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music midterm
Question | Answer |
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Describe the social structure of the middle ages | church dominate; musicians were priets-women not allowed to sing in churhc; social structure- clergy (high status), nobility (illiterate), peasants (illiterate) |
Why does history record so much sacred music from the middle ages? | Pope Gregory I organized it- it marks the fall of the roman empire--the ending of the medieval times into the renaissance |
What is plainchant (Gregorian chant)? | the official music of the Roman Catholic Church-monophonic ABA religious small collection of pitches |
Describe the properties of plainchant | anon: Alleluia Vidimus Stellam, not rythmic, latin, often monophonic-no strong beat, mostly in latin |
What is an estampie? | a medieval dance & an example of secular music from the middle ages |
How does estampie differ from plainchant? | plainchant was more churchy/solumn/slow music-estampie was not. |
What is organum? | the addition of one or more melodic lines to Gregorian Chant, polyphony |
Describe the evolution of organum | it's history came from the gregorian chant, melodies become more rich |
Who are Leonin and Perotin and what significant contribution did they make to musical history? | monks @ notre dame; Leonin got his education @ norte dame-his compositions were based on georgian chant, measured rhythm, melisma-multiple voice in mass on single melody, perotin: one of leonin's students- |
What does the word “Renaissance” mean? | "rebirth"-the activity, spirit, or time of the great revival of art, literature, and learning in Europe beginning in the 14th century and extending to the 17th century, marking the transition from the medieval to the modern world. |
What cataclysmic event helped usher in the Renaissance? | revival of greek & roman culture. the crusades- Many of the Crusaders passed through the Byzantine empire and came into contact with this Greek and Roman knowledge that had been preserved there. |
How did the social structure change in the Renaissance? | Christian society was held to have two aspects, the church and the state. These two aspects of Christian society were sometimes referred to as Christendom.-the church started to have power over the state |
What is Humanism? | intellectual movement focusing on human life & its accomplishments |
What is a madrigal? | renaissance music; a piece for several solo voices set to a short poem, usually about love |
What is word painting? | renaissance music; musical representation of specific poetic images |
Who composed Vesta? | Thomas Weelkes |
Who was the composer of Vesta-Thomas Weelkes, trying to impress? | Queen Elizabeth in 1601 |
Vesta is also called_____? | Daphine |
By what other names is Queen Elizabeth I described in this madrigal? | Oriana |
Baroque Texture | predominately polyphonic. vocal music often shifted texture from polyphonic to homophonic as the text demanded |
Baroque rhythm | repeated; unity of mood is conveyed primarily by continuity of rhythm; rhythmic patterns heard @ the beginning of a piece are repeated throughout it providing compelling drive & energy |
Baroque Unity of mood | this music usually expresses one basic mood: what begins joyful will remain joyful throughout, etc.. |
Baroque dynamics | constant volume ;volume tends to stay constant for a stretch of time; when dynamics do shift, the shift is usually sudden, like stepping from one level to another. |
What is a terraced dynamic? | sudden alteration between loud & soft |
Describe the basso continuo and the figured bass | combination of 2 instruments; an accompaniment made up if a bass part together w/ number (figures) which specify the chords to be played above it. ex: harp & cello |
What was the role of the musician in court life? | to provide entertainment to the kings, dukes, queens, etc |
What instrument family do you hear in Brandenburg Concerto #5? | string family & basso continum (harp)-all baroque music has this. |
What instruments do you hear in instrumental soloists? | harpsicord, violin, flute |
Has the texture changed in the instrumental soloists? how? | polyphonic |
Is the instrument family in Brandenburg #5 in a major or minor key? | major |
How would you describe the tempo of Brandenburg #5? | allegro, moderately fast |
Is Brandenburg #5 in duple or triple meter? | duple meter |
what is the texture of brandenburg #5? | homophonic |
Cadenza-purpose? what's wrong with it? | purpose-to show off soloist...problem: missing 2 soloists-only harp showing off |
What is a fugue? | a polyphonic composition based on one main theme called a subject. throughout a fugue, different melodic lines (or voices) imitate the subject- tonic, dominant, tonic, dominant..cloudy sounding |
What is a fugal exposition? | fugue opens with one main theme, the subject,[5] which then sounds successively in each voice in imitation; when each voice has entered, the exposition is complete |
Countersubject | a different melodic idea that accompanies a fugue subject |
stretto | the subject is imitated before it is completed; one voice tries to catch the other |
inversion of fugue | the pitches are presented upside down |
retrograde | the pitches are presented in reverse order (backwords) |
retrograde inversion of fugue | the pitches are presented upside down & backwards |
Augmentation/diminution | Statement of a motive in rhythmic durations that are proportionately doubled or halved. |
Opera | a staged play that is sung |
Recitative | action, moves plot- style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms of ordinary speech. |
Secco recitative,Accompanied recitative | is at one end of a spectrum through recitativo accompagnato (using orchestra..dry, accompanied by harp-monophonic |
Aria | a song for solo voice and orchestra. used to express emotional state of the characters |
Da Capo aria | musical form prevalent in the Baroque era. It was sung by a soloist with the accompaniment of instruments, often a small orchestra. |
Who is Henry Purcell? | composer-"young persons guide" English organist & Baroque composer of secular & sacred music. -composed dido & aeneas |
What is the plot of Dido and Aeneas? | an opera in a prologue and three acts by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell to a libretto by Nahum Tate.recounts the love story of Dido, Queen of Carthage falls in love w/ the Trojan hero Aeneas, and her despair at his abandonment. |
What is the ground bass? | musical idea-repeated over (subjected) while others melody above it changes. easiest to recognize.a long phrase is repeated over and over again in the bass part, while the upper parts proceed normally [with variation] |
What is meant by the term “affection” in the Baroque period? | songs to make you feel sad,etc;When a soloist in an opera sings a song (an aria) the aria is in a particular moodThere were several “affections” or moods: there were arias about revenge, jealousy, anger, love, despair, peaceful happiness etc. |
What specific “affection” is used in the ground bass of Purcell’s “When I am laid” and what is its meaning? | sad, solumn, depressing-leads to her suicide after he leaves. |
what was the most common topic for opera plots in the Baroque period? | reform |
What is a libretto? | text of opera |
what is a librettist? | writes the text of an opera |
What are the characteristics of opera? | libretto, recitative, aria |
What are the voice categories of opera? | coloratura soprano, lyric tenor, dramatic sopranos, lyric soprano, dramatic tenors, basso buffo, basso profundo, |
What is an oratorio and how does it differ from opera? | large scale composition for chorus, vocal soloists, and orchestra, usually set to narrative text, but w/o acting, scenery or costumes. it is often set to a biblical text..not acted like opera |
What oratonio is G.F. Handel famous for composing? | Messiah "Hallelujah Chorus" -written in English |
What country did Handel spend most of his life? | England |
What was his country of origin? | Germany |
Why was G.F. Handel nicknamed "The Charming Brute"? | b/c he is portrayed as a pig, playing the organ, surrounded by quantities of food and wine. |
coloratura soprano | very high, can execute rapid scales & trills |
Lyric soprano | rather light voice; sings roles calling for grace and charm |
dramatic soprano | full, powerful voice; is capable of passionate intensity |
lyric tenor | relatively light, bright voice |
dramatic tenor | powerful voice; is capable of heroic expression |
basso buffo | takes comic roles, can sing very rapidly |
basso profundo | very low range; powerful voice; takes on roles calling for great dignity |
Moteverdi: Orpheo | The first known opera |