Appreciation of Music

Appreciation of Music
Review Pack
The final exam is cumulative and provides you an opportunity to demonstrate both your mastery of the
course objectives and your ability to synthesize the course material. The exam addresses the material in
the course objectives in a comprehensive manner.
I. Revised Required Listening and non-required listening with associated questions
See Table
Be able to identify the required pieces. In addition to this, be able to identify the stylistic period, genre,
and/or composer of music not on the required listening list (just as you have done on the previous tests).
Be able to identify instruments and/or ensembles (flute, symphony, string quartet, etc.).
II. Historical Stylistic Periods
Middle Ages 400-1450
Renaissance 1450-1600
Baroque 1600-1750
Classical 1750-1820/5
Romantic 1820/5-1900
Modern century 1900-
For each period, know: important composers, genres, trends, and compositional techniques; issues
specific to one period and issues that span multiple periods. Doing a timeline is helpful.
Music and the arts change from one age to the next, with each period having its own stylistic
characteristics. Even though musicians and artists within each period demonstrate individuality, when
viewed with the perspective of time, they all share certain qualities. The style of a particular period is the
total art language of all its artists, which sets it apart from other periods. The styles are in part a result of
the reaction of artists and musicians to the artistic, political, economic, religious, and philosophical
forces that shape their environment. As is the case with all arts, music is a human endeavor and is
closely related with the other arts, both affecting and being affected by the endeavors of artists in all
fields. “Everything affects everything, all of the time.” The twentieth century is somewhat unlike the
other stylistic periods, now seen to have several distinct styles, some of which occur at the same time.
This does, however, make it distinct and sets it apart from the other periods.
Middle Ages 400-1450
The music of most ancient civilizations is lost to the modern world. Our chronological survey begins
with the Middle Ages. The culture was dominated by the Church. Monasteries and convents were
important centers of learning and preservation of knowledge. The sacred forms of music, the Mass and
motet, are presented, beginning with Gregorian chant in the Mass, then the early polyphonic forms of
organum and the thirteenth-century motet. Secular music is present such as in the French Ars Nova
motet, as well as early instruments and instrumental dance music. Artwork mainly portrays religious
life (some civic life). Composers include: Hildegard of Bingen, Notre Dame composers, anonymous
composers.
Renaissance 1450-1600

The Renaissance is an era of intellectual awareness of past cultures and learning, exploration, scientific
inquiry, and artistic awakening. The increasingly secular focus is seen through the philosophical,
intellectual, and artistic developments of the era. Artists and writers found inspiration in the cultures of
ancient Greece and Rome. Music begins to be affected by the explorations of the New World, perhaps
showing the first instances of world music. Sacred music consists of the Mass and the motet and takes
place in the Church. Secular music-making takes places at the aristocratic courts, in the city, and at
home. Secular music consists of the chanson, the Italian and English madrigal, and instrumental dances.
Harmonies: modal. Texture: mainly imitative polyphony. A Capella singing. Fuller sound. Composers:
Josquin, Palestrina, Monteverdi (his early works), Farmer.
Baroque 1600-1750
The Baroque era is a turbulent time of change in politics, science, and the arts. Religious wars. Music is
a vehicle of religious expression in seventeenth-century colonial America. Elsewhere, music begins to
be performed in public theaters. The new musical style of monody emerges, developing in the genre of
opera. Later, polyphony comes back. The four major vocal forms are opera, cantata, Mass and oratorio.
Bach is representative of the Lutheran tradition and its service music, the cantata. Harmonies lean
toward major and minor tonality. Virtuosity and improvisation begin to arise, as seen in the realizing a
figured bass. There is an increased interest in faraway cultures. Rise in middle class begins. A rise of
instrumental music and independent instrumental forms took place, rivaling in importance to the vocal
forms. Instrumental genres include the trio sonata, concerto grosso, and the suite. Important keyboard
instruments are the harpsichord and the organ. Melody: continuous with wide leaps. Rhythm: steady
and energetic; freer in vocal music. Harmony: major-minor tonality established. Dynamics: terraced,
sudden changes. Emotions are exuberant and theatrical. Composers include: Bach, Handel, Vivaldi.
Classical 1750-1825
The eighteenth century is a period of refinement, order, objectivity, and proportion. There is a notable
rise in the middle class, continuing the trend in the Baroque. American and French Revolutions changed
political systems and social order, something that will figure prominently in the coming Romantic
period. The ideals of the Classical style are seen in the Viennese School of Haydn, Mozart, and
Beethoven. The music is characterized by lyrical melodies, diatonic harmonies, and regular rhythms.
Balance, order, restraint and symmetry are emphasized. Homophonic texture is dominant. Dynamics:
continuously changing, adding the crescendo and decrescendo. Music and musicians thrived at the
aristocratic courts, sponsored by the system of aristocratic patronage. Women found increasing
acceptance in the music world, notably as performers and teachers. Concert life in America developed.
Chamber music is important musical genre, such as string quartets, trios, serenades. The symphony is
the most important instrumental genre, as seen in those by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. The solo
concerto and solo sonata are other important instrumental genres, each generally with three movements.
The piano was favored, as was the violin. The three major choral forms are the Mass, the Requiem, and
the oratorio. Opera gains in importance, as seen in seria and buffa forms. Composers mainly wanted to
convey ideas and concepts, not emotions. The main musical audience was the aristocratic society.
Composers include: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven.
Romantic 1820-1900
The Romantic period was shaped in part by the social and political forces of the time. The Industrial
Revolution and the democratization of society on music greatly affected the arts, as did the impact of
nationalism and exoticism. The French Revolution led to a rise of a middle-class society. Poets and
artists abandoned traditional subjects, turning to the passionate and fanciful. Orchestras grew in size and
sound. Music moved almost exclusively from palace and church to the public concert hall. Middle-
class makes up a large part of the musical audience. Music conservatories were established across

Europe and the Americas. Music characterized by memorable melodies, expressive harmony, and
expanded forms. Chromaticism and dissonance intensify harmony. Many changes in tempo are found.
There was a rise of both the virtuoso musician as well as the amateur musician. The art song,
specifically the German Lied, is exemplary of the Romantic lyricism. There was a rise in popularity of
the piano, as well as greater technical improvements to it and other instruments. Program music
emerges as a nineteenth-century phenomenon, such as the program symphony and the symphonic poem.
Two absolute musical forms are the symphony and the concerto. Two instrumental forms are the
concerto and sonata. Four national styles of Romantic opera are the Italian style (Verdi), the German
music dramas (Wagner), and the French lyric (Bizet), and the post-Romantic Italian opera (Puccini).
Arias and Recitatives are the two vocal styles in traditional opera. Wagner does away with this style in
favor of a thorough-composed style, as well as with the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk “total art work.”
Composers conveyed emotions and mood. Composers include: Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann,
Chopin, Berlioz, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Wagner.
Modern 1900-present
The modern era is full of diverse artistic trends. Impressionism is the first new trend of the late 19th
early 20th century to show music can take a different direction, which contains parallel chords, ninth
chords and unresolved dissonances. Non-Western sounds also are characteristic. Music from all regions
of the world gains interest and popularity with classical composers. The lines between “high” art and
“low” art begin to blur as composers and audience members lose tolerance for musical class systems.
The early 20th century is characterized by a reaction against Romanticism and an interest in non-Western
music, especially rhythm. Other early trends were Expressionism, the Neo Classicism, Serialism, and
Primitivism. General traits of this period are more complex rhythms, a non-vocal melody, a highly
expanded harmonic language that eventually abandoned tonality, the emancipation of dissonance
(Schoenberg), a new textural conception of linear dissonance, a new orchestral sound, and an increased
interest in form. A new nationalism takes place, as seen in the Russian school (Prokofiev), the Eastern
European school (Bartok), and the beginnings of the American school (Ives, Copland). Jazz and Blues
emerge as truly American forms of music, created principally by African Americans. Gershwin infuses
jazz into his classical pieces. Musical theater becomes important, respected musical form. Modern
trends that take place include electronic music, minimalism, and indeterminate music. The use of non-
traditional or unusual techniques with traditional instruments (and voice) is explored. Composers
include: Strauss, Mahler, Debussy, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Copland, Reich, Adams.
III. Fundamental elements of music and terminology
Make sure you know the definitions of the basic musical elements and associated characteristics such as
what is listed below. Also be able to audibly identify them. Likewise, make sure you can identify the
instruments/ensembles/genres audibly.
Melody: A succession of single tones or pitches perceived by the mind as a unity. Horizontal aspect.
Rhythm: The controlled movement of music in time. Can be regular or irregular.
Harmony: The simultaneous combination of notes and the ensuing relationships of intervals and chords.
Vertical aspect.
Texture: The interweaving of melodic and harmonic elements in the musical fabric. Monophonic,
Homophonic, Polyphonic
Form: Structure and design in music, based on repetition, contrast, and variation; the organizing
principle of music.

Expression: Elements that shape a musical work, such as dynamics, tempo, and artistic liberties.
Octave: interval between two tones with same name, 7 diatonic pitches apart
Chromatic: all 12 half steps within an octave; a note not in a diatonic scale
Diatonic: music based on the seven tones of a major or minor scale
Chord: simultaneous combination of three or more tones; harmony
Dynamics: element of expression relating to degree of loudness or softness
Musical instruments grouped by families: Strings, Winds, Brass, Percussion, Keyboard.
Vocal genres and performing ensembles: opera, oratorio, cantata, lied, chant, etc.
Instrumental genres and performing ensembles: symphony orchestra, band, quintet (of various
instrumentations), string quartet, trio sonata, etc.Appreciation of Music
Review Pack
The final exam is cumulative and provides you an opportunity to demonstrate both your mastery of the
course objectives and your ability to synthesize the course material. The exam addresses the material in
the course objectives in a comprehensive manner.
I. Revised Required Listening and non-required listening with associated questions
See Table
Be able to identify the required pieces. In addition to this, be able to identify the stylistic period, genre,
and/or composer of music not on the required listening list (just as you have done on the previous tests).
Be able to identify instruments and/or ensembles (flute, symphony, string quartet, etc.).
II. Historical Stylistic Periods
Middle Ages 400-1450
Renaissance 1450-1600
Baroque 1600-1750
Classical 1750-1820/5
Romantic 1820/5-1900
Modern century 1900-
For each period, know: important composers, genres, trends, and compositional techniques; issues
specific to one period and issues that span multiple periods. Doing a timeline is helpful.
Music and the arts change from one age to the next, with each period having its own stylistic
characteristics. Even though musicians and artists within each period demonstrate individuality, when
viewed with the perspective of time, they all share certain qualities. The style of a particular period is the
total art language of all its artists, which sets it apart from other periods. The styles are in part a result of
the reaction of artists and musicians to the artistic, political, economic, religious, and philosophical
forces that shape their environment. As is the case with all arts, music is a human endeavor and is
closely related with the other arts, both affecting and being affected by the endeavors of artists in all
fields. “Everything affects everything, all of the time.” The twentieth century is somewhat unlike the
other stylistic periods, now seen to have several distinct styles, some of which occur at the same time.
This does, however, make it distinct and sets it apart from the other periods.
Middle Ages 400-1450
The music of most ancient civilizations is lost to the modern world. Our chronological survey begins
with the Middle Ages. The culture was dominated by the Church. Monasteries and convents were
important centers of learning and preservation of knowledge. The sacred forms of music, the Mass and
motet, are presented, beginning with Gregorian chant in the Mass, then the early polyphonic forms of
organum and the thirteenth-century motet. Secular music is present such as in the French Ars Nova
motet, as well as early instruments and instrumental dance music. Artwork mainly portrays religious
life (some civic life). Composers include: Hildegard of Bingen, Notre Dame composers, anonymous
composers.
Renaissance 1450-1600

The Renaissance is an era of intellectual awareness of past cultures and learning, exploration, scientific
inquiry, and artistic awakening. The increasingly secular focus is seen through the philosophical,
intellectual, and artistic developments of the era. Artists and writers found inspiration in the cultures of
ancient Greece and Rome. Music begins to be affected by the explorations of the New World, perhaps
showing the first instances of world music. Sacred music consists of the Mass and the motet and takes
place in the Church. Secular music-making takes places at the aristocratic courts, in the city, and at
home. Secular music consists of the chanson, the Italian and English madrigal, and instrumental dances.
Harmonies: modal. Texture: mainly imitative polyphony. A Capella singing. Fuller sound. Composers:
Josquin, Palestrina, Monteverdi (his early works), Farmer.
Baroque 1600-1750
The Baroque era is a turbulent time of change in politics, science, and the arts. Religious wars. Music is
a vehicle of religious expression in seventeenth-century colonial America. Elsewhere, music begins to
be performed in public theaters. The new musical style of monody emerges, developing in the genre of
opera. Later, polyphony comes back. The four major vocal forms are opera, cantata, Mass and oratorio.
Bach is representative of the Lutheran tradition and its service music, the cantata. Harmonies lean
toward major and minor tonality. Virtuosity and improvisation begin to arise, as seen in the realizing a
figured bass. There is an increased interest in faraway cultures. Rise in middle class begins. A rise of
instrumental music and independent instrumental forms took place, rivaling in importance to the vocal
forms. Instrumental genres include the trio sonata, concerto grosso, and the suite. Important keyboard
instruments are the harpsichord and the organ. Melody: continuous with wide leaps. Rhythm: steady
and energetic; freer in vocal music. Harmony: major-minor tonality established. Dynamics: terraced,
sudden changes. Emotions are exuberant and theatrical. Composers include: Bach, Handel, Vivaldi.
Classical 1750-1825
The eighteenth century is a period of refinement, order, objectivity, and proportion. There is a notable
rise in the middle class, continuing the trend in the Baroque. American and French Revolutions changed
political systems and social order, something that will figure prominently in the coming Romantic
period. The ideals of the Classical style are seen in the Viennese School of Haydn, Mozart, and
Beethoven. The music is characterized by lyrical melodies, diatonic harmonies, and regular rhythms.
Balance, order, restraint and symmetry are emphasized. Homophonic texture is dominant. Dynamics:
continuously changing, adding the crescendo and decrescendo. Music and musicians thrived at the
aristocratic courts, sponsored by the system of aristocratic patronage. Women found increasing
acceptance in the music world, notably as performers and teachers. Concert life in America developed.
Chamber music is important musical genre, such as string quartets, trios, serenades. The symphony is
the most important instrumental genre, as seen in those by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. The solo
concerto and solo sonata are other important instrumental genres, each generally with three movements.
The piano was favored, as was the violin. The three major choral forms are the Mass, the Requiem, and
the oratorio. Opera gains in importance, as seen in seria and buffa forms. Composers mainly wanted to
convey ideas and concepts, not emotions. The main musical audience was the aristocratic society.
Composers include: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven.
Romantic 1820-1900
The Romantic period was shaped in part by the social and political forces of the time. The Industrial
Revolution and the democratization of society on music greatly affected the arts, as did the impact of
nationalism and exoticism. The French Revolution led to a rise of a middle-class society. Poets and
artists abandoned traditional subjects, turning to the passionate and fanciful. Orchestras grew in size and
sound. Music moved almost exclusively from palace and church to the public concert hall. Middle-
class makes up a large part of the musical audience. Music conservatories were established across

Europe and the Americas. Music characterized by memorable melodies, expressive harmony, and
expanded forms. Chromaticism and dissonance intensify harmony. Many changes in tempo are found.
There was a rise of both the virtuoso musician as well as the amateur musician. The art song,
specifically the German Lied, is exemplary of the Romantic lyricism. There was a rise in popularity of
the piano, as well as greater technical improvements to it and other instruments. Program music
emerges as a nineteenth-century phenomenon, such as the program symphony and the symphonic poem.
Two absolute musical forms are the symphony and the concerto. Two instrumental forms are the
concerto and sonata. Four national styles of Romantic opera are the Italian style (Verdi), the German
music dramas (Wagner), and the French lyric (Bizet), and the post-Romantic Italian opera (Puccini).
Arias and Recitatives are the two vocal styles in traditional opera. Wagner does away with this style in
favor of a thorough-composed style, as well as with the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk “total art work.”
Composers conveyed emotions and mood. Composers include: Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann,
Chopin, Berlioz, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Wagner.
Modern 1900-present
The modern era is full of diverse artistic trends. Impressionism is the first new trend of the late 19th
early 20th century to show music can take a different direction, which contains parallel chords, ninth
chords and unresolved dissonances. Non-Western sounds also are characteristic. Music from all regions
of the world gains interest and popularity with classical composers. The lines between “high” art and
“low” art begin to blur as composers and audience members lose tolerance for musical class systems.
The early 20th century is characterized by a reaction against Romanticism and an interest in non-Western
music, especially rhythm. Other early trends were Expressionism, the Neo Classicism, Serialism, and
Primitivism. General traits of this period are more complex rhythms, a non-vocal melody, a highly
expanded harmonic language that eventually abandoned tonality, the emancipation of dissonance
(Schoenberg), a new textural conception of linear dissonance, a new orchestral sound, and an increased
interest in form. A new nationalism takes place, as seen in the Russian school (Prokofiev), the Eastern
European school (Bartok), and the beginnings of the American school (Ives, Copland). Jazz and Blues
emerge as truly American forms of music, created principally by African Americans. Gershwin infuses
jazz into his classical pieces. Musical theater becomes important, respected musical form. Modern
trends that take place include electronic music, minimalism, and indeterminate music. The use of non-
traditional or unusual techniques with traditional instruments (and voice) is explored. Composers
include: Strauss, Mahler, Debussy, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Copland, Reich, Adams.
III. Fundamental elements of music and terminology
Make sure you know the definitions of the basic musical elements and associated characteristics such as
what is listed below. Also be able to audibly identify them. Likewise, make sure you can identify the
instruments/ensembles/genres audibly.
Melody: A succession of single tones or pitches perceived by the mind as a unity. Horizontal aspect.
Rhythm: The controlled movement of music in time. Can be regular or irregular.
Harmony: The simultaneous combination of notes and the ensuing relationships of intervals and chords.
Vertical aspect.
Texture: The interweaving of melodic and harmonic elements in the musical fabric. Monophonic,
Homophonic, Polyphonic
Form: Structure and design in music, based on repetition, contrast, and variation; the organizing
principle of music.

Expression: Elements that shape a musical work, such as dynamics, tempo, and artistic liberties.
Octave: interval between two tones with same name, 7 diatonic pitches apart
Chromatic: all 12 half steps within an octave; a note not in a diatonic scale
Diatonic: music based on the seven tones of a major or minor scale
Chord: simultaneous combination of three or more tones; harmony
Dynamics: element of expression relating to degree of loudness or softness
Musical instruments grouped by families: Strings, Winds, Brass, Percussion, Keyboard.
Vocal genres and performing ensembles: opera, oratorio, cantata, lied, chant, etc.
Instrumental genres and performing ensembles: symphony orchestra, band, quintet (of various
instrumentations), string quartet, trio sonata, etc.