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

Sound, Noise & Silence

Essentially, music is sound and the way it orders tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity. Sound is produced when an object vibrates, and it is what can be perceived by a living organism through its sense of hearing. It travels through physical mediums by sound waves, and it is normally a pleasant feeling.

Noise is a disagreeable auditory experience, but this is a subjective definition (for instance, most percussion instruments produce noises when they are played). Anyway, the physical difference between sound and noise is the sort of waves: sound waves are regular, while in noise, the wave is irregular.

Finally, silence is the... Continue reading "Understanding Sound, Noise, and Silence: Key Qualities Explained" »

Foundational Canadian Music and National Identity

Early Patriotic and Traditional Songs

• Alexander Muir (Toronto, Ontario)

  The Maple Leaf Forever (1867)

• Calixa Lavallée

  O Canada (1880)

• Eva Gauthier (Mezzo-Soprano Teacher, Active 1917)

  Known for preserving traditional French Canadian songs:

  • À la claire fontaine (Traditional, associated with the founding of Samuel de Champlain’s L’Ordre de Bon Temps, 1606). (Description: Female voice with male choir, historical recording.)
  • J'ai fait faire un beau navire

Canadian Opera and Art Song

• Stephen Codman (Active 1835)

  The Fairy Song (1824). (Description: Fast-paced piano accompaniment with soprano voice.)

• Joseph Vézina (Quebec Conductor/Composer, d. 1921)

  Le Fétiche (Operetta). Features the aria “J’ai pour

Key Musical Terms and Concepts

• Arias: Songs for a solo singer and orchestra.
• Recitative: Sung conversation between characters to advance the story.
• Opera seria: Serious opera with heroic themes from history and mythology.
• Opera buffa: Comic opera with contemporary, down-to-earth stories.
• Verismo: Italian opera style with realistic portrayals of everyday life.
• Libretto: The text of an opera or musical, including dialogue and lyrics.
• Sonata: A work in several movements for one or more instruments.

Notable Composers and Their Works

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

The Erlking (Lied for piano and voice, 1815): A father and son ride a horse; the son, ill, imagines scary things and dies. The Erlking is the ghost calling to the son.

Hector Berlioz (1811-1869)

Symphonie

BALLET:

-Court ballet (17th): became popular in the seventeenth century in the court of France's King Louis XIV.

-Simple choreographies because dancers were in general nobles who were dressed with court costumes.

-Played the music were baroque orchestras, famous person J.B. Lully.

-Romantic ballet (19th): type of dance as classical because of its high quality or standard.

-Innovative and complex choreographies performed by professional dancers. These ballets were story ballets.

-The scores were sophisticated and performed by large symphony orchestras.

-Russian composer P.I. Tchaikovsky (1840-1893).

-Modern and contemporary ballet (20th): More complex, innovative and abstract choreographies with a wider variety of movements.

-Costumes are varied and... Continue reading "Evolution of Ballet, Instrumental Forms, and Rock Music" »

Gregorian Chant

The Gregorian chant is sacred music which is sung a cappella, that is, all the
singers in a choir of monks sing the same melody without accompaniment.
The goal of this chant was to teach the word of God to the faithful, therefore
the text was more important than the music. Latin was the language used
in these chants and the rhythm depended on the text.

Secular Music

Secular music was developed outside of the monasteries and was sung by
troubadours and jongleurs accompanied by musical instruments such as
the lute. These compositions had varied themes related to the interests of
day-to-day life. The troubadours were educated artists, poets or musicians and, in some
cases, from noble families

Renaissance

Music was very important and... Continue reading "History of Gregorian Chant, Secular Music, Renaissance, and Baroque Period" »

The Harpsichord: A Precursor to the Piano

The harpsichord is a horizontally strung stringed keyboard instrument and a precursor of the piano. It is triangular in shape, consisting usually of two manuals controlling various sets of strings plucked by pivoted plectrums mounted on jacks. With horizontal strings which run perpendicular to the keyboard in a long tapering case, its sound features are gentle, metallic, and blurring.

The Baroque Flute and Its Construction

The baroque flute is made of wood, of which the most commonly used are boxwood, ebony, and grenadilla. It has a conical bore that is wide at the end with the embouchure hole and tapers to become significantly more narrow at the bottom. It has relatively small embouchure and finger holes.... Continue reading "Essential Baroque Musical Instruments and Their Sounds" »

Romantic Period

1. What is a Symphonic Poem?

A symphonic poem is a symphonic musical form consisting of only one movement.

2. When Was the Romantic Period in Music?

The Romantic period in music occurred in the 19th century.

3. What Are the Characteristics of the Romantic Period?

• Expressive melodies
• More freedom in the structure of melodies
• Introduction of leitmotiv
• Musical contrast creating expressive melodies
• Birth of programme music

4. What Type of Romantic Vocal Music Was Based on Mythology?

German Opera

5. What Were the Main Vocal Forms of the Romantic Period?

• German lied
• Italian opera
• German opera

6. The Romantic Symphony

The Romantic symphony has various movements that are not based on a structural form like the Classical symphonies. Instead, it is developed... Continue reading "A Comprehensive Guide to Music Periods: Romanticism, Classicism, and 20th Century" »

Cool Jazz

In part a reaction to bebop, cool jazz involved more complex compositions, slower tempos, and sometimes less overt emotional involvement. Associated with the West Coast, it had much greater rhythm variety than bop in up-tempo & medium-tempo pieces. It had extensive arrangements, including written introductions and composed passages between improvisations.

Artists

• Paul Desmond
• Dave Brubeck
• Bill Evans

Hard Bop

Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz which incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues. An aggressive, driving, hot style of modern jazz developed by East Coast musicians... Continue reading "Exploring Different Styles of Jazz: Cool Jazz, Hard Bop, Free Jazz, and Fusion" »

Major Record Labels and Founders

• Decca: Major international label featuring both Buddy Holly and Bill Haley.
• RCA: Major international label that purchased Elvis Presley's contractual rights in 1955.
• Sun: Memphis-based independent label that originally signed Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins.
• Atlantic: New York-based independent label featuring Ray Charles, Ruth Brown, The Coasters, and The Drifters.
• Chess: Chicago-based independent label featuring Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Bo Diddley.

Record Label Founders

• Sam Phillips: Founder of Sun Records.
• Ahmet Ertegun: Co-founder of Atlantic Records.
• Berry Gordy, Jr.: Founder of Motown Records.

Key Figures, Producers, and Innovators

Managers, Promoters, and DJs

• Alan Freed: The disc

Secular Vocal Music Composers

Secular vocal music composers still cultivated vocal forms inherited from the Renaissance. Voices weren't presented on top of each other with the same importance anymore; the superior voice was highlighted over the rest of the voices.

Accompanied Monody

This new composition technique was called accompanied monody, and it was part of both vocal and instrumental music. It represented a shift in the horizontal-melodic conception (counterpoint texture) towards a vertical-chordal conception (harmonic texture).

The prominence of a superior melody implied the appearance of a new low voice. It served as harmonic support and was called basso continuo.

• Composers Mentioned: Juan Hidalgo and Mateo Romero

Scenic Music

Tonadilla

A small... Continue reading "Baroque Vocal Music: Monody, Opera, and Sacred Forms" »