What did she do? Why was Clara Schumann able to pursue a different career than Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel?
Robert and Clara Schumann were married. Robert Schumann was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. Clara Schumann was a formidable pianist and composer. Child prodigy who started her career (pianist) at age 9. She played all her concerts by memory, which has now become a tradition. She was not from a wealthy family so she could pursue a career in music.
Gioacchino Rossini: Who was he? What did he write most? How is his music overall? What's Bel Canto?
Rossini was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. His music is lighter and more accessible. Bel Canto ("Beautiful Singing") is a lyrical style of operatic singing using a full, rich, broad tone and smooth phrasing.
Who was Scott Joplin? Any nicknames? What did he write?
Scott Joplin was an American composer and pianist. Because of the fame achieved for his ragtime compositions, he was dubbed the "King of Ragtime."
Symphony No. 56 (first movement) - what is the form of the first movement?
Sonata Form
Who was Johann Christian Bach? Where did he live (most)? What did he write?
The last son of Johann Sebastian Bach, was a composer and organist, lived in London, England ("London Bach"), excelled in a style known as Gallant. He wrote numerous sonatas, quartets, quintets, concertos, sinfonia, operas, songs, incidental music, and a fair amount of sacred works as well.
Nineteenth century/ romantic era: How are artists/ composers percieved? New jobs? New instruments? Where is music performed? As opposed to...? What's a Conservatory?
The status of the composer changes from artist to genius. New jobs: jobs in musicology, archeology, and phrenology New instruments: Tuba, Saxophone, Harmonica, Piano (not new per se, underwent many transformations and its range was enlarged) Location music is performed: No longer premiered in the private salon of wealthy aristocrats, now in concert halls built to accommodate (orchestras grew much bigger and required a bigger space, audiences larger too) Conservatory: Specific institutions for music, focused on performance and composition
How is nationalism represented in music? (In other words, how do composers foster their nationality and identity in their works?)
The use of musical ideas or motifs that are identified with a specific country, region, or ethnicity, such as folk tunes and melodies, rhythms, and harmonies inspired by them.
Piano Concerto No. 17 (third movement) - what is the form of the third movement?
Theme and Variations
Symphonie Fantastique, fifth movement. Characteristics? (How is this piece unusual?) How is this work influential?
Unusual and unique symphony: Five movements, Programmatic, Autobiographical, Idée fixe ("fixed idea" = obsession with Harriet Smithson) Ingenious idea: it is a musical motive that recurs in each movement of the work to represent his beloved (Inspired Richard Wagner's invention of the Leitmotif), Narrator tells the story of the piece before each movement is played
Romantic opera: Who were the superstars of opera in the Baroque and Classical era? Who replaced them? How did opera transform/ evolve in the Romantic era?
Women gradually replaced the castrati as the superstars in the second half of the eighteenth century. Growing interest for the quality of the story and the acting, not just the singing. Gradually, drama and intricacy replaced lightness and accessibility. Operas grew bigger, longer, louder. Greater focus on the quality of the libretto, the decor, the costumes, and the staging of the story being told
Who are the three Bs of music?
Bach, Beethoven, Brahms
"Le Vierge, le Vivace et le Bel Aujourd'hui" (second movement) from Pli selon Pli; Poet? Artistic movement associated with the poet? Artistic movement associated with the music/ composer? Instrumentation? What does the orchestra represent?
Artistic Movement associated with poet: Symbolism (Favors spirituality and imagination as opposed to cold and/or objective truth) Artistic Movement associated with music/composer: Total Serialism Instrumentation: soprano and chamber orchestra The voice represents: the swan Orchestra represents: the landscape surrounding the swan It is almost as if the swan were screaming on the inside but did not dare interrupt the perfection of the landscape surrounding it, which is represented in the orchestra.
Symphony No. 45 (first movement) - what artistic/literary movement is this work associated with?
Associated with artistic movement known as Sturm und Drang ("storm and stress") where the music is very agitated and emotionally driven. (a preview of the Romantic era)
What's atonality? What's dodecaphonic music? What's expressionism? Who are the three composers of the Second Viennese School?
Atonality: Atonality in its broadest sense is music that lacks a tonal center, or key Dodecaphonic music: "organize" atonal music to guarantee that all 12 tones are used equally Expressionism: Explores the human psyche and all the hidden and darkest emotions in a subject through distortion, abstraction, and even exaggeration 3 composers of the Second Viennese School: Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, and Alban Berg
The so-called Gallant style emerged as a reaction to the complexity of...?
Baroque Music
Béla Bartók: Who was Bartók? What did he write? What field of study did Bartók contribute to with his partner Kodály?
Bartok was a Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist. Wrote Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta. The field of study that Bartok contributed to with his partner Kodaly was ethnomusicology. Ethnomusicology is the study of music in a social and cultural context, from the point of view of the people who actually created this music, how, and why.
Who is the bridge composer between the Classical and Romantic eras?
Beethoven
Who replaced the minuet (third movement) by a scherzo?
Beethoven
Birth place of jazz? Who was Louis Armstrong? Where? What instrument did he play? What type of singing? How was his career overall? How did he change the texture of jazz?
Birthplace of Jazz: New Orleans Louis Armstrong was an American trumpeter and vocalist, and he was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several eras in the history of jazz. Formidable performer, improviser, and singer. Often sung on wordless vocal syllables known as "scat singing." He altered the texture of jazz. Before Armstrong, a jazz ensemble piece was pretty uniform from beginning to end. Armstrong made the soloist more prominent and thus opened the door for more individual expression, improv, and scat singing.
Amadeus: Who was Mozart's bitter rival?
Bitter rivalry between the court composer Antonio Salieri and Mozart
Who was Pierre Boulez? What instrument did he play? Besides composing, what else did he do? Where? What type of music did he champion? Which Austrian composer influenced Boulez's music the most?
Boulez was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He played the piano, conducted (New York Philharmonic), and experienced with electroacoustic music and created the Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/ Music (known as IRCAM) in France. He championed serial music and the conducting of such music. The Austrian composer that influenced Boulez's music the most was Anton Webern.
Benjamin Britten: Who was Britten? What instruments did he play? Who was Peter Pears? What texts does Britten use in the War Requiem? By whom? For what event was Britten's War Requiem commissioned? What is the orchestration?
Britten was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other vocal music, orchestral and chamber pieces. Played the piano and the viola. Peter Pears was a tenor and the two became professional and personal partners, and stayed together until 1976, Britten's death. Britten and Pears founded the Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts, known today as the Britten Pears Arts. The goal of it was to promote classical music to large audiences and helped young musicians develop their talent. In the War Requiem, Britten uses the original texts in Latin but superimposes some poems in English by the poet Wilfred Owen. The War Requiem was commissioned to celebrate the Cathedral Church of Saint Michael, better known as the Coventry Cathedral. The original fourteenth-century gothic church was destroyed by the German Air Force during WWII and a new cathedral was finally rebuilt and erected on May 25, 1962. Britten's War Requiem premièred five days later on May 30.
Keywords of Classical music and art? (Reaction against Baroque exaggeration, heavy ornamentation and needless complexity.) See comparison table between the Baroque and the Classical eras
Classical music is classified as Gallant, which means honorable, valiant, and refined. Reaction against Baroque: Light accompaniment, Measure, Clarity, Simplicity and symmetry of phrases, Reason and objectivity, Piano forte Art: Breaking away from the emotionally charged Baroque artistry Common themes: patriotism, sacrifice, courage, honor, and human rights Inspired by the art of the Renaissance, neoclassical artists aimed at symmetry, proportion, accurate details, and subtle grandeur
Hotter than that: Composer? Genre? Scat?
Composer: : Lil' Hardin (second wife of louis armstrong) Genre: New Orleans Jazz, AKA "Dixieland" Jazz Scat: The third chorus features scat singing by Armstrong
Lied für das pianoforte or Song Without Words: Composer? Instrumentation?
Composer: Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel Instrumentation: piano
What types of music became very popular in the twentieth century? How about classical music? What type of music helped bridge a gap between Whites and Blacks? Were women able to emerge/ be accepted as composers in the twentieth century?
Jazz and Pop music became very popular in the twentieth century. Popular music tends to be much less demanding than classical music, and highly entertaining. Classical music was losing popularity. Music in general and jazz in particular helped bridge the worlds of Black and White musicians who now cooperated more openly than ever before. By the end of the twentieth century, women and the minorities were valued not just as performers, but as composers as well, and not just in jazz and pop, but in classical music, too.
Who expanded the three-movement pattern of the sinfonia into a four-movement piece?
Johann Stamitz
Johannes Brahms: Who was Brahms? What did he write? What was his instrument? To whom was he very close?
Johannes Brahms was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Composed four symphonies, two piano concerti, one violin concerto, many songs, piano sonatas, misc. chamber music works, and a Requiem Mass, A German Requiem after his mother's passing in 1865. He was very good at writing variations and preferred abstract music. His instrument was a piano Brahms became the protégé of the Schumanns, he was very close to Clara Schumann.
Krzystof Penderecki: Who was Penderecki? Where was he born?
Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki was a Polish composer and conductor. He was born in Poland and is probably the most famous polish composer to this day.
Characteristics of Classical music?
Light accompaniment, Measure, Clarity, Simplicity and symmetry of phrases, Reason and objectivity, Piano forte, Orchestra with wind instruments in pairs and a larger string section, No more basso continuo.
What genres of music are popular in the nineteenth century?
Like classical -> Symphonies, string quartets, sonatas, operas, concerti Emerging genres -> string quintet (two violins, two violas, and one cello OR two violins, one viola, and two celli OR string quartet with an added double bass), and song cycles (Schubert)
The late period: What is Beethoven doing? How is he during such time? What grand piece did he complete in 1824?
Long and complex compositions (almost only chamber music), Almost completely deaf (communicated by writing in books and using ear trumpets) After the death of his brother, he fought for and won the custody of his nephew Karl against his sister-in-law Composed the 9th Symphony, "Ode to Joy"
Who was Beethoven? What did he suffer from? What are the three periods of his life? What was Beethoven's (main) instrument?
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical music repertoire and span the transition from the Classical period to the Romantic era in classical music. Beethoven suffered from: Deafness The three periods of Beethoven's life: early, middle (also known as heroic), late Beethoven's main instrument: Piano
Don Giovanni - what is the genre of Don Giovanni? Who was Don Giovanni? What happened to him?
Opera (Dramma Giocoso). Don Giovanni is rich but arrogant and cruel. He seduces women shamelessly. Don Giovanni trying to seduce Donna Anna. Although she had refused him, he is forcing himself on her. Her father, the commander Don Pedro, tries to protect his daughter and duels with Don Giovanni. Don Pedro is killed. Don Giovanni finds himself in a graveyard where the tomb of Don Pedro, Donna Anna's father (the Commandatore) resides. The statue of the Commander warns the Don of its desire for revenge. Full of arrogance and disdain, and obviously not taking the warning seriously, Don Giovanni invites the statue to dinner instead and he comes and Don Giovanni got what he deserved (he dies).
Pop vs Classical vs Folk: what are the differences? Where does jazz fall?
Pop: Appeals to a wide audience and not necessarily posterity, Music that is pleasing and changing according to taste (music that aims at selling well) Performance > composition Classical: Carefully written down and appeals to posterity, Sacralization of the composer over the performer, Does not aim at selling well or being popular, Rigorous training and high musicianship, Because of the classical and rigorous training of (most) jazz musicians, jazz ultimately belongs to the classical-music world, even though Jazz is not performed in the same places and in spite of the high part that improvisation occupies in jazz Folk: Usually anonymous, Music of the people for the people, rooted in culture and history, Transmitted orally, Ex: nursery rhymes, folk, and patriotic songs
What is programmatic music? What is absolute/abstract music?
Programmatic music: Writing instrumental music about something nonmusical (has a narrative) Absolute/abstract music: Music that is not explicitly 'about' anything
Who was Prokofiev? What was his instrument? What did he write?
Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who later worked in the Soviet Union. He was incredibly gifted as a child and his instrument was the piano. The Classical Symphony Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Op. 25, which was a homage to Classical composers, especially Haydn and Mozart.
Franz Peter Schubert: Who was Schubert? What did he write most? How did he live/ die?
Quintessential Romantic genius who lived a short life and died poor, sick, and in obscurity. Especially gifted for song writing (Lied - Art song sung in German). Most of Schubert's masterpieces were found only after his death.
What's Neoclassicism? How is neoclassical music? Who is associated with Neoclassicism?
Reaction against the unconstrained emotionalism of Romantic music, Much less extreme than Romantic music; more emotional restraint, more balance, more clarity, more objectivity, Abstract music > Programmatic music, Smaller orchestra (size of the orchestra in the 18th century), Tonal music (but with a modern twist!). Neoclassicism is associated with Sergei Prokofiev.
How is the twentieth century?
Relative stability and wealth in Europe (until WWI, that is), More urbanization (artists gradually turned away from nature as a source of inspiration), Modernism -> Strong desire to break free from past traditions in favor of experimentation and abstraction. It helps to think of twentieth-century music in three blocks: modernism (early), serialism/ avant-garde (middle), postmodernism (late).
Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima: What's Sonorism? To whom is this work dedicated? Which artistic movement is this work associated with? Genre? Instrumentation? In which famous American university had Penderecki taught?
Sonorism: Avant-garde Polish trend form the 1950s on, which focuses on the many different characteristics of sound, such as timbre, articulation, dynamics, and texture. Composers associated with Sonorism write for musical instruments in unconventional ways, asking performers to create other sounds that those usually produced on an instrument. Dedicated: Work is dedicated to the victims of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 Artistic Movement: Neoromanticism Genre: Sonorism Instrumentation: 52 string instruments, 24 violins (4 groups x 6 players), 10 violas (2 x 5), 10 cellos (2 x 5), 8 double basses (2 x 4) Taught: professor of music at Yale University
Igor Stravinsky: What artistic movement is Stravinsky associated with? What's primitivism? Who was the artistic equivalent of Stravinsky? Who was Sergei Diaghilev? What did he create? Where? What are the three periods of Stravinsky's life/career?
Stravinsky was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French and American citizenship. Stravinsky is associated with primitivism. Primitivism was an artistic movement in the early twentieth century that focused on non-urban and non-Western cultures perceived as "primitive." Celebrated "primitive" cultures and rejoiced in their lack of urbanization, which greatly contrasted with the growing and crowded cities of Europe at the time. Sergei Diaghilev was an Impresario who directed a ballet company named Les Ballets Russes in Paris, France, and through which he promoted the works of Russian artists. The three periods of his life include the early period: Russian, 1920s: Neo-Classical, and 1950s: Serial.
Verdi: Who was Verdi? In what genre did he write the most?
Symbol of Italian opera and national hero, and wrote many successful operas in his career.
How did the orchestra evolve from the Baroque era to the twentieth century?
Thanks to Beethoven, the orchestra grows bigger and more and more instruments are included: Harp(s), contrabassoon, English horn, bass clarinet, third or fourth trumpet, third or fourth French horn, trombones, and a lot more percussion instruments! Addition of choirs, too (ex: Beethoven's Ninth, Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust) The conductor's baton is born The cellos and the double basses play different lines •Orchestration: manipulating the colors/ timbres of the instruments in infinite numbers of ways to create new sounds (A favorite thing to do for Romantic composers!) •Twentieth century: Inherited the size of the Romantic orchestra + electronic instruments
What's another term for "middle" in the phrase "middle period"? Why? What did Beethoven discover during this time?
The Middle Period is oftentimes labeled "heroic" after the Eroica Symphony (the symphony that was originally dedicated to Napoleon). During this time Beethoven discovered something was wrong with his hearing.
Know theme and variations, rondo, and sonata form. Sonata vs. sonata form: what are the differences?
Theme and variations: A theme is presented. The rest of the music consists of variations on that theme. Pretty self-explanatory. Rondo: A rondo is a piece that begins with a refrain (an A section) that alternates with episodes (B and C). Sonata form vs Sonata: Sonata form is a form; a sonata is a genre Sonata form: is also known as "First Movement Form" because it was used for the first movement, Three sections + one: 1. Exposition: Presents and exposes the themes, 2. Development: Develops the themes, 3. Recapitulation: Brings back the themes and tonal stability of the exposition, 4. Coda: Short section to bring the music to a definite conclusion, not always present in sonata form
1812, A Solemn Overture Is this work programmatic? What is it about?
This work is programmatic and it was written to celebrate the courage and resistance of the Russian people against Napoleon's Great Army in 1812. Napoleon wanted to force Tsar Alexander I to cease trading with Britain. Napoleon defeated the Russians at the bloody Battle of Borodino on September 7, 1812 (Pyrrhic victory for the French emperor), Walked in a burned-to-the-ground Moscow afterwards, and forced to go back without a peace treaty.
Scenes 4 and 5 from Act III from Wozzeck: Who's Wozzeck? Genre? Technique? What artistic movement is Wozzeck associated with?
Wozzeck was the first expressionist and atonal opera in history. Wozzeck is a soldier who is being tormented by everyone and everything around him: the Captain of the army, the Doctor who runs experiments on him, the Drum Major who beats him up, the infidelity of his partner Marie who is also the mother of his child, their poverty, and finally, his frequent nightmares. Genre: Opera Technique: Sprechstimme (a cross between speaking and singing in which the tone quality of speech is heightened and lowered in pitch along melodic contours indicated in the musical notation.) Artistic Movement: Expressionism
George Gershwin: Who was Gershwin? What was his instrument? What did he write most?
an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Gershwin's greatest talent was to blend the harmonies of classical music and the rhythms of jazz as one entity. His instrument was the piano. Gershwin composed many solo piano pieces, such as the Three Preludes (1926), various orchestral pieces such as Rhapsody in Blue (1924), the piano Concerto in F (1925), and An American in Paris (1928), and two operas, Blue Monday (1922) and the unforgettable Porgy and Bess (1935), and Broadway musicals.
