Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for Music for Secondary education

Classical Music

1. Construction of Classical Music

Classical music is built upon the principle of melody, emphasizing symmetrical structure. Melodies are typically divided into sections of 8 bars (periods and sub-periods of 2) or 6 bars (3+3). Harmony plays a crucial role, with a tonal hierarchy centered around the root (R), dominant (V), and subdominant (IV) chords. Harmonic tones emphasize scales and arpeggios. Alberti bass, a common accompaniment pattern, involves arpeggiating chords in a regular, repeated pattern.

2. New Instruments in the Orchestra

The harpsichord gradually disappeared from the orchestra. Two prominent instruments emerged: the horn and the clarinet. The piano also became a key instrument.

• Wind: Clarinet, Horn
• Keyboard: Piano

3.

Musical Elements and Their Definitions

The following are key elements in music:

• Melody: A succession of sounds of a certain pitch and duration.
• Scales: A series of notes sorted in ascending or descending order.
• Intervals: The distances between notes.
• Chords: Three or more notes sounding simultaneously.
• Meter: The measurement of the pulse.
• Rhythm: The regularity of accents, which can be:
  • Binary
  • Ternary
  • Quaternary

Aerophone Instruments: Classification and Examples

Aerophone instruments produce sound through the vibration of a column of air. They can be categorized as follows:

Bevel Obtuseness

The vibration is obtained when the column of air collides against the bevel and is divided in two:

• Front: Recorder, Pan Flute
• Lateral: Flute

Reed Mouthpiece

The sound is...

Baroque Definition

Musical Characteristics

• Striking, colorful, vital, full of movement and dramatic effects
• Tendency to ornamentation and complexity
• Importance of contrasts in movement, dynamics, character, and timbre
• Great rhythmic energy with the use of repetitive rhythmic patterns
• Long and ornate melodies
• Establishment of the tonal system of tones and semitones
• Use of continuous bass (basso

ROMANTICISM

Kant (1790)

The judgment on beauty is always subjective. Beauty does not always follow some rules because it depends on the eyes of the one who looks.

What is Romanticism?

It is a new way of understanding beauty, art, and the artist's role.

• The neoclassical principles of beauty are questioned. A new attitude in relation to art and life.
• The artist expresses his "inner self". The myth of the romantic artist is created.

Key Figures of the Era

• Rousseau: Human decided to live together and make a social contract.
• Diderot: He creates a book with all the knowledge of the world, the name was the Encyclopedia.

Key Concepts of Romanticism

• Freedom
• Originality
• Individualism
• Subjectivity
• Vocation
• Emotion

These values are associated with the revolutionary bourgeoisie...

The Middle Ages: Church Dominance and Music

The Middle Ages lasted from the 5th to the 15th centuries, a period dominated by the power of the Church and by a profound theocentrism that made room for the predominance of religious music.

Gregorian Chant: Liturgical and Monodic

Gregorian chant was the liturgical chant of the Christian church. Its text is in Latin and has a monodic texture. It uses modal scales and a free rhythm based on the accentuation and the phrasing of the text.

Secular Music in the Middle Ages

Troubadours: Poets, Musicians, and Performers

Secular music was represented by the songs of **troubadours**. They used monodic textures and the scales of the Gregorian chant. However, they were sung in vernacular languages, accompanied by...

Music in Ancient Greece

The concept of music in Greece encompassed the art of sounds, poetry, and dance. Music had a monodic texture with heterophonic accompaniment. They used alphabetic notation for the pitches and metrical feet to measure durations.

The Middle Ages (5th to 15th Centuries)

This period was dominated by the power of the Church and a profound theocentrism, leading to the predominance of religious music.

Gregorian Chant

The Gregorian chant was the liturgical chant of the Christian Church. Its text is in Latin and has a monodic texture. It uses modal scales and a free rhythm based on the accentuation and phrasing of the text.

Development of Polyphony

Polyphony appeared in the late 9th century and developed in three main stages:

• Primitive

Understanding Classical Music (18th-19th C.)

What Does "Classical" Mean?

The word Classical is often used to describe music that isn't pop, rock, or jazz, but it specifically refers to music from the late 18th to the early 19th century.

Key Characteristics

Classical music features characteristics such as:

• A sound that is richer and more structured.
• A freer, more expressive style compared to earlier periods.

Opera Styles

Opera Seria

Opera seria is the Italian term for serious opera. These were 18th-century operas in Italian, typically about ancient Greek gods and heroes.

Opera Buffa

Composers soon began to write operas in a lighter, comic style. In Italy, this new type of opera was known as opera buffa.

Major Classical Music Forms

Key characteristics of...

Core Themes of the Romantic Movement

The Anguish of Romantic Consciousness

This feeling is a central feature of the romantic unhappy consciousness, characterized by:

• Anxiety about the incompleteness of life (human anguish).
• The perception that life is a problem: fleeting and inconsistent.
• The common theme of ruins, symbolizing decay and expiration.

There is an obsession with death, seen as the ultimate release from melancholy ("the blues").

The intensity of this despair depends on belief:

• If the author finds mystical religious consolation, the anguish is tempered.
• If the author is atheist, the despair ("the blues") will be desperate.

Disillusionment and Evasion

The Romantic figure is eternally discontented because their ideals (such as freedom and happiness)...

The Modern Age

The Modern Age spans from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. European society witnessed significant social and economic progress, particularly in culture and art. Italian Humanism laid the foundation for the great artistic and literary movements of the Modern Ages, including the Renaissance (XV-XVI), the Baroque (XVII), and the Enlightenment and Neoclassicism (XVIII).

The Renaissance

The Renaissance originated in Italy, expressing a desire to restore the ideals of classical Greco-Roman civilization. It emphasized human dignity and a new societal order based on secular principles, rather than religious ones. This era marked a break from the immediate past. Art and science became the primary means of achieving these goals. In...

Music in Ancient Greece

In Greece, music became an art form, integral to various aspects of life such as poetry, dramatic performances, sporting events, and the Olympic Games. The first figures of musical notation emerged, and dedicated performers showcased their works.

Music in the Roman Empire

As the Roman Empire expanded its reign from the 2nd century BC to the 5th century AD, it inherited Greek culture, including music. Many Greek musicians became enslaved after battles. Music played a significant role in large public events like gladiatorial games and circus performances.

Gregorian Chant

To foster unity within Christianity, Pope Gregory I compiled early Christian songs. This musical form, collected over two centuries, became the sole music...