Praxis 5116 - Part 1: Medieval through Classical Periods

Medieval Period dates

476-1400

Medieval composters

Mochaut, Leonin, Perotin, Dufay, de Vitry

Characteristics of medieval music

Secular and sacred; Gregorian chant; evolved with the development of organum

Organum

Early polyphony based on plainsong

Plainsong

Sacred musical chant

Secular

non-religious music for entertainment or dancingS

Sacred

religious music used for MassG

Gregorian chant

monophonic and unaccompanied; named after Pope Gregory; melismatic; no set meter; developed in the 9th and 10th centuriesM

Melismatic

one syllable is held over many notes

Troubadours and trouveres

12th and 13th century poets and musicians; first secular music to be notated (only pitches, not rhyth,s)

Mass

Catholic service; main driving force of music in the Medieval and Renaissance periods

Motet

Short piece of sacred choral music; typically polyphonic and unaccompanied; major musical form of the Medieval and Renaissance periods that emerged from medieval organum and clausulae

Clausula

13th century polyphonic genre featuring 2 strictly measured parts

Renaissance period dates

1400-1650

Renaissance period composers

Dufay, Palestrina, and Byrd

Medieval Motet vs. Renaissance Motet

Renaissance introduced imitation, homophony, and 4-part harmony to the motet

Polyphony

Several, distinct melodic lines at once with independent rhythmic moves

Homophony

several voices/parts, but elodic interest is in one part

Monophony

centers on a single melodic line with no accompaniment

Baroque period dates

1600-1750

Characteristics of the Baroque period

fast movement, ornamentation (lots), dramatic alterations of tempo/dynamics, expressiveness; basso continuo (figured bass) prominent, modes replaced by major/minor key system, many different forms used (binary, fugue)

During the Baroque period, modes were replaced by ____________

the major/minor key system

Binary form

a musical form consisting of 2 units (A and B) constructed to balance and complement each other

Basso continuo

A continuous bass line that provided an underlying structure for the harmonies and was usually played by the cello or bassoon or the double bass and keyboard

Form

the structure of a piece of music (eg, prelude, fugue, sonata, cantata, concerto)

Ornamentation

heavily used in the Baroque period; consisted of embellished notes of a musical line; rarely written out by composers but improvised by performers; trills, mordents, and grace notes

Famous composers of the Baroque period

Claudio Monteverdi, Arcangelo Corelli, Antonio Vivaldi, J. S. Bach, Henry Purcell

Choral prelude

Composition for organ (Baroque)

Fugue

imitative polyphonic composition with repeating themes

Classical Period dates

1750-1830

Characteristics of the Classical period

Contrast of mood; rhythm; texture; melody; dynamics; the piano; the end of basso continuo

Composers of the Classical period

Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven

4 movements in classical form

1) Fast, 2) Slow, 3) Dance-related, 4) Fast

Forms of classical music

Symphony, string quartet, sonata, opera, solo concertos

Two types of opera

Opera buffa and opera seria

Sonata

Composition with several movements for instrument (not sung), often with piano accompaniment

Musical genres in development order

Motet → opera → string quartet → symphonic poem

Sonata form

3 main sections: 1) Exposition, 2) development, 3) recapitulation

Exposition (sonata form)

Introduces initial subject; initial subject is introduced in the tonic key, while the second subject is typically in the dominant or relative minor

Development (sonata form)

introduces tension, demands resolution; tension builds until the recapitulation

Recapitulation

repeating; reinstated with a shortened version of intial subject and second subject; back int he tonic key

Classic symphonic form

four movements; 1) fast, sonata allegro form, 2) slow, ABA or theme and variations, 3) dance, 4) rondo or sonata rondo

Rondo form

Classical form with at least 3 statements of the refrain (A) and at least 2 contrasting sections (at least B and C); placement of the refrain creates symmetrical pattersns such as aBACA, ABACABA, or even ABACADA