Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Music

**Literary Devices**

• Alliteration: The repetition of the same sounds.
• Anaphora: The repetition of a word or words at the beginning of each line or each prayer.
• Paronomasia: Aesthetic appeal is achieved by placing near paronym words and, almost always, alliteration.
• Epanadiplosis: Repeating the same word at the beginning and end of a verse, or a syntactic period, in prose.
• Hyperbaton: Disturbing the logic of the sentence.
• Parallelism: Repetition of syntactic structures or similar elements.
• Concatenation: When a syntactic structure starts with the same word that completed the previous structure.
• Metaphor: An identification that leads from the concrete and visual to the abstract and transcendent.
• Metaphorical language: Establishing an identity between

Romanticism and the Renaixença

Romanticism (from French: *roman* - novel) is based on overwhelming feelings. Born in Germany, [Romanticism] dislikes the climate where it lives and needs to flee. It is a period of cultural and artistic movements, [like] the Renaixença, Romanticism, and Realism. This movement swept across Europe in the early and late 19th century. 1833 is considered the starting point of the Renaixença, with the publication of Bonaventura Carles Aribau's ode, "La Pàtria" (The Homeland) in the journal *El Vapor*. It culminates with the restoration of the Jocs Florals (Floral Games). The term designates:

1. The period between Decadence and Modernism.
2. A cultural movement and nationalist awareness.

Key points highlighted include:

• Reconstructing

Melody

The line is sleek and melodic with little ornamentation, featuring a clear structure within a sixteen-bar phrase.

Alberti Bass

An accompaniment style where the piano is played with the left hand, arpeggiating the chords.

Religious Vocal Music

Continues previous forms such as masses, motets, and oratorios.

Secular Music

Gluck sets the foundation for modern opera. Mozart's opera brings everyday human behavior and character to the stage. The Austrian composer Joseph Haydn entered the cathedral in Vienna as a boy. After years of training, he entered the service of the Esterházy family in 1761, for whom he worked exclusively until 1790. He traveled to London with great success and is considered the father of the symphony, as he established its... Continue reading "Classical Music Era: Key Elements and Composers" »

Venezuelan Art, Folklore and Traditional Music

Definitions — Art

Art

• 1. Virtue, willingness, and ability to do something.
• 2. Expression of human activity through which a person expresses a personal vision and a selfless attitude, playing with the real or the imagined using plastic resources, language, or sound.
• 3. Set of rules and regulations needed to do something.

Definitions — Folklore

Folklore

• 1. Set of beliefs, customs, crafts, etc., of a traditional village.
• 2. The study or science that deals with these matters.

Venezuelan Music

Various styles of traditional Venezuelan music, like salsa and merengue, are common to its Caribbean neighbors. Perhaps the most typical Venezuelan music is joropo, a rural form that originated in the llanos (plains)... Continue reading "Venezuelan Art, Folklore and Traditional Music" »

Understanding the Baroque Era

What Does "Baroque" Mean?

The term "Baroque" describes a period where artists and art forms were often characterized by their ornate and elaborate monuments. Key figures associated with this era include San Juan de la Cruz, Santa Teresa de Jesús, Luis de Góngora, and Francisco de Quevedo. Notable architectural examples include the Valladolid Cathedral and the Collegiate Monastery of San Isidro.

When Did the Baroque Period Begin and End?

The Baroque era typically spans from 1600 to 1750.

Baroque Vocal Music Forms

Forms of Organized Vocal Music: Religious and Profane

Baroque vocal music is broadly categorized into two forms:

• Profane: The opera, a baroque musical form that presents a narrative through sung drama.
• Religious:

Instrument Timbre and Classification

Instrumental timbres occur based on what the voices perceive:

• Appearance: If you hear a deep sound, you immediately associate it with a large instrument; if you hear an acute sound, you will think of an instrument of small dimensions.
• Material: Instruments can be found made of wood or built of metal.
• Playing Method: The way the instrument is played, such as blowing, plucking, or striking (percussion).

1. The String Family

1.1 Bowed Strings

Violin, viola, cello, and double bass.

1.2 Plucked Strings

• Those in which sound is produced by plucking the strings with a plectrum, such as the guitar.
• Those using a keyboard, such as the harpsichord.

1.3 Struck Strings

The piano.

2. The Wind Family

2.1 Woodwind Instruments

Instruments... Continue reading "Classification of Musical Instruments and Alterations" »

Renaissance Architecture Origins

Renaissance Architecture has its origins in Renaissance Florence, Italy. It first appeared in the mid-fifteenth century (Quattrocento), and from there spread throughout the rest of Europe. In the early sixteenth century, the artistic movement moved from Florence to Rome (Cinquecento).

The revival was not a mere copy but an interpretation of ancient models by Renaissance architects, who stamped them with their personal style. The two great architects of the fifteenth century, Brunelleschi and Alberti, traveled to Rome to study and contemplate the ruins of classical antiquity.

We must study the phases of this movement before concluding: those corresponding to the fifteenth century (Quattrocento) and the sixteenth... Continue reading "Renaissance Architecture: Origins and Key Characteristics" »

The Renaissance and the Rise of Humanism

Renaissance: The profound social and cultural changes of the 15th and 16th centuries are known as the Renaissance. Humanism: One of the most important features of the Renaissance was the growth of Humanism. This was a cultural and intellectual movement which developed in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Core Characteristics of Humanism

• Medieval culture was entirely focused on God, but Humanism was concerned with human beings, history, and anatomy.
• Humanists were inspired by the literature, philosophy, and art of antiquity.
• Humanists defended the search for truth through reason and experience.
• Humanists were curious about everything.

Intellectual Leaders and the Printing Press

Key figures of this era include Erasmus

Figures of Speech

Sound Devices:

• Alliteration: Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words or stressed syllables.
• Assonance: Repetition of vowel sounds within words.
• Consonance: Repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words.
• Onomatopoeia: Words that imitate sounds.

Figurative Language:

• Anaphora: Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or verses.
• Anadiplosis: Repetition of the last word of one clause or verse at the beginning of the next.
• Antithesis: Juxtaposition of contrasting ideas.
• Apostrophe: Addressing an absent person, abstract idea, or inanimate object.
• Asyndeton: Omission of conjunctions between words or phrases.
• Chiasmus: Repetition of words in reverse order.
• Ellipsis: Omission of words

English Baroque Music

The English Baroque period saw figures like **Henry Purcell** leading the way. While the government structure evolved, English music began to meet European tastes, particularly for shipment to Europe. Purcell's works include the masque King Arthur, The Fairy-Queen, and the opera Dido and Aeneas. He also composed the full anthem.

Upon Purcell's death, the scene was prominently taken over by **George Frideric Handel**, born in Germany. Handel quickly became naturalized and produced major works. He is considered a master craftsman, with operas such as Julius Caesar and Alcina. Handel also excelled in the oratorio genre, composing Israel in Egypt, Jephthah, and the monumental Messiah.

Instrumentally, Handel composed significant... Continue reading "English and German Baroque Music Masters" »