Oceanian, Classical, Romani, and Romantic Music

Oceanian Music

Maori Music

Maori music is primarily vocal, featuring love stories and lullabies. Traditional instruments are made from wood, bone, stone, shells, and animal hides. Percussion instruments are common, including wind instruments. Modern instruments like the guitar and ukulele have also been adopted.

Australian Aboriginal Music

Aboriginal songs serve as a vital link to the spiritual realm. Instruments are few and rudimentary, with the didgeridoo being the most recognizable.

Indonesian and Malaysian Music

The gamelan is a prominent instrumental ensemble in these cultures, featuring up to 30 musicians playing xylophones, metallophones, drums, and gongs.

Classical Music (18th Century)

Features

Classical music is characterized by clarity, balance, order, and simple, cheerful melodies. These melodies are often sung and arranged in short phrases with regular, consistent rhythms and accents.

Instruments

Common instruments include the trumpet, horn, clarinet, and the pianoforte, which replaced the harpsichord.

Composers

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), Austrian
• Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), Austrian (met Mozart and Beethoven)
• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), Viennese (composed Eroica, originally titled Ode to Napoleon)

Music Theory

Scales

I (Tonic), II (Supertonic), III (Mediant), IV (Subdominant), V (Dominant), VI (Submediant), VII (Leading Tone)

Romani Music

Instruments

Common instruments include the violin, accordion, and cimbalom.

Features

• Romani music is composed and performed by European Roma people (primarily from Eastern Europe, including Hungary and Romania).
• It has been influenced by the music of the countries where the nomadic Roma have traveled.
• Romani musical scales differ from Western scales, using eight tones compared to the Western seven.
• Roma musicians are known for their ornamentation and virtuosity, often achieved without formal education.
• Instruments typically include the flamenco guitar, tambourine, wind instruments, violin, cimbalom, and accordion.
• European Romani music differs from Spanish Romani (flamenco) music in the tones used.

Romantic Music (19th Century)

Features

Romantic music emerged during a time of social upheaval, marked by worker exploitation, human rights violations, and poverty. It emphasized imagination, intuition, feelings, and artistic expression. Romantic artists were free to express their emotions and thoughts, breaking from the patronage system. Common themes include poverty, disease, slavery, death, fantasy, abuse, oppression, and suicide.

The Piano

The piano's wide range (over seven octaves) allows a single performer to play diverse melodies, staccato, legato, and powerful chords. It became the most popular instrument for home use.

Composers

• Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849), Polish (died of tuberculosis, had a relationship with French writer George Sand)
• Franz Liszt (1811-1886), Hungarian (highly successful, took holy orders at age 50, died in Germany)

Romantic Orchestra

Added Instruments

• Percussion: timpani, snare drum, cymbals, castanets, xylophone, metallophone, tubular bells
• Woodwind: tuba, piccolo, oboe
• Strings: harp and orchestral piano

The Romantic orchestra expanded to create a richer, more fantastical sound world.