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Refresher Course
WHAT TO EXPECT
WESTERN MUSIC
Competencies:
1. Chronicle the history of Western Music from the middle ages to the 20 th century.
2. Analyze Western Music according to musical qualities
- 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.
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.
- 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.
2. Typical choral piece has four, five or six voice parts of nearly equal
melodic interest.
6. The bass register was used for the first time, expanding the pitch range
to more than 4 octaves.
- Sacred Music
1. Motet – is a polyphonic choral work set to sacred Latin text other than
the ordinary of the mass.
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.
- 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.
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.
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.
- 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.”
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.
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.
1. Recitative
2. Aria
3. Song
4. Chorus
-
- Multi-Movement Vocal Forms
- 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.”
- 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.
- Song Cycle – a cycle may be unified by a story line that runs through the poems
or by musical ideas linking the songs.
- Composers:
- Free Jazz – jazz style that departs from traditional jazz is not being based on
regular forms and established chord patterns.
- Jazz Rock (fusion) – style that combines the jazz musician’s improvisatory
approach with rock rhythms and tone colors.
- Composers:
1. This music originates from the populace and is handed, spread, and passed orally.
It has simple melody.
a. Inversion c. Sprechstimme
b. Rap d. Retrograde
5. It is a free form for solo voice with accompaniment in which the vocal melody
approximates the natural rhythm and pitch inflection of the text.
a. Recitative c. Aria
b. Chorale d. Hymn
6. It 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.
a. Recitative c. Aria
b. Chorale d. Hymn
a. Romantic c. Classical
b. Contemporary d. Baroque
9. It is a religious or sacred song, usually a metrical poem to be sung by a
congregation.
a. Anthem c. Motet
b. Hymn d. Gregorian Chant
10. In which period in music history was the new tonal system invented characterized
by the different kinds of ideology and music, the use of important technologies in
producing sound and music and the widespread nationalistic spirit of music?
a. Chorale c. Recitative
b. Aria d. Oratorio
12. The United States most important contribution to the world of music which is
improvised, syncopated, and with blues notes.
13. His music was characterized as extroverted, grandiose and dramatic. Among his
works are, The Messiah, Judas Macabeus, Water Music and Fireworks Music.
14. A dance of Polish origin, in ¾ time and moderate tempo; formerly in animated
processional style, but now merely a slow promenade opening a ball.
a. Libretto c. Script
b. Score d. Book
a. Fine c. Codetta
b. Coda d. Dal Segno
18. The opening section of the sonata movement, in which the principal themes are
presented for the first time.
a. Exposition c. Recapitulation
b. Development d. Fine
19. The working out or evolution of a theme by presenting it in varied melodic,
harmonic, or rhythmic treatment.
a. Exposition c. Recapitulation
b. Development d. Fine
20. Which of the following best describes the characteristic of popular music?
a. Popular music may be the music of the hour as everyone else in community is
singing it.
b. Popular music covers a wide genre composed of alternative, folk, acoustic,
heavy metal, hip-hop, jazz, new age, rap, rhythm and blues and rock.
c. Popular music combines and regulates sounds of varying pitches to produce
musical composition of varying emotions and ideas.
d. Popular music is promoted live and by print media.
1. Period when the individual sought to revolt against established rules and traditions
of previous eras. Composers sought to express their own creative identities.
A. Classical C. Contemporary
B. Romantic D. Modern
3. The foundation of Western Art was laid in this long period. Vocal polyphony was
begun in which musical interest is sharp equally between parts which move
independently to produce an interwoven texture. Notation of the sounds developed
in this period: Syllable names for the note of the scale was invented by Guido d’
Arezzo which is the basis of the modern Solfeggio system.
A. Renaissance C. Pre-Baroque
B. Baroque D. Classical
4. It’s qualities are free and chance use of sounds, improvisation, processed music
and sounds programmed into computers characterized by diverse methods and
approaches to music.
A. Classical C. Contemporary
B. Romantic D. Modern
5. Their works feature such factor as terraced dynamic, bel canto and an incessant
rhythmic drive. The major and minor modes gradually replacing the church modes
and moderate modulation to related keys replacing the practice in remaining in one
tonality.
A. Renaissance C. Pre-Baroque
B. Baroque D. Classical
6. Music was with no regular metric grouping, has narrow range, average tessitura
and conjunct motion. Tonal organization is basically that of the church modes.
Dynamics were not indicated in most music of this period. Texture was
predominantly monophonic.
A. Renaissance C. Pre-Baroque
B. Baroque D. Classical
7. The period that gives impression of greater stability, repose, clarity, balance,
objectivity and traditionalism where composers attempted to create music which is
formal, strict in proportion and moderate in expression.
A. Classical C. Contemporary
B. Romantic D. Modern
8. The greater part of the music of this period is vocal and the formal element in this
music is largely governed by considerations of the text. Much of the music is
irregular in motive and phrase construction.
A. Renaissance C. Pre-Baroque
B. Baroque D. Classical
A. Concerto C. Fugue
B. Symphony D. Motet
A. Concerto C. Fugue
B. Symphony D. Motet
A. Concerto C. Fugue
B. Symphony D. Motet
A. Overture C. Symphony
B. Intermezzo D. Interlude
A. Overture C. Symphony
B. Intermezzo D. Interlude
14. The famous composer, pianist and conductor who composed the famous “A
Midsummer Night’s Dream”.
15. The composer militantly removed from the “Mighty Five” and the most popular
composer under the Soviet regime. King of Russian Waltz.
16. The composer, genius of the piano who created a unique romantic style of
keyboard music.
A. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky C. Felix Mendelssohn
B. Frederic Chopin D. Arnold Schoenberg
17. The composer and theorist whose intransigent method of organizing music
according to twelve equal notes profoundly influenced the direction of 20th century
music.
18. This 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.
20. The style that departs from traditional jazz is not being based on regular forms and
established chord patterns.
ANSWER KEY:
1. A 11. D
2. B 12. A
3. C 13. D
4. D 14. C
5. B 15. A
6. C 16. D
7. A 17. D
8. B 18. A
9. A 19. C
10. B 20. B