MUSC 136 Final Review

German for “song”; most commonly associated with the solo art song of the 19th century, usually accompanied by piano

group of songs, usually Lieder, that are unified musically or through their texts

song structure that is composed from beginning to end without repetitions of large sections

single-movement concert piece for orchestra, typically from the Romantic period and often based on a literary program

one-movement orchestral form that develops a poetic idea, suggests a scene, or creates a mood, generally associated with the Romantic era. Also called a tone poem

Wagner’s term for his operas

secular vocal composition, unaccompanied, in three, four, or more parts

two or more streams of harmony played against each other, common in 20th century music

method of composition in which various musical elements (pitch, rhythm, dynamics, tone color) may be ordered in a fixed series

a vocal style in which the melody is spoken at approximate pitches rather than sung on exact pitches, developed by Arnold Schoenberg

Late-19th century piano style created by African Americans, characterized by highly syncopated melodies; also played in ensemble arrangements

complex jazz style developed in the 1940s

Jazz style that synthesizes characteristics and techniques of classical music and jazz; term coined by Gunther Schuller

indeterminate music in which certain elements of performance (such as pitch, rhythm, or form) are left to choice or chance

music interval smaller than a semitone, prevalent in some non-Western musics and in some 20th century art music

contemporary musical style featuring the repetition of short melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic patterns with little variation.

song structure that combines elements of strophic and through-composed forms; a variation of strophic form in which a section might have a new key, rhythm, or varied melodic pattern

acronym for Musical Instrumental Digital Interface; technology that allows networking of computers with electronic musical instruments

A contemporary style of music that employs the rich harmonic language and other elements of Romantic and post-Romantic composers

Instrumental music endowed with literary or pictorial associations, especially popular in the 19th century

multi-movement programmatic orchestral work, typically from the 19th century

a dance for two that is an established feature of classical ballet

a single chord comprised of several chords, common in 20th century music

the simultaneous use of two or more keys common in 20th century music

Contemporary style combining lush harmonies of New Romanticism with high-energy rhythms of minimalism; John Adams is a major exponent

multimedia art form involving visual as well as dramatic and musical elements

Roman Catholic mass for the dead

song structure in which the same music is repeated with every stanza of the poem

“Borrowed time,” common in Romantic music, in which the performer hesitates here or hurries forward there, imparting flexibility to the written note values.

an arrangement of the 12 chromatic tones that serves as the basis of a 12-tone composition

extremely complex, totally controlled music in which the 12-tone principle is extended to elements of music other than pitch

highly dissonant combination of pitches sounded simultaneously

jazz style developed in the 1950s featuring small groups of mixed timbres playing contrapuntal improvisations; similar to cool jazz

total abandonment of tonality (centering in a key). Atonal music moves from one level of dissonance to another without areas of relaxation

a slight drop of pitch on the 3rd, 5th, or 7th tone of the scale, common in blues and jazz

African-American form of secular folk music, related to jazz, that is based on a simple, repetitive poetic-musical structure

20th century technique in which the notes of a melody are distributed among different instruments, giving a pointillistic texture

a French movement developed by visual artists who favored vague, blurry images intended to capture an “impression” of the subject. Impressionism in music is characterized by scales, unresolved dissonances, parallel chords, rich orchestral tone color, and free rhythm

music written to accompany dramatic works

tendency to elevate formal above expressive value in music

a sub-style of bebop, characterized by a restrained, unemotional performance with lush harmonies, moderate volume levels and tempos, and a new lyricism; often associated with Miles Davis

style of Romantic opera developed in Paris, focusing on serious, historical plots with huge choruses, crowd scenes, elaborate dance episodes, ornate costumes, and spectacular scenery

a small-scale operatic work, generally light in tone, with spoken dialogue, song

a musical style created mainly by African Americans in the early 20th century that blended elements drawn from African musics with the popular and art traditions of the West

“beautiful singing”; elegant Italian vocal style characterized by florid melodic lines delivered by voices of great agility, smoothness, and purity of tone

“leading motive,” or basic recurring theme, representing a person, object, or idea, commonly used in Wagner’s operas

a decisive force within the Romantic movement, the pride of conquering nations and the struggle for freedom of suppressed ones gave rise to strong emotions that inspired the works of many creative artists; composers were able to expressed the hopes and dreams of millions of people in their music

surfaced at the turn of the 20th century in Germany and Austria; extended the tonal traditions of the Romantics

American musical theatre has its roots in European operatta; musicals feature romantic plots while others are based on serious literary sources

Romantic

• Classical period (1750-1825)
• - Classical and Romantic
• - Erlking - a famous song (piano + voice); 1815

• Romantic miniatures
• - “the poet of the piano”

• Romantic miniature
• - song cycle (lieder)

• Romantic program music
• - orchestral music

• Romantic program music
• - Bohemian composer
• - orchestral music

• Romantic opera
• - known for his operas

• late Romantics
• - choral music (A German Requiem)

• Impressionist
• - orchestral music (Prelude to “The Afternoon of a Faun”)

• Post-Impressionism
• - ballet (The Rite of Spring)

• German Expressionist
• - chamber music (including the atonal Pierrot lunaire for voice and instruments)

• American Nationalism
• - ballet (Billy the Kid)

• Contemporary American
• - piano works for prepared pianos

• Contemporary minimalist
• - orchestral work

• American Contemporary classical
• - vocal

art song and short piano pieces met the 19th century need for intimate personal expression

• developed distinct national styles in France, Germany and Italy
• - France: grand opera (serious historical dramas with spectacular effects) and opera comique (comic opera with spoken dialogue)
• - Germany: genre Singspiel (light comic drama with spoken dialogue) led to serious music drama (integrated all elements of opera)
• - Italy: opera seria (serious opera) and opera buffa (comic opera); maarked the peak of the bel canto (beautiful singing) style

• Impressionism - movement developed first through painters who tried to capture their “first impression” of a subject through varied treatments of light and color
• - Impressionist composers made use of entire spectrum of pitches in chromatic scale

• explored simplicity and abstraction and the world of dreams and the inner soul
• - Expressionism - explored new harmonic systems and extreme registers of instruments
• - new concepts of harmony pressed music beyond the traditional systems of tonality and led to the 12-tone method devised by Arnold Schoenberg

• - German expressionist movement
• - Schoenberg’s goal was to bring spoken word and music as close together as possible (Sprechstimme)
• - Second Viennese School: Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, and Anton Webern

20th century composers used more authentic folk and traditional elements in their nationalistic music than 19th century composers

• - musical trends in the later 20th century mirrored movements in the other arts, including abstract expressionism, pop art, and postmodernism
• - performance art explored by John Cage
• - digital technology, MIDI and computers revolutionized the world of electronic music
• - John Cage invented the prepared piano to simulate the sound of the Javanese gamelan orchestra, an ensemble of metallic percussion instruments
• - improvisation - performer takes a role in the compositional process- minimalism and new romanticism are current trends
• - minimalist music (JOHN ADAMS) is based on repetitive musical patterns than can sound hypnotic or sometimes frenetic
• - New Romanticism - favors the rich harmonic language of the late Romantic era, coupled with a virtuosic style and new instrumental combinations

(from slow to fast) grave, largo, adagio, andante, moderato, allegro, vivace, presto

(from soft to loud) pianissimo, piano, mezzo piano, mezzo forte, forte, fortissimo

• Composer: Schumann
• Genre: song cycle, 19th century piano piece
• Form: strophic form
• Style Period: Romantic

• Composer: Schubert
• Genre:
• Form: Through-composed Lied
• Style Period: Romantic

• Composer: Chopin
• Genre:
• Form: Ternary dance form (A-B-A’)
• Style Period: Romantic

• Composer: Berlioz
• Genre: program symphony, 5 movements
• Form: Romantic program music
• Style Period: Romantic

• Composer: Smetana
• Genre: Symphonic poem; nationalism
• Form: Romantic program music
• Style Period: Romantic

• Composer: Wagner
• Genre: opera
• Form:
• Style Period: Romantic

• Composer: Verdi
• Genre: opera
• Form:
• Style Period: Romantic

• Composer: Brahms
• Genre: Protestant Requiem, in 7 movements)
• Form: Romantic choral music
• Style Period: Romantic

• Composer: Tchaikovsky
• Genre: ballet (from which an orchestral suite was made)
• Form:
• Style Period: Romantic

• Composer: Beach
• Genre: violin sonata
• Form:
• Style Period: Second New England School (classical)

• Composer: Debussy
• Genre: symphonic poem
• Form: Free ternary (A-B-A’)
• Style Period: Impressionism

• Composer: Stravinsky
• Genre: ballet (often performed as a concert piece for orchestra)
• Form:
• Style Period: Impressionism

• Composer: Schoenberg
• Genre: song cycle, for solo voice (mexxo-soprano) and 5 instrumentalists
• Form:
• Style Period: Expressionism

• Composer: Still
• Genre: symphony
• Form: three movements (exposition, development, recapitulation)
• Style Period: Nationalism

• Composer: Copland
• Genre: orchestral suite from ballet
• Form:
• Style Period: nationalism

• Composer: Joplin
• Genre: piano rag
• Form: sectional dance form; 4 sections or strains (Each of 16 measures)
• Style Period: ragtime

• Composer: Cage
• Genre: 16 sonatas
• Form: binary (A-A-B-B)
• Style Period: prepared piano - 1946 (Improvisation; Contemporary)

• Composer: Sheng
• Genre: Symphonic suite
• Form: 3-part structure
• Style Period: Contemporary

• Composer: Bernstein
• Genre: musical theatre
• Form:
• Style Period: late 20th century musical theatre

• Composer: Adams
• Genre: opera
• Form: orchestra with two solo trumpets
• Style Period: late 20th century (1986); minimalist

• Composer: Larsen
• Genre: song cycle (6 songs)
• Form: mezzo-soprano with cello and piano
• Style Period: late 20th century (1994)