KSU Academic Decathlon – Music
Dr. Jeffrey Yunek
Fall 2014
Introduction
Weighting of the test
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20%: Elements of Music Theory
12%: Music in the Middle Ages
12%: Renaissance Era
12%: Baroque Era
12%: Classical Era
12%: Romantic Era
20%: Modern Era
Plan for organizing information
• Focus on fundamentals first
– Without knowing basic terms, you will not understand
information later
• The largest focus will be on knowing listening
examples, which are typically 20% - 50% of the test
– This preparatory lecture will show how knowing each
piece helps to remember aspects of their period
• Map the progression of topics between periods, such
are the significance of sacred and secular works
Basic terms for this lecture
• Texture: the relationship of instruments in a work
– Monophonic: single voice
– Polyphonic: overlapping, independent lines
– Homophonic: synchronous lines
• Tonality (mode): the organization of notes
around a central pitch (tonic)
– Two standard types: major (happy) and minor (sad)
• Consonance: a pleasing combination of notes
• Dissonance: a disruptive combination of notes
Middle Ages Song 1:
Anonymous, “Dies Irae”
• Monophonic chant drawn from the text of the
Mass Proper
• Importance of the religious (i.e. holy) text
– Polyphony and harmony are avoided so the text
can be clearly heard
– The beat is not regular because the rhythm is
based on the stress of the words
Middle Ages Song 2:
Anonymous, “Sumer Is Icumen In”
• A polyphonic piece that is structured as a
round
• Harmony is conceived as consonant melodic
lines because the concepts of chords have not
been realized at this time
• Although sacred music was more common
and better preserved than secular music, this
points to the existence of secular music in the
Middle Ages
Other aspects of the Middle Ages
• Many of the chants come from Pope Gregory I
(c.f. Gregorian chant)
– Just as the words of God come from the bible, the
music comes from the Pope
• Know the various ways of setting chants
– Syllabic, neumatic, and melismatic
Renaissance Song 1:
Palestrina, Missa L’homme armé “Kyrie”
• A rich, polyphonic piece that is drawn from the
Kyrie section of the Mass Ordinary
• As in the Middle Ages, Christianity has a strong
influence on Western music
– The mass was an important musical event
– Learn all portions of the Mass Ordinary
• Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei
– Also know its counterpart, the Mass Proper, which
was used for special occasions
• The Requiem mass--one type of Mass Proper--was used for
funerals
Renaissance Song 2:
Marenzio, “Solo e pensoso”
• A secular piece for mixed chorus called a
madrigal
• The madrigal marks the rise of popular music in
Western society
– Note that the language is no longer Latin, but Italian
• In madrigals, the music often reflects the text
through text painting
– In this song, the slow chromatic rise of the upper
voice represents the text, “I measure the field…with
slow, tarrying steps.”
Other aspects of the Renassiance
• Know the impacts on humanism on sacred music
– Music no longer had to come from God (e.g. via the
Pope), and can now come from humans
• Know the impacts of the Reformation
– Use of the native language (not Latin) in sacred music
– Know the response of the Counter-Reformation
• Know the various types of structuring a mass
– What is a cantus firmus, and how is it used?
Baroque Song 1:
Monteverdi, I’incoronazione di Poppea
• A Baroque opera featuring a small orchestra,
chorus, and solo singers
• The inclusion of an opera signifies that operas
began in the Baroque period
• The solo singing goes between two different styles
– Recitative: A type of singing that emulates speech
– Aria: Closest to a standard song featuring melismatic
singing and repeated sections of music and text
Barouqe Song 2:
Vivaldi, The Four Seasons
• A violin concerto that uses text painting
according to a preexisting poem
• The inclusion of a concerto points to the rise
of the violin in music and the beginning of
virtuosic instrumental playing
• The representation of text was a major aspect
of Baroque music composition
Other aspects of the Baroque
• Know figured bass and basso continuo
– Represents a change to thinking in chords
• Know about Monteverdi’s seconda prattica
• Know the most common opera terms
– Including libretto, aria, recitative, and castrati
• Know the influence of mythology on Baroque opera
(L’incoronazione being an exception)
– This reflects the influence of the Renaissance literature
• Note how the lack of a sacred piece coincides with
the waning influence of the church in music in the
Baroque and the rise of the aristocracy
Classical Piece 1:
Mozart, Sonata 11 in A Major, K. 331,
Mvt. III “Rondo alla Turca”
• The fast final movement of a piano sonata
– Piano sonatas are for solo piano only
• The piece signifies the rise of the piano, which
was just coming into use (cf. Cristofori )
• The piece represents the composition of
works for public performance
– Musicians like Mozart had to perform and
compose their works
Classical Piece 2:
Haydn, Symphony 94, “Surprise”, IV
• One of Haydn’s late symphonies
– Its name derives it names from the second movement,
which features a unexpected timpani hit
• The inclusion of a symphony marks the creation of
the symphony in the Classical Period
– Unlike Romantic symphonies, Classical symphonies are
light-hearted concert music, typically in major
– Although the symphony is associated with the Classical
period, opera persisted as the most popular genre
Other aspects of the Classical Period
• During the Classical period, music moved from
old, modal harmony to tonal harmony
• Secular music became accessible to the public
– In the Baroque period, it was only accessible to the
royalty and aristocracy
• Along with the symphony and sonata, the string
quartet became prevalent
Romantic Piece 1:
Schubert, Erlkönig
• A German song (lied) for solo male voice
– The song tells of the attempted abduction and murder
of a young child by the mythical Erl-king
• The song is dominated by the minor mode, which
is used much more in the Romantic period
• Solo songs and song cycles are more common in
the Romantic period
Romantic Piece 2:
Berlioz, Symphonie fantastique, Mvt. V,
“Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath”
• A movement of a programmatic symphony,
which depicts a congregation of witches
• The inclusion of another symphony marks the
rise of symphony in the Romantic period
– As opposed to early periods, the symphony is king
• This Romantic symphony features far more
instruments and features much more complex,
dissonant harmony than Classical predecessors
Other aspects of the Romantic Period
• The influence of Wagner:
– Instrumentation, leitmotifs, and endless melody
• The revival of the music of J. S. Bach
– Also marks a beginning in music scholarship
• The rise of nationalism in music
• The rise of the conservatory
– Up until this point, music was taught through
apprenticeship
Modern Art Piece 1:
Schoenberg, Pierrot lunaire, Op. 21,
No. 1 “Mondestrunken”
• An early 20th-century setting of poem for voice
and small ensemble
• This piece marks the abrupt change from
standard tonality to free atonality
– Increased complexity and dissonance
• Modernism: the exploration of sound
– This piece features a hybrid of speech and singing
called Sprechstimme
Modern Art Piece 2:
Caine, Dripsody
• An example of musique concrète , which takes
tape recordings and splices them together to
make a new piece
• This represents the onset of electronic music
• This ties into other attempts to blur the
distinction between noise and music
– Cf. Cage 4’33’’
Modern Popular Piece 1:
Bessie Smith, “Lost Your Head Blues”
• A standard blues piece
• This represents the preservation of tonal
music in the early 20th century
• Example of an early form of Jazz
– Combination of Western harmony and African
concept of music
• The blue represents a simple Jazz form that is
repetitive with fixed harmony and melody
Modern Popular Piece 2:
Dizzy and Charlie Parker, “Shaw’ Nuff”
• An example of middle-period Jazz music,
featuring trumpet great Dizzy Gillespie and
saxophone great Charlie Parker
• As opposed to blues, there is much greater
variety in melody, harmony, and form
• Jazz features long periods of improvisation,
typically instrumental sections where the
music is composed spontaneously
Other aspects of the Modern Period
• A major aspect of the modern period is
modernism, the creation of new means of music
– Examples in art music include free tonality, serialism,
primitivism, and minimalism
• Know the genres leading up to jazz (large focus),
and jazz to rock and roll
– Ragtime, blues, big band, and modern jazz
Other things to focus on…
• Again, get to know the “Elements” section in
order understand concepts later (such as texture)
• Names and periods of all composers in the
listening examples
• Major composers who are not listed
– Pope Gregory I, Hildegard von Bingen, Machaut,
Josquin, J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Wagner,
Verdi, John Adams
Good luck!