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Music

Through
Time:
Complete
A Revision Guide

Renaissance:
1400-1600
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Renaissance: meaning rebirth a rebirth of Classical learning
Change from feudal system to modern state
The rediscovery and re-evaluation of writings of the ancient Greeks and Romans
Interest in humanism and antiquity humanism was a movement that revived
ancient learning[such as] grammar, rhetoric, poetry, history, and moral
philosophy (Grout & Palisca).
MUSICAL FEATURES
The beginnings of early Renaissance music (1400-1467) can be traced back to the
Burgundian School of composers, led by Guillaume Dufay where characteristics of
both late Medieval and early Renaissance music were combined.

However, the full move into the Renaissance period began in Italy, where wealthy
rulers decorated their houses in ancient artefacts and maintained talented singers
and musicians in their palaces. Additionally, local citizens, recently free of a feudal
system, still attended church but began to be motivated by wordly matters and a
personal fulfilment through learning and public service. They wanted prosperity for
their families, property and beautiful objects for themselves, and an education for
their children along Classical rather than religious lines (Grout & Palisca).

Renaissance music moved away from devices such as isorhythm and extreme
syncopation evident in Medieval music, and instead gained rhythmic vitality through
a "drive to the cadence".

Harmony: harmonies now began to centre on full triads.

Tonality rather than modality. Music began to focus on a tonal centre during the late
Renaissance.

Harmony: the use of 3rds and 6ths were now accepted and widely used (they were
perceived as dissonant intervals in Medieval music).

The setting of the text (syllabic, melismatic, wordpainting etc) became important to
composers

COMPOSERS
William Byrd (1543-1623): A leading English late Renaissance composer who helped
develop English madrigals. He wrote church, secular, consort and keyboard music. He

was an organist at Chapel Royal, which he shared with his mentor Thomas Tallis
(1510-1585)
Josquin Des Prez (1440-1521): One of the most important composers of this period.
Desprez wrote both sacred and secular music, focusing more on motets of which he
wrote over a hundred.
John Dowland (1563-1626) English; known for lute music in Europe and composing
beautiful melancholic music.
Guillaume Dufay (1397-1474): French; known as the transitional figure to the
Renaissance.
John Farmer (1570-1605): English madrigal composer. "Fair Phyllis I Saw Sitting All
Alone," was one of the most popular pieces of his time.
Giovanni Gabrielli (1553-1612): Wrote music for St. Mark's as well as Monteverdi
and Stravinsky.
Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613): Italian composer and lutenist whose fame rests on his
highly individual madrigals
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643); Italian; linking Renaissance to Baroque,
Monteverdi's revolutionary music included the first dramatic opera, Orfeo. His early
years were spent composing madrigals; nine books in total.
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1526-1594) Italian; with over hundreds of
published works, Palestrina greatly influenced the development of music in the Roman
Catholic Church

RENAISSANCE KEYWORDS & FEATURES


CADENCE

The last notes of a phrase, suggesting a point of repose. When harmonised, the chosen chords can
define the degree of completion more exactly (i.e. perfect V-I, plagal IV-!, Imperfect, IV (anything)-V,
interrupted V-VI)

CANON

Music in which a melody in one part fits with the same melody in another part even though the latter
starts a few beats later like a ROUND.

CONSONANCE

Harmonious. Opposite ofdissonance.

COUNTERPOINT

The simultaneous of two or more melodies with independent rhythms. Polyphonic, contrapuntal.

DISSONANCE

Two or more sounds that clash, producing a discord.

FALSE RELATION

The simultaneous or adjacent occurrence in different parts of a note in its normal form and in a
chromatically altered form (i.e. F natural and F#)

IMITATION

If a motif in one part is immediately taken up by another part while the first part continues with other
music, the motif is said to be treated in imitation. The imitation is usually not exact some intervals
may be modified, but the basic melodic shape and rhythm of the opening should be audible.

MADRIGAL

Secular, contrapuntal vocal piece for many voices. English or Italian.

MASS

The Mass is part of the Roman Catholic Church Service making it sacred music. It is the setting of
Latin text written for four or five voices. The same text is always used. It is usually sung a cappella
and has a very polyphonic texture. It has five main sections:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Kyrie (Lord have Mercy)


Gloria (Glory to God in the Highest)
Credo (I believe in one God)
Sanctus and Benedictus (Holy, holy and Blessed is he)
Agnus Dei (Lamb of God).

MOTET

The Motet is similar to the Mass as it is also written for four or five voices and is very polyphonic. The
text is the main difference as it is set like it is in a Mass the composer could use and Latin text that
they wanted to.

OSTINATO
PHRYGIAN

A melodic, rhythmic or chordal pattern repeated throughout a substantial passage of music.


A type of imperfect cadence IVb_V in a minor key.

CADENCE
POLYPHONY
SACRED MUSIC
SECULAR MUSIC
SUSPENSION

SYLLABIC
TIERCE DE
PICARDIE
TONALITY

The simultaneous use of two or more independent melodies. Counterpoint, contrapuntal.


Religious music, music of the church.
Non-religious music.
A device in which a note is first sounded in a consonant (harmonious) context (the preparation) and
is then repeated (or held) over a change of chord so that it becomes a dissonance (suspension).
Finally, there is a resolution when the suspended note moves by step (usually downwards) to a
consonant note.
A style of vocal writing (word setting) where one syllable is set to one note.
A major third in a final tonic chord of a passage in a minor key.
The use of major and minor keys in music.

INSTRUMENTS
Strings
Viol
Lute
Lyre
Hurdy Gurdy

Brass
Sackbut
Cornet

Woodwind
Recorders
Crumhorn
Shawm
Reed Pipe
Horn Pipe

Other
Organ
Virginal
Tambourine
Jews Harp

Baroque: 1600-1750
HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Historians chose the term Baroque to cover the music of 1600-1750 because they thought
that the music shared certain qualities with the architecture, painting, [and] literatureof the
time (Grout & Palisca). All of the above art forms were presented in an ornate, decorative and
embellished manner, and this also applied to the style and characteristics of music from the
Baroque period.

Italian attitudes dominated the musical thinking of this period. By the end of the Baroque era,
in fact, the music of Europe had become a single language with Italian roots (Grout & Palisca).

MUSICAL FEATURES

Flamboyant and emotional, Baroque music arose in Italy shortly before 1600 and reached
most parts of Europe, particularly Germany, by the late 17 th century.

Monteverdi was seen as the prime composer in combining late Renaissance with early Baroque.

Heavy use of ornamentation and decorative lines

The typical texture of the Baroque period was a firm bass (basso continuo) and a florid treble,
held together by unobtrusive harmony (Grout & Palisca).

Harmony became more complex and there was a move towards clear major and minor
tonalities.

Opera emerged during the Baroque period, introducing the recitative and aria.

Large scale religious works were very popular.

The harpsichord was invented and developed, and there was now a full string section.

Orchestral development: The idea of a solo voice or part over a bass line was to have major
implications in the development of orchestral music, where small groups of solo instruments
separated out. This process can be traced as the birth of the orchestra. The emphasis was, on
contrast, with the introductions of two or more melodic ideas working together to form a
complete piece. The CONCERTO GROSSO is an important development of form during this
period; rather like the Concerto, it involved the use of two units of performers: the RIPIENO
(full orchestra) and the CONCERTINO (smaller group of instruments).

COMPOSERS
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Bach was a keyboardist (mastering the organ and
harpsichord) and brilliant composer. Bach brought baroque music to its culmination, writing music
for nearly every type of musical form. Popular Works: Air on a G String, Double Violin Concerto,
Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, B Minor Mass, and The Unaccompanied Cello Suites
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) Born in the same year as J.S. Bach in a town fifty miles
away, Handel, who later became a British citizen, also composed for every musical genre of his
time, even creating the English oratorio. Popular Works: The Messiah, Music for the Royal
Fireworks, and Water Music
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) Wrote over 500 concertos and is believed to have invented
ritornello form. However, much of Vivaldis music lay undiscovered until the early 1930s; this
newly discovered music earned Vivaldi the title The Viennese Counterpart to Bach and Handel.
Popular Works: The Four Seasons, Gloria, and Con Alla Rustica in G
George Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) A good friend of both Bach and Handel, Telemann was
also a distinguished musician and composer of his time. Popular Works: Viola Concerto in G, Trio
Sonata in C minor, and the Paris Quartets
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) An Italian teacher, violinist, and composer. Corellis mastery of
the tone and basic violin technique of the newly invented violin earned him great reviews
throughout Europe. Popular Works: Concerto Grossi, Christmas Concerto, and Sonata de camera
in D minor
Henry Purcell (1659-1735) With a lifetime of only thirty-five years, Purcell achieved such musical
greatness as being considered one of Englands greatest composers and the most original
composer of his time. Purcell was extremely talented in word-setting and composed very
successful works for stage. Popular Works: Dido & Aeneas, The Fairy Queen, and Sound the
Trumpet

BAROQUE KEYWORDS & FEATURES


BASSO
CONTINUO/
GROUND BASS
ARIA
CANTATA
CONCERTO

CONCERTO
GROSSO
MADRIGAL
OPERA

ORATORIO

A melody in a bass part that is repeated many times and which forms the basis for a continuous set
of variations.

A song in Italian for a solo voice and accompaniment normally from Italian opera.
A vocal composition in several movements with instrumental accompaniment, normally involving a
choir.
A musical composition for instruments in which a solo instrument is set off against an orchestral
ensemble. The soloist and ensemble are related to each other by alternation, competition, and
combination. Like the sonata and symphony, the concerto is typically a cycle of several contrasting
movements integrated tonally and often thematically
Common type of orchestral music of the Baroque era, characterized by contrast between a small
group of soloists (soli, concertino, principale) and full orchestra.
See Renaissance keywords.
A staged drama set to music, made up of vocal pieces with instrumental accompaniment and usually
with orchestral overtures and interludes. In some operas the music is continuous throughout an act;
in others it is broken up into discrete pieces, or numbers, separated either by recitative (a dramatic
type of singing that approaches speech) or by spoken dialogue.
Sacred, non-staged form of opera. A large-scale musical composition on a sacred or semisacred
subject, for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra. An oratorios text is usually based on scripture, and

ORNAMENTATION
PASSACAGLIA
RECITATIVE

SACRED MUSIC
SECULAR MUSIC
SONATA
SONATA DA
CAMERA
SONATA DE
CHIESA
STROPHIC
TRIO SONATA

the narration necessary to move from scene to scene is supplied by recitatives sung by various
voices to prepare the way for airs and choruses
The embellishment of a melody, either by adding notes or by modifying rhythms. In European music,
ornamentation is added to an already complete composition in order to make it more pleasing
A courtly dance in 3/4 time. The dance, as it first appeared in 17th-century Spain, was of unsavoury
reputation and possibly quite fiery. In the French theatre of the 17th and 18th centuries it was a
dance of imposing majesty
A style of monody (accompanied solo song) that emphasizes and imitates the rhythms and accents
of spoken language, rather than melody or musical motives. Modeled on oratory, recitative
developed in the late 1500s in opposition to the polyphonic, or many-voiced, style of 16th-century
choral music. In opera, recitative often precedes an aria.
See Renaissance keywords
See Renaissance keywords
Form of musical composition based on exposition, development, and recapitulation.
The term sonata originally denoted a composition played on instruments, as opposed to one that
was cantata, or sung, by voices.
(Chamber Sonata) A type of solo or trio sonata intended for secular performance; usually found in
the late 17th century, especially in the works of Arcangelo Corelli.

(Church Sonata) a type of sonata, most commonly a Baroque instrumental work with
several (often four) movements, originally thought appropriate for church
A song that uses the same music for every verse.
Major chamber-music genre in the Baroque era (c. 1600c. 1750), written in three parts: two top
parts played by violins or other high melody instruments, and a basso continuo part played by a
cello. The trio sonata was actually performed by four instruments, since the cello was supported by a
harpsichord upon which a performer improvised harmonies implied by the written parts. In
performance the instrumentation of a given piece may be varied, flutes or oboes replacing violins, for
example, and bassoon or viola da gamba substituting for cello.

INSTRUMENTS
Strings
Violin
Viola
Violoncello
Theorbo

Brass
Horns
Trumpet

Woodwind
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon

Other
Clavichord
Fortepiano
Harpsichord
Organ
Timpani

Classical: 17501820
HISTORICAL CONTEXT

The Classical period was known as the Age of Enlightenment, which challenged established
systems of thought and behaviour.

Individual faith and practical morality were more highly valued more than the church as an
institution.

Religion, philosophical systems, science, the arts, education, the social order, were all being judged
by how they contributed to the well-being of the individual (Grout & Palisca).

The eighteenth century was a Cosmopolitan and humanitarian age intellectuals were well
travelled, foreign-born rulers married into powerful families, and these rulers not only patronized
arts and letters, but they also promoted social reform.

Public concerts began to compete with the more private chamber performances of music; concert
societies began emerging; an auditorium opened in Oxford in 1748.
MUSICAL FEATURES

Music was thought of as a universal language, with its purpose being both noble and entertaining

Greater clarity within the music simpler and more balanced

Emphasis on chords I, IV, and V functional harmony

Alberti bass (based on a continuous broken-chord-like pattern)

Basic modulations to related keys (relative major, minor, dominant, sub-dominant etc)

Regular 4 and 8 bar phrasing

Graceful melodies

The piano was an important instrument as it was greatly developed during this period.

Choral music included large scale religious works by Mozart & Haydn

Large scale music dramas (operas) by Mozart and Rossini

Opera Buffa (early Italian comic opera) and Opera Seria (opera that tackled more serious subjects)

Beethoven was seen as the composer who had a foot in both the Classical and Romantic periods

New musical forms included the symphony, string quartet and a more developed sonata form

COMPOSERS
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) Haydn, unlike most composers, had a job composing, directing,
teaching, performing, and managing musicians from the royal Esterhazy family. During this time, Haydn
composed many pieces of music for the courtly orchestra to perform, including over 100 symphonies and
60 string quartets.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) During his short life span, Mozart greatly advanced classical
period music with over 600 compositions. His compositional style is similar to that of Haydn's, only more
flamboyant and often criticized for having "too many notes."
Antonio Salieri (1750-1825) Salieri was a respected Kapellmeister who was most notable for his
contributions to opera, but stopped composing operas in 1804 before composing only church music.
Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787) Gluck revolutionized opera by softening the contrast between
recitatives and arias by weaving underlying melodic themes and orchestral passages within the
recitatives as they flowed into the arias, and melded French and Italian operatic styles.
Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): Boccherinis most notable works are his cello sonatas, concertos and
guitar quintets. His most popular and instantly recognizable classical piece of music is his famous Minuet
from the string quintet Op. 13, no. 5.
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788) The second of three sons born to the great composer, Johann
Sebastian Bach. C.P.E. Bach's most valuable contribution to the classical period was his publication, An
Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments. To this day, it is still largely taught throughout the
world
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Many view Beethoven as the bridge connecting the classical
period to the romantic period. Beethoven only wrote nine symphonies but he is regarded for his attempt
to break the mould of the highly structured and refined rules of classical period composition. His
compositions, especially the famous Symphony No. 9, opened the flood gates of composing with
emotional abandon.

CLASSICAL KEYWORDS & FEATURES


ALBERTI BASS
CONCERTO
DA CAPO ARIA

FUNCTIONAL
HARMONY
MELODYDOMINATED
HOMOPHONY

An accompaniment pattern in which the notes of a chords are repeatedly sounded in the order low,
high, middle and high again. It was named after an Italian composer who was addicted to the device.
See Baroque keywords above.
A da capo aria is in ternary form. The first section is a complete musical entity, ending in the tonic
key, and could in principle be sung alone. The second section contrasts with the first in its musical
key, texture, mood and sometimes also tempo. The third section was usually not written out by the
composer, who rather simply specified the direction "da capo" (Italian for "from the head") - meaning
from the beginning, which meant that the first section should be repeated in full.
Progressions of chords, particularly V(7)-I that define the key(s) of a piece of music.
Melody with a predominantly homophonic instrumental accompaniment.

MODULATION
MORDENT

The process by which music changes from one key to another.

OPERA BUFFA

Comic opera. Originated in Naples in the mid-18th century. It developed from the intermezzi, or
interludes, performed between the acts of serious operas. Opera buffa plots centre on two groups of
characters: a comic group of male and female personages and a pair (or more) of lovers. The
dialogue is sung.
Serious opera. Style of Italian opera dominant in 18th-century Europe. It emerged in the late 17th
century, notably in the work of Alessandro Scarlatti and other composers working in Naples, and is
thus frequently called Neapolitan opera. The primary musical emphasis was on the solo voice and on
bel canto, the florid vocal style of the period. Chorus and orchestra played a limited role. High voices
were developed, both in women and in the castrati, or eunuch sopranos. Music and text were divided
into recitative and arias/duets.

OPERA SERIA

PRIMARY
CHORDS
SINGSPIEL

An ornament consisting of a rapid move from a main pitch to an adjacent note and back again.

Chords I, IV, V
18th-century German opera, containing spoken dialogue and usually comic in tone. Resembling the
contemporary English ballad opera and the French opra-comique (both of which stimulated its
development), the success of Singspiel was partly caused by a reaction by composers and
audiences against the artificial conventions of the then dominant Italian opera

SONATA
STRING QUARTET
SYMPHONY

See Baroque keywords.

TRILL

An ornament consisting of the rapid alternations of two notes a step apart.

Musical composition for two violins, viola, and cello in several (usually four) movements
A lengthy form of musical composition for orchestra, normally consisting of several large sections, or
movements, at least one of which usually employs sonata form.

INSTRUMENTS
Strings
Violin
Viola
Cello
Double Bass

Brass
French Horn
Trumpet

Woodwind
Flute
Oboe
Clarinet
Bassoon

Other
Timpani

Romantic:
1820-1900

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Romantic music expressed emotions, and musicians had more autonomy (freedom) to
interpret thoughts and ideas.

The rules of the classical period were side lined for expression and emotion.

Composers of the Romantic period still respected rules/conventions of form and tonality but
opted for a freer and more imaginative approach to music, which allowed them to explore new
sounds, and changes in tonality and structures.

Instrumental music became highly regarded by composers, because they felt that the music,
being free from any words, could perfectly communicate pure emotion.

Audiences of public orchestral music were mainly middle class - court/chamber orchestras
audiences of 18th century had mixed audiences.

Conservatoires replaced the apprenticeships of church and courts.


MUSICAL FEATURES

Rise of programme music and nationalism.

More instruments were available due to a fully developed orchestra, creating a fuller, lusher
sound.

Piano trios

Dance was an important feature, and the waltz was developed during the Romantic period.

The symphony became more freely constructed, was not always in 4 movements and new
movements such as the scherzo (normally the liveliest movement in a symphony) were added.

Huge and consistent dynamic contrast

Use of rubato.

Ballet music

More disords (as a result or more use of dissonant harmonies and chromatic melodies)

Longer phrase lengths, which were not necessarily 4 bars this changed as the period
progressed.

COMPOSERS
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) German; Robert Schumann and Beethoven were strong
influences on Johannes Brahms. His first published work, a piano sonata in C major, combined
Schumann's tender lyricism with Beethoven's overwhelming energy. Famous works: Intermezzo
Op. 117 No. 1 in Eb Major, and No. 2 in Bb Major, Cantata Rinaldo.
Frederic Chopin (1810-1901) Polish; He began playing the piano at age four, and by age eight,
was considered to be a child prodigy, composing music at age 12. In his lifetime, he composed over
200 piano pieces.
Felix Bartholdy Mendelssohn (1809-1847) German; at age seventeen, he composed one of his
well known works, The Midsummer Night's Dream. One part of this work was the "Nocturne."
Famous works: Scotch and Italian Symphonies, Reformation Symphony, Elijah, Fingals Cave
Overture and the Wedding March.
Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) Italian; Puccini was a master of Romantic Italian opera. He is well
known for his opera La Boheme, as well as Tosca, Madame Butterfly, La Rondine, and Il Triptyh.
Franz Schubert (1797-1828) Austrian; Schubert was eighteen when he wrote the masterpiece
song Der Erlkonig. Other famous works are Die Forelle, and Ave Maria. He composed over six
hundred songs; in 1815 alone, he wrote one hundred and forty-four songs. His last work was his
Unfinished Symphony which is comprised of only the first and second movements.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Russian; Some of Tchaikovsky's most famous works are
The Romeo and Juliet Overture, the opera Eugen Onegin, and Violin Concerto. Tchaikovsky also
composed the score to the ballet, The Nutcracker. "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies," "Trepak,"
"Arabian Dance," "Chinese Dance," "Dance of the Reed Flutes," "Waltz of the Flowers" are parts of
this work. He is regarded today as one of the most expressive Romantic composers to come from
Russia.
Guiseppi Verdi (1813-1901) Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. Famous works: La
Traviata, Don Carlos, Aida, Falstaff.
Robert Schumann (1810-1856) German Romantic composer renowned particularly for his piano
music, songs (lieder), and orchestral music. Many of his best-known piano pieces were written for
his wife, the pianist Clara Schumann.

ROMANTIC KEYWORDS & FEATURES


CHROMATIC/ALTER
ED CHORD
DISCORD

An altered or chromatic chord, is a chord with one or more diatonic notes replaced by, or altered
to, a neighboring pitch in the chromatic scale. Using notes outside of the key/chord.

DISSONANCE

See Renaissance keywords.

LEITMOTIF

(leading motive); a recurring musical theme appearing usually in operas but also in symphonic
poems. It is used to reinforce the dramatic action, to provide psychological insight into the
characters, and to recall or suggest to the listener extra-musical ideas relevant to the dramatic
event. The repetition or transformation of the leitmotif also gives cohesion to large-scale works.

The product of simultaneously playing two or more sounds that clash.

The term was first used by writers analyzing the music dramas of Richard Wagner, with whom the
leitmotif technique is particularly associated.

LIEDER

German songs, specifically referring to 19th century settings of German poetry for solo voice and
piano.

NATIONALIST
MUSIC

Musical ideas or motifs that are identified with a specific country, region, or ethnicity, such as folk
tunes and melodies, rhythms, and harmonies inspired by them. Musical nationalism can also
include the use of folklore as a basis for programmatic works including opera.
Composers who were recognised for Nationalist music were as follows:
Poland - Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Russia - Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857)
Czechoslovakia - Dvok (1841-1904)
Norway - Edvard Grieg (18431907)
United Kingdom - Edward Elgar (1857-1934), Vaughan Williams (18721958)
United States - Charles Edward Ives (18741954)

POLYPHONIC

See Renaissance keywords.

PROGRAMME
MUSIC
RUBATO

Instrumental music that carries some extra-musical meaning, use to represent a literary idea,
legend, scenic description, or personal drama; emphasising idea that instrumental music has as
much power as vocal music (use of words) to demonstrate extra-musical meaning.
Literally means robbed and refers to shortening some beats and lengthening others in order to
give an expressive, free feel to the pulse. The use of rubato is particularly associated with piano
music of the Romantic period.

SONG CYCLE

A song cycle is a group of songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a single entity. As a


rule, all of the songs are by the same composer and often use words from the same poet or lyricist

STROPHIC

See baroque keywords.

THROUGH
COMPOSED
VIRTUOSO

A song that uses mainly different music for each verse rather than one that is strophic. No section
is really the same.
A performer of great technical skill. Music which requires a high level of technical skill.

INSTRUMENTS
Strings
Violin
Viola
Cello
Double Bass
Harp

Brass
Trumpet
French Horn
Trombone
Cornet
Tuba

Woodwind
Piccolo
Flute
Cor Anglais
Oboe
Clarinet
Bass Clarinet
Bassoon
Contrabassoon

Other
Timpani
Snare Drum
Bass Drum
Marimba
Xylophone
Glockenspiel
Triangle
Tambourine
Cymbals
Chimes

20th Century / Modern


DATES:
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Towards the end of the 19th century, composers such as Brahms, Bruckner and
Wagner produced works vaster than anything ever produced by the previous
generation of composers.

Most composers of the early 20th century had to react to what Brahms and Wagner
had achieved, by either adhering to classical features and influences or abandoning
them entirely. Impressionist composers such as Ravel and Debussy wrote music that
used recognisable chords and harmonies but combined them in original ways, using
timbre to paint musical pictures.

Schoenberg took this idea further, deciding that the combination of instrumental
sounds (tone colour/timbre) was just as important as the melody. He coined the term
klangfarbenmelodie to reflect this notion, and thus, the beginnings of
Expressionism were evident.

As well as expressionism, other key genres developed under the umbrella of


modern/20th century music were serialism, minimalism, experimentalism and
neoclassicism.

MUSICAL FEATURES
Features of expressionism:
o Atonal no hierarchy of keys and equal importance given to each of the 12
semitones
o Each piece expresses one particular emotion and pieces are normally quite
short
o Composers used full pitch range of instruments and different timbres
o Timbre was considered as important as melodies, and extremes of dynamics
are important
o Sprechstimme key feature of vocal works

Features of Serialism:
o Use of 12-tone system (tone rows) where the 12 chromatic notes of an octave
were organised into a specific order. The original order of these notes is called
the prime order.
o The prime order could them be manipulated in a variety of ways: retrograde,
inversion, retrograde inversion and transposed.
o Verticalisation (where tone rows are arranged into chords)
o Cluster chords
o Musical ingredients (dynamics, rhythm and instruments) also given a set
order.

Features of Minimalism:
o Use of loops / ostinato / riffs
o Harmony changes very slowly if at all
o Pieces are often long and hypnotic
o Notes are taken away and added to loops/ostinato to create rhythmical
displacement RHYTHM is considered more significant that MELODY.
o Sounds and loops are layered to add textural variety

Features of Avant-Garde/Experimental:
o Music that pushed boundaries and was ahead of its time
o Performance art

o
o

Unconventional use of instrumentation and playing techniques


Often difficult to notate the music using standard, conventional notation, so
graphic scores were developed and used for this purpose.

Features of neoclassicism:
o The term neoclassicism had many shades of meaning since its introduction in
the late 19th century, presenting a broad movement from the 1910s to the
1950s in which composers revived, imitated, or evoked the styles, genres and
forms of pre-Romantic music.
o Composers used familiar musical features of the past such as tonal centres,
melodic shape and goal-oriented movement of ideas while incorporating
fresh and unfamiliar elements such as tone rows, dissonant harmonies and
dynamic action.

EXPRESSIONISM KEYWORDS & FEATURES


EXPRESSIONISM

Expressionism as a musical genre is difficult to exactly define.


Expressionism deals with the emotional life of the modern person. It is one
of the most important movements of 20th Century music. The three
central figures of musical expressionism are Arnold Schoenberg and his
pupils, Anton Webern and Alban Berg, the so-called Second Viennese
School. Expressionist music was often atonal with the use of extreme
dynamics and klangfarbenmelodie, focussing strongly on timbre.

ATONALITY

Western music without a note that acts as a home note to which all te
other notes are related No tonal centre whatsoever. Atonal music avoids
all major and minor keys, and modes.
A melody that progresses with big leaps and intervals (not stepwise).

ANGULAR MELODY
SPRECHSTIMME/SPRECHG
ESANG
HEXACHORD

VERTICALISATION
KLANGFARBENMELODIE

COMPLIMENT
PRINCIPAL VOICE
SECONDARY VOICE

German for Speech-Song. A type of vocal production halfway between


singing and speaking.

A group of 6 unrelated different notes selected from the 12 available tones


from the chromatic scale, which create dissonances, either played at the
same time like a chord, or one after the other like a short melody. (The
remaining 6 semitones are called a compliment)
Making the notes of a hexachord, tone row etc vertical, so that they are
played together like a chord.
(German for sound-color-melody) is a musical technique that involves
distributing a musical line or melody to several instruments, rather than
assigning it to just one instrument, thereby adding color (timbre) and
texture to the melodic line. The technique is sometimes referred to as
"Pointillism", a term borrowed from a neo-impressionist painting
technique.
The six remaining notes which have not been used in the hexachord.
The main melodic line.
The next most important melodic line after the principal voice.

COMPOSERS
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
Anton Webern (188301945)
Alban Berg (1885-1935)
SERIALISM KEYWORDS & FEATURES
CLUSTER CHORDS

a musical chord comprising at least three consecutive tones in a scale

PRIME ORDER

Schoenberg created a new compositional style called the 12-tone row, in


which he would use all 12 notes available and put them in a random
order; this order would be known as the Prime order.

PRIME ORDER (IN


RETROGRADE INVERSION)
PRIME ORDER (INVERTED)

Prime order backwards and upside down.

PRIME ORDER
(RETROGRADE)

Prime order backwards.

PRIME ORDER
TRANSPOSED

Prime order transposed up or down by a certain interval.

SERIALISM/TONE ROWS/12TONE SYSTEM

In Schoenbergs serialism the 12 notes of the chromatic scale are


arranged into a random series, or 12-tone row, that becomes the basis
for the melodies, counterpoint, and harmonies of the composition. Of
these 12 notes no single note is allowed to predominate.
Playing the notes of the tone row vertically, i.e. as a chord.

VERTICALISATION

Prime order upside down.

COMPOSERS
Schoenberg, Berg, Webern, Stockhausen

MINIMALISM KEYWORDS & FEATURES


CELLS

A small piece of music in minimalist music like a motif or

DRONE
LOOPS

fragment
Long held note
A piece of music which is electronically repeated (looped round

METAMORPHOSI

& round)
The very gradual, almost impercievable change in the music

S
MINIMALISM
NOTE ADDITION
NOTE
SUBTRACTION
OSTINATO
PHASE SHIFTING

RESULTANT
MELODY
RHYTHMICAL
DISPLACEMENT
STATIC
HARMONY

A twentieth century compositional style using minimal material


to achieve maximum effect
When a pattern is repeated but some extra notes are added
each time, and the rhythm alters accordingly
When a patterns in repeated but some notes are taken away
and replaced with rests each time
A repeated melodic or rhythmical pattern
the same part (a repetitive phrase) is played on two musical
instruments, in steady but not identical tempo. Thus, the two
instruments gradually shift out of unison, creating first a slight
echo as one instrument plays a little behind the other, then a
doubling with each note heard twice, then a complex ringing
effect, and eventually coming back through doubling and echo
into unison
The melodic line which results from combining several different
ostinati
changing note duration values, which creates afeel as though
you are playing against time
Harmony/chords that stay the same/do not change.

COMPOSERS
Phillip Glass
La Monte Young
Terry Riley
Steve Reich
EXPERIMENTAL/AVANT GARDE KEYWORDS & FEATURES
AVANT-GARDE

Music which is ahead of its time, not entirely experimental but experimental in its
rejection of tonality.

EPISODIC
PHRASING
EXPERIMENTALIS
M

Changes in mood (episodes) define the structure of the piece. Can be unpredictable.

EXTENDED
TECHNIQUES
GRAPHIC
SCORES

Exploring the full potential of the voice/instrument using unusual methods of sound
production, known as extended techniques

PERFORMANCE
ART

In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally


interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully
orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience
participation. The performance can be live or via media; the performer can be present or
absent. It can be any situation that involves four basic elements: time, space, the
performer's body, or presence in a medium, and a relationship between performer and
audience. Performance art can happen anywhere, in any venue or setting and for any
length of time. The actions of an individual or a group at a particular place and in a
particular time constitute the work

Music which pushed boundaries or the traditional norm, often with an unpredictable
outcome (Cage, Berio, Stockhausen)

Graphic notation is the representation of music through the use of visual symbols
outside the realm of traditional music notation. Graphic notation evolved in the 1950s,
and it is often used in combination with traditional music notation.[1] Composers often
rely on graphic notation in experimental music, where standard musical notation can be
ineffective.

COMPOSERS
Luciano Berio, John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen

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