MUSIC 120

"The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra"

Britten

"Alleluia, O virga mediatrix"

Hildegard of Bingen

"Gaude Maria Virgo"

Notre Dame School

"Ave Maria"

Josquin

"Fair Phyllis"

Farmer

"Dido and Aeneas"

Purcell

"'Spring' Concerto"

Vivaldi

"Wachet auf!"

Bach

"Messiah"

Handel

"Eine kleine Nachtmusik"

Mozart

"'Surprise' Symphony"

Hadyn

"'Joke" Quartet"

Hadyn

"Don Giovanni"

Mozart

"Fifth Symphony"

Beethoven

"Elfking"

Schubert

"Symphonie fantastique"

Berlioz

"'Revolutionary' Etude"

Chopin

"September"

Hensel

Form

The organization of all the parts of a musical composition

Pulse

A stream of equally spaced beats

Tempo

Speed of pulse

Meter

Grouping of strong and weak beats

Downbeat

First beat of group, strongest beat

Harmony

The simultaneous sounding of different pitches

Chord

Combination of pitches, the basic unit of harmony

Consonance

Stable or pleasant harmony

Dissonance

Unstable or unpleasant harmony

Note

The smallest unit of melody

Pitch

How "high" or "low" a note sounds

Frequency

Speed of vibration, determines pitch

Melody

A succession of pitches that form a whole

Phrase

Part of a melody, like a clause in a sentence

Cadence

The resting point of a phrase

Texture

The relationship between the different voices in a piece of music

Monophony

Texture with a single melody

Homophony

Texture with melody and accompaniment

Polyphony

Texture with more than one independent melody

Timbre

Tone color, the distinctive sound of each instrument or singer

Four Families of the Orchestra

Woodwind, brass, string, and percussion

Woodwind Family

Clarinet and saxophone

Brass Family

Trumpet and tuba

String Family

Violin and cello

Percussion Family

Timpani and snare drum

Liturgy

Set readings for the church year

Mass and Divine Office

Main divisions of Catholic liturgy

Melisma

Many notes sung to a single text syllable

Texture of Notre Dame Polyphony

Cantus firmus and organum

Cantus Firmus

A chant melody sung very slowly by lowest voice

Organum

Faster new melody added above the cantus firmus

Renaissance

A movement during the 15th and 16th centuries that aimed at the rebirth of ancient Greek and Roman culture

Point of Imitation

The standard technique of Renaissance polyphony, in which each voice takes turns stating a motive

A Capella

Voices without instruments

Madrigal

A secular piece for solo voices

Text-Painting

Music that depicts images in a text

Libretto

The text, or lyrics, of an opera

Recitative

Speech-like song, which advances the plot

Aria

An elaborate musical piece, which expresses the character's emotions

Dramatic Function of Recitative

To move the plot forward

Dramatic Function of Aria

To express emotion and reflect on the plot

Basso Continuo

A continuous bass line with improvised chords

Ground Bass

A bass line that keeps repeating throughout an aria

Tonic

The first note of the scale

Dominant

The fifth note of the scale

Triad

A chord with three notes, the basic unit of tonal harmony

I, V

Triads built on the tonic and dominant

Key

The pitch of the tonic

Modulation

Moving between keys

Movement

Section of a larger work with a clear beginning and end

Concerto

A work for solo instruments and orchestra, usually in three movements

Ritornello

An orchestra section that frames the solo sections

Ritornello Form

Alternation of the orchestra ritornello with solo sections, in which the solo sections modulate to different keys

The Cantata in Lutheran Liturgy

Came before the sermon, like a musical sermon

Cantata

A work for voices and orchestra, usually religious

Chorale

A Lutheran hymn

Bar Form (AAB)

The typical form of the Lutheran chorale

Chorale Cantata

A cantata built around a single chorale

Four Formal Schemes in the Opening Movement of "Wachet auf!"

Ritornello, cantus firmus, points of imitation, and bar form

Opera Seria

Serious heroic opera of the 18th century with noble characters and virtuosic singing

Coloratura

Ornamental melismas to show off the voice

Castrato

A male singer with a female voice, the hero in opera seria

Da Capo Aria

The standard form in opera seria, ABA

Oratorio

A, usually, sacred work for orchestra, chorus, and soloists

Enlightenment

An 18th-century movement that aimed to extend science and reason to every aspect of human life and culture

Characteristics of the Galant Style

Homophony, pleasure, periodicity, and tonal drama between I and V

Minuet

Most noble dance of 18th century, in triple meter

Binary Form

Two halves, first half modulates from I to V, second half stays in I

Sonata Form

Expanded binary form with two key areas

Key Areas of Sonata Form

Exposition, development, and recapitulation

Exposition

First theme in I, second theme in V

Development

Free section, develops ideas from the exposition

Recapitulation

A repeat of the exposition, except both themes stay in I

Medial Caesura

The break in the middle of the exposition that signals the arrival of the new theme or key

Symphony

An orchestral work in four movements

Symphony Movements

Fast (sonata form), slow, minuet and trio, and fast

String Quartet

Work for two violins, viola, and cello, with the same order of movements as symphony

Sonata

Work for a solo instrument with three or four movements

Rondo

Form with a returning theme and contrasting episodes (ABACA)

Opera Buffa

Comic opera with everyday characters and social mobility

Mozart's Reform of Opera

Broke down distinction between recitative and aria, bringing the action into the "static" musical numbers

Dramatic Expression in "La Ci Darem La Mano

Echoing measures that decrease in length as characters get closer, a wave-shaped melody that expresses wavering between emotions, and shifting tempos as Zerlina gives in