MUAR Final Exam

percussion ensemble

"All-sound music of the future . . . because all sounds are acceptable to the composer of percussion music." -John Cage a musical ensemble consisting of only percussion instruments

Tan Dun (b. 1957)

1957) is a living composer of film and other types of music, born in the village of Changsha (Hunan Province) in The People's Republic of China. Polystylsitic aesthetic leading figure in the so-called 'New Wave' of Chinese composers who began to explore aspects of modern, avant garde Western art music before and after 1980. Encounter with John Cage and indeterminacy → influential won an Academy Award for Best Original FilmScore for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and the recorded soundtrack won a Grammy Award. Musical style: combines Western ensembles, genres and styles, including avant-garde techniques (atonality, aleatory, graphic scores, minimalism, etc.), with traditional Chinese instruments, harmonies, rhythms, and aesthetic concepts, creating a unique musical idiom that can only be described as intensely polystylistic and internationalist (both very broad style terms not specific enough to be very useful). rhythmic excitement of Bartók and Stravinsky, the atonality (sometimes) of Schoenberg, the aleatory of Cage, some minimalist elements, as well as occasional references to romantic, classical and baroque styles, including specific quotations from the music of J. S. Bach and others. are inspired by nature, Chinese philosophy, mysticism—and often contain some seemingly "ritualistic" elements, Audiovisual and theatrical elements

opera buffa

2 acts, recitatives + aria, comedic for popular middle class

concerto (i.e., solo concerto)

3 movements, genre of large ensemble music in multiple movements for a featured instrumental soloist within orchestra

pentatonic scale

5-note scales of various types

Stripsody (1966)

A great many musicians who are proponents of avant-garde music have also been involved in the study, publication and performance of historic music, a movement known as "historically informed performance. Performers who engage in historically informed performance attempt to recreate earlier music using the methods and instruments that were originally used for that music, whenever possible. One of the most famous (and most cartoonish!) graphic scores is by composer Cathy Berberian

chant (Gregorian chant / plainchant / plain song)

Although it is correct to refer to many plainchants as Gregorian (Gregorian chants), because they have been traditionally attributed to him, it is not technically correct to refer to all chants as 'Gregorian', particularly those that are known to have been composed later—for instance those written by Hildegard of Bingen in the 12th century. Therefore, unless you know the text of a plainchant, the 'second-best genre term' to use is simply plainchant or chant. Plain chant sung sacred texts

tone poem / symphonic poem

Always programmatic piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source

John Cage (1912-1992)

American avant-garde composer, philosopher, author, lecturer and visual artist—a cult hero of the international avant-garde. Important early composer for percussion ensemble in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Inventor of the PREPARED PIANO (type of extended technique for piano): inserting objects between the piano's strings according to the composer's specific instructions. Cage composed works for prepared piano in various classical-romantic genres—including sonatas,interludes, character pieces, concertos. An important advocate of ALEATORY or ALEATORIC MUSIC, also called INDETERMINACY or CHANCE MUSIC

Cathy Berberian (1925-1983)

American singer and composer noted mostly for her virtuosity in performing challenging avant-garde works by the major composers of the 20th century, many written specifically for her. Collaborated closely with Liano Berio (husband 1950-1966) repertory included 17th-century opera (particularly Monteverdi), and folk song for all countries in addition to her avant-garde performance

primitivism [style term]

An artistic style and movement that imitated and emulated the artworks of various non-European cultures—particularly those considered to be in a 'lesser stage' of cultural development—in an attempt to express less refined and more genuine feelings, a vision of 'humanity in its infancy.' Basically a subcategory of exoticism, typical characteristics in painting: Gauguin Abandoned perspective and realism, and employed block-like forms in simple, often rather surreal colors. characteristics of musical primitivism title makes reference to "primitive" peoples (Wild man's dance), extreme emphasis on rhythm, prominent dissonance throughout, dancing is typical activity in exotic depictions, extreme dynamics (particularly very loud), use of extreme piano range, etc.

vocalise [virtuosic genre for solo voice]

An exercise, composition, or arrangement in which a performer sings solmization syllables or other meaningless vocal sounds rather than a text.

quotation music / musical quotation

Arvo Pärt, Collage über B-A-C-H (1964) is an excellent example of QUOTATION MUSIC (style term), because the main melody of the work was actually originally written by J.S. Bach (†1750). practice of directly quoting another work in a new composition

Josquin Desprez

Ave Maria . . . virgo serena genre = high Renaissance motet text = ancient sacred Latin prayer to the Virgin Mary texture = 4-part polyphony; imitative polyphony ensemble = a cappella; 4-part choir; SATB form = ternary (3-part, A-B-A' as described on next page)

Ellen Taafe Zwilich

Concerto Grosso 1985, v. Maestoso concerto grosso (a revived Baroque genre) style = neoclassicism; also example of quotation music—quotes melody by Handel (†1759). ensemble = flute & oboe soloists, with orchestra (primarily strings, also bassoon) and harpsichord, all instruments common to a Baroque orchestra texture = homophonic throughout (soloist with accompaniment, mostly) harmony = post-tonal (diatonic harmony inflected with modernist dissonance)

stylistic pluralism / polystylism (style terms)

Concerto for String Orchestra and Zheng (1999) incorporates elements of Chinese folk music, atonal passages, indeterminate and minimalist elements, etc., making the work an example of late 20th-century (aka postmodern) polystylism. use of multiple styles or techniques in literature, art, film, or, especially, music, and is a postmodern characteristic

double concerto (triple concerto, etc.)

Concerts for two soloists plus orchestra

Tan Dun

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (title track excerpt) Cello piece Ghost Opera, i. Bach, Monks and Shakespeare Meet in Water Ghost Opera is a five-movement suite for string quartet and pipa, with water, metal, stone and paper: described by the composer as a "reflection on human spirituality, which is too-often buried in the bombardment of urban culture and the rapid advances of technology." Note the importance of movement and dramatic motion (dramatizing the act of performance), the use of silence (Cage's influence), the unusual demands made on the performers, the mixture and juxtaposition of "folksy" fiddle sounds with extended techniques, the water sounds (always an homage to Cage), etc.

World War II (1939-1945) [know exact dates]

Electroacoustic music originated in Western art music in the years after World War II, following the incorporation of electric sound production into compositional practice. Casablanca created 1942

Claude Debussy

Estampes, no. 1 Pagodes Debussy's instrumental music tends to be programmatic. lush harmonic language, which—following the Romantic tradition—is extremely chromatic without ever sounding unpleasant; features extended chords, which are chords of four, five, six or more different pitches Number 1 of a three movement work

impressionism [style term]

French stylistic movement developed in the late 19th century by painters who tried to capture a first, fleeting image of a subject through innovative use of light, color and perspective. Impressionism in painting was self-consciously oppositional to the aesthetic of "photographic realism" currently in vogue in much of Europe in the late 19th century. Impressionism seeks to capture the fragmentary immediacy of human perception.

film score

Genre augments the movie experience by manipulating the viewer/listener in four specific ways, most of which are identical to the ways music had been manipulating opera-goers since 1600. Four functions: establishes mood, sets place and time, running counter to the action, character establishment and development

film score / 'scoring a film'

Genre the act of creating a film score

pipa (traditional Chinese string instrument)

Ghost Opera is a five-movement suite for string quartet and pipa, with water, metal, stone and paper

4'33" (1952) - know this piece with date!

In 1952 Cage composed the important and controversial work 4'33" inspired by painter Rauschenberg's all-white canvases. Such works often allow the inclusion of any sounds (and silences) into a musical work, even those usually identified as 'noise' or which might be 'accidental' during the performance. The musical use of common objects parallels the 'found art' movement in the visual arts.

aleatoric music / indeterminacy / chance music

In aleatoric music, the chance elements may come into play either during composition (as the composer uses some method to randomize her/his choices and therefore the creative result) or during performance (as the performer interprets the material provided by the composer) or both.

ballet / ballet score

Incidental music to be played during the dance Ex. Rite of spring

opera seria

Italian phenomenon originated within aristocrats, uses recitatives and arias, usually a solo piece, 3 acts, subject matters is serious, larger than life

Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)

John Cage was a student of Arnold Schoenberg while at University of California in Los Angeles. Austrian-born composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School With the rise of the Nazi Party, Schoenberg's works were labeled degenerate music, because they were modernist and atonal

Francesca Caccini

Lasciatemi qui solo (lament aria) [Exam #1] features soprano voice (soloist) with lute & bass viol Caccini: Composer, singer, multi-instrumentalist (keyboards and stringed instruments), music teacher and musica (all-around musician) serving at the Medici court in Tuscany.

György Ligeti

Lux Aeterna ensemble: scored for 16-part a cappella singers (16-part polyphony!), performing a Latin, sacred text from the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass (i.e., a funeral Mass) style: sound-mass composition harmonic language: atonal (atonality) texture: micropolyphony used in Stanley Kubrik's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey (without composer's permission) Of course, as an a cappella, polyphonic setting of a sacred Latin text, this work is also an example of a neo-classicism that looks back all the way to Medieval music, with which it shares some traits. However, the dissonant sound world of Ligeti's music is distinctly atonal and very contemporary sounding

characteristics in painting & music

Monet Stylistically impressionist paintings are characterized by: Soft, pastel hues and creatively mixed washes of color Hazy, defuse, indistinct painting style, often resulting in a sketchy surface that lacks minute details yet captures essential elements. The images are not abstract but they lack details. Impressionist paintings tend to feature very pretty and pleasant subjects: natural scenes, ballerinas posing, watery settings, gardens in bloom, nudes, and idealized images of Parisian city life: wet cobble stone streets, the shifting light and colors on a cathedral at different times of day, etc. Like Romantic composers of exotic music before Debussy (think Puccini's Madama Butterfly), often exploits "exotic scales" of various types, including pentatonic scales (5-note scales of various types), whole-tone scales (in which every interval is a whole step), octatonic scales (alternating half and whole steps), and modes (diatonic scales other than major & minor),

Fanny Hensel

Notturno (Nocturne) in G Minor [Exam #2] Character piece

importance as performer of avant-garde music

Performers involved in the movement: historically informed performance: attempt to recreate earlier music using the methods and instruments that were originally used for that music, whenever possible.

piano quintet

Piano and string quartet (2 violin, viola, cellist)

piano trio

Piano, violin, cello

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

Russian-born composer, who became famous in Paris just before WWI for his ballet scores; he later became an American citizen (1945). Arguably one of the two or three most important and influential composers of Western art music in the 20th century—if you know only one composer of the early 20th century, know Igor Stravinsky. Commissioned by the great impresario Diaghilev to write three important ballets for the Ballet Russe, (Russian Ballet) who were at that time dominating the ballet scene in Paris: The Firebird (1910) Petrushka (1911) Le sacre du primtemps (1913)

John Cage

Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano, v. Interlude no. 1 & vi. Sonata no. 5 Multi-movement work for solo piano (15 sonatas and 4 interludes). The sonatas are numbered sequentially, and the interludes are numbered separately, which is why the sixth piece of the set is called Sonata no. 5 (it is preceded by Sonatas Nos. 1-4 and Interlude No. 1). Preparation of the piano is elaborate and takes between 2 to 3 hours. A total of 45 notes (sets of strings within the piano) are 'prepared', mainly using screws and bolts, 15 pieces of rubber, 4 pieces of plastic, 6 metal nuts, and a rubber eraser. Prepared piano: extended technique for piano, accomplished by inserting objects between the piano's strings according to the composer's specific instructions.

sound-mass composition [style term]

Sound-mass compositions (which can be in any genre) eschew conventional melody, harmony and rhythm in favor of 'sound masses' with sliding and merging orchestral clusters, creating a succession of various timbres that might be static or dynamic or both simultaneously. The forms of such works are perceived as the successions and interactions of dissonant "sound masses" from which no melody or harmony emerges. These works often consists of seeming "static tableaux of sound color," which are often comprised of extremely detailed activity among the performers, the intricate details of which are lost in the overall textural effect, which is called micropolyphony.

Cathy Berberian

Stripsody For solo voice, challenging avant-garde work Part of the movement of historically informed performance: Performers who engage in historically informed performance attempt to recreate earlier music using the methods and instruments that were originally used for that music, whenever possible

Arvo Pärt

Summa genre = Credo (always a 'Mass movement', even if a stand-alone concert work, as in this case) text = Latin, sacred text from the Roman Catholic Mass Ordinary ensemble = originally a cappella SATB soloists or chorus (which is what is assigned for Exam #3), depending on vocal version; other settings of the work have different ensembles, of course texture = primarily homorhythmic, yet contrary motion between parts creates polyphonic texture style = postminimalism or spiritual minimalism Cantus in memory of Benjamin Britten This one-movement work for string orchestra & bell was written in honor of the great British composer who died in 1976. The work is very minimal, constructed almost entirely of a single, descending gesture that is repeated over and over in different parts of the orchestra at various speeds, gradually building to a registral, dynamic and textural climax that is overwhelming and powerful—minimalist techniques in the hands of an expressive master. genre = symphonic poem ensemble = string orchestra with bell (technically called chimes) relevant styles postminimalism: with regard to extremely limited motivic material, limited palette of timbres (strings!), etc., although more large and complex than classical minimalism; neoclassicism: with regard to being a densely polyphonic, through-composed work for a string orchestra, which is reminiscent of a typical baroque orchestra (although this one is far larger than any Baroque orchestra that poor overworked J.S Bach would have ever seen). The work also has a strongly emotional component—it is not necessarily emotionally cold, since it is a memorial—which is much more a feature of post-minimalism than of classic minimalism. Isn't it so lovely and sad?

Ludwig van Beethoven

Symphony No. 5 in C minor, i. Allegro con brio [Exam #2] Exposition (establishes c minor, tonic key of work then e flat major) , development (modulatory), recapitulation (establish tonic then c major and the modulates back to c minor)

Lili Boulanger

Vieille priere bouddhique overall form of this secular cantata is quite clear: A-B-A features a mixture of impressionist musical techniques used to create a work intended to sound exotic and perhaps even primitivist. The melody of the chorus is very repetitious, suggesting the repetitive chanting of Buddhist monks. ii. Drones and pedal tones (long-held notes) in the accompanying instruments are nearly always present, creating a sense of (1) simplified ("primitive") harmony and (2) stasis (lack of forward motion). iii. The harmonic language is very darkly modal (not based on a major or minor key). iv. There is frequent parallel motion: the mixed chorus with a text sings in parallel octaves, the textless women's voices (simply singing "Ah!") are always in parallel octaves (i.e., playing the exact melody only higher or lower) with the two flutes. v. The use of women's voices singing a text with no words ("Ah"), is a great hallmark of exoticism: textless women's voices can be heard in the background of Cleopatra's Nile scenes in the Verdi's grand opera Aïda (1871), set in Egypt, and in many other works intended to portray exotic people and locales. vi. The elaborate, seemingly improvisational flute part in the B section is also a typical exotic signifier.

Rite of Spring

[primitivist ballet] Genre: ballet score most often performed today as an independent, two-movement orchestral work without the accompanying dance Several of the musical themes in The Rite (including the opening bassoon solo) are free adaptations of traditional folk melodies Includes many types of percussion Structure of work is block form complexly rhythmic; juxtaposes unmetered sections with quickly changing and/or asymmetrical meters (meters not divisible by two or three); often features strong, unpredictable accents and syncopations

György Ligeti (1923-2006)

a Hungarian Jewish composer born in Transylvania, Romania. He later became a citizen of Austria. He worked with famous German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007) and other important pioneers of electronic music, and was inspired by the sounds he encountered in the recording laboratory.

Béla Bartôk (1881-1945)

a Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist Through his collection and analytical study of folk music, he was one of the founders of comparative musicology, which later became ethnomusicology

tone cluster

a chord that uses every pitch (on the piano, depresses every key) between two notated pitches

art song / Lied (for a variety of ensemble types)

a genre of monody (song) composed for solo voice with piano accompaniment. a musical setting of a high-quality poem, often a poem that is already well known to the intended audience. These poems were rarely written by the composer of the music, with few exceptions. Popularity of the art song was largely due to the ubiquity of the piano in the homes of all wealthier families; home (domestic) music making was very common, and it was very common if not generally expected that the daughters of affluent families could play a piano and/or sang. The piano in an art song is more than mere accompaniment; it is crucial to the expression and musical interpretation of the poem. Think of an art song as a composer's reading of a poem.

lament aria

a poem (or, when set to music, a song) expressing grief, regret or mourning. As a musical subcategory of recitative and aria, it was very popular in the 17th century and after. Baroque lament arias often featured a basso ostinato (also known as a ground bass), which is a short bass theme that repeats over and over. The basso ostinatos or ground basses of lament arias typically consist of a descending figure in a slow triple meter. An extremely common form of lament uses a descending tetrachord (four descending notes) over and over (basso ostinato) as the basis of the basso continuo part.

Motet

a short piece of sacred choral music, typically polyphonic and unaccompanied

aria (a subgenre of monody or song)

a song for solo voice, often (not always) with a larger ensemble (orchestra) playing the accompaniment strongly metrical; i.e., has a strong and recognizable beat (although not necessarily a fast one); a melodious or lyrical song that expresses an outpouring of emotion, thereby developing the character of the person singing the aria; very lyrical, 'musically oriented,' often repeating fragments of the text, and containing melismas that 'show off' the technical and expressive abilities of the star singers; typically, arias became the most well-known parts of an opera, and the most famous ones were (and are) often performed as 'stand-alone works' without the rest of the opera.

recitative (a subgenre of monody or song)

a song that imitates the rhythms and pitch patterns of natural speech. Usually carries the action and dialogue of an opera; used to forward the action of drama; not very LYRICAL and MELODIOUS; sounds more like speech. Usually accompanied by only one or two instruments (maybe more), the BASSO CONTINUO (also called simply 'the continuo' or 'the continuo group'), who closely follow the singer (and/or conductor in later works).

pointillism / pointillistic [texture term]

a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image Part of the neo impressionist movement

micropolyphony [texture]

a textural effect in which individual parts are lost within a complexity of sonic activity. Often, this texture is accomplished by having individual instruments within a large ensemble (i.e, an orchestra or choir) play either imitative or non-imitative polyphony that is so closely spaced in time that the individual parts cannot be discerned. All you can really hear in such a work is a wash of changing sound that does not sound like conventional melody and harmony.

prepared piano

a type of extended technique for piano, accomplished by inserting objects between the piano's strings according to the composer's specific instructions. Cage composed works for prepared piano in various classical-romantic genres—including sonatas, interludes, character pieces, concertos. etc.—but some of his works defy a clear genre description.

collage / pastiche

a work of visual art, literature, theatre, or music that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists

postminimalism [style term]

accessibility and transparency of earlier classic minimalism but generally more dynamic and active textures, faster development of musical processes, more complex and interesting harmony (diatonic but chromatic), and incorporates a wide variety of performing media.

Ellen Taafe Zwilich (b. 1939)

an American composer and violinist, and the first women to earn a Pulitzer Prize in music composition, which she won in 1983 for her Symphony No. 1. early works are in an austere avant-garde idiom, her later works (after the mid-1980s) uses simpler melodic material and an increasingly tonal harmonic language. One of Zwilich's most widely performed works, Concerto Grosso 1985 was commissioned in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Baroque composer G. F. Handel's birth (1685-1759). The work is based on the first movement of Handel's D-major sonata for violin and continuo, an actual quotation (the main melody) from which appears in every movement of Zwilich's piece. The five movements of the work form a musical arch (palindrome), with related movements (1st & 5th, 2nd & 4th) sharing melodic material, tempo designations, textures, and general character.

music drama (as per Richard Wagner)

an opera whose structure is governed by considerations of dramatic effectiveness, rather than by the convention of having a series of formal arias.

'New Wave' of Chinese composers

began to explore aspects of modern, avant garde Western art music before and after 1980

Arvo Pärt (b. 1935)

born in Estonia, a former republic of the Soviet Union. In his early works he experimented with both neoclassicism (imitated select aspects of Baroque style and genres), quotation music, and minimalist techniques, often in polystylistic combination. Some use the term spiritual minimalism to describe Pärt's works, because of his emphasis on spirituality—especially in his many sacred works—in combination with minimalist techniques.

chamber symphony ('chamber' anything)

chamber music is small ensemble music appropriate for smaller venues and other more intimate settings. 'Chamber music' is not a genre. It is a general description that covers several genres, such as the various types of sonatas.

monophonic / monophony

comprised of a single melody line only musical texture with just one voice

spiritual minimalism

describe Pärt's works, because of his emphasis on spirituality—especially in his many sacred works—in combination with minimalist techniques.

four basic functions of movie music

establishes mood of scene or characters: mood, informing and manipulating the listener through choices of musical style, harmonic language, timbre (ensemble and scoring), and use of common musical tropes (water music, battle music, love music, etc.), nearly all of which were originally developed in the Romantic orchestral music of the 19th century. sets time and place of action: of the dramatic action, also through the use or musical tropes (watery sounding music when at sea, a cappella chanting to indicate the past or perhaps the interior of a church, exotic music to signal foreign locale or people, etc., much as music has always done in opera and other forms of music theater. 'running counter to the action': the use of music that is inappropriate for or emotionally distant from the dramatic action, which often has the effect of intensifying the affect, or perhaps of creating a sense of dislocation, alienation, or a dissociative psychological state. This is a popular technique in modern theater and film—Tarantino is a genius at it—but examples can also be found in late Romantic opera. character establishment / development: development is often accomplished through the use of LEITMOTIFS. This is basically the same musical/dramatic technique Wagner used in his music dramas

avant garde

favoring or introducing experimental or unusual ideas. Associated with John Cage: Important and influential American avant-garde composer, philosopher, author, lecturer and visual artist—a cult hero of the international avant-garde. decimated European culture to an unprecedented degree Emergence of neoclassicism: largely a reaction against all aspects of the previous romantic aesthetic, which had involved nationalism and a focus on subjective personal expression.

Ballet Russe / Russian Ballet

first performance: 1913, Paris, riot ensued composed for Russian Ballet / Ballet Russe

Mass / Mass movement

form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy

fantasia [virtuosic genre for solo instrument]

genre term always denotes a single-movement work for solo instrument, characterized by an imaginative, formally innovative, and virtuosic and perhaps improvisatory character.

Fantasia

genre term for single movement work for solo instrument characterized by imaginative character

cycle (as in cycle of art songs)

group of songs designed to be performed in sequence as a single entity. Usually all of the songs are by the same composer and use words from the same poet. A song cycle is unified by reference to a particular theme or by telling a story.

whole-tone scale

in which every interval is a whole step

cantata (can be sacred or secular)

largish work for solo vocalist, basso continuo, and occasionally other instruments, featuring secular texts that are often sad but might be humorous. Though one-movement works, secular cantatas are divided into several sections featuring a variety of vocal styles—recitative, arioso, and aria—with changing meters and tempos. Cantatas of this sort were extremely common forms of entertainment at court in the seventeenth century.

'chance operations' [compositional process]

methods of generating poetry independent of the author's will ex. Through rolling dice

Commission

money paid to an artist (composer) in advance to facilitate the creation of a new work

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

most important French composer of the early twentieth century: a very important innovator, especially in the realm of harmonic language and orchestration. Musical characteristics primary innovation is his lush harmonic language, which—following the Romantic tradition—is extremely chromatic without ever sounding unpleasant; indeed the harmonies are extremely beautiful although they are rarely "goal oriented" (moving toward a stable tonic) due to the purposeful avoidance of strong dominant-tonic relationships in favor of more static harmonies. Debussy's music features extended chords, which are chords of four, five, six or more different pitches, simply "stacked on top of each other." The example below from Debussy's character piece La cathédrale engloutie (Engulfed Cathedral) features extended chords in both the right and left hand.

concerto grosso

multi-movement (usually three but could be more) genre for two or more instrumental soloists and orchestra (including the basso continuo). Many such works were written for two violinists and basso continuo (the solo group) accompanied by a larger group (the orchestra, which usually also consisted of strings only). Part of the interest in such works is the exciting contrast of the smaller solo group with the larger orchestra.

Oratorio

multi-movement works that contain introductory orchestral overtures, arias, recitatives, duets, trios, choral numbers, and interludes for orchestra alone. singers simply stand in place during their recitatives and arias, without moving about or otherwise pretending to otherwise be the characters they portray. oratorios were originally conceived as a secular genre.

nocturne (a subgenre of character piece)

musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. Ex. Chopin Nocturne in C# minor, dark key (minor), slow

leitmotif (as related to movie music)

musical motives or melodies that symbolize (characterize, 'embody', etc.) or are otherwise strongly associated with a particular character, scene, situation, idea, etc

atonal music / atonality [harmony term]

not written in any key or mode. Crawford's character pieces are examples of her extremely dissonant harmonic language, which was influenced by the atonal music of the Second Viennese School. Tan Dun's musical style includes atonality

block form

of abrupt juxtapositions of differing musical tableaux, purposefully suggesting an almost 'crude" craftsmanship

homophonic / homophony

one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords

opera (when and where invented?)

originated in Italy at the end of the 16th century Florentines (who originally invented opera circa 1600) the most important public musical genre in the eighteenth century, entertaining both the waning aristocracy and the ever-more-powerful middle class audience. Success in the opera theater offered a composer the best chance to establish a major reputation (and perhaps earn wealthy patronage) and earn a lot of money. As an immense international phenomenon, 18th-century opera was subdivided into a variety of specific genres, each of which were associated with specific countries of origin, languages, musical styles, forms, numbers of acts, subject matter, etc.

pizzicato [string-playing technique]

playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument

"string piano" (invented by Cowell)

playing the keys but also reaching inside the opened piano to manipulate the strings by plucking, scraping, scratching

graphic notation

representation of music through the use of visual symbols outside the realm of traditional music notation Ex. stripsody

neoclassicism [style term]

resulted from this fascination with and knowledge of the art of previous style periods. Modern composers are often academically trained, know something about the history of art music, and depend on their audiences possessing that knowledge in order to more fully understand their works This characteristic of our modern musical world is probably the second most important reason to take this course referring to the intentional use of genres & styles from previous style periods—most particularly of the Baroque and Classical Eras—in works of the 20th century.

extended techniques [can apply to any instrument]

search for new sound sources in the 20th century was manifested through extended techniques the exploration of new uses for traditional, 'art-music' instruments: The Zheng Concerto features a soloist on a traditional Chinese instrument, the zheng, which is played both conventionally and using extended techniques

minimalism [style term]

style term in both the plastic (i.e., visual: painting, sculpture, interior design, etc.) and musical arts characterized by the repetitive use of a small amount of "material," depending on the medium of the art, whether that material is physical substance (marble, paint, stainless steel) or sounds. in music is generally characterized by the incessant repetition of short melodic, rhythmic, and/or harmonic patterns (repetitious musical motives, a term we have used many times) that often repeat for long periods with little but interesting variations

polyphonic / polyphony

stylistic development of the Renaissance. Unlike Medieval polyphony, which was non-imitative, in imitative polyphony the individual parts share brief snippets of melody, so that you can occasionally hear the same musical figure occur in one voice after another. two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody,

choreography / choreographer

the dancing itself Ex. Nijinsky choreographed the rite of spring ballet

exoticism [style term]

the desire among composers and other artists to recreate, represent,and/or celebrate a foreign ethnic or national identity (or scene) within their artistic creations. Exotic works provide reductive and voyeuristic fictions based more on the expectations of the audience than on real knowledge of the foreign peoples fictionalized Despite well deserved postcolonial criticisms, exoticism has long been and remains very compelling and popular in all genres of instrumental music and opera (and film) Ex. Madame Butterfly set in Japan

historiography [academic discipline]

the study of historical writing.

ethnomusicology [an academic discipline]

the study of the music of different cultures, especially non-Western ones.

expressionism [style term]

typical characteristics in painting In order to express emotion, the subjects are often distorted or exaggerated. At the same time colors are often vivid and shocking. typical subject matter Seeks to depict not objective reality but rather subjective emotions and responses that objects and events arouse withing a person characteristics in painting & music distortion , exaggerations, primitivism and fantasy a high level of dissonance extreme contrasts of dynamics constantly changing textures 'distorted' melodies and harmonies angular melodies with wide leaps extremes of pitch no cadences

two basic categories of film music:

underscoring (non-diegetic): Source music is movie music that comes from a source that is part of the action of the movie. Such music is understood by the audience to be taking place 'within' the dramatic action and to be audible to the characters in the scene. Source music can be very effective at setting a scene, for instance by using muffled chanting or an organ to set the scene within a church, or using a live band of exotic instruments to set the scene in a foreign land. Source music can also be used to create a 'sense of space' by making the sound source louder and softer as the camera (our omniscient viewing 'eye') moves about within that space. source music (diegetic): Music that comes from an unseen source and 'outside' the action of the movie.Underscoring is understood by the viewer to not be audible to the characters within the drama. Such music is 'for the audience' only, and is used to manipulate the listener by enhancing the action, drama or other visual and emotional aspects of the movie.

modernism [very broad style term]

unfortunately ambiguous but often used style term that encompasses a wide variety of specific innovative stylistic developments that occurred in the first half of the 20th century. All of the composers and styles we will discuss in this half of Unit III (covering approximately 1900-1945) have been described as "modernist." Some of the most important precursors to modernism are the innovations of Debussy.

character piece

Étude: Many of Frédéric Chopin's character pieces are called études, designed both as technical studies for his piano students and as art works worthy of concert performance. Always technically difficult pieces, exciting to hear and play. Nocturne Prelude: short piece of music, generally features a small number of rhythmic and melodic motifs that recur through the piece