WHAT TO EXPECT

WESTERN MUSIC

Focus: Western Music from the Middle Ages to Contemporary times

Competencies:

1. Chronicle the history of Western Music from the middle ages to the 20th century.
2. Analyze Western Music according to musical qualities

PART I – CONTENT UPDATE

A. MUSIC IN THE MIDDLE AGES (450-1450)

- Gregorian chant – consists of melody set to sacred Latin texts and sung without
accompaniment. The chant is monophonic in texture. The melodies of Gregorian
chant were meant to enhance specific parts of religious services.

- The Church Modes – consist of seven different tones and an eighth tone that
duplicates the first an octave higher. The church modes were the basic scales of
western music during the middle ages and Renaissance and were used in
secular as well as sacred music.

Church modes consist of authentic (range of an octave above the finalis)

and plagal (range of fifth above and fourth below the finalis).

Authentic Plagal
Dorian Hypodorian
Phrygian Hypophrygian
Lydian Hypolydian
Mixolydian Hypomixolydian
Aeolian Hypoaeolian
Locrian Hypolocrian
Ionian Hypoionian

- Secular Music in the Middle Ages - music outside the church composed during
the 12th and 13th centuries by French nobles called the troubadours and
trouveres. The songs were usually performed by court minstrels, and most of
them deal with love; but there are also songs about the Crusades, dance songs,
and spinning songs.

- The Development of Polyphony: Organum – Medieval music that consists of

Gregorian chant with one or more additional melodic lines. Between 900 and
1200 organum became truly polyphonic and the melody added to the chant
became more independent.
 - Composers:

a. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) – composer of “O Successores”

(You successors) was one of the most creative and many-sided
personalities of the middle ages.
b.
c. Guillaume de Machaut (1300-1377) - famous both as a musician and
a poet.

B. MUSIC IN THE RENAISSANCE (1450-1600)

- Characteristics of Renaissance Music:

1. The texture is polyphonic.

2. Typical choral piece has four, five or six voice parts of nearly equal
melodic interest.

3. Imitation among the voices is common: each presents the same

melodic idea in turn, as in a round.

4. Homophonic texture, with successions of chords, is also used,

especially in light music, like dances.

5. Renaissance music sounds fuller than medieval music.

6. The bass register was used for the first time, expanding the pitch
range to more than 4 octaves.

7. Period of “golden age” of unaccompanied – a capella – choral music.

- Sacred Music

1. Motet – is a polyphonic choral work set to sacred Latin text other than
the ordinary of the mass.

2. Mass – is a polyphonic choral composition made up of five sections:

Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Agnus Dei.

3. Secular Vocal Music: Madrigal – a piece for several solo voices set
to a short poem, usually about love. A madrigal like a motet, combines
homophonic and polyphonic textures.

4. Secular Instrumental Music: Dance Forms – the development of

independent instrumental music grew out of two sources: the use of
instruments to double or replace parts of a vocal composition and the
use of instruments for dance music.

- Composers:
a. Josquin Desprez (1440-1521) – master of Renaissance music.
Composed music for masses, motets and secular vocal pieces. “Ave
Maria…virgo serena” is the outstanding choral work.

b. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594) – devoted himself to

Catholic Church music that includes 104 masses and some 450 other
sacred works. “Pope Marcellus Mass” is the famous mass by
Palestrina written for a capella choir of six voice parts: soprano, alto,
two tenors and two basses.

c. Thomas Weelkes (1575-1623) – an organist and church composer.

C. MUSIC IN THE BAROQUE (1600-1750)

- Characteristics of Baroque Music:

1. Baroque pieces usually express one basic mood: what begins joyfully
will remain joyful throughout
2. Rhythmic patterns heard at the beginning of a piece are repeated
throughout it.
3. Baroque melody creates a feeling of continuity.
4. Paralleling continuity of rhythm and melody in baroque music is
continuity of dynamic level: the volume tends to stay constant for a
stretch of time.
5. Polyphonic in texture.
6. Chords became increasingly important during the baroque period.
7.
- Early Baroque (1600-1640) – composers’ favored homophonic texture over the
polyphonic texture typical of Renaissance music.

- Middle Baroque (1640-1680) – the church modes scales governed music for
centuries gradually gave way to major and minor scales.

- Late Baroque Period (1680-1750) – many aspects of harmony – including an

emphasis on the attraction of the dominant chord to the tonic – arose in this
period. Instrumental music became as important as vocal music for the first time.
Late baroque composers gloried in polyphony.

- Single Vocal Forms

1. Recitative – is a free form for solo voice with accompaniment in which the
vocal melody approximates the natural rhythm and pitch inflection of the text.
2. Aria – is a song for solo and accompaniment in which the vocal part is written
in a fairly complex style, often with several notes to each syllable of the text.
3. Chorale – sung in unison or in four-part block chord style.

- Multi-movement Vocal Forms

1. Opera – is a drama sung with instrumental accompaniment and presented

with appropriate scenery, costumes and staging.
2. Cantata – is a composite vocal form in several movements for solo voice and
instrumental accompaniment or for solo voices, chorus and instrumental
accompaniment.
3. Oratorio – is a composite vocal work for soloists, chorus and orchestra based
on a sacred or secular text.

- Single Movement Instrumental Forms

1. Sectional Dance Form – dances written in rounded binary form.
2. Orchestral Overture – an instrumental composition which serves as an
introductory movement for an opera, oratorio or cantata or as the first
movement of a composite instrumental piece.
3. Fugue – is a composition based on polyphonic imitative treatment of a short
theme known as the subject.

- Multi-Movement Instrumental Forms

1. Sonata da chiesa (Italian: church sonata) – written for solo instruments
2. Sonata da camera (Italian: chamber sonata) – is a composite instrumental
work based on dance forms.
3. Suite – an important Baroque instrumental form for solo harpsichord,
clavichord or orchestral instruments. It is also a dance movement: allemande,
courante, sarabande and gigue.
- Composers:

a. Johanne Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) – German composer,

organist, harpsichordist, violist and violinist whose sacred and secular
works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the
strands of Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity.
Works: “Branderburg Concerto,” “Air on G-String,” “Toccata and
Fugue in D minor,” “Organ Mass” and “The Magnificat.”

b. Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) – one of the most important

composers in early baroque era. Created the earliest operatic
masterpiece “Orfeo”. The last opera by Monteverdi is
“L’incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppea).”

c. Henry Purcell (1659-1695) – an English organist and Baroque

composer of secular and sacred music. Works: “Dido and Aeneas,”
“The Fairy Queen” (an adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer
Night’s Dream), “King Arthur”, and “Jubilate Deo”.

d. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) – Italian composer, priest, and virtuoso

violinist and known for composing instrumental concertos, especially
for the violin, as well as sacred choral works and over 40 operas.
Works: “The Four Seasons,” “Twelve sonatas for two violins and
basso continuo (opus 1),” “La Stravaganza for twelve violin
concertos.”

e. George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) – a master of Italian opera,

English oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Works: “Messiah,”
“Water Music,” “Music for the Royal Fireworks,” “For unto Us a Child
Is Born.”

D. MUSIC OF CLASSICAL PERIOD (1750-1820)

- Characteristics of Classical Music:

1. Emphasis on beauty, elegance and balance.

2. Homophonic Texture
3. Classical melodies are among the most tuneful and easiest to
remember.
4. Sonata form was the most important design.
5. The orchestra increases in size and range. The harpsichord falls out
of use. The woodwind becomes a self-contained section.

- Single Movement Instrumental Forms

1. Binary Form – form of movement with two principal themes or two distinct
sections.
2. Ternary Form – form of movement with three principal themes or three
sections.
3. Rondo Form – a typical pattern which letters representing thematic sections
(ABACABA) there are five and seven part rondo forms.
4. Variation Forms – One of a set of series of transformations of a theme by
means of harmonic, rhythmic, and melodic changes and embellishments.
5. Sonatina Form – in essence, a miniature version of sonata-allegro form, but
with shorter themes, an abbreviated or occasionally omitted development
section, and a generally lighter character.

- Multi-Movement Instrumental Forms

1. Sonata Form – refers to the form of a single movement and consists of three
main sections: the exposition, where the themes are presented; the
development, where themes are treated in new ways; and the recapitulation,
 where the themes return. The three main sections are often followed by a
concluding section, the coda. These sections are all within one movement.

2. Concerto – an extended composition for a solo instrument and orchestra,

frequently in a sonata form.

- Single-Movement Vocal Forms

1. Recitative
2. Aria
3. Song
4. Chorus
-
- Multi-Movement Vocal Forms

1. Opera – show significant advances in style and technique.

- Composers:
a. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) – one of the most amazing
child prodigies, prolific and influential composer in the history of
classical music. Works: “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik,” “Don Giovanni,”
“Symphony No.40 in g minor,” “The Marriage of Figaro.”

b. Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827) – represents the highest level

of musical genius. He opened new realms of musical expression and
profoundly influenced composers throughout the 19th century. Works:
“Symphony No. 5 in c minor,” “Piano Sonata in C minor Op.13,”
“Moonlight Sonata.”

c. Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) – the first master of Viennese

Classicism and the Father of Symphony. Works: “The Creation,” “The
Seasons,” “Surprise Symphony,” “Trumpet Concerto in E Flat Major.”

d. Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840) – composer, guitarist and virtuoso

violinist. Works: “Caprice No. 24 in A minor,” “Tarantella,” “God Save
the King.”

E. ROMANTIC PERIOD (1820-1900)

- Characteristics of Romantic Music:

1. Describe as subjectivity, emotionalism, longing exuberance,
imbalance, fantasy.
2. Emphasis on self-expression and individuality of style.
3. Expressive aims and subjects
4. Nationalism and Exoticism
5. Program music
6. Expressive tone color
7. Colorful harmony
8. Expanded range of dynamics, pitch and tempo

- Forms of Orchestral Music:

1. Program Symphony – is a composition in several movements as its

name implies, a symphony with a program. Usually, each movement
has a descriptive title.

2. Concert Overture – has one movement, usually in sonata form. The

romantic concert overture was modeled after the opera overture, a one
movement composition that establishes the mood of an opera.
 3. Symphonic poem or tone poem – is also in one movement.
Symphonic poems take many traditional forms – sonata form, rondo, or
theme and variations – as well as irregular forms.

4. Incidental music – is music to be performed before and during a play.

It is “incidental” to the staged drama, but it sets the mood for certain
scenes. Interludes, background music, marches, and dances are all
incidental music.

- Art Song – a composition for solo voice and piano. Poetry and music are
intimately fused in the art song.

- Strophic Form – repeating the same music for each stanza of the poem.
Strophic form makes a song easy to remember and is used in almost all folk
songs.

- Through-Composed Form – writing new music for each stanza. Through-

composed form allows music to reflect a poem’s changing moods.

- Song Cycle – a cycle may be unified by a story line that runs through the poems
or by musical ideas linking the songs.

- Composers:

a. Franz Schubert (1797-1828) – earliest master of the romantic art

song wrote some 600 lieder, nine symphonies, liturgical music,
operas, some incidental music, and large body of chamber and solo
piano music. Works: “Unfinished Symphony,” “Serenade,” “Symphony
No.8 in B minor.”

b. Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) – composer, pianist and conductor.

Works: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Italian Symphony,” “Hebrides
Overture.”

c. Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) – composer, genius of the piano who

created a unique romantic style of keyboard music. Works: “Nocturne
in E flat Major,” “Etude in C minor,” “Polonaise in A flat Major.”

d. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) – was one of the most loved

of Russian composers. His music is famous for its strong emotion,
and his technical skill and strict work habits helped guarantee its
lasting appeal. Works: “Nutcracker Suite,” “Romeo and Juliet,”
“Sleeping Beauty,” “Swan Lake.”

e. Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) – the most popular of all opera

composers. Works: “Rigoletto,” “La Donna e Mobile,” “Aida,” “La
Traviata.”

F. THE TWENTIETH CENTURY MUSIC AND BEYOND

- Characteristics of 20th century music:

1. Tone color became more important of music than ever before.

2. Many techniques considered uncommon before were being used
during this time.
3. Many composers used noiselike and percussive instruments.
4. Glissando, a rapid slide up or down the scales.
5. Percussion instruments became a major part of 20th century music.
6. Dissonant chords were becoming just as common as consonant
chords.
7. Many emphasized irregularity and unpredictability.
8. The time signature would often change in the middle of piece.
- Impressionism – musical style that stresses tone color, atmosphere and fluidity,
typical of Debussy.

- Expressionism – musical style stressing intense, subjective emotion and harsh

dissonance, typical of German and Austrian music of the early 20th century.

- Neoclassicism – musical style marked by emotional restraint, balance and

clarity, inspired by the forms and stylistic features of 18th century music.

- Nationalism – Inclusion of folksongs, dances, legends, and other national

material in a composition to associate it with the composer’s homeland;
characteristic of romantic music.

- Exoticism – Use of melodies, rhythms, or instruments that suggest foreign

lands; common in romantic music.

- Minimalist music – is characterized by steady pulse, clear tonality, and insistent

repetition of short melodic patterns; its dynamic level, texture, and harmony tend
to stay constant for fairly long stretches of time, creating a trancelike or hypnotic
effect.

- Electronic instrument – whose sound is produced, modified or amplified by

electronic means.

- Free Jazz – jazz style that departs from traditional jazz is not being based on
regular forms and established chord patterns.

- Jazz – music rooted in improvisation and characterized by syncopated rhythm, a

steady beat, and distinctive tone colors and performance techniques. Jazz was
developed in the United States predominantly by African American musicians
and gained popularity in the early twentieth century.

- Jazz Rock (fusion) – style that combines the jazz musician’s improvisatory
approach with rock rhythms and tone colors.

- Ragtime – style of composed piano music, generally in duple meter with a

moderate march tempo, in which the pianist’s right hand plays a highly
syncopated melody while the left hand maintains the beat with an “oom-pah”
accompaniment.

- Popular Music – belongs to any of a number of musical genres “having wide

appeal” and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry.
It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music.
- Composers:

1. Arnold Schoenberg (Austrian, 1874-1951) – composer and theorist

whose intransigent method of organizing music according to twelve
equal notes profoundly influenced the direction of 20th century music.
Works: “Pierrot Lunaire,” “A Survivor from Warsaw,”

2. Claude Debussy (French, 1862-1918) – composer, originator of

musical Impressionism. Works: “Clair de Lune,” “String Quartet in G
minor,” “Nocturne,” “Fantaisie for piano and orchestra.”

3. Bela Bartok (Hungarian, 1881-1945) – a composer whose style was

intimately welded to his pioneering folk music research. Work:
“Concerto for Orchestra,” “Third Piano Concerto,” “Violin Concerto.”

4. Sergei Rachmaninoff (Russian, 1873-1943) – composer, pianist and

conductor. Work: “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini,” “Prelude in C
sharp minor,” “Symphonic Dances.”
5. Aaron Copland (American, 1900-1990) – greatly distinguished and
exceptionally gifted composer. Work: “Appalachian Spring,” “The Cat
and the Mouse for piano,” “Sonata in G major for piano.”

6. John Cage (American, 1912-1992) – writer, philosopher, and visual

artist of the experimental school, who radically changed the course of
20th century music. Work: “Sonatas and Interludes,” “Dream,” “Water
Music.”

7. Miles Davis (American, 1926-1991) – outstanding black American jazz

trumpeter and bandleader. Work: “Miles Runs the Voodoo Dow,”
“Miles Davis Quintet.”