Jan 11, 2011
- Songs have words, pieces have no words.
Melody is an arrangement of pitches over time
we organize
pitches into keys and scales. Pitch is a specific vibration or frequency
it is the same all over the world, no matter what the instrument.
longer strings, tubes = slower vibrations = lower pitch
beats into meters
we usually feel music in a pattern of two (duple meter) or three (triple meter)
sounds and silence can be long or short (in time)
time in music is measured in beats (meters)
tempo can imply both speed and mood
pitches can be organized into Keys which are a collection of pitches.
tone colour or timbre describes the quality of the pitch. It can depend on what
instrument we hear or how it is played.
Jan 13, 2011
Medieval Music and Culture
what little music we have from the medieval music is sacred music
there were lots of other music but their music was passed as an aural
tradition and has been lost
the Church was the largest patron of the arts
Gregorian Chant
It is an unaccompanied vocal music written in Latin based on a sacred text.
It was made for religious services in Churches and monasteries. The composers
are generally anonymous
named after Pope Gregory who wanted music across the RC church to be
standardized. He wasn’t a composer or a musician but rather an administrator.
there is no steady beat to the chants. They are meant to encourage pious
reflection. Based on the text rather than the music
Was a monophonic style with soloists sometimes alternating with unison choir.
The music was based on one syllable-one note.
Hildegard of Bingen - The Abbess of a convent with extraordinary intellect and
imagination
she advised Popes and kings, founded a convent and was a real renaissance
woman
naturalist and pharmacologist
wrote scientific books, poetry and other books
she was also a composer
we still have 77 chants that she wrote to be performed in her convent so it was
written for women.
The Renaissance
Began in Italy around 1350 but musical development didn’t begin till around 1475
people of the renaissance was inspired by ancient Greece and Rome. a great
deal of attentions and importance was placed on intellectual independence, and
personal achievement
Renaissance saw an new emphasis on:
Human worth
creativity
capacity so shape society
Music in the renaissance was all about contrast. Contrasts in:
tempo
texture
dimensions
the music had more:
voices
emotion
contrasts
attention to proportion and balance
Motet
like a chant it has a sacred text but it is performed by a choir with multiple lines. It
was sang by a choir a cappella.
It would have originally been sung by men only
It used latin text often from the Psalms and the textx were more vivid than those
used for a mass and often had a dramatical musical setting.
Jan 20, 2011
- in the renaissance period artists and musicians sought to achieve the balance,
realism, simplicity, and directness of classical period roman and greek art.
the Baroque period lasted about 150 years. It started at the end of the
renaissance 1600-1750
a group of Florentine philosophers thought that
polyphonic was a worthless diversion from true music practiced by the
ancients
text painting subverted the text-music relationship
the recovery of real music can be found in the art of oration
so need a way of sining that is much closer to speaking
wanted to keep harmony but get rid of all of the people singing at the
same time - accompaniment
the madrigal (secular polyphony) began to lose its status as the secular genre of
prestige by the beginning of the 17th C
some humanists believed polyphony to be an unnatural means of singing poetry
and advocated a style based on more solo, accompanied recitation
as instrumental music began to gain more cultural weight composers also started
to write specific instrumental parts for their madrigals.
at this time the Church was still using renaissance music so music change was
being driven by the secular musical tastes.
Solo singing - Monody involves a singer reciting poetry to the accompaniment of
a harp, harpsichord, lute or similar instrument
the accompanying instrument plays the basso continuo part, realizing
impoverished chords over a fixed bass line.
the representation of a single character by a single voice allowed for parts to be
more realistically portrayed on stage.
The Opera was invented at this time b/c it included all forms of art and it was
possible b/c of the monody.
the first opera (a theatrical production with music all the way through) was Dafne
(1598), with music by Jacopo Peri and text by Ottavio Rinuccini. The music for
this performance has been lost.
The first surviing opera is L’Euridice (1600) with music again by Peri. It was
performed at the wedding of Henry IV of France
Peri has become known as the founder of the Opera.
The Father of Opera is Claudio Monteverdi
started writing at a very young age. He worked in the court of the Duke of Mantua
where he composed L’Orfeo (1607)
Moved to Venice in 1613 for financial reasons, becoming the maestro di cappella
of St. Mark’s Cathedral.
After the first public opera house in 1637, he composed several works for it,
includding il ritorno d’Ulisse (1641) and L’incoronazione di Poppea (1642)
The Baroque Period was known for it’s flamboyant style
colossal proportions and extravagant
abundant decoration: virtuosity: highly ornamented
Energetic
dramatic contrast
Melody - sequences!
repetition of motives at higher or lower degrees
first appears in Baroque music
continues as a standard melodic procedure
Harmony - lots of supportive harmony
stable chords support melody
played basso continuo
tonality reduced to major and minor keys
Early Baroque Rhythm style
uniform in character
driving beat
propulsive rhythms
Colour - becomes extremely varied
traditional instruments perfected
new combinations explored
orchestra begins to take shape
terraced dynamics
contrasting loud and soft sections.
texture - predominantly homophonic
there were some polyphonc parts too
emphasizes top and bottom lines
voices are important
strings are important
standard forms start to emerge for baroque music
Basso ostinato common (Purcell, Strozzi)
Ritornello form emerges (Vivaldi)
Baroque composers liked forms that allowed for contrast
recitative and aria
ABA form arises (happens within the aria)
The biggest and best of the Baroque musical developments was the Opera!
Opera’s were:
performed in secular places (public or private)
it’s purpose was secular entertainment
fully dramatized (staging, costumes etc.)
subjects - classical mythology or ancient history
musical forms recitative, Arioso Aria, Chorus
accompanied by orchestra’s
Recitative - sounds like talking/action/speech
free, speech like rhythms
pitches follow speech patterns
continuo accompaniment
prose text
advances the action
dialogue
Aria - about emotion, more structured, regular rhythm, measured in triple time
- Some women singers, but more use of castrati to play male leads - high voices
were considered heroic
Henry Purcell (1659 - 1695)
composed in all genres and composed the first english opera.
British Composer and organist
Dido and Aeneas (1689) - One of the first operas written in English. Based on
Virgil’s Aeneid.
LISTEN TO VIVALDI FOR MIDTERM
2 20th C composers and beginning and end. Baroque in the middle.
Jan 27, 2011
program for next week
prelude will only have one colour and will be short - modern
the fugue will be huge - baroque
grande ouverture - is romantic. will be big and showy. the two movements
will have totally different characters. the second will be fast and majestic and the
first will be slow and smooth. (duple for both).
Soprano accompanied by guitar. a clarinet is playing to called an obligato.
should be playing an asian scale. homophony or polyphony.
Feb 3, 2011.
next week the genre is Jazz it can be free, standard, or original.
timbre - vibrato, growls, note bends or falls (glissandos)
altissimo - the saxophone has a high range and the altissimo is the highest part
of the range.
there could be a lot of space and colour in the music. Which was influenced by
Icelandic bands like Bjork.
genre can talk about where the music was supposed to be performed, who was
playing in it, or the style of the music.
Castrati were the rock stars of the Baroque period in Europe. To bad they had no
balls.
Castrati were often sold to Music schools and if the had any talent they were
castrated and would then go on to study music for the rest of their lives.
Late 18th C
Enlightenment Flourished
also called the age of reason
pursuit of truth, natural law - for it’s scientific advances, social justice,
equality, tolerance, freedom of speech
Vienna becomes the new “It” place for music in Europe.
it is the age of good living, public concerts and was prompted and supported by
the middle class
composers started to write music for public concerts and make careers of it.
Emperor Joseph II
An enlightened ruler who
emancipated peasants
furthed education
reduced power of clergy
pushed for freedom of speech
Vienna had artistic patrons, great teachers (Beethoven, Mozart) and many
musicians living in the city
music changed as people wanted natural pleasing music.
This new music was called Classical - more plain, austere, simply and inspired
by the Greeks and Romans.
it is the opposite of Baroque music.
more play w/ dynamics
larger orchestras
clear memorable tunes
very logical
balanced
question and answer
music is usually homophonic
composers started to use set forms/genres more frequently so that audiences
know what they are listening to.
these set formulas have
set musical formulas
repetition and return
transitions b/w themes
genre has connotations for:
quality of musical style
performing medium
place of performance
the newest and most popular form in the classical period was the symphony and
other genres (opera, concerto etc.) borrow ideas from the symphony.
the symphony was a large multi-movement work for orchestra that usually has
four movements.
opening movement - the part to make us think, complex but repetitive. In
sonata form. emphasizes contrast and development of many moods are
possible.
slow movement - the movement that makes us feel. Slow with a beautiful
melody, non standard form.
minuet and trio - something to make us dance and more active.
closing - fast to very fast, sonata or rondo form, light, tuneful, brilliant. A
catchy tune that sticks in your head.
Feb 10, 2011
for next concert use same form as last week.
Form in Classical Music
Form: a few standard forms regulate much of Classical music
Sonata Form
most important form of the classical era
common first and sometimes last movement of symphonies
new ways of handling contrasts b/w keys and themes
there are three parts to a a Sonata
Exposition (A) - it is the bridge that connects two themes. It makes us
comfortable with the two different themes.
- presents main themes of the movement
establishes conflict b/w two primary keys
is usually repeated.
Development
develops themes from exposition.
is very unstable - musical chaos
Retransitions - more traveling music
Recapitulation
very stable
we are taken back to the first theme and then more traveling music then the
second theme but it is in the same key.
Coda is an optional section at the end of recapitulation.
Mar 10, 2011
Cecilia’s Circle is a Baroque ensemble
2 basso continuo harpsichord and the viola du gamba
Romantic Small forms
compromised of Art songs, Character pieces (for piano often)
Beethoven was the doorway b/w classical and romantic. He got people to take
music as a serious art form not just as entertainment.
Romantic literature flourished 1800-1820
great age of poetry in England and Germany
Romantic lit was combined with new music to create a new form that aspired to
transcend understanding and traditions.
romantic lit and music was a rebellion against politics and society.
romantic themes
glorification of individual feeling
revolt
supernatural
macabre
freedom from artistic barriers
blending art forms (lit and music with art songs)
boundless quality of music
exile
Mar 18, 2011
musical forms 1st and 3rd movement of 2nd piece are in convoluted sonata form
watch/listen Chopin piano and Verdi opera (links in notes) for final.
A concerto is often a musical competition. They also have returnelo’s which
means to return and it is a section of the piece that keeps getting repeated
throughout the performance.
- Sprechtstimme is on exam check slides