Study Guide for Music Exam 2: Baroque to Classical Periods

Baroque Period

Period from 1600 to 1750 characterized by love of drama, religious intensity, and grandiose dimensions.

Patronage system

System where composers had to please patrons, prevalent in both classical and Baroque periods.

Improvisation

Spontaneous creation of music, important in Baroque music.

Homophony

Musical texture where one melody predominates, used in Baroque music but polyphony predominates.

Polyphony

Musical texture consisting of multiple independent melodies, predominating in Baroque music.

Metrical rhythm

Steady and metric rhythm in music, typically in 2/4, 3/4, or 4/4 time.

Motor Rhythm

A rhythmic pattern that creates a sense of forward motion in music.

Major/minor keys

The system of tonal organization that became predominant in Baroque music.

Terraced dynamics

A style of dynamics in music where volume levels shift abruptly rather than gradually.

Oratorio

Lengthy work for voices and orchestra, new in the Baroque era, consisting of recitatives, choruses, and arias.

Recitatives

Expressive vocal passages in oratorio that follow natural speech rhythm and are sparsely accompanied.

Aria

Fully accompanied vocal solo in oratorio, cantata, or opera, reacting to the action of the drama.

Chorale

Hymn for Lutheran Church.

Cantata

A shorter work than an oratorio, containing recitatives, choruses, and arias, performed in worship service.

Opera

A play that is sung throughout, including voices, roles, libretto, staging, costumes, and scenery.

Dido and Aeneas

An opera by Henry Purcell, featuring Dido's Lament, an aria.

Ostinato

A repeated musical phrase or rhythm, also called ground bass.

The Suite

A collection of stylized dance music, usually written for keyboard instruments.

Sonata

An instrumental work for one or a few instruments.

Concerto Grosso

A composition contrasting a small group of soloists with a large group, typically in three movements.

Fugue

A musical form characterized by imitative polyphony, featuring a subject and countersubject.

Toccata

A virtuoso keyboard work that is highly dramatic.

Classical Period

Period from 1750 to 1820 marked by simplification of Baroque complexity and the predominance of homophony.

Sonata Form

A structured musical form typically consisting of exposition, development, and recapitulation.

The Classical Symphony

Usually contains four movements with tempos Fast-Slow-Slow-Fast.

Double exposition

In a concerto, the exposition is repeated with the soloist playing the second time.

Cadenza

An unaccompanied soloist improvisation on themes from the movement.

Rondo form

A musical form characterized by the return of a theme at least two times, often structured as A B A C A.