music appreication

concerto

music composition written got one it more solo instruments accompanied with an orchestra

chamber music

form of classical music written for a small instrumental ensemble, ranging between 2-10 players with one player per part and no conductor

disjunct

a melody with wide leaps and rapid changes in directions

conjunct

a melody that moves mostly by step in a smooth manner

harpsichord

keyboard instrument where pressing a key causes an internal mechanism to pluck the strings rather than strike them with hammers

melody

main then of a song that you easily remember, hum, or sing along to

range

distance between lowest and highest pitch a voice or instrument can play

shape

physical direction a melody takes as it moves across pitches over time (ascending/descending)

movement

self-contained part of a musical composition

improvisation

spontaneous creation of music in real-time (baroque era)

syllabic

one note sung on each syllable of the text

tone

specific musical sound/pitch, sound quality, or interval between notes

pitch

how high or low a song is perceived by the human ear

gregorian chant

official music of the roman catholic church (chant music) named after pop gregory the great and is sacred (religious) sung in latin. it is monophonic (a single melodic line. all singers perform the exact same notes together in unison sung in a cappella)

medieval era 476-1450

fall of the roman empire, referred to as the “middle ages” because it’s between ancient greece and rome and renaissance, roman catholic church was the most influential institution on all classes and the leader in all things sacred

renaissance 1450-1600

french for “rebirth”, luminaries sought to revive the arts and sciences of the ancient greeks and romans, more secular society prioritizing realism, scientific inquiry, and education

artists of renaissance

michelangelo (his famous sculpture “david”) and raphael, leonardo da vinci. the art was natural and realistic with a greater emphasis on the human form. a greater contrast of light and dark and the use of perspective

rhythm

specific pattern of sounds, silences, and note lengths that happen over a stead underlying pulse. the way the music is organized in respect to time

texture

the number of melodic lines, the relationship of musical lines. monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic m

monophonic/monophony

music consisting of a single melodic line without accompaniment

homophonic

music in which a melody is concentrated in one voice (one melodic line) and is provided with a subordinate accompaniment

polyphonic

music that combines two or more melodic lines. each line is independent and equally important. rounds/canons

consonant/consinance

stable sounding chords/harmony. feels complete and finished. combination of notes that sound stable, pleasant, and at rest

dissonant/dissonance

clashing tones/harmony. notes that sound harsh, tense, or unstable when played together. creates tension making you feel like the notes need to move/change

handel

baroque eras remembered for his oratorios. born in germany. well-traveled composer and composed in a variety of instrumental and vocal genres: italian and german operas, english oratorios and more. director of the royal wcademny of music in london and a beloved composer of tbe royal family.

handel’s messiah

sacred oratorio in three parts for chorus, orchestra. and soloists. taken from the old abd new testaments (hallelujah chorus i think)

oratorio

large-scale vocal genre in several movements set to biblical or sacred text. performed without sets or costumes. almost identical to an opera including arias, recitatives, large choruses, duets, and more. they have characters and plot but no sets/costumes

tempo

the speed at which the best is played

ritonrnello

a recurring instrumental section in music that alternates with contrasting or episodic sections

recitative

style of singing thats usually accompanied by a small section of the orchestra also known as basso continuo and its rhythms are speech-like, happen between a few characters like dialogue of sung by a soloist. much of the plot happens here

a capella

unaccompanied singing with one or two in each part. only the human voice no instrumental accompaniment

chorus

large group of singers who perform together or in a song is known as the hook/main feature of a song and is repeated multiple times

aria

dramatic vocal solo with orchestral accompaniment and is found in operas. mkre emotional laments on the action

organum

earliest polyphonic genre and is created by taking a pre-existing chant melody and adding another voice above or below

word painting

musically highlighting a word to illustrate the text ex: ascending scale on the word heaven or descending scale or unexpected dissonance on the word sorrow. close relationship between music and words (renaissance)

movements

a subsection or independent section/piece of a larger work (a symphony is divided into movements)

concerto

a composition for a soloist or group of soloists with an orchestra, generally in three movements with fast, slow, and fast temps. the leading form of large ensemble orchestral music being composed in the baroque. concerto grosso pairs small ensemble with an orchestra and solo concerto pairs a soloist with an orchestra

opera

large-scale musical drama thats sung to orchestral accompaniment involving coal soloists, chorus, orchestra, costumes, and scenery. it is sung entirely, no spoken dialogue.

baroque suite

french for sequence. very popular in mid to late baroque period can be written for one instrument or a full orchestra in several movements. consists of four international dances that were played in succession.

motet

polyphonic vocal genre, usually set to a latin sacred text. most important genre of sacred music in renaissance.

counter reformation

1530’s in response to martin luther, the catholic church launched this movement that emphasized a return to traditional value. the catholic council of trent (1545-63) oversaw changes in the church

vivaldi

virtuoso violinist, write 300+ concertos (composer), nicknamed “the red priest”, wrote four seasons

monteverdi

italian composer, baroque era, father of opera, composed sacred and secular genres. music director for st. mark’s in venice for 30 years. wrote orfeo opera ab the greek mythology of the most gifted musician and his love for his wife

chord

simultaneous sounding of three or more pitches; can be dissonant or consonant

harmony

simultaneous combination of notes to form chords and the progression of these chords ww they accompany the melody

interval

distance in pitch between any two pitches

the cathedral of notre dame

composers from here wrote many of our earliest organum pieces. leonin: wrote “the great book of organum”, music for the entire church year in polyphony. perotin studied leonin’s polyphonic commotion and expanded organum to three and four part harmonies

ave maria virgo serena

motet, sacred, latin, and polyphonic. written by josquin desprez

form based on repetition

the return of something musically familiar

form based on contrast

the arrival of something musically different

english anthem

sacred composition with english text

madrigal

vente of secular music that fuses poetry and music and is written for multiple voices

hymn

sacred song of praises usually strophic and sung by congregation during a worship service

chant

monophonic and sung a capella, sung to sacred latin texts

chanson

french poem put to music. french for “song”

melismatic

long series of notes sung on one syllable of the text

neumatic

small series of notes sung on a syllable of the text

libretto

the text of an opera. sometimes operas are based from plays, books, novels, etc. italian for “little book”

imitation

musical technique of stating a subject in one voice (or music line) and represent it in another voice

canon (round)/imitation

melodies (or subjects) that imitate each other and repeat at intervals in different voices or melodic lines

fugue

a form written in an imitative contrapuntal style in multiple parts. based upon Their original tune (subject) subject is imitated and overlapped by the other parts called the answer, counter subject, stretto, and episode. perfected by bach during the baroque period