Exam 1

The Medieval Era

• Western European classical music based on theoretical writings of Ancient Greece

• sacred - religious purpose ( later became art music )

• music remained mainly vocal genre until 1600

• chant - religious song

  • main sacred musical style

  • type of song

  • shorter to longer melodies

Monophonic texture - a melody, no background

• no distinct beat

• short

• unhurried

• A capella - just human voice, no instruments

polyphone - multiple melodies, performed simultaneously

Ancient Art (ars antiqua): 1150 - 1299

1st school of composers

• Leonin (1135-1201)

• Perotin (1200 - 1230)

Ars Nova - 14th century

• transition from sacred to secular styles

• rhythm - became more active

• harmony - used more progressively

• melodies - more contrasting rhythms

• melodies imitated themselves - counterpoint

• melodies overlapped, creating complexity

• the text sometimes got obscured

• text- the most important part

Motet - a vocal style for the chorus

• in france, “mot” means “word”

• a prominent motet composer - Petrus de Cruce

Madrigal - a vocal style for the chorus

• an italian style

• became a competitor to french music

• alot of repetition

• madrigal reflected the growing independence of arts from church

• more metrical and lively than motet

• from popular from 1350s into renaissance

• mass - a vocal style for the chorus for church service

  • in latin

  • most important sacred music literature was produced in mass form

  • a leading mass composer - Guillaume de Machaut (1300 - 1377)

The renaissance era - 1450 - 1600

• term given in 1855 by Jules michelet

• meaning - re discovering past

• “humanism”

• search for better

Unit 5 - Functional Music

• Gabrieli - orgnaist and choirmaster

  • searched and found new sonorities

  • his music fore shadowed the next era in music: Baroque period

Luthier - violin maker

stradivarious - best violin maker ever

Summary - Medieval and Renaissance periods

• musical types

  • sacred (in church

• styles( musical words)

  • chants - monophonic and free in time

  • mass +madrigal +motet = polyphonic (homophonic)

  • a capella style - voice only

  • 4 voices - soprano, alto, tenor, bass

  • renaissance period switched to homophonic

  • melody vs harmony

• composers

  • leonin + perotin in part (notre dame church)

  • machaut = composed the first multi movement work/mass

  • hosquin des prez, gabrielli (palestrina

• instruments/groups

  • consort = renaissance orchestra (instrumental) played dance music

  • instruments = recorders, gamba (cello), viols (violins) in various sizes

• composing techniques

  • imitations (4 voices), counterpoint (2 voiced competing) are writing techniques in harmony

The Baroque Era: 1600-1750

• definition of baroque

  • “baruecco” (portuguese) - a piece of stone with uneven proportions

• homophonic texture - melody is the most essential part of music

• emotion music

• Early part: 1600 to 1650 (experiments)

• later on: 1650 to 1700 (mutual agreement: new harmony, color, form)

• 10 baroque musical qualities

  • two tonality choices - major 🙂 and minor ☹

  • homophonic texture - melody +harmony lines/ sacred: polyphonic

  • strong bass line in major role along with melody

    • basso continuo walking bass/ figured bass: chord symbols

  • word painting - music conveys the mood, meaning of text

  • repetitions of musical materials - da capo aria

  • tension vs release - the use of dynamics / dramatic sound effects

  • recitative - speech like singing/ pronouncing the important text/ less metric in time

  • common time signatures - ¾ 4/4 2/4 6/8 3/8 9/8

  • vocal and instrumental words - more repertoire

    • instruments imitated the singing style

  • leading solo instruments - violin + harpsichord, organ

Four baroque music categories

• musical theater (secular) - opera

• church (sacred)

• concert music (secular) - large ensemble/ orchestra

• chamber music (secular) - small ensemble

Musical theater - opera / secular style

• emotional music

Church - sacred style

• there are 4 types of church music

  • cantala

  • oratorio

  • passion

  • mass

• aria - lyrical song

• type order of the movements of the cantata

  • intro by the instrument

  • recitative

  • solo singers

  • chorus

  • recitative

  • solo singer

  • final chorus

• oratorio

  • most famous example - Handel (messiash is the most famous)

  • longer in length

Concert music - secular

• wind instruments were added later part of baroque

  • oboe, flute, bassoon, trumpet, horns, timpani

• solo instruments

  • violin - plays melody

  • gamba or cello - plays bass line

  • harpsichord and organ - plays both lines

• alternating between solo and group playing

  • dynamics soft/loud

Trio sonata

• same music as the sonata with the added bass instrument - cell

• total 3 instruments

• keyboard music

  • music for organ and harpsichord

Famous baroque works

• four season - violin concertos by vivaldi

• fireworks - orchestra by handel

• canon - strings by pachelbel

• messiah - orchestra/choir by handel

• toccata and fugue - organ by bach

Famous baroque composers

• Germany - serious , intellectual

• France - ornamented, amusing, uses dance called ballet

• England - sophisticated, gentle, catch, and easy listening