Chapter 10 To 21

Front 1

basso continuo

Back 1

a small ensemble of at least two instrumentalists who provide a foundation for the melody or melodies above, heard almost exclusively in Baroque music

Front 2

Baroque

Back 2

term for the artistic period from 1600–1750; characterized by elaborate ornamentation, bold use of color, contrast, and energetic activity

Front 3

Doctrine of Affections

Back 3

the theory that different musical moods could and should be used to influence the emotions, or affections, of the listener

Front 4

figured bass

Back 4

in musical notation, a numerical shorthand that tells the player which unwritten notes to fill in above the written bass note

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monody

Back 5

early Baroque genre in which a few instruments accompanied a solo singer performing a song based on a highly charged, emotional text

Front 6

terraced dynamics

Back 6

a term used to describe the sharp, abrupt dynamic contrasts found in the music of the Baroque era

Front 7

basso ostinato

Back 7

a motive or phrase in the bass that is repeated again and again

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aria

Back 8

an elaborate lyrical song for solo voice

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arioso

Back 9

a style of singing and a type of song midway between an aria and a recitative

Front 10

cantata

Back 10

a term originally meaning “something sung;” in its mature state it consists of several movements, including one or more arias, ariosos, and recitatives; cantatas can be on secular subjects, but those of J. S. Bach are primarily sacred in content

Front 11

chamber cantata

Back 11

a genre that emphasized accompanied solo singing, it is usually divided into contrasting sections that alternate between recitative and aria; performed before a select group of listeners in a private residence

Front 12

chamber music

Back 12

music for soloists performed in the home or small auditorium

Front 13

ground bass

Back 13

the English term for basso ostinato

Front 14

libretto

Back 14

the text of an opera

Front 15

monody

Back 15

a general term connoting solo singing accompanied by a basso continuo in the early Baroque period

Front 16

ostinato

Back 16

Italian for “obstinate;” a musical figure, motive, melody, harmony, or rhythm that is repeated again and again

Front 17

recitative

Back 17

musically heightened speech, often used in an opera, oratorio, or cantata to report dramatic action and advance the plot; often made up of rapidly repeating notes followed by one or two long notes at the ends of phrases

Front 18

simple recitative

Back 18

recitative that is accompanied only by the basso continuo

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toccata

Back 19

a one–movement composition, free in form, originally for solo keyboard but later for instrumental ensemble as well

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chamber sonata

Back 20

(in Italian, sonata da camera) a Baroque sonata with four dance movements in alternating tempos: slow, fast, slow, and fast

Front 21

concertino

Back 21

the group of instruments that function as soloists in a concerto grosso

Front 22

concerto

Back 22

an instrumental genre in which one or more soloists play with and against a larger orchestra

Front 23

concerto grosso

Back 23

a three–movement concerto of the Baroque era that pits the sound of a small group of soloists (the concertino) against that of the full orchestra (the tutti)

Front 24

French overture

Back 24

an overture consisting of two sections; the first is set in a slow duple meter with stately dotted rhythms, while the second is in a fast triple meter in an imitative style

Front 25

idiomatic writing

Back 25

a manner of composing for instruments that exploits the strengths, special abilities, and color of a particular instrument or voice while avoiding its weaknesses

Front 26

melodic sequence

Back 26

the repetition of a musical motive at successively higher or lower degrees of the scale

Front 27

opus

Back 27

Latin for “work;” the term adopted by composers to enumerate and identify their compositions

Front 28

orchestra

Back 28

in Western classical music, an ensemble of musicians, organized around a core of strings, with added woodwinds and brasses, playing under a leader

Front 29

overture

Back 29

an introductory movement usually for orchestra, that precedes an opera, oratorio, or dance suite

Front 30

ritornello form

Back 30

a musical form in which all or part of the main theme (the ritornello) is played repeatedly by the tutti, with each statement separated by a virtuosic solo section played by the concertino

Front 31

solo concerto

Back 31

a concerto in which an orchestra and a single performer in turn present and develop the musical material in the spirit of harmonious competition

Front 32

solo sonata

Back 32

a work, usually in three or four movements, for keyboard or other solo instrument; when a solo melodic instrument played a sonata in the Baroque era it was supported by the basso continuo

Front 33

sonata

Back 33

originally “something sounded” on an instrument as opposed to “something sung” (a “cantata”); later a multi–movement work for solo instrument, or instrument with keyboard accompaniment

Front 34

trio sonata

Back 34

an ensemble of the Baroque period consisting actually of four performers, two playing upper parts and two basso continuo instruments

Front 35

tutti

Back 35

(Italian for “all”) the full orchestra or full performing force

Front 36

walking bass

Back 36

a bass line that moves at a moderate pace, mostly in equal note values, and often stepwise up or down the scale

Front 37

da capo form

Back 37

Ternary (ABA) form in an aria, so called because the performers, when reaching the end of B, “take it from the head” and repeat A

Front 38

cadenza

Back 38

a showy passage for the soloist appearing near the end of the movement in a concerto; it usually incorporates rapid runs, arpeggios, and snippets of previously heard themes into a fantasy–like improvisation

Front 39

chorale

Back 39

the German word for the hymn of the Lutheran church; hence a simple religious melody to be sung by the congregation

Front 40

church cantata

Back 40

a multi–movement sacred work including arias, ariosos, and recitatives performed by vocal soloists, and chorus, and a small accompanying orchestra; became the musical core of the Sunday service of the Lutheran church

Front 41

episode

Back 41

a passage of free, non–imitative counterpoint found in a fugue

Front 42

exposition

Back 42

in a fugue, the opening section, in which each voice in turn has the opportunity to present the subject

Front 43

fugue

Back 43

a composition for three, four, or five parts played or sung by voices or instruments, which begins with a presentation of a subject in imitation in each part and continues with modulating passages of free counterpoint and further appearances of the subject

Front 44

pedal point

Back 44

a note, usually in the bass, sustained or continually repeated for a period of time while the harmonies change around it [Bach, Fugue in G minor, CD 1/19 1:37–1:47]

Front 45

prelude

Back 45

an introductory, improvisatory–like movement that gives the performer a chance to warm up and sets the stage for a more substantive subsequent movement

Front 46

subject

Back 46

a term for the principal theme in a fugue

Front 47

opera seria

Back 47

a genre of opera that dominated the stage during the Baroque era, making use of serious historical or mythological subjects, da capo arias, and a lengthy overture

Front 48

dance suite

Back 48

a collection of instrumental dances, each with its own distinctive rhythm and character

Front 49

oratorio

Back 49

a large–scale genre of sacred music involving an overture, arias, recitatives, and choruses, but sung, whether in a theater or a church, without costumes or scenery

Front 50

pastoral aria

Back 50

Aria with several distinctive characteristics, all of which suggest the movement of simple shepherds attending the Christ Child: it glides along mainly in stepwise motion; it projects a lilting rhythm in which a slow moving beat is subdivided into three easily flowing eighth notes; and it grounds itself upon a harmony that changes slowly (in imitation of shepherds’ bagpipes)

Front 51

opera buffa

Back 51

(Italian for “comic opera”) an opera on a light, often domestic subject, with tuneful melodies, comic situations, and a happy ending

Front 52

pianoforte

Back 52

the original name of the piano

Front 53

Alberti bass

Back 53

instead of having the pitches of a chord sound all together, the notes are played in succession to provide a continual stream of sound

Front 54

comic opera

Back 54

a genre of opera that originated in the eighteenth century, portraying everyday characters and situations, and using spoken dialogue and simple songs

Front 55

Enlightenment

Back 55

also called the “Age of Reason,” it was a period in philosophy that gave free rein to the pursuit of truth and the discovery of natural laws

Front 56

Esterházy family

Back 56

a rich, influential, and aristocratic family in Hungary that had a passionate interest in music

Front 57

Freemasons

Back 57

a fraternity that believed in the Enlightenment ideals of tolerance and universal brotherhood

Front 58

London Symphonies

Back 58

a set of twelve compositions Haydn wrote during the latter part of his career

Front 59

Salzburg

Back 59

birthplace of Mozart

Front 60

coda

Back 60

(Italian for “tail”) a final and concluding section of a musical composition

Front 61

development

Back 61

the center–most portion of sonata–allegro form, in which the thematic material of the exposition is developed and extended, transformed, or reduced to its essence; it is often the most confrontational and unstable section of the movement

Front 62

exposition

Back 62

in a fugue, the opening section, in which each voice in turn has the opportunity to present the subject; in sonata–allegro form, the principal section, in which all thematic material is presented

Front 63

fugato

Back 63

a short fugue set in some other musical form like sonata–allegro or theme and variations [Beethoven Sym. 5, third mvt., CD 3/10 1:47–2:02]

Front 64

minuet

Back 64

a moderate dance in triple meter, though actually danced in patterns of six steps, with no upbeat but with highly symmetrical phrasing

Front 65

recapitulation

Back 65

in sonata–allegro form, the return to the first theme and the tonic key following the development

Front 66

relative major

Back 66

the major key in a pair of major and minor keys; relative keys have the same key signature, for example E–flat major and C minor (both with three flats)

Front 67

retransition

Back 67

the end of the development section where the tonality often becomes stabilized on the dominant in preparation for the return of the tonic (and first theme) at the beginning of the recapitulation

Front 68

serenade

Back 68

an instrumental work for a small ensemble originally intended as a light entertainment in the evening

Front 69

sonata–allegro form

Back 69

a dramatic musical form of the Classical and Romantic periods involving an exposition, development, and recapitulation, with optional introduction and coda

Front 70

ternary form

Back 70

a three–part musical form in which the third section is a repeat of the first, hence ABA

Front 71

transition (bridge)

Back 71

in sonata–allegro form the unstable section in which the tonality changes from tonic to dominant (or relative major) in preparation for the appearance of the second theme

Front 72

trio

Back 72

an ensemble, vocal or instrumental, with three performers; also, a brief, self–contained composition contrasting with a previous piece, such as a minuet or a polonaise; originally the trio was performed by only three instruments

Front 73

canon (of Western music)

Back 73

Standard repertoire

Front 74

finale

Back 74

the last movement in a multi–movement composition, one that usually works to a climax and conclusion

Front 75

Köchel (K) number

Back 75

the numbering system that arranges Mozart’s compositions in approximate chronological order

Front 76

rondo

Back 76

an ancient musical form (surviving into the twentieth century) in which a refrain alternates with contrasting material

Front 77

theme and variations

Back 77

a musical form in which a theme continually returns but is varied by changing the notes of the melody, the harmony, the rhythm, or some other feature of the music

Front 78

sinfonia

Back 78

a one–movement orchestral work in three sections (fast–slow–that originated in Italy as an overture to seventeenth century operas

Front 79

cadenza

Back 79

a showy passage for the soloist appearing near the end of the movement in a concerto; it incorporates rapid runs, arpeggios, and snippets of previously heard themes into a fantasy–like improvisation

Front 80

double exposition form

Back 80

a form, originating in the concerto of the Classical period, in which first the orchestra and then the soloist present the primary thematic material

Front 81

genre

Back 81

Type or class of music

Front 82

scherzo

Back 82

a rapid, jovial work in triple meter often used in place of the minuet as the third movement in a string quartet or symphony

Front 83

solo concerto

Back 83

a concerto in which an orchestra and a single performer in turn present and develop the musical material in the spirit of harmonious competition

Front 84

string quartet

Back 84

a standard instrumental ensemble for chamber music consisting of a first and second violin, a viola, and cello; also a genre of music, usually in three of four movements, composed for this ensemble

Front 85

symphony

Back 85

a genre of instrumental music for orchestra consisting of several movements; also the orchestral ensemble that plays this genre

Front 86

Singspiel

Back 86

(German for “singing play”) a musical comedy originating in Germany with spoken dialogue, tuneful songs, and topical humor

Front 87

diminished chord

Back 87

a triad or seventh chord made up entirely of minor thirds and producing a tense, unstable sound

Front 88

vocal ensemble

Back 88

in opera, a group of four or more solo singers, usually the principals

Front 89

“Eroica” (“Heroic”) Symphony

Back 89

Beethoven’s third symphony, it was originally composed to honor Napoleon Bonaparte; more than any other single orchestral work, it changed the historical direction of the symphony

Front 90

“heroic” period (middle period)

Back 90

time during which Beethoven’s compositions became longer, more assertive and full of grand gestures

Front 91

“Pathetique” Sonata

Back 91

one of his most famous compositions, Beethoven titled this piano sonata in order to suggest the passion and pathos he felt within it

Front 92

Ode to Joy

Back 92

it is a poem written by Friedrich von Schiller in honor of universal brotherhood, a theme that had been important to Beethoven since his earliest years

Front 93

Heiligenstadt Testament

Back 93

Beethoven’s lengthy confessional statement, it is part last will and testament, and part artistic manifesto