MUS & SOC Final Study Guide

note or pitch

a musical tone or sound

dynamic

the loudness or softness of a sound

rhythm

the ordered flow of music through time

melody

a series of notes that are recognizable or “singable” in a piece of music

harmony

several tones sounding at once, at least 2 notes make up a harmony

monophony

a musical texture consisting of a single melodic line without accompanying material, as in Gregorian chant

Polyphony

two or more independent voices heard simultaneously. linear movement emphasized

homophony

music in which voices move together providing a harmonic accompaniment

binary form

a musical form consisting of two parts, A and B

ternary form

a musical form consisting of three parts A-B and A-prime (prime means A with some minor changes)

Gregorian chant

a specific type of plainchant that all Roman Catholics were encouraged to learn to “unify” people across lands. a myth was created to encourage those to learn the chant, which was that a Dove from the Heavens sang the music to Pope Gregory for Catholics to learn

Hildegard Von Bingen

a nun and polymath who we know to be one of the earliest composers (quite remarkable especially given her gender and the power imbalance at that time)

secular music

music performed outside of the church, often featuring instruments

sacred music

music for the church, only for voice. the objective was for the song to aid in prayer. it was thought to be a sin to enjoy the music more than the meaning of the words. as composers pushed the boundaries of music, the church wished for music to stay simple so as not to detract focus from the text and it’s meaning

Council of Trent

a series of meetings of leaders of the Roman Catholic Church (1545-1563) to discuss church reforms following the Reformation.the decisions generated the Counter-Reformation (Catholic-Reformation)

Counter-Reformation

a Catholic reform movement launched in response to Martin Luther’s Ninety-five Theses (1517), which criticized Church practices, especially the sale of indulgences and papal authority, and led to the rise of Protestantism, while the Catholic Church reaffirmed its doctrines and established new orders such s the Society of Jesus

baroque

“Misshapen pearl,” originally used to criticize the ornate. detail and heightened contrasts of the style, before becoming the name of the period itself

opera

a long-form, secular piece of music which is staged and performed with singers and an orchestra. This began with the Florentine Camerata, a group of Italian intellectuals who sought to revive ancient Greek theater, which they mistakenly thought was sung instead of spoken. This is where the first operas were born.

Recitative

a form of “singing speech” in which the rhythm is dictated by the natural inflection of the words . Think of it as “talk singing”

Aria

a song for voice and instrumental accompaniment

Arioso

a half-way point between Recitative and Arias (Half “talk-singing” half “sung”)

Oratorio

an extended sacred choral work made up of recitatives, arias, and choruses, without costuming, stage action, or scenery.(A passion is a type of Oratorio, specifically about the crucifixion of Jesus)

Claudio Monteverdi

an italian composer widely regarded as the father of opera, whose works bridged the renaissance and baroque periods and include L’Orfeo (1607), one of the earliest and most celebrated operas (which adapts the same greek tragedy as the broadway musical Hadestown)

cantata

a choral work, short (15-30 min) can be sacred or secular (although usually sacred during this period) and frequently built on a chorale tune, combining aria, recitative, chorus, and instrumental accompainment

Johann Sebastian Bach

a German baroque composer regarded as one of the greatest in Western music history, who wrote many cantatas, chorales, but no operas

movement

a musical section

George Frideric Handel

A German-British Baroque composer best known for his operas, oratorios, and orchestral works, including the oratorio Messiah (Hallelujah!) which has been continuously performed since it was written (over 300 years!)

passion

oratorio that is specifically talking about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ

Fugue

a polyphony musical form which emphasizes independence of the voice. music has a subject which is stated in all voices, and features lots of counterpoint/contrapuntal movement

subject (of a fugue)

a musical theme which is repeated in every voice during the first section of the fugue

counterpoint

a musical technique that features voices which maintain their own distinct melodic independence while sounding simultaneously

sonata

a musical form that has three or four contrasting movements. one of the two prominent forms of this era (along with the Fugue)

Antonio Vivaldi

an Italian Baroque composer and virtuoso violinist best known for his set of violin concertos (The Four Seasons), which helped establish and popularize the concerto form

concerto

a work for one or more solo instruments and orchestra

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

An Austrian Classical composer who was a child prodigy widely considered one of the greatest musical geniuses in history, known for his extraordinary output across opera,symphony, and chamber music, including The Magic Flute and his unfinished Requiem

sonata form sections (single-movement)

exposition, development, and the recapitulation

exposition

the first movement of sonata form where the themes are initially presented

development

the second section of sonata form where the themes “develop” through various procedures

recapitulation

restates the themes from the first section

themes and variations

a musical form that separates a theme from consequent sections which “vary” the theme through various procedures/transformations

symphony

a sonata for the orchestra

Franz Joseph Haydn

An Austrian Classical composer often called the “Father of the Symphony” and “Father of the String Quartet” for his role in developing and standardizing those forms, and a major influence on both Mozart and Beethoven

string quartet

a piece of music for two violins, viola, and cello - popularized by Haydn

Ludwig van Beethoven

German composer who went deaf later in life. wrote “Ode to Joy” and “Moonlight Sonata”