FINAL exam 3 MUA study guide

Trobador: medieval singer/songwriter that wrote in the courtly love tradition 

Art song: a setting of a poem to music

• Performed by one singer w/ accompaniment (usually piano)

• Often in a personal tone, first person is common (subjective experiences, emotions, reactions to events in the world, longing)

Classicism: European artists copied the ancient traditions of Greece and Rome and it also refers to enlightenment (science, logic, rational). An example of this would be Joseph hidden string quartet and Sancho’s music. Happened in the 1740s to 1800s.

Courtly love: unrequited love or devotion to someone who doesn’t share their devotion

Early music: instruments (ex:harpsichord and fortepiano) , voice types, genres/forms that are all non standard today (ex: middle ages)

Common practice era: a familiar style of music that we recognize and understand (ex: classical and romanticism music)

Chamber Music: recreational music 

• Private music performed at home

• Published for use among aristocracy and bourgeoisi (upper middle class) 

Salon: Salon was associated with women because they were in womens domain (their home)

Most women didn’t have access to education in medieval times so they learned through salons by talking to other professionals

Harpsichord: a keyboard that plucks the strings to make sound (like a harp or a guitar but activated via levels not fingers) 

Fortepiano: a keyboard instrument that uses a hammer to strike the string to make a sound (we use the whole word for early instruments and piano for later ones)

Symphony: music work for orchestra (strings, winds, brass, no voices) for a larger,public concert presentation

String quartet: a music ensemble that consists of two violins, a viola, and a cello (four instruments total)

Wind quartet: an ensemble consisting of a mixture of brass and woodwind instruments

The main features of romanticism are magic, mysticism, and personal freedom. Romanticism caused music to express courtly love and that became very popular. Beethoven helped pioneer Romanticism; wind and string instruments are also associated; Josephina Lang art song is an example “In the far distance”

Opera: a form of theatre music that often has a dramatic role taken by singers and it is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librettist (text used for an opera) that incorporates a number of performing arts such as acting, scenery, costume, dance, ballet, etc. It is typically performed at an opera house and accompanied by an orchestra or small musical ensemble

Digegetic: sounds that the characters and audience can hear (ex: dialogue, police sirens, walking sound effects, or a train rattling past)

Non-diegetic: Sounds that the characters can’t hear. It is used to communicate with their audience directly to emphasize mood and atmosphere. (Ex: narration, sound effects)

Underscoring: the use of music under dialogue to create an atmosphere or convey a theme

Aaba form: A musical form that is common;y used in classical standards, jazz, and sometimes in modern pop songs. It offers a balance between repetition and contrast, making it a versatile and appealing structure for songwriting

Minuet: a dance form that has had a lasting impact on classical music. Originating in the 17th century, the minuet has evolved through the baroque, classical, and romantic periods. Minuet served as a light, dance-like contrast to more serious movements in symphonies, quartets, ad sonatas. Composers like Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven incorporated the minuet into their works to showcase their ability to write elegant and balanced music

Participatory music:a type of music where everyone present is actively doing something: playing an instrument, singing or chanting, and/or dancing ex: campfire singign

Presentational music: There’s a clear divide between performers and the audience and audience members might dance or sing a lot, but they aren’t the focus. Ex: classical concert

Lute:a plucked string instrument popular in European music from medieval to the baroque periods

 Discuss three musical examples that demonstrate how music both reflected and shaped

society in different historical periods. Be sure to include musical features of the example

(what does the music sound like?) that connect it to a social norm or societal problem/

Institution.

In classicism, music shaped society by giving European women a chance to be more independent, have control over something, and give them an education through saloon’s. They were able to learn from different scholars and they influenced some of the musicians' work.An example of this would be “madame Briollion duet in C minor”. It was very popular for its unique timbre between the harpsichord and the piano. In romanticism, music expressed courtly love and that became very popular among society, and an example of this would be Jospehina Lang

S song “In the far distance”. Modernism was an artistic, cultural, and literary movement from the late 19th to mid-20th century that rejected traditional forms and embraced innovation, experimentation, and abstraction to reflect the complexities of modern life. It sought to capture new realities through fragmented narratives, emotional depth, and a focus on individual perception in a rapidly changing world.

• How has musical style changed over time? Give three specific examples (that we studied in

class) from different historical eras and discuss how the musical features of each example

demonstrate different uses of music and different aesthetic ideals.

In the digital era, 1900s to now, music style shifted from vinyls to Cds and players and consumers were attracted to the convenience and it changed the way consumers listen to their music. It also gives consumers the illusion of owning the music they listen to. Digital technology also made it easier to make a track sound “cleaner” by reverberation, eliminating perceived errors (breath, lipsmacks), and creating false acoustic spaces. This makes listeners accustomed to clear tracks that only exist in the virtual world. An example of the changes in music would be digital idol hatsune miku, which allowed other digital artists and performers to grow. In the modernism era, 1900 to 1990s, artists were trying to find unique ways to create music with different instruments. An example of this would be Jerry Goldsmith's Alien sequence that created an eerie, unsettling feeling and gave the audience a glimpse of what to expect from the film. The Middle ages 450 to 1450 involved early flutes and instruments not used today; this era expressed courtly love. An example of this would be Comtessa di dia “A chantar” that expresses yearning for a lover that doesn’t share your devotion.

• How have different creators used music to enhance multi-media experiences? Choose

three examples that demonstrate different techniques or philosophies in film, musicals, and/

or video games, and discuss how the musical features (what the music sounds like) affect

the experience of the consumer/viewer. (What does the music add or do, and how?) At

least two of the examples must be works that we discussed in class this semester.

Different creators have used music to enhance multimedia experiences by creating “cleaner” tracks with less error, creating false acoustic spaces, and using reverbnation to make certain tunes stand out. An example of using digital technology would be Bjork’s biophilia album that had a “game-like” aesthetic and is a very good representation of avant garde. Another example would be how digital media can transcend time and space by creating live holographic concerts with deceased celebrities such as Tupac or Michael jackson. This could make the viewer very nostalgic. Another example would be Hatsume miku, a digital Japanese idol, but a cultural phenomenon, blending music, technology, and fandom in ways that have influenced pop culture, particularly in Japan, but globally as well. Her continued evolution as a virtual idol speaks to the growing possibilities of virtual performers and digital artists.

LISTEN AND WRITE DOWN THE DIFFERENT MUSICAL EXAMPLES FROM SG LIST

5 elements:

Melody and Harmony

Time (meter and tempo)

Texture: how the “parts” relate to each other/how they interact

Ex:you have melody and harmony and an instrument accompanying it; it’s not the star of the show. 

Timbre:who’s playing what and how are they used

Form: how all the other elements are organized (repetition and variation)

Pitch:high or low musical note sounds 

-how fast the sound waves are moving to produce sounds (frequency)

Melody(tune): a line of pitches that the listener hears as a single tune

-gave shape, direction, length, topography (jaggedness) and melodies also have form repetitions that make them memorable and variations that keep them interesting

Harmony: describes chords, overall pitch environment dissonance and resolution

Difference between harmony and pitch???

Dissonance: when two pitches seem to create tension

Consonance: harmonious sounding together of pitches

Rhythm: how long a note or sound lasts

Tempo: fast/slow a pace sound

(Tempo and rhythm go together and have a direct relationship ex:faster pieces use shorter rhythms and slower pieces use longer rhythms)

Meter:How those durations (rhythms) are organized into larger units

Example of meter???

Texture: how the parts interact with each other

• Homophonic: means “same sound” (melody and accompaniment)

• Polyphonic: meaning many sounds

Accompaniment: supporting part of a voice 

Timbre: the quality of sound and how they help us distinguish sounds from another

• can describe different singing styles (soprano, alto, bass,baritone)

Form: how all the other elements are organized (repetition and variation)

MUA 1930 required assessment questions:

• In any society, how does musical style change over time?

(It’s shaped by changing political, intellectual, social, and economic forces.)

• How did a composer’s career prospects evolve over the course of the Classical era?

(Public concerts and publishing increased, so composers depended less on

patronage and the church.)

• In the Romantic era, composers developed a new view of themselves and their compositions.

What was this view?

(As inspired artists composing to fill an inner need for creativity and expression,

not just to get paid.)

• How did composers of the early twentieth century reflect world events in their music?

(By experimenting with new musical materials like atonality, polyrhythms,

polychords, and electronic music. The person who wrote this question things that

this reflected “extreme” social, political, and economic changes.)

• What role does music play in a society?

(Non-verbal communication of various sorts; advances the development of

individuals and societies as well as expressing cultural identity; and it prompts

physical, emotional, and behavioral responses in listeners.)