Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
31 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
|
Mahler (Background) |
1860-1911. Composers of this time we’re moving away from and challenging tonal and harmonic conventions. Mahler composed 9 symphonies. “The symphony is like the world, it must embrace everything”. Mahler used a big orchestra and very specific combinations of instruments. |
Symphony, convention |
|
|
Mahler, symphony no. 1 |
D major, ‘titan’. Based on the Phrygian mode. It is in modified sonata form. Perfect fourths give a sense of build up Descending 4ths la mi. This pattern gives a minor feeling to the music. Begins on a prolonged A across the different octaves. The trumpets are off stage, instructed in the scores as “at a far distance” (in sehr weiter entfernung aufgestelt) The clarinets play a fanfare and the horns play parallel 6ths. At the 4th minute the cello plays a pastoral melody. The descending two mote motif at the beginning is reminiscent of Beethoven’s 4th Symphony in B flat Major. The piece originally had 5 moments but the original second movement was discarded by Mahler in 1896. For it’s first 2 performances titan was referred to as a symphonic poem. It premiered in Budapest and was not well received by audiences. |
4ths, instruments, Mode |
|
|
Strauss (background) |
1864-1949. German composer. Moved away from the symphony. Composed tone poems. The were either descriptive or philosophical. |
Tone |
|
|
Strauss- sunrise |
Also Sprach Zarathustra. Op 30. Tone poem. Very expressive, philosophical. Musical commentary on the prose poem by 19th C philosopher and poet Nietzsche. The main theme is the human ideal of the morally superior superhuman. It depicts humankind vs nature. 1896 Nietzsche’s idea of the Ubermensch. |
Morals |
|
|
Debussy (Background) |
The national society for music was important for the development of French music. Debussys sound world was sensational. Impressionism: creates a mood or an atmosphere. Not about expressing emotion, rather it is focused on creating colours and atmosphere. Poetry and art played a key role in Debussy’ music. |
Impression |
|
|
Debussy, Voiles |
Whole tone scale. There are no semitones, a tone between each note. First two bars- A.b B.b C D E F# G# B.b C. Impressionist. Ternary mode, Voiles means sails or veils. Soft dynamics. Publish in a book of preludes in 1910. It was the 2nd of 12 preludes in the book. |
Scale |
|
|
Debussy, Pagodes |
From Estampes L.100. Asian influence. Elements of Chinese and Japanese traditional music and the Javenese gamelan music. Universal Exposition 1898 in Paris. (Eiffel Tower was built for this occasion). Pentatonic scale. 5 sharps, B major or G minor, B is a tonal centra from the start. RH G# C# D# F# LH B F# Bar five an A natural is played creating a B7 chord. Pentatonic scale moves to the whole tone scale. The piece is in 4/4 time. Played presque sans nuance (almost without nuance) the tempo gradually moves between quick and slow. The rigidity of the rhythm stops the player from adding their own rubato. |
Expo |
|
|
Debussy, Prelude À l’après d’un Faune |
Symphonic poem for orchestra inspired by the poem of the same name by Stephane mellmarme. Sounds improvised but is actually very carefully notated. Very specific instrumentation. Woodwind represent the pan flute of the faune. Development of the main theme goes between 9/8, 6/8 and 12/8 time. E major. Chromatic notation in the beginning. Includes whole tone passages. Woodwinds open the piece followed by the strings. Soft dynamics.
Debussy on originality: “I would rather devote myself to cultivating pineapples rather than repeat something that has already been achieved” |
Orchestra |
|
|
Rite of Spring opening theme |
Solo bassoon starts on the note C. Very high register. Other woodwinds gradually join in and the string eventually join as well. Varying time signatures- 4/4 3/4 4/4 2/4 etc. choreographed by Nijinsky. |
|
|
|
Sacrificial Dance. |
The chosen one dances to death. Complex rhythms, dramatic orchestration Primitive and grotesque. New time sig. nearly every bar. Unpredictable off beat accents, often characterized as primitive diatonic. Dissonant, suggest a chaotic world without restraining forces of civilization. Poly tonality, rondo form |
Rhythm |
|
|
Schoenberg Background |
1874-1951. Austrian American composer. First composer to move away from tonality completely and consciously. His compositional style is divided into four periods. 1. Tonal (to c. 1905) 2. Atonal (c1905-c. 1920) 3. Serialist and 12 tone (c1920-c.1936) 4. Serialist plus tonal (from c.1936) |
|
|
|
Verklarte Nacht |
Transfigured night. The story of 2 lovers on a moonlight walk. Poem by Richard Dehmel. The music is not about the story it is focused on creating tones and textures. String sextet (2 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos) Programmatic in nature. Very tonal music that grew out of German influence of the late romantic era. |
|
|
|
Ralph Vaughan Williams |
1872-1958. English composer, influenced by English folklore, literature and art. Nature and landscape, and modality also played a key role. Influenced by earlier English composers such as Tallis and Purcell. |
|
|
|
Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis |
Tallis theme “why fumeth the fight”. Violin 1/2, viola, cello solo. Orchestra 1 (large orchestra) Orchestra 2 (small chamber orchestra) Only fragments of the theme are heard at a time (reference to Gregorion chant?) Based on the modes. Parallel movement. Order of instruments entering: Viola solo Orchestra 2 Orchestra 1 Violin solo Viola, Cello Violin 2
Spatial effect
|
|
|
|
Charles Ives Background |
American composer. Accomplished pianist and organist and highly trained in classical composition. Unusual career for a musician- worked in insurance. His work incorporates elements of classical music (eg bach and Beethoven) and the sounds of America that he grew up with (eg Turkey in the straw). Material seems to have been composed in isolation. Used music quotation and layers. Primitive and raw sound/ authentic material. Compositions contain free dissonance, polyrhythm, polytonality, experimental form, in some cases before these were developed in Europe. Bernstein described Ives as a pioneer and a genius. |
|
|
|
Putnams camp |
2nd movement from ‘Three places in New England’ Sounds as though 3 or 4 marching bands are playing around you at the same time. They go out of sync. 9/8 and 3/4 time signatures are playing at the same time (polyrhythm). Takes professional players and makes them sound like amateurs. Layers textures, masses of sound, sharp textual contrasts, tone clusters, heavy chromaticism. Clear confusing sounds Different sections of the orchestra playing against each other rather than with each other. |
|
|
|
Bernstein |
All rounder- composer conductor, performer and educator. Composed symphonies, opera, musicals, piano music, chamber music.
West Side Story Use of the augmented 4th. (Maria) Tritone used to represent the conflict between the Jets and the Sharks. Melodies built on leaps not step Chord- D major with a e (9th chord) featured a lot in American music. |
|
|
|
Mambo |
Highly rhythmic, syncopation. Polyphonic. Latin and American sounds. Bongos, brass melodies and cowbells Represent the conflict between the two groups. |
|
|
|
Elgar Background |
Catholic English composer. Lower class, outside the establishment. England at this time was regarded in European terms as the land without music |
England in Europe |
|
|
Chichester psalms |
The Chichester psalms were commission for a festival at Chichester cathedral. First performed in New York in 1965. 2nd movement- based on psalms 23 and 2:1-4 The piece open with a harp and a boy soprano solo. (Represent David?) the boy choir then repeats what has been sung by the solo. Then suddenly and forcefully the men interrupt psalm 23 (at “they Rodman’s staff give me great comfort”). The singing is evocative of the text (why do the nations rage?) the men almost sound as though they are shouting. Then the boys choir returns with the soft flowing melody of Psalm 23 and the men continue underneath this. |
|
|
|
Benjamin Britten |
1913-1976. Pacifist. Composer and conductor, pianist, tenor partner peter pears. Wrote operas, piano concerto, choral music, folk music setting and educational music. Conscientious objector during WWII. Requiem as a genre: mass of the dead, the final movement is ‘In Paradisium’ usually a beautiful melodic movement. All the text is set in the requiem. |
|
|
|
War Requiem |
Commissioned in 1964 Non liturgical text setting. Requiem text and poems by ear poet Wilfred Owens. 3 groups of singers, 1. Soprano Solo and SATB choir, orchestra 2. Tenor and baritone soloists and chamber orchestra (voice of the soldiers) 3. Boys choir and organ. (Represent the boys who could have grown up to be soldiers).
The groups don’t sing at the same time because they represent different texts. They only sing together at the end for the final movement |
|
|
|
Let us sleep now |
In Paradisium. Final movement. All singers together for this. Bell is heard (symbolize death knell?) grant us eternal rest of lord- tritone is heard/ the least peaceful interval, symbolize that soldiers may not Rest In Peace. Use of harp. “Let us sleep now” last line of the poem. 8 part canon sung by everyone. Polyphonic The piece resolved in a sense that is ends of a f major chord. Does not end on a clear cadence. |
|
|
|
The dream of Gerontius |
Oratorio in two parts. Liturgical text by Cardinal John Henry Newman. Questions raised as to why Elgar chose to use a Catholic text as the basis of the oratorio. 2 possible reasons why... 1. Grew more confident as a composer. 2. England’s hero general Gordon had a copy of the poem and he wrote in notes along a the margins, a copy of this was later published and Elgar received a copy for his wedding. |
Newman |
|
|
Oratorio in two parts |
Commissioned for Birmingham festival 1900. Part one, gerontius is dying in a room surrounded by friends and a priest. Part two, the soul of gerontius wakes up on the other side and is guided through a journey to final judgement by an angel. Demons mock and torment the soul of gerontius until he arrives at the moment of judgement. (Daemons chorus) Tenor- gerontius Soprano- angel, Bass- priest |
|
|
|
Journey of the soul to final judgement |
Musically trying to create heaven. Harps, the female singers are the voices of the angels. At the moment of judgement there is no singing. One chord is played, instruction on the score says, “each instrument must exhert it’s fullest force” Very opening theme is heard again. |
Chord |
|
|
Mussorgsky background |
1839-1881. Russian composer. Innovator of Russian music. Know as one of ‘the five’. |
|
|
|
Pictures at an Exhibition |
Promenade. Pictures at an exhibition was composed 1874, a year after the death of artist viktor Hartmann The ‘promenade’ depicts the act of walking around and looking at the paintings. Moves between 5/4 and 6/4 in order to represent the act of walking around. Each movement is named after a painting. Between each movement is the promenade. The first promenade is in the key of B flat, (each is in a different key). Block harmony, pentatonic scale. Similar in style to a symphonic poem. |
Walk |
|
|
Stravinsky background |
Russian composer 1882-1971 International in that he travelled around the world. Paris, Switzerland, Paris, Los Angeles, New York. Etc |
|
|
|
Petrushka |
Ballet about a puppet who comes to life and finds himself in a love triangle. Introduction- at the Shrovetide fair. The petrushka chord- CEG F#A#C# (augmented 4th between each) creates a ghostlike, dream sound. Dissonance. Russian folk music and carnival scenes. Took orchestration and rhythmic complexity to in a whole new direction. Quotes several folk tunes. Scattered musical episodes that are connected by an opening theme. |
Chord |
|
|
Rite of spring overview |
Stravinsky describes the rite of spring as a musical choreographed workStravinsky wanted to captivate pagan Russia connected by the unity of the mystery and the surge of the creative power of spring. Disturbing story, shocking orchestral and rhythmic effects. Caused riots. |
|
