Renaissance to Romantic Music History: Key Genres, Forms, and Composers

What were the most popular Renaissance dances in France?

Pavane, galliard, and basse danse.

What was the chorale?

The most important genre of Lutheran music, usually a hymn sung by a congregation.

During what period did the composer Palestrina live?

The Renaissance period (c. 1525-1594).

What was the Concerto delle donne?

The first famous all-female professional vocal ensemble, established in Ferrara, Italy, in the late 16th century.

What is monody?

One main melody accompanied by instruments, rather than multiple independent melodies.

Where and when were the first operas produced?

In Florence, Italy, around 1600, at the Medici court.

What were intermedi?

Musical and theatrical intermissions performed between the acts of a play.

What was the stile rappresentativo?

A dramatic vocal style that falls between singing and speaking, used in early opera.

Where and when did the first public opera theater open?

Venice, Italy, in 1637.

Who was Girolamo Frescobaldi?

One of the most influential composers of 17th-century keyboard music.

What is an oratorio?

A large religious musical work for soloists, chorus, and orchestra, usually with a narrator and performed without staging.

What is a da capo aria?

An aria in ABA form, where the opening section returns after a contrasting middle section.

What was the structure of a Corellian sonata?

Four movements arranged slow-fast-slow-fast.

What is the typical structure of a Baroque concerto grosso?

Three movements arranged fast-slow-fast.

Who composed The Four Seasons?

Antonio Vivaldi.

What is ritornello form?

A musical structure that alternates between a recurring orchestral refrain and contrasting solo sections.

What is tragédie lyrique?

A French form of serious opera that combines music, drama, dance, and spectacle.

Who composed Dido and Aeneas?

Henry Purcell.

Who were the castrati?

Male singers who were castrated before puberty to preserve their high singing voices.

Who was Johann Sebastian Bach?

A German Baroque composer and organist known for his fugues, cantatas, concertos, and other influential works.

What are the two main musical ideas in a fugue?

The subject (main melody) and countersubject (a contrasting melody that accompanies the subject).

What does the term Classical refer to in music?

The influence and emulation of ancient Greek and Roman art, culture, and ideals.

Who was the main patron of the arts during the Classical period?

The aristocracy, including wealthy nobles and royal courts.

What was one of the major musical centers during the 18th century?

Vienna, Austria.

What is opera buffa?

Italian comic opera, often featuring everyday characters and humorous situations.

What is French comic opera called?

Opéra comique.

What was the standard structure of a Classical symphony in the late 18th century?

Four movements, usually with the first movement in sonata form.

Which composer made the most significant contribution to the early development of the string quartet?

Joseph Haydn.

When and by whom was the pianoforte invented?

Around 1700 by Bartolomeo Cristofori in Italy.

What is a Singspiel?

A German comic opera that includes spoken dialogue between musical numbers.

What were the querelles des bouffons?

A debate in France between supporters of Italian opera and supporters of French opera.

What was John Gay's The Beggar's Opera?

An example of English ballad opera, a form of comic opera using popular songs.

What is opera seria?

Serious Italian opera, usually featuring heroic or mythological characters and dramatic stories.

In what form is the first movement of Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550?

Sonata form.

What are the three main sections of sonata form?

Exposition, development, and recapitulation.

What is minuet and trio form?

A three-part structure (ABA) consisting of a minuet, a contrasting trio, and a return to the minuet. Each section generally uses binary form.

What is rondo form?

A musical form in which the main theme returns between contrasting sections, commonly ABACA.

What is sonata form?

A musical structure consisting of exposition, development, and recapitulation.

Where did Haydn begin his early musical career?

At the Esterházy court in Austria, where he worked for the wealthy Esterházy family.

Who wrote the librettos for Mozart's operas Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, and Così fan tutte?

Lorenzo da Ponte.

Which important composer did Mozart meet in Vienna?

Joseph Haydn.

Who completed Mozart's Requiem Mass?

Franz Xaver Süssmayr, one of Mozart's students.

How many symphonies did Beethoven compose?

Nine symphonies.

What is a German lied?

A German art song written for solo voice and piano.

What is program music?

Instrumental music that represents or describes a story, scene, event, or idea.

Which city was an important center for music during the 19th century?

Paris, France.

What is absolute music?

Music that does not represent a specific story, scene, or outside subject; it is appreciated for its musical elements alone.

Which composer was important in the development of the German lied?

Franz Schubert.

What did Romantic artists tend to emphasize?

Feelings, emotions, imagination, individual expression, and nature.

Who composed the Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64?

Felix Mendelssohn.