Unit 3 Music History

Classical work

Has lasting value despite older age

When was the classical music period?

1750-1800(1820)

What is the main texture of classical music?

Homophonic

Classical era

Multi-movement work in three or four movements

What are the three main sections of sonata form?

1.) Exposition

2.) Development

3.) Recapitulation

Exposition

Contains two themes with a connecting bridge in the middle

Development

Manipulates themes or parts of themes (motives), modulations change tonal center

Recapitulation

Restates exposition themes and bridge

Both themes in original key

Coda

Small ending section sometimes added at the end

Who led standardization?

Johann Stamitz

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Born in Salzburg, Austria

Child prodigy

Toured Europe until 15 years old

Settled in Vienna in 1781

Who created the K #626 catalogue system?

Ludwig von Kochel

Concerto

Work with a featured performance

Only one individual performer in classical era

The solo performers gained popularity

Cadenza

Mainly improvised solo passage usually at the end of a work with no orchestral accompaniment

Trill

Signaled to the conductor that the orchestra can resume playing

Double exposition

Instead of repeating the exposition like standard sonata form, composers wrote one exposition for orchestra and one for soloist

Chamber music

Small ensemble with one player per part

2-9 instrumentalists

Commissioned by wealthy patrons for performances in palace chambers

Intimate seating, communication by gesture, each player easily heard

Which genre became the most important chamber genre of the classical era?

String quartet

Which instruments comprise a string quartet?

2 violins, 1 viola, and 1 cello

Franz Joseph Haydn

Lived mostly in Vienna, Austria

Well known educator

Court musician for the wealthy Esterhazy family

Wrote “The Bird”

What type of music did classical composers focus on?

Instrumental

Which classical composer made the most vocal works and composed very famous operas?

Mozart

What are the three genres of classic opera?

1.) Opera seria

2.) Opera buffa

3.) Singspiel

Opera seria

Italian serious opera

Opera buffa

Italian comic opera

Singspiel

German comic opera with spoken dialogue

Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro”

Opera buffa

Written about the servants and mocked the nobility

Who did Beethoven study under?

Haydn

Who was the most influential musician ever?

Beethoven

Beethoven

Born in Bonn, Germany

Haydn wanted Beethoven to study in Vienna at age 12

Deaf and recluse at last decade of life

He didn’t write music very easily/fast

Very well respected by aristocracy

Never had patronage

What were the three eras of Beethoven?

1.) Early (until 1802)

2.) Middle/Heroic (until 1814)

3.) Late (until 1827)

Cyclic form

Musical technique involving multiple sections with a re-occurring theme/melody that serves as a unifying device

Rondo

A musical form where the main section (A or Refrain) is contrasted with different sections

A B A C A

Minuet and trio

A three part musical form that follows A B A

A is the minuet

B is the trio

Scherzo and trio

A lively piece of music in a larger piece of music

Means “joke” in Italian

Follows A B A

A is the scherzo

B is the trio