RCM HIstory 10

a cappella

vocal music without instrumental accompaniment

the Affections

Baroque philosophy inspired by ancient Greek and Roman writers, refers to emotional states of the soul

agréments

a french term for an ornament or embellishment

aria

a solo song with accompaniment, heard in an opera, oratorio, and cantata; highly emotional and often virtuosic

Ars Nova

14th century treatise written by Phillippe de Vitry recognizing the existence of 5 note values, introducing 4 time signatures and the system of binary and ternary form; “New Art”

ars nova style

“New Art”; used in reference to French music of the 14th century; involved greater complexity in melody, harmony and rhythm and included use of isorhythm, hocket, musica ficta

augmentation

compositional procedure in which theme is presented in longer time values; often twice as slow as original; frequently used in fugal writing

ballett

Italian for “little dance”; 16th century strophic song type; generally in simple dancelike style; often included “fa-la-la” refrains

Baroque

Portuguese “barroco”: an irregularly shaped pearl; referred to the overly ornate art of the era and applies to architecture and music of the 17th and early 18th century

bas

French for “low”, indicating a low levle of volume; medieval indoor instruments such as: dulcimer, lute, psaltery, rebec, recorder, vielle

basso continuo

Baroque performance practice requiring 2 performers: 1 playing notated bass line and 1 realizing the harmonies indicated by figured bass

binary form

2-part form (AB) in which each section repeats; common in Baroque dances and keyboard pieces

cadenza

a solo passage found in concertos and arias; either improvised by soloist or composed in an improvisatory style; displays virtuosity of soloists

canon

a strict type of polyphonic composition in which each voice enters in succession with the same melody

cantata

a multi-movement choral work; either sacred or secular; for soloists, chorus, and orchestra; consists of choruses, arias, recitatives and ensembles

cantus firmus

Latin for fixed song; borrowed from Gregorian Chant or another composition; used in the lowest voice as the basis for a new polyphonic composition

castrato

male soprano/alto voice used in the 17th and 18th centuries for heroic roles; subjected to a surgical procedure before puberty to prevent their voice from changing

chamber music

ensemble music for up to ~10 players with one player per part; performed without a conductor

chanson

French polyphonic “song” of he Middle Ages and Renaissance with improvised accompaniment; secular song with French text

chorale

Baroque congregational hymn harmonized for 4 voices; moves by step or narrow leap; used as a basis for many genres

chordal declamiation

texture comprised of chords in which the pitches sound simultaneously (all voices move together in same rhythm)

chromaticism

from Greek khroma: to colour; melodies and harmonies that include any of the notes available within the octave, in either tonal or modal context

Classicism

adheres to principles of symmetry, balance, and proportion; emphasis on excellence, enduring value, and timeless quality

clausula

self-contained, polyphonic section within discant-style organum; often based on single word or syllable; highly melismatic

clavecin

French term for harpsichord

concertino

small group of solo instruments featured in Baroque concerto grosso

concerto

Latin “concertare”: to debate or collaborate; multi-movement orchestral work based on principle of contrast; usually in 3 movements, displaying virtuosity of soloist(s)

concerto grosso

Baroque orchestral work based on opposition between concertino and ripieno; usually in 3 movements

consort of instruments

an instrumental ensemble of usually 2-8 players in 16th-17th century England; “whole” consorts have all instruments from the same family; “broken” consorts have mixed instrument combos

Council of Trent

series of meetings of the highest Catholic Church officials in 1545-63 in Trento, Italy; the condemned “Protestant heresies” and reaffirmed doctrines of Catholicism; made recommendations regarding liturgical music: clear and audible text, simple counterpoint, only organ allowed, secular cantus firmus banned, virtuosity avoided

counterpoint

the art of combining 2 or more melodic lines into a single texture

Counter-Reformation

reform movement in the Catholic Church in mid 1500s in attempt to win back support and regain political power and authority; included formation of the Council of Trent

da capo aria

most common type of Baroque aria in ABA form; return of section A is generally ornamented; common in opera, cantata, oratorio

discant style

style of organum in which both voices move at approximately the same speed with “note against note” movements

double

in Baroque French keyboard music, term used for an embellished version or variation of a dance/movement

double exposition

in the 1st movement of Classical solo concerto, double statement of the theme: once by orchestra and once by soloist

dulcimer

a stringed instrument with a wooden sound box; strings are struck with small hammers producing a delicate sound

Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments

treatise by CPE Bach that discussed the musical practices of the mid-18th century; helped establish the Classical keyboard technique

estampie

one of the earliest Medieval dances; involves elaborate body movements; danced by couples

figured bass

Baroque musical shorthand in which numbers placed below the bass line show the harmonic progression; provides structure for guided improvisation; performed/realized by basso continuo

Fitzwilliam Virginal Book

collection of nearly 300 English keyboard words from early 17th century, compiled by Francis Tregian; demonstrates idiomatic approach to keyboard writing with virtuosic rapid scales, ornamentation, novel figurations

Florentine Camerata

ground of Florentine writers, artists and musicians who aimed to resurrect the musical dramatic art of ancient Greece; music must heighten the emotional power of text; led to the invention of opera

Franco-Flemish School

during 15th century, French musicians who traveled widely to spread musical language throughout Western Europe

fugue

Latin “fugere”: to flee; highly structured Baroque imitative contrapuntal composition based on a single theme

gradual

4th section of Proper Mass with texts based mainly on Psalms; generally melismatic and performed in a responsorial style

Gregorian chant

form of plainchant, sacred liturgical music of the Roman Catholic Church with Latin texts; modal, monophonic melodies with unmeasured rhythm

ground bass

Baroque compositional device with continuous repetition of a short melody, over which free variations occur; often provided basic structure of Baroque aria

harpsichord

a keyboard instrument through which sound is generated by small quills inside the instrument that pluck the strings

haut

French: high; indicating a high level of volume; Medieval outdoor instruments such as: cornetto, crumhorn, sackbut, shawm

heterophony

one basic melody is played in several voices at the same time, each playing the melody differently (through tempo, rhythm, embellishment, etc.); one part plays the original melody; added voices are often improvised

hocket

French for “hiccup”; rhythmic and melodic technique used in Ars Nova style; two voices combine to create a single melody, one resting while the other sings

homophonic

musical texture with a single melody with chordal accompaniment

homorhythmic texture

all voices sing the same rhythm resulting in chordal/homophonic texture; of coupled with syllabic text setting, technique delivers the text clearly with listener’s attention drawn to top voice

hornpipe

a lively triple meter dance of English origin; originally associated with sailors

idiomatic writing

compositional style that highlights unique technical capabilities of an instrument; opposite of “generic”; developed in the late Renaissance and Baroque

imitative counterpoint

type of polyphony associated with Renaissance style; passing a theme/motive from one voice to another

improvisation

creation of a musical composition while it is being performed

isorhythm

compositional device perfected in Ars Nova; melodic patterns are combined with rhythmic patterns: since they’re not the same length, they over lap rather than coincide at the same time

Le nuove musiche

Italian for “The New Music”; collection of works by Florentine composer Giulio Caccini containing examples of the monodic style; contains musical examples and ordinary descriptions of monody

libretto

text/script of an opera, oratorio or cantata as prepared by a librettist; often based on a play, novel, or episode in history

lute

a plucked instrument of Middle Eastern origin having a rounded body and frets; its delicate sound served as an ideal accompaniment to the voice

madrigal

Renaissance secular vocal genre from the 16th century; based on an intimate relationship between poetry and music; featured vivid word painting; originated in Italy, but became popular in England after 1588

Mass

most important service in Roman Catholic Church church service; consists of texts that vary according to the church calendar and texts that remain the same

Mass Ordinary

unchanging prayers of the Mass: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sancus, Agnus Dei

Mass Proper

texts that vary according to the church calendar: Introit, Gradual, Alleluia, Offertory, Communion

melismatic text setting

many notes per single text syllable; most elaborate and florid form of text setting

modes

scale or sequence of notes used as the source for melodies in Middle Ages and Renaissance; generally referred to by original Greek names

modified sonata form

abbreviated sonata form which contains an Exposition and Recapitulation but no Development; developed by 18th century composers

monody

“one song”; vocal development in early Baroque by the Florentine Camerata; a single vocal melody heard above a simple instrumental accompaniment; allowed for greater expression of emotion and clarity of text

monophonic

musical texture with a single line of melody without harmony or accompaniment

monothematic exposition

in sonata form when theme 2 is a transposed version of theme 2; frequently used by Haydn

morality play

Medieval, religious drama written to teach righteous, upright values

motet

French “mot”, meaning the addition of new texts to existing music; sacred or secular vocal composition with or without instrumental accompaniment from 13th to 16th century

Musica enchiriadis

an anonymous treatise written ~900 AD, containing the earliest forms of 2-voice parallel organum

Musica transalpina

Latin: Music beyond the Alps; complied by Nicholas Yonge; first printed collection of Italian madrigals translated into English, sparking an interest for English madrigals

musica ficta

Latin: false music; used in performances of late Middle Ages and Renaissance music; performers raised or lowered pitches by half step to avoid undesirable intervals

numatic text setting

2 to 4 notes per single text syllable

neumes

earliest form of notation in Western art music; small

nonsense syllables

characteristic feature of English madrigals when syllables without meaning are sung (eg “fa-la-la”, “nonny-nonny-no”)

notes inégales

French: unequal notes; performance practice associated with French music of 17th and 18th century; notes with equal written time values are performed with unequal values often lengthening 1st note value and shortening the 2nd

Notre Dame School

late 12th to early 13th century compositional school from Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral; earliest known composers of vocal polyphony who wrote organum which moved in contrary motion; used organal and discant styles and rhythmic modes; wrote the Magnus Liber Organi (Great Book or Organum)

opera

Italian: work; from around 1600, secular music drama generally rung throughout; features dramatic solo arias, duets, ensembles, recitatives and choruses with orchestral accompaniment; contains costumes, acting, ballet and scenery

opera buffa

Italian comic opera, sung throughout with same features as opera seria; stories featured more realistic themes with down-to earth characters, fast-paced plots, farce and sexual innuendo

opera seria

Italian: serious opera; sung throughout and based on historical or mythological subjects

oratorio

large-scale work for soloists, chorus, orchestra; based on serious subjects, generally using stories from the Bible; features choruses, arias, recitatives, ensembles in a concert setting (without costumes, acting, scenery)

ordre

French: “suite”; series of harpsichord or instrumental ensemble pieces in the same key; coined by Couperin

organal style

organum in which notes from the original chant are sung in the lower voice in long note values while upper voices move freely and rapidly above; sometimes called “sustained note organum”

organum

earliest kind of polyphonic music that developed from adding voices above a plainchant (9th to 13th century); early styles featured perfect intervals with parallel motion; later styles had independent melodic parts with greater variety of intervals

overture

orchestral work preceding an opera or oratorio, frequently in sonata form; composers frequently quoted themes that would be heard later in the opera

plainchant

monophonic texture, modal melodies with narrow melodic range; unmeasured prose rhythm

points of imitation

imitative counterpoint with a series of thematic entries; motive/theme is passed from one voice to another

polyphonic texture

multi-voiced musical texture in which 2 or more independent melodic lines are heard simultaneously

polytextuality

2 or more texts heard simultaneously in a composition, characteristic feature of the 13th century motet

psaltery

an ancient stringed instrument with a trapezoidal wooden sound box; plucked with the fingers or plectrum

recitative

speech-like, declamatory style of singing used in operas, cantatas, oratorios; follows inflections of text, resulting in rhythmic flexibility; usually used for dialogue and to advance the plot

recitativo accompagnato

Italian: accompanied recitative; used in opera, oratorio, cantata; speech-like, declamatory style of singing accompanied by orchestra

recitativo secco

Italian: dry recitative; used in opera, oratorio, cantata; speech-like, declamatory style of singing supported sparsely by continuo

Reformation

16th century Christian reform movement in Europe led by Martin Luther; started with his list of protests “95 Theses” (objections to questionable practices in the Roman Catholic Church); resulted in formation of many new Protestant denominations and churches

Renaissnace

French: rebirth; time period from 1450-1600 in European history; time of continued change and development in musical style

responsorial singing

performance style in which a solo voice (verse) alternates with the chorus (respond)