MUSIC HISTORY TEST 2

Impresario

A person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays, or operas.

Cafés

Venues where café orchestras performed staples of opera arias.

Bel canto

A singing style characterized by beautiful tone and agile vocal technique.

Rossini crescendo

A musical technique of increasing the volume in successive phrases.

Ouverture

The orchestral introduction to an opera, often showcasing thematic material.

Opera buffa

A comic opera, popular in Italy, often featuring humorous situations.

Libretto

The text of an opera or other long vocal work.

Cabaletta

A fast, concluding section of an aria in Italian opera.

Cavatina

A simple, song-like aria, often expressing a single emotion.

Guillaume Tell

An opera by Rossini, noted for its themes of rebellion and spectacular elements.

Romantic ballet

A style of ballet that emphasizes emotion and the use of ethereal themes.

Grand opera

A large-scale opera with substantial emphasis on spectacle and a serious narrative.

Opéra comique

A style of opera that includes spoken dialogue and is often less serious than grand opera.

Mikhail Glinka

A composer known for his role in establishing Russian opera with works like 'A Life for the Tsar'.

Singspiel

A German opera with spoken dialogue, typically light in nature.

Diminished 7th chord

A chord built on minor thirds, often used to create tension and suspense.

Eugène Scribe

A librettist known for his contribution to the genre of grand opera.

Casta diva

An aria from Bellini's opera 'Norma', famous for its lyrical quality.

Arias

A solo vocal piece within an opera typically showcasing the singer's skill.

Censorship

The suppression of speech or communication considered objectionable or harmful.

Café orchestras

Small orchestras that played popular tunes in cafés, often including opera selections.

Gilbert Duprez

A tenor noted for his ability to sing high Cs in full voice.

Exoticism

In music, the use of elements from foreign cultures to evoke a sense of the 'other'.

Café

A setting where musical performances, including operas, were made accessible to the public.

Gemütlichkeit

A German term meaning a state of warmth and friendliness, often reflected in folk music.

European opera

A form of music theater that originated in Europe, encompassing various national styles.

Café orchestras

Groups performing light music in cafés, often showcasing popular operatic pieces.

Nationalism

A movement to assert national identity, often reflected in music and art during the 19th century.

Cultural nationalism

The promotion of national culture, often through music and arts, as a form of identity.

My Old Kentucky Home

A famous song by Stephen Foster, reflecting sentimental themes in American music.

L’elisir d’amore

A comic opera by Donizetti, known for its charming melodies.

Opéra

A form of theater that combines music, singing, and often dance.

Russian nationalism

A movement characterized by an emphasis on Russian history and culture in music.

Opera seria

A serious style of opera that often involves elevated themes and lyricism.

Chromatic harmony

Harmony that involves the use of notes outside the diatonic scale, creating tension.

Folklike melodies

Melodies that resemble traditional folk tunes, often incorporating cultural elements.

Café orchestras

Small orchestras performing in cafés, popularizing operatic arias among the public.

Spanish gypsies

Elements within opera that evoke exotic themes associated with gypsy culture.

Theatre d'Orleans

The main venue in New Orleans for the performance of operas from the 19th century.

American opera

The development of opera in the U.S., often influenced by European styles and themes.

Virginia Minstrels

One of the first minstrel troupes that helped popularize the form in the U.S.

Minstrel shows

A theatrical variety show featuring comic skits, dancing, and music, often blackface acts.

Jim Crow

A character in minstrel shows that perpetuated racist stereotypes.

Stephen Foster

A prominent American composer known for his parlor songs and minstrel show music.

A Life for the Tsar

An opera composed by Mikhail Glinka, often regarded as the inaugural significant Russian opera that showcases themes of national identity.

Norma

An opera composed by Vincenzo Bellini, renowned particularly for the exquisite aria 'Casta diva' that highlights the emotional depth of the character.

L’elisir d’amore

A light-hearted comic opera by Gaetano Donizetti, celebrated for its delightful melodies and humorous plot surrounding love and mistaken identities.

Guillaume Tell

An opera by Gioachino Rossini, distinguished for its themes of rebellion and featuring spectacular musical elements and a famous overture.

Choral Music

Music that is sung by a choir or a group of singers, often composed for amateur performers.

Amateur Status

Refers to the non-professional status of performers, considered less prestigious than professional orchestral music.

Oratorio

A large-scale composition for orchestra and voices, typically based on a religious theme.

Partsongs

Short choral works for two or more voice parts, which can be sung unaccompanied or with piano/organ.

Choral Society

An organization of singers, often amateur, who come together to perform choral music.

Berlin Singakademie

One of the first choral societies, established in Berlin, known for its participation of wealthy women.

Schubert

A composer known for his partsongs and contributions to the choral repertoire.

Festival

An event where singers from various regions gather to perform music, often centered on a particular composer or theme.

Handel and Haydn Society

A choral society founded in Boston in 1815 focused on the works of Handel and Haydn.

Cecilian Movement

A movement promoting a cappella performances of older choral works, focusing on purity of sound.

Shape-note Singing

A music notation system that uses shapes to indicate the pitches of notes, commonly used in religious settings.

Lowell Mason

An influential music educator in the U.S. known for introducing music into public school curricula.

Chamber Music

A form of classical music composed for a small group of instruments.

String Quartet

A musical ensemble of four string instruments, typically two violins, a viola, and a cello.

Mendelssohn

A composer celebrated for his chamber music and his Symphony No. 5, which incorporates themes of the Reformation.

Robert Schumann

A composer known for his contributions to piano trios and string quartets.

Clara Schumann

A pianist and composer, recognized for her innovative works and influence on chamber music.

Symphonic Conception

An approach to composition that treats chamber music with the seriousness traditionally associated with symphonies.

Nineteenth Century Orchestras

Orchestras expanded significantly in number and size during the 19th century, becoming central to public concert life.

Conductors

Individuals who lead and direct orchestras, becoming interpreters of the music by the mid-19th century.

Symphonic Forms

Traditional structures used in symphonies, including sonata form and variations.

Romantic Style

A musical style characterized by expressive melodies, adventurous harmonies, and emotional depth.

Symphonie Fantastique

A symphony by Hector Berlioz known for its programmatic elements and unconventional orchestration.

Hector Berlioz

A composer recognized for his innovations in orchestral music and his literary approach to composition.

Cyclical Symphony

A symphonic form that employs themes from earlier movements throughout the entire work.

Concert Overture

An orchestral work that serves as an introduction to a concert, often with a descriptive title.

Romanticism

An artistic movement emphasizing emotion, individualism, and nature, influencing music in the 19th century.

Classical Tradition

The body of music, styles, and practices that originated in the Classical period and continued into the Romantic era.

Solo Violin Concerto

A concerto featuring a solo violin accompanied by the orchestra, highlighting virtuosic playing.

Romantic Lyricism

A characteristic of Romantic music that emphasizes expressive melodies and emotional content.

Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra

An orchestra in Leipzig known for its repertoire and historical significance in concert music.

Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony

A symphony reflecting Mendelssohn's impressions of Italy, known for its lively themes.

Chamber Music Year

The period of 1842–43 during which Robert Schumann focused on composing chamber music.

Fingal's Cave

The name of Mendelssohn's overture inspired by the Scottish landscape and literature.

Piano Trios

A type of chamber music composed for piano, violin, and cello, showcasing interaction among the instruments.

Ritornello Form

A musical structure often used in orchestral music that alternates between a recurring theme and contrasting sections.

Sonata Form

A musical structure consisting of three main sections: exposition, development, and recapitulation.

Opera Overtures

Instrumental music that introduces an opera, often performed before the staged work begins.

Berlioz's Trois Concerts

A set of programs illustrating the diversity and richness of orchestral music in the Romantic era.

Lied

A term for a German song, particularly one for voice and piano, which became significant in the Romantic period.

American Tradition of Music Education

The development of music education in American schools, pioneered by figures like Lowell Mason.

Innovative Textures

New approaches to combining sounds within a composition, utilized by Romantic composers.

Ethical Values in Music

The emphasis placed on the moral and personal growth aspects of participating in musical activities.

Symphonies No. 1 & 2

Composed by Johannes Brahms, these symphonies exemplify the late Romantic style with rich orchestration and complex structures.

The Four Seasons

A set of violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi, characterized by programmatic elements that depict different seasons through music.

Eine kleine Nachtmusik

A serenade composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, known for its lively melodies and classical elegance.

Piano Concerto No. 1

Composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, this concerto is renowned for its emotional depth and virtuosic piano part.

Boléro

A one-movement orchestral piece by Maurice Ravel, known for its repetitive structure and gradual crescendo.

Rigoletto

An opera by Giuseppe Verdi, notable for its dramatic story and splendid arias, reflecting the characteristics of Italian opera.

The Nutcracker Suite

A ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, featuring well-known pieces like

Symphony No. 5

A symphonic work by Felix Mendelssohn that incorporates themes inspired by the Reformation.

Liederkreis, Op. 39

A song cycle by Robert Schumann, showcasing Romantic lyrical styles and emotional depth.