Elements of Music and Historical Eras

Review of Exam Details

  • Review Test 1 Availability:

    • Date: September 13, 8:00 AM until September 27, 11:59 PM

    • Administered by ProctorU

    • Link available in announcements

  • Format: 51 Multiple Choice Questions

Elements of Music

Performing Ensembles

  • Choir:

    • Voice Types:

    • Soprano

    • Alto

    • Tenor

    • Bass

  • Orchestra:

    • String Instruments:

    • Violin

    • Viola

    • Cello

    • Bass

    • Woodwind Instruments:

    • Flute (and Piccolo)

    • Clarinet

    • Oboe

    • Bassoon

      • Double Reed Instruments:

      • Oboe

      • Bassoon

Brass Instruments

  • Instruments include:

    • Trumpet

    • Horn

    • Trombone

    • Tuba

Percussion Instruments

  • Pitched Percussion:

    • Timpani

    • Xylophone

    • Glockenspiel

    • Marimba

  • Unpitched Percussion:

    • Bass Drum

    • Snare Drum

    • Accessory Instruments

Miscellaneous Concepts

  • Timbre: Tone color of instruments

  • Mutes: Devices used to alter the sound of instruments

  • Bowed Instruments: Instruments which are played using a bow

  • Pizzicato: Technique of plucking the strings of string instruments

Musical Eras

Overview of Eras

  • Middle Ages

  • Renaissance

  • Baroque

  • Classical

  • Romantic

  • 20th Century

Middle Ages (450-1450)

  • Context of Absence of Education:

    • Affected all areas of life

  • Class System:

    • Nobility

    • Serfs

    • Church

  • Significant Church Influence

Gregorian Chant

  • Official Music of Catholic Church

  • Language: Latin

  • Musical Texture: Monophonic

    • (Contrast with Polyphonic and Homophonic)

  • Rhythm: Free Rhythmically

  • Hildegard de Bingen: Notable composer of this era

School of Notre Dame

  • Center of Medieval Music

  • Notable Composers:

    • Leonin

    • Perotin

  • Organum:

    • Earliest form of polyphony; one or more melodic lines added to Gregorian Chant

Ars Nova

  • Transition from Middle Ages to Renaissance in 14th Century

  • Machaut: Most prominent composer of this era

  • Introduction of Secular Music

  • Troubadors and Trouveres: French poets

  • Chanson: Type of French Song

Renaissance (1450-1600)

  • Characterized by a Rebirth and Advances in Education

  • Italy as Focal Point: Significant artistic developments

  • Church Influence:

    • Although still powerful, the Church lost unquestioned loyalty of people

    • Notable events: Reformation (Martin Luther), Counter-Reformation (Council of Trent)

  • Printing Press: Innovation by Johannes Gutenberg, which aided dissemination of music

Secular Vocal Music

  • Madrigal: A form that includes national tongue poems set to music, often about love, nature, and everyday life

  • Word Painting: A technique where music imitates the literal meaning of the words

  • John Farmer: Composer of "Fair Phyllis" as an example of a madrigal

Sacred Vocal Music

  • A cappella: Vocal music without instrumental accompaniment

  • Polyphonic: Characterized by imitation, sung in Latin

  • Motet: Sacred compositions, often about the Virgin Mary

  • Josquin: Notable work includes "Ave Maria"

  • Mass: Divided into Five Parts of the Mass Ordinary:

    • Kyrie

    • Gloria

    • Credo

    • Sanctus

    • Agnus Dei

  • Canctus Firmus: A fragment of Gregorian Chant used as the basis of the Mass

  • Palestrina: Influential composer related to the Mass structure

Baroque Era (1600-1750)

Characteristics

  • Characterized by Opulence in Arts

  • Opera: Emerged in early 1600's; intellectual music drama set to music, often based on Greek and Roman classics

Parts of Opera

  • Libretto: The text of the opera

  • Overture: Instrumental prelude to the opera

  • Aria: The most beautiful solo song within the opera

  • Recitative: A solo song mirroring the inflections of speech

Notable Composers

  • Claudio Monteverdi: First great composer of Italian opera (noted for "Orfeo")

  • Henry Purcell: England’s greatest Baroque composer, known for "Dido and Aeneas"

  • Johann Sebastian Bach:

    • Renowned as the greatest Baroque composer

    • Spent entire life in Germany; virtuoso organist

    • Known for Church Cantatas, which are based on chorales and intended as "sermons in music" in the Lutheran Church

Fugue

  • Definition: A polyphonic work based on a single theme, known as the subject

  • Complexity: Very intricate construction

  • Johann Sebastian Bach: Most famous composer of fugue, known as the "Master of the Fugue"

  • Count: Bach wrote fugues in all major and minor keys, totaling 48

  • Instrumentation: Many of his fugues were written for organ and harpsichord; however, the form was utilized in other ensembles including orchestras

George Frederic Handel

  • Biography: Born in Germany; studied opera in Italy; lived most of life in England

  • Oratorio: Similar musically to opera but based on Biblical stories and sung in the national tongue

  • Notable Work: "The Messiah"; includes choruses such as “Hallelujah” and “For Unto Us a Child is Born”

Baroque Instrumental Music

  • First era whereby instrumental music gained notable importance

  • String Dominated Orchestra: Incorporated woodwinds, brass, and percussion sparingly

  • Harpsichord: A keyboard instrument where strings are plucked with a quill

  • Concerto: Veered as a solo work accompanied by orchestra; structured in three movements: Fast/Slow/Fast

Antonio Vivaldi

  • Title: Italian composer and violinist, known as the "Father of Concerto"

  • Notable Work: "Four Seasons"