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

Baroque art is characterized by its rich ornamentation and dramatic intensity, pursuing the exploration of form and the contrast of light and shadow.

Profane Vocal Music: The Birth of Opera

Characteristics of Opera

• Main profane vocal form.
• Understood as an entirely sung piece, written for orchestra, choirs, and soloists.

Early Operas

• First opera: Euridice by Jacopo Peri.
• First drama in music: L'Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi (1607).

Parts of an Opera

Key Composers

• Antonio Vivaldi
• Johann Sebastian Bach
• George Frideric Handel

Vocal Parts

• Recitative: Halfway between spoken word and singing.
• Aria: A part sung by a soloist.

Instrumental Parts

• Overture: An instrumental introduction.
• Interludes: Connecting instrumental sections.
• Choruses and Ballets: Often integrated into

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

Sonatas

• Written for one instrument, though some are composed for two instruments.
• Usually divided into three or four sections (movements), with breaks between them.
• At least one of the movements is in sonata form, usually the first and sometimes the last.

Symphonies

• Played by a full orchestra.
• Features the same structure as sonatas.
• More often have four movements rather than three; they can also have more than four.
• Some symphonies include a choir as well as the orchestra.
• Notable composers: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Berlioz, Brahms, and Mahler.

Concertos

• Written for a solo instrument and an orchestra.
• The soloist has most of the tune and gets to really show off how brilliant they are.
• The orchestra has the tune some of the time too; their part is more

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" »

Features of Baroque Music

• Unity of mood
• Contrast in formal aspects: Orchestration, volume, and timbre.
• Mechanical rhythm
• Complete melodies
• Terraced dynamics

Features of Instrumental Music

• Independence from voice: Instrumental music reached maturity during the Baroque period, becoming a genre in its own right.
• Perfection of instruments: Violin luthiers and their dynasties achieved a level of craftsmanship never surpassed. Stradivarius, Amati, and Guarneri are among the finest makers in history.
• Virtuosity: Composers wrote music to push soloists to incredible heights of skill and technical mastery.
• The birth of the orchestra: The development of new instruments led to the creation of larger ensembles known as orchestras.
• The basso continuo: A musical structure