MU 1010 Listening Examples
3:Basic Musical Concepts
Anonymous: "Amazing Grace" sung by Judy Collins (1748) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: The words to the folk hymn "Amazing Grace" were writ- ten by John Newton (1725-1807), an English evangelist overwhelmed with remorse for his earlier life as a slave trader. The song promises God's for- giveness, even for such a "wretch" as he. The haunting melody, most likely of Scottish or Irish origin, uses only the notes of the pentatonic scale, seemingly equally appropriate for expressing grief or joy. The song is frequently heard today at weddings and at funerals as well. It has become an extremely popular hymn in African American church services. The performer is Judy Collins, a folk- singer who rose to popularity in the 1960s and who remains well known and well loved today. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Memorable tune—a pentatonic melody—unaccompanied and accompanied, triple meter, slow tempo, cadences.
8:Medieval/Middle Age
Anonymous: "Sumer is icumen in" - English round (c. 1200) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: The melodic lines of the twelfth- or thirteenth-century English canon "Sumer is icumen in" form what we think of today as consonant harmonies. The polyphonic composition is the result of each of the voices performing the same melody, beginning at different times. Two other voices, which begin first, sing a re- peated bass motive, or ostinato, with one voice singing, "Sing cuckoo, sing cuckoo, now" and the other, "Sing cuckoo, now, sing cuckoo." The resulting composition is called a circular canon, or round, and could be performed continuously, as each voice may return to the start when it finishes the melody without altering what we think of today as consonant harmonic combinations. One can only imagine the en- tertainment of attempting to sustain a performance for long periods of time. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Polyphonic texture, duple meter, circular canon, ostinato, a cappella performance, male voices.
6: Medieval/Middle Age
Anonymous: Kyrie from the Mass "Cum jubilo" - Gregorian chant RELUDE TO LISTENING: This Gregorian chant from the Roman Catholic Mass is based on the text, "Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy." As with most chants, no com- poser or date of composition may be determined, although the largest proportion were in existence by the time that Pope Gregory attempted to standardize the liturgy in the sixth century. The free, nonmetrical rhythm of the performance, typical of all chants within the church, seems very speechlike, but the fact that it is sung, and the musical nature of the singing, elevate the text to an importance beyond mere recitation. The Kyrie is one of a number of chants in which a three-part construction reflects the church's respect for the trinity (Father-Son-Holy Ghost), a concept also reflected in the threefold repetition of each line of text. Note that certain phrases fall in pitch at the end, much as our natural speech inflection falls at the end of sen- tences. This is most noticeable at the end of the first and third phrases of the first section and the last phrase of the piece. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Monophonic melody, unison male choir, melismatic singing, nonmetrical rhythm, three-part (ternary) form, contrasting melodic phrase
21:Instrumental Music of the Baroque
Antonio Vivaldi: "Spring" Concerto from The Four Seasons, 1st movement - Solo concerto (1725) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: Scored for a string orchestra and three solo violins, each of the concertos in the set by Vivaldi titled The Four Seasons includes dramatic vir- tuoso passages for solo violin. Vivaldi prefaced each concerto with a sonnet, the words of which appear in the score in passages where the music is intended to express a particular programmatic idea. For the "Spring" concerto, he wrote this introduction: Spring has come, and the birds greet it with happy songs, and at the same time the streams run softly murmuring to the breathing of the gentle breezes. Then the sky being cloaked in black, thunder and lightning come and have their say; after the storm has quieted, the little birds turn again to their harmonious song. These attractive concertos abound with colorful references to the sounds and effects of nature, revealing Vivaldi's gift for achieving varied orchestral sonorities. The dynamic variety throughout is limited to piano and forte, without crescendo or decrescendo—the terraced dynamics typical of the Baroque. The solo sections are naturally abruptly softer than those played by the full orchestra due to the smaller number of instruments playing. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: String orchestra (violins, violas, and double bass); basso continuo (harpsichord and cello); solo violin; quadruple meter; allegro tempo; ter- raced dynamics; program music.
5: Basic Musical Concepts
Benjamin Britten: A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (1946) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: This composition consists of two sections, each of which explores the range of sounds in the orchestral instruments. In the first section, a theme and variations, the orchestra plays the theme and the various instruments offer interpretations (variations) of it. In a practice common to composers of every era, Britten "borrowed" the theme, which was written by a seventeenth- century composer, Henry Purcell. Britten made the piece original by treating the theme in his own creative ways. The second section is a fugue, a polyphonic form that we study later in this book. The music of the bustling and energetic fugue was entirely original with Britten. Although things happen very fast, perhaps you will notice that the instruments enter in imitation; that is, their melodies sound very much like each other's. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Changing timbres (the full orchestra, each of the four orches- tral families, individual orchestral instruments); variations on a theme; a fugue.
4: Basic Musical Concepts
Charles Ives, arr. Jonathan Elkus: "London Bridge is Fallen Down" from Old Home Days Suite (1891) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: Ives created this burlesque set of variations for piano on the familiar nursery tune when he was 17 years old. Arranger Jonathan Elkus later placed it together with five other Ives adaptations of familiar songs to form a suite titled Old Home Days, arranged for brass ensemble. The melody to "London Bridge" has two parts or verses, the second verse similar to but higher in pitch than the first. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Familiar melody; dissonant harmonies; a variety of instru- ments playing the melody; rhythmic alteration; tempo changes; musical humor.
16: Dramatic Music of the Baroque
Claudio Monteverdi: "Tu se' morta" from L'Orfeo - Early Baroque oepra (1607) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: In the recitative "Tu se9 morta" from L'Orfeo, Monteverdi mixes extremely expressive text declamation with sophisticated word painting. In this poignant soliloquy, Orpheus (Orfeo) grieves over the death of his beloved wife, Euridice, vowing in his despair to follow her to the underworld and bring her back to life, or to remain there with her forever. The homophonic texture is the result of a composition for voice in which a written bass line indicates the chords to be filled in by accompanying instruments, in this case a portable organ and bass lute. The occasional pauses, such as after the first word, effectively indi- cate Orfeo's distraught emotional state. Dissonances, used for expressive effect, occur most often at the end of lines. Monteverdi used dramatic word painting on the words "stele" (stars), "abissi" (abysses), and "morte" (death). WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Tenor voice; portable organ and bass lute; homophonic tex- ture; singing in the rhythm of speaking; expressive dissonance; word painting.
26:Formal Design in the Classical Period
Franz Joseph Haydn: String Quartet No. 66 in G major, op. 77, 3rd movement (minuet & trio) - String quartet (1799) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: Haydn has been nicknamed the father of the string quar- tet, for which he composed nearly seventy works. His earlier compositions can be compared in form and technique to the simpler works of his contemporaries, but his later works, such as this one—the last of his quartets—pushed against the boundaries of convention and elevated the string quartet from a genre that was merely a gentleman's pastime to a true art form worthy of the concert hall. This movement is a minuet, often used as the third movement of four-movement works in this era. Each of the sections was in two-part form. The somewhat freer approach to form (with the heavier rondo-like trio section), the non-dance-like fast tempo, and the rhythmic playfulness evident in the piece place it closer to the movements of later compositions that would be labeled scherzo (Italian for "joke"). WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: String quartet (first and second violins, viola, cello); presto tempo; triple meter; three-part form; two-part form; rhythmic playfulness.
31:Toward Romanticism
Franz Schubert: "Erlkönig" (Erlking) - Art song (Lied) (1815) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: Schubert wrote "Erlkönig," perhaps the best-known of all Lieder, when he was just 18. For text, he chose a narrative ballad by Goethe, relating the legend of a mythical evil spirit who lured children to their destruc- tion in his dark habitat deep in the forest. Schubert captured the dramatic essence of Goethe's folklike poem, structuring his song according to the events of the tale rather than the strictly stanzaic form of the poetry. The singer distinctively portrays in turn four characters: the Narrator, whose voice remains neutral and objective; the Father, who tries in low-pitched tones to calm his son; the Child, whose higher pitches suggest his youth and also his rising panic; and the ominously sweet-sounding, wicked Erlking. The piano, which often has a dramatic role of its own, here plays the fifth character, the desperately galloping horse. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Baritone voice; piano; quadruple meter.
23:Toward Classicism
François Couperin: "Le tic-toc-choc" from Ordre 18 - Rococo keyboard piece (1722) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: "Le tic-toc-choc" by Couperin is one of the eight short pieces that comprise his Ordre 18. Although these collections of pieces are similar to suites, they were not intended for performance as a complete set; a performer could pick which pieces might fit a particular occasion. The form of this piece is a rondeau, in which different sections or strains of music alternate with a repetitive refrain, whose recurrence unifies the structure. The form is related both to an earlier French poetic form and to the later rondo form of the Classical era. This charming piece, consisting of elaborately ornamented repeti- tive phrases, was meant to provide enjoyment and easy listening rather than an intellectual or spiritual experience. As the title suggests, it illustrates a fascina- tion with the clockworks characteristic of the period. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Harpsichord; duple meter; fast tempo; left-hand melody (lower in pitch) with right-hand accompaniment; rondeau form.
35:The Romantic Style: Music for Solo Instrument and for Voice
Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9, No. 2 - Character piece (1833) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: The introspective nature of Chopin is nowhere more evi- dent than in his character pieces titled nocturnes, so named because of the evocation of the moods of nighttime in their textures, dynamics, and melodies. The performance of Chopin's music with rubato—adding a dramatic slowing and speeding of the tempo for expressive effect—creates a sense of oratory, as though the performer were speaking through the instrument. This piece, typical of his nocturnes, alternates between two melodic ideas, each returning multiple times, each time increasingly embellished with chromatic ornaments. Chopin's ornate embellishments add graceful interest to his melodies, while never over- powering them or intruding on the calm atmosphere of his lovely music. An extended coda brings the piece to a quiet, calm close. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Piano; contrasting melodies; rondo form; chromatic embel- lishments; rubato.
18:Dramatic Music of the Baroque
George Frideric Handel: "Hallelujah" Chorus from Messiah - Oratorio (1741) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: Newspaper accounts of the first performance of Messiah by Handel called the oratorio "the finest Composition of Musick that was ever heard." The effectiveness of this chorus—the best-known of the many powerful choruses Handel included at dramatic moments in the oratorio—stems from the contrasting homophonic, polyphonic, and monophonic sections and the frequent reiterations of "Hallelujah!" The rhythmic and dynamic structure of the piece constitutes a series of ever-building waves of sound. The overall effect is one of constantly increasing musical energy that climaxes in the final proclamation of "Hallelujah!" WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Chorus (soprano, alto, tenor, bass); strings; trumpets; harpsi- chord and bass accompaniment group; unison monophony; polyphony; homophony; contrasting dynamics.
39:Dramatic Music of the Romantic Period
Giacomo Puccini: "Nessun dorma" from Turandot - Verismo opera (1926) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: Turandot, by Puccini, tells the story of a Chinese princess who will only wed one who can answer her three riddles; those who try and can- not are executed. Calaf, the young prince of Tartary, falls in love with Turandot and vows to answer the riddles. When he unexpectedly does, however, Turandot is outraged, whereupon he proposes that if she can discover his name before sunrise, she may have him executed. Calaf sings the aria "Nessun dorma" dur- ing the ensuing night. This aria highlights Puccini's ability to project a charac- ter's emotion while also demonstrating the virtuosity of the singer. The melody builds to two peaks, the first climaxing on the word bocca (mouth), referring to the princess's mouth where Calaf proclaims that he will tell his name in the morning with a kiss. The second climax comes at the very end, as the young prince exclaims that he will win ("vincerò!"). A chorus of women searching for Calaf's name separate the two high points with a moment of calm. Puccini's doubling of Calaf's voice with the strings at appropriate moments creates a kind of orchestral halo, adding to the beauty of the tenor voice as it reaches the ex- tremes of its range and seemingly beyond! The singer is the Canadian dramatic tenor Ben Heppner (b. 1956). WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Romantic orchestra; tenor voice; chorus of female voices; quadruple meter; two-part aria; instrumental doubling of tenor melody
15: Baroque
Giovanni Gabrieli: Sonata pian'e forte - Polychoral brass piece (1597) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: When Gabrieli published a collection of vocal and instrumen- tal works in 1597 under the title Sacrae Symphoniae (Sacred Symphonies), little could he have anticipated the influence the Sonata pian9e forte would have. The use of two spatially separated choirs of instruments that both competed and joined in agreement at regular intervals throughout the piece heralded what would be- come one of the most common principles in the approaching Baroque era in music, that of expressive dynamic and timbral contrast. Although specifying which instru- ments would play which parts does not seem innovative to us today, instrumental works before this time left this choice to the performers, probably because not all churches possessed the same types of instruments, or adequate performers, at all times. The brilliance of the contrasting and combined timbres of the two brass choirs, along with our visual image of the resplendent gold mosaic interior of the St. Mark's basilica, create an image of the sumptuous ceremonies that took place in one of Europe's important centers of trade at this time. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Two brass choirs (cornetto and three trombones in one, softer brass instrument and three trombones in the other); contrasting timbres and dynamics; alternating and combined choirs; syncopation.
10: Sacred Music of the Renaissance
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina: "Agnus Dei I" from the Missa Papae Marcelli (Mass for Pope Marcellus) - Renaissance Mass movement (1557) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: For the Missa Papae Marcelli, Palestrina divided the choir into six sections (soprano, alto, tenor I and II, and bass I and II). Although all six voices sing nearly continuously in the Agnus Dei I, and the melodies sung by each voice are rhythmically and melodically independent, his skillful writing creates atexture that never sounds busy or confused; the text is easily heard and under- stood. The imitative polyphonic texture may be heard throughout, as each voice in succession echoes the preceding voices at the beginning of lines of text. Pal- estrina created melodies that combined to create thirds and sixths even in the final cadence, giving the piece a modern sound. He used dissonances carefully to create a sense of tension and release, particularly before cadence points. Although the piece is not based on Gregorian chant, the long, melismatic, and predomi- nantly stepwise motion of the voices imbues the setting with a similar devotional character. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Imitative polyphony; regular pulse hinting at underlying duple meter; predominant consonance; sensitive use of dissonance; clear text setting; a cappella six-voice choir.
9: Medieval/Middle Age
Guillaume de Mauchaut: Gloria from the Missa Notre Dame - Medieval Mass movement (c. 1360) RELUDE TO LISTENING: The Gloria from the Messe de Nostre Dame by Machaut is one of the polyphonic compositions for each of the five texts of the Mass Ordi- nary, designed by this extraordinary composer to be performed together. The unaccompanied singing of the first line by a single voice is typical of all polyphonic Gloria settings, mimicking the typical introduction sung by a priest in the chanted service. The harmonies created by the four voices may sound strange to our twentieth-century ears, particularly at the approaches to the cadences or resting points; the hollow sound is due to the preponderance of the intervals of fourths and fifths between the voices. Even though each line is independently conceived, the setting is primarily syllabic, all voices generally singing each syllable of text at the same time. Although the score contains only music for unaccompanied voices, in this recording wind instruments and a small organ double the melodic lines as might have occurred in performances on special celebration days in Machaut's time. Trombones play the melismas (originally for voice) that occur after major ca- dences. Hocket enlivens the final, melismatic "Amen" section. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Polyphonic texture; male singing voices; trombones and other wind instruments; Medieval harmonies; hocket.
33:The Romantic Style: Orchestral Music
Hector Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, 5 th movement, "Dream of a Witches' Sabbath" - Program symphony (1830) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: The fifth movement of the Symphonie fantastique by Berlioz is in the type of free form necessitated by the program of the symphony. In this movement, Berlioz musically depicted the descent of the executed Artist into hell, where his murdered Beloved and a host of witches greet him. Rhythmic distortion of the idée fixe indicates the transformation of the Beloved; the quotation and transformation of the Dies irae indicate that all of the characters have died; an original melody depicts the dances of the witches. The idée fixe introduces the movement, after which the other ideas alternate and combine. Close to the end of the movement, the violins bounce the wood of their bows on the strings, creating an eerie effect reminiscent of the sound of bones clacking together. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Romantic orchestra (piccolo, flute, 2 oboes, E-flat clarinet, clarinet, 4 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 cornets with valves, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, 2 tubas, timpani, bass drum, chimes, piano, strings); larghetto and allegro tempos; Dies irae melody; imitative polyphony; free rhapsodic or fantasy form.
17:Dramatic Music of the Baroque
Henry Purcell: "Thy hand, Belinda" (recitative) & "When I am laid in earth" (aria) from Dido and Aeneas - Baroque opera (1685) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: After the Trojan wars, Prince Aeneas has been forced by storms to land his ships in Carthage, where he and Queen Dido fall deeply in love. When circumstances force Aeneas to leave Carthage, Dido declares that she cannot live without him. Her servant and friend Belinda is unable to comfort her, and Dido dies—whether from a broken heart or by her own hand is unclear. Purcell composed this expressive recitative and aria, which occur at the end of the opera directly preceding Dido's death, in the key of G minor, a key that he often used in his dramatic music to symbolize death. The chromatically descend- ing ground bass in the aria enhances the sense that Dido is losing breath and strength as she sings. Throughout the aria, Dido repeats significant words from each of her phrases to dramatic effect. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Soprano; string ensemble; quadruple meter (recitative) and triple meter (aria); ground bass (ostinato); two-part form; word repetition.
7:Medieval/Middle Age
Hildegard of Bingen: "Nunc aperuit nobis" - Expressive chant (12th century) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: Female voices sing this highly expressive chant in unison, ac- companied in this performance by other female voices singing a drone, a single, sustained note on the first pitch of the mode on which the chant is based. The mode, corresponding to the white keys of the piano from C to C and identical to the major scale that later evolved from it, has much of the light, bright character appropriate for a text concerning a brightly shining flower. The accompanying drone, which Hildegard may or may not have intended, adds a dimension of richness that seems well-suited to the colorful times in which she composed her music. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Monophonic chant, unmetered rhythm, drone, melismatic text setting, unison singing, female voices.
22:Instrumental Music of the Baroque
Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major - Concerto grosso (1721) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: The six Brandenburg Concertos by Bach, today perhaps the best known of this popular Baroque genre, were discovered in a forgotten archive in the town of Brandenburg more than a hundred years after their com- position. The second concerto features four solo instruments (violin, flute, oboe, and trumpet), but the high-pitched Baroque trumpet stands out over the other instruments when they play together. Each of the instruments has solo sections in the first movement, which opens with a fanfare-like ritornello theme. Perhapsbecause of the trumpet's dominance in the outer movements, Bach omits it from the middle movement, which is based on imitation on a single musical phrase and a complementary sighing motive. The relentlessly consistent pulse of the accompaniment further heightens the poignancy and the emotional intensity of the main melody. In the final fugal movement, Bach again places the trumpet in a central role, and it announces the fugue subject. The solo instruments and the orchestra toss the subject and a secondary motive—in the rhythm of short- short-long—back and forth throughout the episodes that intervene between subject statements. MOVEMENT I WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Baroque string orchestra with basso continuo (cello and harpsichord); solo group (Baroque trumpet, oboe, flute, and violin); terraced dynamics; strong rhythmic drive; allegro tempo; quadruple meter; use of motives derived from the main theme; polyphony; homophony. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Baroque string orchestra with basso continuo (cello and harpsichord); solo group (oboe, flute, and violin); pulsing rhythmic accompani- ment; andante tempo; triple meter; imitative polyphony; sighing motive
19:Dramatic Music of the Baroque
Johann Sebastian Bach: Cantata No. 140, "Wachet auf" (Sleepers Awake), 1st movement - Lutheran cantata (1731) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: Bach wrote this cantata for a service in which the Bible reading was the allegorical story of the wedding of Christ and His church, at- tended by five wise maidens while five foolish maidens stayed away. The famous chorale "Wachet auf," which had been written more than a hundred years earlier and was well known to the German Lutheran congregation, appears in the first, fourth, and seventh movements. The chorale text suggested a story, and the tune provided a musical subject for the cantata. Bach's genius is apparent in the manner in which he treated his given material; for example, he incorporated the original chorale melody, sung by the sopranos throughout this movement, while the other voices embellish it in complex polyphonic texture. In addition, Bach doubled the soprano's melody with the horn, the watchman's instrument, as a constant reminder of the theme of the chorale text. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Baroque orchestra (strings, woodwinds, horn); four-part chorus (soprano, alto, tenor, bass); triple meter; dotted (uneven) rhythms; chorale melody; polyphony.
20:Instrumental Music of the Baroque
Johann Sebastian Bach: Fugue in G minor ("Little Fugue") - Organ fugue (1707) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: The prowess of Bach in composing fugues is well apparent in his many compositions in the genre. The composer demonstrated his abili- ties in 1747 when visiting King Frederick the Great of Prussia at his palace in Potsdam: Upon being presented with an appropriate subject by the king, Bach not only improvised a fugue to everyone's delight, but also later fashioned an extended work called The Musical Offering from the same musical idea. The "Little Fugue" has many features typical of the genre, opening with an exposition in which the theme, or subject, appears in each of the ranges (voices) that will be used in the composition. This is a four-voiced fugue, with voices appearing in the soprano, alto, tenor, and bass ranges. After the exposition, subsequent en- trances of the subject appear in contrasting keys separated from each other by episodes—sections in which the subject is not heard. Like most fugues, this one closes with further reference to the subject, in the tonic key. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Organ; imitative polyphony; quadruple meter; four-voice fugue; sequences.
14: Secular Music of the Renaissance
John Dowland: "Queen Elizabeth's Galliard" - Renaissance lute piece (1610) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: Dowland composed over thirty solo lute pieces in the rhythm and form of the galliard, one of Queen Elizabeth's favorite dances. The written accounts of members of her court described dancing as one of the queen's regular activities; well into her fifties she would dance "six or seven" gal- liards each morning. The dance has an athletic quality, each figure closing with a leap in which the dancers crossed their legs before landing. Queen Elizabeth's Galliard illustrates the manner in which Dowland often adapted dance forms such as the triple meter galliard to the solo lute repertoire. This is the only one of Dowland's galliards with a contrasting second section in which he created a lively, lilting rhythmic feel by dividing each beat into three (instead of two) parts. He used the same technique, however, in many other pieces to create a feeling of musical acceleration due to more notes per beat, even though the underlying tempo of the beats remains the same. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Lute; triple meter; division of the beat into twos, threes, and fours; variation in melody and rhythm.
32:The Romantic Style: Orchestral Music
John Philip Sousa: "The Stars and Stripes Forever" - March (1896) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: After John Philip Sousa left the U.S. Marine Band, he formed his own band and toured for nearly forty years, playing more than 15,000 concerts. A Sousa concert consisted of much more than marches; it included transcriptions of popular symphonies, excerpts from operas featuring solo singers, and showpieces highlighting the skills of his virtuoso performers. Marches, however, were always prominent in the programs, often featured as the closing piece. The strong duple meter characterizing most Sousa marches is as- sociated with the origin of the march, used to coordinate the marching of large numbers of soldiers, left, right, left, right, and so on. The three melodic strains and the break strain of this march contrast in dynamic shape as well as in the tim- bres of the woodwind, brass, and percussion sections. The louder dynamics and full orchestration of the final repetition of the third strain provide a truly grand closing to this piece, which was designated as the national march of the United States in 1987. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Duple meter; brass band (piccolos, flutes, oboes, clarinets, bas- soons, saxophones, trumpets, coronets, euphoniums, trombones, Sousaphones, tubas, percussion); march beat; polyphony; homophony; contrasting dynamics.
12: Sacred Music of the Renaissance
Louis Bourgeois: "Old Hundred" - Psalm tune (1551) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: Although Louis Bourgeois wrote the melody to the psalm tune known as "Old Hundred" four-and-a-half centuries ago, it is still performed in a wide number of Protestant churches throughout the world. The text in this example is an adaptation of Psalm 100, arranged to fit the rhythm of the melody. The term "meter" has another meaning when discussing psalm tunes, describ- ing the number of syllables in each line of text rather than the number of beats in a measure of music. The pattern 8-8-8-8 of "Old Hundred," called long meter, is one of the most commonly used meters. Any text with this poetic structure may be sung to any tune that fits this meter, and poetic translations of Psalms 3 and 134 were set to the tune we know as "Old Hundred" in earlier psalters. In some churches, the words of the Doxology, beginning, "From all that dwell below the skies," are sung to this tune today. Although it certainly does not have the rhythmic variety, interest, or vigor of the lively psalm settings enjoyed by early congregations, the regular rhythm of this performance is the one most com- monly heard in churches today. Sopranos sing the melody, with harmonization added by the altos, tenors, and basses. Only one stanza of the psalm is included in this performance. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Four-voice choir (soprano, alto, tenor, bass); a cappella per- formance; homophonic (chordal) texture; long meter.
36:The Romantic Style: Music for Solo Instrument and for Voice
Louis Moreau Gottschalk: Le bananier - Character piece (1844 - 1846) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: Louis Moreau Gottschalk grew up in the multicultural environ- ment of New Orleans. When he was thirteen, he traveled to France with his father to study at the Paris Conservatoire. His application was initially rejected by the head of the piano faculty, who commented, "America is a country of steam engines." But Gottschalk eventually gained entrance and later became highly acclaimed in the Paris salon society. Le bananier and two other character pieces composed be- tween 1844 and 1846 based on Creole melodies, Bamboula and La savane, are often referred to as Gottschalk's "Louisiana Trilogy." The inspiration for Le bananier was the Creole melody En avant, grénadiers, a song that may have been sung by Creoles of color during the Battle of New Orleans in 1814. In this piece, Gottschalk constructs a set of variations on the rather simple, yet charming, two-part melody. The title indicates that the composer may have first heard the tune from a dock- worker unloading bananas in the busy seaport of New Orleans. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Piano; drone; Creole melody; ornamentation; and differentia- tion by octave placement.
29: Toward Romanticism
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata no. 8, op. 13 (Pathétique), 1st movement - Piano sonata (1798 - 1799) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: The forward-looking style of Beethoven can already be seen in the Pathétique Sonata, a piece from the end of the composer's first de- cade in Vienna. Although the work clearly falls into sonata-allegro form—with two themes, an exposition, development, and recapitulation—the second theme in both the exposition and recapitulation appear in unexpected keys. In addition, the slow, introspective introduction returns at the beginning of the development and again in the coda. The first theme, rather than a tuneful melody, consists of a rising set of harmonies over a droning bass that seems more rhythmically than melodically conceived. Although some of these features may not be heard by the novice listener, the use of a pounding rhythm to animate an entire movement is a characteristic that would be one of the most powerful features of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, composed eight years later. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Piano; sonata-allegro form; slow introduction; driving rhythm; innovative harmonies.
30: Toward Romanticism
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony no. 5 in C Minor, 1st movement - Symphony (1807) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: The Fifth Symphony by Beethoven stands out as a model for the manipulation of simple musical materials into a grand structure. The first move- ment of the symphony sets forth an uncomplicated musical motive composed of four notes—three repeated pitches and a fourth at a descending interval—that serves as the musical motto for all four movements of the piece. The idea that this motive represents fate comes from Beethoven's secretary and first biographer, Anton Schindler, who reported that the composer once gestured to the first few notes of the work and proclaimed, "There Fate knocks at the door!" Whether this story is true or not, Schindler's inclusion of it in Beethoven's biography passed it on to those who followed in the nineteenth century. Melodic sequences of this mo- tive form the first theme; it is the introduction to and background rhythm to the second theme; and it is the primary material used in the development section of the first movement. The motive is transformed gradually through the second and third movements before appearing in an ascending, joyful version in the final movement, taken by many to indicate humanity's triumph over fate. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Romantic orchestra (2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bas- soons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, strings); allegro con brio (fast and spirited) tempo; duple meter; sonata-allegro form; musical motto; melodic sequence; extended coda.
11: Sacred Music of the Renaissance
Martin Luther: "Ein' feste Burg" ("A Mighty Fortress") - Lutheran chorale (1529) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: When Luther conceived of congregational singing as a prin- ciple for the participation by the common people in the worship of God, he could not have envisioned how these sturdy melodies would later become the basis for endless arrangements and compositions for all possible combinations of solo- ists, choirs, keyboard instruments, and orchestras. Today, congregations of all the major Protestant churches sing "Ein' feste Burg," and it also appears in concert arrangements such as this one, in which the melody receives a different treatment in each of the three verses. Although the rhythm of Luther's melody was originally syncopated and complex (Figure 10.3), congregations over time smoothed out the irregularities, resulting in the simple and symmetrical version heard in this example. The soloist is Placido Domingo, one of the famous "three tenors." (The others are Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras.) Domingo's career includes performances as an opera singer, as well as conducting and directing opera performances. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Chorale tune; strophic form; quadruple meter; organ; trum- pet; horn; tenor soloist; boys' choir; polyphony; homophony
34:The Romantic Style: Music for Solo Instrument and for Voice
Niccolò Paganini: Caprice No. 1, from Twenty-Four Caprices for Solo Violin, Op.1 - Violin etude (1820) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: The incredible technical skill of violinist Paganini elevated the expectations of nineteenth-century audiences to before unheard-of levels of virtuosity. Because his financial success on the concert stage was so great that he had no need to publish his works, and because he did not want to disclose the techniques behind his reputedly demonic talents, only a handful of his composi- tions were published during his lifetime. Each of the caprices in this set is based on a single technique. "Caprice" implies an impulsive nature, and this piece often feels more like an improvisation than a formal composition. The Caprice no. 1 is nicknamed "L'Arpeggio" for the nearly unceasing arpeggios, broken chords usually sounded from the lowest to the highest tone, though here what goes up comes back down. The technique is achieved by what is termed "ricochet bow- ing," bouncing the violin bow across the four strings. The dazzling display of runs, broken chords, and violin magic is presented in unceasing variety. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Solo violin; broken chords; runs; modulation; brilliant techni- cal performance (virtuosity)
2: Basic Musical Concepts
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Russian Dance (Trepak) from The Nutcracker (1892) The Nutcracker ballet by Tchaikovsky is beloved by children and adults alike for its colorful sets, stirring dances, and happy Christmas story. It is filled with dances of various character, tempo, meter, and mood. The composer incorporated many Russian-influenced pieces into the ballet, and the Russian Dance, or Trepak, has become one of the most popular of them. The trepak tra- ditionally was danced by Cossacks, an elite corps of horsemen in czarist Russia. A fast tempo, driving rhythm, and strong accents characterize the lusty, vigorous dance. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Molto vivace tempo, duple meter, a variety of dynamic levels, crescendo, accelerando (a gradual increase in tempo).
1: Basic Musical Concepts
Richard Strauss: Introduction to Also sprach Zarathustra (1896) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: In this listening example, Strauss used changes in pitch and dynamic levels to dramatize a story; he intended this piece to depict the develop- ment of the superman envisioned by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. The dramatic crescendo and the corresponding rise in pitch level suggest the great heights of power to which the imagined hero might rise. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: An orchestra, trumpets, orchestral drums (timpani), rising levels of pitch and dynamics.
40:Dramatic Music of the Romantic Period
Richard Wagner: "The Ride of The Valkyries" from Die Walküre - Music drama (1870) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: The success of the music dramas of Wagner may have been due as much to his ability to create memorable Leitmotifs as to the inventiveness of his plots and the spectacular staging of his music dramas. The opening motive of the "Ride of the Valkyrie" contains just such a Leitmotif. At this point in the second music drama of the Ring Cycle, Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), a band of horse-mounted warrior maidens—called Valkyries in Norse mythology—fly over a battlefield to choose the most noble of those who have been slain. The opening swirling string motives set the stage for the Leitmotif of the Valkyrie, a rising dotted (uneven) note figure in the brass instruments set in a constantly modulating melodic sequence. After several presentations of the Leitmotif and a bit of development, the swirling strings of the opening set the stage for the Leitmotif to return at its original pitch level. The use of the brilliantly orchestrated brass melody is deeply reminiscent of military bands, and the swirling strings seem to suggest the turbulent winds on which the Valkyrie ride. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Large Romantic orchestra (piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 7 clari- nets, 2 bassoons, 4 saxophones, 3 trumpets, 4 horns, 3 trombones, baritone horn, tuba, timpani, percussion, strings); triple meter; dotted-note rhythms; Leitmotif; modulation; development.
37:The Romantic Style: Music for Solo Instrument and for Voice
Robert Schumann: "Im wunderschönen Monat Mai" ("In the Marvelous Month of May") from Dichterliebe - Art song (Lied) (1840) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: In the beginning of Schumann's magnificent song cycle Dichterliebe (Poet's Love), the poet ⁄ narrator is deep in youthful love. As the cycle progresses, the beauty of Schumann's music allows us to share the poet's passion, frustration, anger, melancholy, and finally resignation to the unrequited nature of his love, as he escapes to a world of dream or fantasy. Already in the first song of the cycle, "Im wunderschönen Monat Mai" (In the marvelous month of May), the sense that this love will not be fulfilled may be felt, both in the text that speaks of "yearning" and "longing" and in the unresolved dominant harmony that ends the song. The setting is strophic, with a piano introduction serving also as an interlude between the two verses and as the coda for this brief, yet master- ful setting. The little song perfectly expresses, in so few bars, the grand scope of Romantic desire for what may not be. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Tenor; piano accompaniment; strophic form; piano interlude.
38:The Romantic Style: Music for Solo Instrument and for Voice
Stephen Foster: "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" - Parlor song (1854) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: After achieving initial success in the minstrel song genre, Stephen Foster turned to more sympathetic depictions of African Americans in his plantation songs, such as "Old Folks at Home" and "My Old Kentucky Home." "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" is typical of another genre in which Foster wrote throughout his life, the often highly sentimental genre of parlor songs cen- tered around images of home and/or lost love. The inspiration for "Jeanie" is com- monly thought to be his wife Jane Denny McDowell, whom he had married two years earlier. The primarily pentatonic character of the melody and use of wide, dramatic intervals in the first and fourth sections owes much to similar songs in the popular volume Thomas Moore's Irish Melodies, from which Foster played and sang as a youth. In "Jeanie," he associates his departed love with images of nature: "soft summer air," "blithe birds," "day dawn." The four-stanza AABA form is an example of the most common structure of American popular songs over the century, stretching from Foster to after the Second World War, often referred to simply as "song form." The popularity of "Jeanie" has been remarkable, from its initial publication to its revival as a radio favorite during the ASCAP boycott in the 1940s. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Quadruple meter; guitar and male soprano voice (counter- tenor); AABA form; wide intervallic leaps; ritardando.
13: Secular Music of the Renaissance
Thomas Weelkes: As Vesta Was from Latmos Hill Descending - English madrigal (1601) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: "As Vesta Was from Latmos Hill Descending," one of the most famous of the madrigals by Weelkes, exemplifies the light, somewhat hu- morous mood of the English madrigal. The piece appeared in a collection of mad- rigals by twenty-three different composers praising Queen Elizabeth I. The title of the collection, The Triumphs of Oriana, stemmed from the fact that the Queen was sometimes referred to as Oriana, the Roman goddess of the home. Although this madrigal sounds "major," the scale it was based on was still considered a mode, since the major-minor system of tonality had not yet been articulated. Words are painted musically by melodies that ascend and descend, the use of a variety of textures, differing numbers of singing voices, and contrasting modes. When all of the voices sing the words simultaneously, the resulting homophonic texture sounds "chordal." Although the meter is duple, dense polyphony at times masks the underlying regular beat pattern. The musical difficulty of the parts andthe complex polyphony would have challenged the educated amateurs for whom the piece was intended. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Six-voice choir (two sopranos, alto, two tenors, bass); duple meter; a cappella performance; word painting; monophony; homophony; polyphony
41:Dramatic Music of the Romantic Period
William S. Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan: "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General" from The Pirates of Penzance - Operetta (1879) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: The nonsensical story of The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan concerns Frederic, a young man who, "as a little lad," was mistakenly taken by his nurse to be apprenticed to a pirate, instead of a pilot, as instructed. Word having gotten around, however, that pirates are too tenderhearted to mo- lest an orphan, all the ships they capture seem to be manned exclusively by or- phans. This kind of silly humor is the heart of the comedy of Gilbert and Sullivan. In this famous patter song, the pirates' major general describes his exemplary academic—though hardly military—credentials. After the brisk orchestral intro- duction, the major general clears his throat and begins, supported by a very light orchestral accompaniment. When confronted with a particularly difficult rhyme, he stops to consider; then—to the approval and congratulations of those in the chorus—triumphantly produces his solution. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Baritone solo; chorus; orchestra; strophic form; choral refrain; patter.
28:Vocal Music in the Classical Period
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: "Dies Irae" from the Requiem - Requiem Mass (1791) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: The Requiem by Mozart, left unfinished at the time of the composer's death, was completed by one of Mozart's talented students, Franz Xaver Süssmayr. The third of the piece's fourteen movements, "Dies irae" (Day of wrath), is based on the text of a section of the Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead (Requiem) only performed at funerals. The dissonant chords, loud dynamic level, and driving rhythm express in musical terms the terrifying text, which foretells the inevitable, inescapable day of wrath and judgment. The solidly marching chords of the chorus project each syllable, so there is no mistaking the horrify- ing importance of the message. Trumpeting accompaniment figures in the brass enhance the drama. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Four-part chorus (soprano, alto, tenor, bass); Classical or- chestra (basset horns in F, bassoon, trumpet in D, timpani, strings); expressive dynamic contrast; homophonic texture.
25:Formal Design in the Classical Period
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Concerto for Flute & Orchestra in D major, K. 314, 3rd movement (rondo) - Solo classical concerto (1778) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: The concertos of Mozart fall into two categories: violin and piano concertos that he wrote for his own performance, and concertos for a vari- ety of other instruments that he wrote for other performers, most of whom were his friends. The Flute Concerto in D major comes from a period in which Mozart composed a number of concertos for woodwind instruments. This final move- ment of a three-movement concerto for flute is typical in many ways, including the lively interchange between the virtuosic solo instrument and the orchestra, and the rondo form, which he used for many of the final movements of his concertos. The careful listener will sense a kind of conversational balance within the vigor- ous texture, in which the intricate melodies of the solo instrument are balanced by complementary, though often short, phrases performed by the more weighty orchestra. The movement includes both a false cadenza, at the end of the second section, and a real cadenza, at the end of the third A section. Perhaps you will detect a difference in how these cadenzas are introduced, a difference that would have been easily heard by eighteenth-century audiences. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Solo flute; classical orchestra (strings, two oboes, two horns); allegro tempo; duple meter; rondo form.
24Formal Design in the Classical Period
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony no. 40 in G Minor, 1 st movement (sonata-allegro) - Symphony (1788) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: Mozart composed most of his symphonies for public con- certs organized by the composer himself to supplement his income. Because his popularity in Vienna had waned by the summer of 1788, when he wrote his three last symphonies, this work was never performed during his lifetime. It has four movements, the first and last of which are in sonata-allegro form. A three-note rhythmic motive repeated three times initiates the melody of the first theme of this movement. This motive provides rich material for variation and development throughout the movement. Typical of sonata-allegro movements of this era, the exposition, development, and recapitulation are of approximately equal length. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Classical orchestra; sonata-allegro form; duple meter; molto allegro tempo.
27:Vocal Music in the Classical Period
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro, Act I, Selections - Opera buffa (1788) PRELUDE TO LISTENING: Mozart based The Marriage of Figaro on a libretto concern- ing the overly forceful flirtations of Figaro's employer, a Count, with his wife's maidservant Susanna, Figaro's pretty fiancée. The newly emerging middle-class audience of late eighteenth-century Vienna devoutly appreciated the eventual humiliation of a member of the nobility by his servants Susanna and Figaro. Mo- zart's genius for opera lay in his ability to capture characters and their moods in his music. In this opening scene, Figaro is measuring the room given to him and Susanna by the Count for their residence after their impending marriage. Figaro's proud strutting turns into an amorous duet with Susanna after she expresses her happiness; Figaro first imitates her melody, then the two sing it together. After Figaro discovers (in a recitative omitted from these selections) that the Count intends to exercise the feudal right of the master to spend the wedding night with any newly married servant girl, he launches into an angry two-part aria vowing to foil the Count's intentions. Figaro's outrage becomes palpable in the second half of this aria, as he vows in rapid-fire patter and rising dynamics to foil his master's plot. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR: Classical orchestra; soprano and bass duet; two-part aria; quadruple, triple, and duple meters; varying dynamics; tempo changes.
