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MUSIC APPRECIATION — EXAM 2 COMPREHENSIVE NOTES

Exam Logistics

  • Format

    • 60 multiple-choice questions covering style periods from the Middle Ages → Romantic Period.
    • Several listening excerpts; each followed by an A / B / C / D item.
    • Exam opens Thursday under Assignments → Exam 2.
    • Timed: 65\text{ min} (open-book, but timer will not pause).
    • Instructor comment: “Most students finish well before time expires.”

  • Study Strategy Suggested by Instructor

    • Print the official study guide and annotate it while watching/rewatching lecture videos.
    • Instructor repeatedly says “this is on the exam” during lectures—treat those segments as high-priority facts.
    • Use the provided “Jeopardy!” style review (see below) to pre-test yourself.

“Jeopardy!” Review – Answers, Implied Questions & Context

(All items stated in the video as “The answer is …”; below, the first bold term is the answer you must supply on the test. Each bullet adds context, definition, and cross-references.)

Medieval & Renaissance

  • Gregorian Chant
    • Monophonic, Latin, free-meter sacred repertoire of the Roman Catholic Church.
    • Foundation of Western notation and modal theory.
  • Madrigal
    • Secular Renaissance part-song featuring word painting; often in vernacular Italian/English.
    • Connects to later Romantic interest in text expression.
  • Guido d’Arezzo
    • Credited with modern 4-line staff and solmization (ut-re-mi, ancestor of sol-f-la method).
  • Paris (Notre Dame)
    • Late-Medieval hub of polyphony; home of Léonin & Pérotin (organum, rhythmic modes).
  • Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
    • Masses regarded as the model of Counter-Reformation polyphonic purity.
    • Species counterpoint rules still stem from his style.

Baroque (1600-1750)

  • Baroque Period (style trait)
    • Characterised by elaborate, ornamental melodies; doctrine of affections; basso continuo.
  • Terraced Dynamics
    • Sudden jumps pp \rightarrow ff without gradual crescendo/decrescendo—result of harpsichord mechanics and concerto grosso textures.
  • Fast–Slow–Fast
    • Typical 3-movement plan of the Baroque Concerto (solo or grosso).
  • Recitative
    • Speech-like vocal style advancing dialogue in opera, cantata, or oratorio.
  • Chromatic Harmony
    • Use of chords outside the prevailing scale; Baroque composers (e.g.
      Monteverdi) began exploiting it for emotion.
  • Oratorio
    • Large-scale sacred work (usually biblical narrative) for soloists, chorus, orchestra; no staging.
  • Overture
    • Purely orchestral introduction performed before the curtain rises.
  • Cadenza
    • Soloistic fireworks near the end of a concerto movement; originally improvised.
  • Movement
    • Self-contained section of a larger work (symphony, concerto, sonata, etc.).
  • Antonio Vivaldi
    • “Red Priest”; composed \approx 500 concertos; led girls’ orphanage orchestra in Venice.
  • George Frideric Handel
    • Baroque master of opera seria and English oratorios (e.g.
      Messiah).
  • Jean-Baptiste Lully
    • Court composer for Louis XIV; codified French opera and father of ballet in the courtly sense.

Classical (1750-1820)

  • Joseph Haydn
    • Spent career with the Esterházy family (aristocratic patronage system).
    • Output: 104 symphonies, 68 string quartets → “Father” of both genres.
  • Classical Concerto Tempo Plan (re-emphasised): \text{Fast – Slow – Fast} remains standard.
  • Serenade
    • Light multi-movement “evening entertainment” piece; example: Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik.
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    • Died while composing his Requiem K. 626; project completed posthumously by Süssmayr.

Romantic (19th Century)

  • Art Song / Lied
    • Genre for solo voice + piano; intimate setting of poetry.
  • Franz Schubert
    • Prolific in the genre: \approx 600 art songs (e.g.
      Erlkönig).
  • Frédéric Chopin
    • Polish pianist-composer; oeuvre almost exclusively for piano.
    • Used rubato (flexible tempo) for expressive nuance.
  • Niccolò Paganini → Franz Liszt
    • Paganini’s violin virtuosity inspired young Liszt to become the greatest Romantic pianist and to innovate the symphonic poem.
  • Nationalism
    • Incorporating folk tunes, dance rhythms, or historical subjects from one’s own country; seen in Dvořák, Smetana, Grieg.
  • Antonín Dvořák
    • Directed the U.S. National Conservatory (New York) for 3 years (1892-95); wrote New World Symphony there.
  • Robert Schumann
    • Founded the periodical Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (New Journal of Music), championing Chopin, Berlioz, Brahms.
  • Felix Mendelssohn
    • Re-introduced Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (1829) → renaissance of Baroque master’s music.
    • Also founded the Leipzig Conservatory (1843), model for future music schools.
  • Giuseppe Verdi – Falstaff
    • Composed at age 79; his only successful full-length comic opera (opera buffa), adapts Shakespeare.
  • Richard Wagner
    • Creator of music dramas (Gesamtkunstwerk); Tristan chord and extreme chromaticism stretched tonality, influencing early 20th-century composers.

Other Key Individuals & Facts

  • Johann Sebastian Bach
    • Recognised primarily as the foremost organist of his day; later revered as composer.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven
    • “Ode to Joy” theme crowns Symphony No. 9; symbol of universal brotherhood.

Genres, Forms & Technical Terms (Flash Sheet)

  • Opera – Secular drama sung with orchestra, staging, costumes.
  • Music Drama – Wagnerian seamless opera; leitmotifs unify.
  • Symphonic Poem – One-movement programmatic orchestral work (Liszt).
  • Chamber Music – 1–8 players (string quartet, sonata duo, etc.).
  • Style Period Overview
    • Medieval → Renaissance → Baroque → Classical → Romantic.

Listening Portion – How to Prepare

  • Each track comes with a short multiple-choice question targeting a remarkable feature: instrumentation, texture, tempo, form, historical significance, or composer’s hallmark.
  • Instructor promises the clues are “pretty obvious” if you recall lecture commentary.
  • Suggested Method
    1. Re-listen to each required piece.
    2. Write one-sentence bullet on: genre, era, notable musical trait (e.g., “fugue subject in minor, pedal point, terraced dynamics”).
    3. Drill those bullets as audible flashcards.

Practical / Ethical Reminders

  • Even though the exam is open-book, manage the 65\text{–min} timer ethically—avoid over-reliance on searching notes.
  • Academic honesty policies still apply: no collaboration or dissemination of test content.