Ihum 101 exam 3 BYU online

mezzo forte

mf, moderately loud

Aristotle's definition of tragedy

"A tragedy is the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself; in appropriate and pleasurable language;... in a dramatic rather than narrative form; with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish a catharsis of these emotions."

Bel canto style

"Beautiful song" is the translation. It is a style of opera focusing on lyricism, expressiveness, and perfect technical control of the human voice.

Mezzo piano

(mp) moderately soft

Classical opera

1637 1st public opera theater opened in Venice. 1700, public opera theaters had opened throughout Italy and became leading form of entertainment. It moved from being exclusive to courts and palaces to middle-class marketplace. (intermezzi, opera buffa)

Early Opera

400 years old. Latin word opus "work". Work of art that combines music, drama, & visual spectacle. (Florentine Camerata, monody, recitative)

Antagonist

A character or force in conflict with the main character

Monologue

A long speech made by one performer or by one person in a group.

Exposition

A narrative device, often used at the beginning of a work that provides necessary background information about the characters and their circumstances.

requiem

A song or religious service for the dead or lost

Wozzeck

Alban Berg. 20th century opera. Wozzeck kills his girlfriend and then drowns himself. one of greatest masterpieces in 20th century. Atonal. PTSD

Adams

American composer in the 21st c. first piece was 1987 Nixon in China. Had a minimalist style, w/ trancelike rhythms and repetitive melodic patterns circling back on themselves. His works reflected controversial social and political issues.

symphony

An elaborate musical composition for full orchestra, typically in four movements, at least one of which is traditionally in sonata form.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Hamilton. Contemporary twist. Historical and social themes. Popular music.

The Death of Klinghoffer

John Adams. it is about Jewish American Leon Klinghoffer, a passenger on the hijacked cruise ship Achille Lauro who was killed by his Palestinian captors. It is and was controversial. Klinghoffer's daughters attended a performance and condemned the work. After 9/11 it was more so. In 2014 people protested it at the Met. Most praise him for his music and expressive power, old-school lyricism, and ability to articulate & connect w/ deepest experiences as human beings. 21st century

Most common tempos in music

Largo (very slow), adagio (slow), andante (moderate), Allegro (moderately fast), presto (very fast)

Amahl and the Night Visitors

Menotti. idea came from walking at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and saw Bosch's painting of The Adoration of the Magi. He reflected on Christmas' in Italy and knew what he would compose his opera for NBC about. It is about Amahl (crippled shepherd boy) who's father died and leaves his mother to sell off their animals just to survive. The 3 magi stop on their way to see Christ and the mom steals a gold coin to feed Amahl. The magi catches her but tells her to keep it. She returns it anyway. Amahl suggests they give his cane to Christ as a gift, and he is able to walk. 20th century

L'Orfeo

Monteverdi, based off of Opheus and Eurydice, emotional power in music, tempo and melody are bright and quick

The Marriage of Figaro

Mozart, opera buffa, between battle of yorktown and storming the bastille, banned by king louis XVI, 2 couples (figaro & susanna and count & countess Almaviva), servant outwitting the master

sonato allegro

Musical form based on contrasting themes and tonalities. ABA with 3 divisions (exposition, development and recapitulation) followed by a cada (closing)

Historical overview of the Baroque era

Number of professional composers grew & largely depended on their patrons to make a living. Many magnificent expressive works were written during this period. Polyphonic music (music featuring multiple overlapping melodies) was the most popular during this time. Opera blossomed into viable & highly visible art form.

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein

Oklahoma!: it was predicted to be a disaster. It is now a staple of American musical theater. The song "Oklahoma!" was what moved the soldiers and sailors in the audience to tears. Ready to ship out w/ no guarantee that they would come back home, these young draftees clung to the thought of heartland, community, family, and home.

Andrew Lloyd Webber

Phantom of the Opera. Longest running show on broadway.

Expressive Listening

Reacting to the extra musical associations music evokes (this music makes me think of a horror film)

The Greek Chorus and its responsibilities

Responsibility 1: represent the townspeople: the audience discovers the opinions of the citizens and what the conditions are locally (plagues, war, etc.) Responsibility 2 Fill in details of the plot and specifics about the characters: though the Greeks would have known the myths, the chorus reminds the audience of the details and background of the characters and their exploits. Responsibility 3 Guide the audience in its response: Audience will be led or directed in how to respond to the drama. Should we be sympathetic? Surprised? Etc. Responsibility 4 Provide music and dance: the Greeks used percussion instruments, and lyre (harp), lute, (similar to mandolin) and aulos (like an oboe).

Intermezzi

Short comic pieces in operas by composers of opera seria.

Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein

Show Boat (1927) (Old Man River song): notable for many "firsts". It is the first musical to depict blacks and whites living side by side on the river and include black and white singers/actors performing on stage together

Poetics

The rules and principles of poetry.

Greek Tragedy vs comedy

Tragedy: governed by fate, high/low tragedy, life close up Comedy: governed by luck, satire/high/low comedy, life at a distance

historical overview of the Roman era

Used song in conjunction w/ drama & storytelling, as part of civic celebrations, & religious ceremonies. Felt music was a mark of education & could articulate higher & nobler impulses of humankind or give voice to baser, more sensual impulses.

La Traviata

Verdi, romantic period, inspired by La Dame Aux Camelias by Alexander Dumas filas. Prostitute. bel canto and verismo

Monody

Vincenzo Galileo (Galileo's father) claimed to have rediscovered the nature of ancient Greek solo song (called it monody)

Die Walkure

Wagner. one of the 4 Ring Cycle operas that is part of an epic of ambition, greed, love, betrayal, warfare, and death. Here the sisters shout out war cries (Hojotoho! Heiaha!) calling to each other, urging their horses onward, bragging of power, laughing at the fruitless skirmishes of the soldiers.

Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim

West Side Story (1957): contemporary. "America" was the saving grace of the original opening night. Proved to be a classic. 20th century romeo and juliet. Broadway musical became an art

foil character

a character's whose main purpose is to highlight the strengths of another character

bodkin

a dagger with a slender blade

meter

a means of measuring rhythm by organizing its accent patterns into groupings called "measures" (equal numbers of beats are divided by vertical lines)

Etude

a piece of music designed to give a player practice in technical skills, piano

Solilquy

a speech given by a character alone on stage

Ternary

a three part (ABA) and gives a greater sense of completion and wholeness

Ways to switch the tempo

accelerando (speeding up), ritardando (slowing down), rubato (flexible approach to tempo that allows performer a very elastic, expressive notion of tempo that may speed up or slow down as dictated by dramatic trajectory of the music)

Aaron Copland

age 9 began making own songs on piano. Years later he was enrolled in piano lessons w/ his sister. Went to Paris to study with Nadia Boulanger in the 1920s. She encouraged him to find his own American voice in composition. One of most famous compositions was ballet Appalachian Spring worked with Martha Graham.

Polyphony

aka counterpoint (note against note) is the earliest kind of harmony. In it, a single melody is played at a different time (as in rounds like Row, row, row, your boat), or two different melodies are played simultaneously. Fugues is most complex kind of polyphony. It is when 4-5 or more melodic lines move in contrast to each other contrapuntally. Like singing a round around a campfire

film score

all of the music accompanying a film, tied directly to characters, theme and film

Melody

also known as tune. It is the "subject" of music. It is the "horizontal" aspect growing like a climax moving from beginning, middle, to end. It is a unique arrangement of musical tones chosen from certain organized successions of sounds called scales.

Recitative

an accompanied vocal declamation halfway b/w speaking & singing. Not "song" in traditional sense b/c doesn't have verse-chorus structure, or feature catchy or memorable melody. Recitative sets dialogue to specific musical pitches or notes. Lead to music drama to be entirely sung.

Woodwinds

ancestors are recorders, crumhorns, & simple flutes of Renaissance. Now they are flutes, piccolos, clarinets, bassoons, oboes, & English horns, & saxophones. Produce sound by forcing air through a tube creating vibrations generating sounds. Mellow & often gentle quality to it.

Development of aria

aria are solo songs of opera. Has more musical coherence than recitative. It has memorable melody, set meter, & repeated refrains.

20th and 21st century opera

atonal, crossover with musicals

Sheerly Musical Listening

attending to the music on its own terms

Frederic Chopin

born 1810 in Poland (ruled by Russia). Polish hopes, attempts, and ultimate defeat of independence in September 6, 1831 brough Chopin sorrow. He honored Poland and his countrymen in Revolutionary Etude in C Minor. Revolutionary Etude is a technical challenge testing dexterity of the left hand for piano players. He gives the fastest & most difficult passages to the left hand and leaves right hand playing melodic chords. Marked allegro con fuoco (fast with fire).

Four main "families" of the orchestra

brasses, woodwinds, strings, percussion

fardel

burdens

Mass

central service of roman catholic church

Homophony

chordal structures are built over a clearly defined bass line & underneath a clear melodic line. Most common today. Like singing in the church choir.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

classical era, child prodigy, worked for Emperor Joseph II, symphonies 40 and 41 are favorites, last piece was clarinet concerto in A major, count walsegy took vredit for his requiem

Tempo

comes from italian word for time and refers to the speed at which a piece of music is played

Syncopation

composer disrupts normal expectations of where the accent patterns fall in a meter, creating a shock effect. Ex: jazz composition changes ONE-two-ONE-two standard duple-meter piece to one-TWO-one-TWO

opera seria

composers began demanding better-crafted plots & characters & a return to an emphasis on acting as well as singing.

Ways to switch dynamics

crescendo, < (getting louder); diminuendo/decrescendo, > (getting softer)

historical overview of the greek era

defined in philosophical & cultural terms as any "harmonious" activity related to the muses. Word "music" comes from "mousa", Greek word for "muse" and "mousike techne" or "art (technique) of the Muses". Impact of music was therapeutic (refined the soul), educational, & political. Used song in conjunction w/ drama & storytelling, as part of civic celebrations, & religious ceremonies

Timbre

describes the characteristic quality of sound produced by a voice or instrument. Quality of sound is influenced by many factors: material form from which instrument is made, size & shape of instrument or vocal mechanism, the way in which instrument or voice is used.

Absolute music

does not give us any specific extramusical ideas. Ex. Franz Joseph Haydn's Cello Concerto no. 1 in C Major

Thespis

earliest recorded playwright in Athens, as well as the winner of its first contest.

Baroque Opera

early baroque operas were outgrowth of opulent court entertainments, performed in private theatres for wealthy aristocratic patrons. (aria, castrato, opera seria)

Historical overview of the twenty-first century era

embraced but transformed traditional styles (ex: including electronic instruments or sound sampling in their works, etc.)

Madrigals

example of vocal forms, secular song with 4-5 voices, Polyphony with some homophonic passages, mostly love lyrics, "fa la la" refrains

Hubris

excessive pride

forte

f, loud

Opera Verismo

featured more contemporary situations, more down-to-earth settings, and more believable characters (ex: poor seamstress living in a drafty apartment; repentant prostitute trying to distance herself from the past, etc)

fortissimo

ff, very loud

denouement

final unraveling of the plot or what is different for the characters now that the crisis is over (aka the fall)

Complex Meter

five or seven beats per measure. Far less common b/c our ears & brains don't naturally organize rhythm into those particular patterns. These are challenging pieces for performer and audience.

Historical overview of the romanticism era

fixated on the "mantic" or emotional power of music. Marked era of musical extremes designed to provoke emotional responses. Large orchestras, virtuosic performers, theatrical sound effect,s & dramatic subject matter were standard tools. Individuality & originality were highly prized. Composers found new ways to use tempo, dynamics, & timbre to create musical sound effects & manipulate emotional responses from audience.

Percussion

generates rhythmic pulse for and punctuates specific moments in music. Create sound when part of the instrument is struck or rattled. Include triangles, cymbals, gongs, & most drums. Have no specific pitch by used for rhythmic emphasis or sheer dramatic sound-effect value.

Johann Sebastian Bach

german composer, baroque era, relied on patrons, master of polyphonic music and keyboard fugues, his chorales and cantatas are staples at church

Meaning of tragedy

goat song

Dues ex machina

god from the machine. It is a stage device used for the thrilling entrance or exit of characters. Similar to backstage crane which would swing over the set w/ the actor attached. Actor would land onstage as if appearing from the heavens.

Florentine Camerata

group of late-Renaissance intellectuals living in Florence, Italy in late 16th-early 17th c. Thought to have invented opera. Wanted to perform ancient Greek plays in authentically ancient manner but transformed into original works & music.

Dithyramb

hymn sung in honor of the god

Contumely

insolent or insulting language or treatment

Seven elements for sheerly musical listening

meter, melody, harmony, tempo, dynamics, timbre, form

Sonata

instrumental genre in several movements for soloist or small ensemble

Stephen Sondheim

into the woods. Fairy tale mash up

Complication

introduces the problem or dilemma facing the protagonist.

historical overview of the primitive era

lack of documentation makes it impossible to determine exact purpose or impact of music for primitive people. However, research & evidence suggests connections w/ ritual, mythology, & human response to the physical word. Early rhythms & sounds were probably religious & magical.

Shakespeare

large vocab; 900,000 words in works; active vocab was 17,000 to 30,000; invented a lot of words, early modern english

sensuous listening

listening to sounds in a "background" way (that piece sounds nice/awful)

Protagonist

main character

Castrato

male singer who had been castrated as a young boy to preserve his high vocal range in a mature, trained singer. (Initially sang in Roman Catholic Church choirs but during Baroque period both male and female castrati were featured in some opera roles. Audiences began seeing this as barbaric. Women voices began to appear on opera stage more. Castrato faded into history. )

Historical overview of the classical era

marked most by the embrace of structural clarity in music & acknowledgement of music as public entertainment. Marked the ascendency of public concerts. Marked the growth of performance spaces and shift from Renaissance instruments to greater melodic range & more stable instruments (flutes, clarinets, trumpets, etc.). Composers wrote w/ decided preference for clear melodic lines. Developed "sonata form".

Themes and variation

modification of melody, repeated multliple times and embellished in different ways. Variation either by contrast or increasing elaboration or both

Crisis/Climax

moment of greatest intensity when you don't know who will live/die (aka the rise)

Berg

moved away from traditional major & minor keys and traditional harmonies.

atonal

music that lacks a tonal center; absence of key

Monophony

music without harmony, only melody. (example singing in the shower)

Oratorio

musical composition, usually on a religious theme, for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra; 17th century, contained arias and recitatives, included scenery, costumes and action

Historical overview of the twentieth century era

musical liberation as composers chose to compose exclusively dissonate & atonal works discarding traditional notations of key or harmony.

Menotti

musical prodigy and wrote first opera at age 11 and performed as a puppet show at their home. Moved to Philadelphia from Italy and composed 25 operas during his career. Had a gentler and more melodic style. This opera is the most widely performed opera in the world (about 500 performances worldwide each year)

Opera Buffa

new style of opera which was comic opera.

Ludwig van Beethoven

notoriously defiant about being held to the rigid compositional rules of classical era. Rules were relative: "good" rule worked for him and "bad" rule didn't. Rules shifted from composition to composition. Prioritized the mantic, expressive qualities of music over sophic adherence to traditional structure and rules. Wrote a total of 9 symphonies (orchestral, multi-movement works). Symphony no. 5 is one of the best known pieces.

Fugue

polyphonic form where melody/theme is played in an overlapping way on different melodic lines. Each voice echoes original melody but in a different key or in slight variation (elaborate counterpoint)

Aside

originally used in Greek comedies. Character comes to the edge of the stage, shields his or her words from the characters onstage, acknowledging the presence of audience, and says something humorous that informs the audience of some aspect of a character or plot.

piano

p, soft

nocturne

painting of a night scene. chopin, piano

Pianissimo

pp, very soft

concerto

principle of contrast. "competing" groups of instruments, solo instrument or solo instrument with accompaniment, romantic age, solo virtuoso with piano or violin with orchestra, 3 movements

Strings

produce sound when bow is drawn over a string or when a string is plucked or strummed. Includes violins, violas, cellos, double basses, & a harp are standard orchestra instruments. Often used to articulate lyrical, gliding passages, but also able to produce lightning-quick notes w/ either a delicate or forceful touch. Often provides full foundational sound w/in orchestra. Make up at least ½ of musicians in standard symphony. Guitars, mandolins, & lutes are string instruments.

Hildegard von Bingen

raised in Germany in Middle ages. At 8 yrs old was promised to Catholic church. Entered the convent at age 14. Age 40 became prioress & later abbess of her convent. Very smart, not just in music. In 2012, named her an official saint and a "Doctor of the Church" a title reserved for "saints whos sanctity and doctrine have benefited the Church to great advantage". Called her "a true master of theology and a great scholar of the natural sciences and of music." Wrote songs to reflect and honor St Ursula

Philip Glass

received the same European musical training as Copland and with the same teacher: Nadia Boulanger. Glass favored more tonal, traditional style. Explored world music, culture, and religion and converted to Buddhism. Took on social-change projects. Example: 1992 collaboration w/ film director Godfrey Reggio Anima Mundi (soul of the world). Soul of the World is built around line from Plato, "This world is indeed a living being supplied w/ soul and intelligence...a single visible living entity containing all other living entities".

Harmony

referred to as the "vertical" aspect of music. It is created by playing two or more notes together. Three tones (triad) or more played together is a chord.

Dynamics

refers to sound intensity of music. Used to add variety and emotion to composition

Form

refers to the structure of a musical composition or performance.

Historical overview of the middle ages era

refined Greek definition of music into 3 levels: musica mundana harmony of the universe; musica humana harmony of the human body & soul; musica instrumentalis actual musical sound. Music served 2 unequal masters: church & secular world. Secular tunes gave expression to life experiences of commoners. Church music played on religious emotions by setting deep medational moods. Increase in study of music lead to increase in complexity (both in rhythm & harmony). Rules for music notation developed (including ability to notate in pitch & rhythm).

19th century opera

romantic or grand opera (Bel canto style or opera verismo style)

Thomas Morley

rose from chairoboy to choir director in his local church, then moved on to become organist at St. Paul's Cathedral and finally, a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal for Queen Elizabeth working as a musician and composer. Most famous for his madrigals.

Wagner

sought to redefine art of opera. Called them musikdramen (music dramas). Believed singing, drama, orchestra, visual elements, and acting should all be valued. Saw that gesamtkunstwerk (total artwork) would create a more powerful experience for the audience. He abolished the standard distinction b/w recitative and aria. Strongest musical legecy is the leitmotif concept in contemporary film scores (ex: Gone with the Wind; Star Wars; Lord of the Rings).

Historical overview of the renaissance era

sought to rediscover ancient Greek & Roman approach to music as an art emphasizing harmonious order & expressing human emotion. Both the number of instrumental works and instruments expanded.

duple meter

sounds like ONE-two-ONE-two, or ONE-two-three-four, ONE-two-three-four. Perfect for march-like music. Can create march-like rigidity, or, played faster, an intense energy & excitement. Sounds as though moving forward.

triple meter

sounds like ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three. Has a more circular feel to it. More waltz-like. Used to create smoother, gentler, more lyrical feel to composition.

Program music

suggests extrmusical meaning, giving us permission to listen to the "expressive" level and guiding our expressive listening in a specific direction. Ex. Nikolai Rimsky's Flight of the Bumblebee

Catharsis

the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions. Purging pity and fear

proper mass

the sections of the Mass that are sung to texts that vary with each feast day. 1. introit 2. Grandual 3. Offertory 4. Prayers

Themes of "To be or not to be" soliloquy

the unknown after death, suicide, escaping fate, conscience makes us cowards

Binary

to part (AB style) and gives a sense of uncompleteness

Hamarita

tragic flaw

coil

troubles of daily life and suffering

Brasses

trumpet, trombone, French horn, & tuba require performers to purse their lips w/ a specific shape & tension & blow into cup-shaped mouthpiece pushing air & vibrations through conical metal tubing using valves.

ordinary mass

unchanging texts, 5 parts: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei

Historical overview of the Hebrew era

viewed music in religious context, as a paecan to their God for saving them from their enemies.

Sonata Form

widely used form. First movement because it has been used for the first section or movement of multi movement for centuries