World of Music



World of Music - “Music History” – European “classical” music – Part 2

Classic Period (mid 1700’s – early 1800’s; 1750-1820)

Clear, recognizable melodies

Understandable musical forms (binary, ternary, rondo, sonata, theme & variations)

Some Musical Styles:

Multi-movement works – 3 or 4 sections – fast, slow, (minuet), fast)

Symphonies – string or full orchestra

3 or 4 “movements” – sections that can stand alone

1. fast; 2. slow; (3. dance-like); 4. fast

String quartets (2 violins, viola & cello) and other “chamber music”

– same structure as symphonies

Concertos for solo instrument & orchestra - same structure as symphonies

Sonatas for piano solo or piano & solo instrument

Suites & Serenades

Operas – Grand & comic opera; generally based on stories from popular literature

Sacred music styles continue

Instruments

**Piano becomes widely used – harpsichord & organ less popular

Strings still very important

Increased use of woodwind, brass & percussion

Invention/adoption of clarinet

Composers

Franz Joseph Haydn – Austria – “Papa Haydn” – “Father of Symphony”

(wrote over 100)

lived to be pretty old, taught both Mozart & Beethoven

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Austria – was a child prodigy –

began playing, performing & writing music when still preschool-age; wrote TONS of music, mostly be imagining the finished work in head, then just writing it down; died at age 35; music for all instruments, symphonies, operas

Ludwig van Beethoven – Germany/Austria –

first became famous as a pianist; piano music compositions are very famous;

9 symphonies; TONS of piano music, 1 opera

Later music more like “Romantic Style”

Romantic Period (early 1800’s – about 1900; 1820 – 1900)

All about expressing emotion, stretching & changing rules for musical style & harmonies

Lots of musical experimentation.

Some Musical Styles:

Symphonies - more flexible form, many MUCH LONGER

Other Orchestral music – tone poems, overtures, many that reflect a story

(programme music)

Concertos, Sonatas & Chamber music still around

Piano Music – Sonatas, many descriptive songs (programme music)

Art Songs – Single songs or set of songs (song cycles) intended to be solo showpieces

or poetry set to music

Operas – Much “heavier” theatrical sounding music, the “Ring” opera (fat ladies/horns)

Instruments

Piano

Full orchestra

Technical advances (valves) on brass instruments make them more adaptable

Unusual groupings of instruments

Very expressive vocal music

Composers

*Ludwig van Beethoven (later music) – especially 9th symphony

(using singers for symphony)

Johannes Brahms – symphonies, string quartet

Robert Schumann – piano music, songs

Felix Mendelssohn - piano & symphonic music

Franz Schubert – best known for song cycles

Peter I. Tchaikovsky – ballet music, 1812 overture

Sergei Prokofiev – symphonies, ballets, Peter & the Wolf

Frederic Chopin – best known for piano music

Franz Liszt – virtuostic piano music

Richard Wagner – huge operas

20th Century (about 1900 - )

All about redefining what’s “correct”- melodically, harmonically, stylistically

Mixing rhythms & keys simultaneously, influence of jazz

Some Musical Styles:

Symphonies, sonatas, concertos & opera still created in new styles

Programme music still created

Film & TV music become important

Impressionism – much like in visual art, melody creates a blurry “picture” with lots of

interesting blended harmonies

Neo-Classical Music – using musical forms from classic period, with a huge twist on

musical harmonies

Serialism/Atonal music – Heavy use of “dissonance” by using all 12 notes of the octave,

not just 8 or so.

Aleatory Music – chance music – players gets to decide which notes/when to play

based on options composer presents

Minimalism – use of only a few notes and repeated patterns

Experimental music – may not use traditional music/instruments at all, or may use them

in non-standard ways (aka “prepared piano”)

Electronic music – using electronically created sounds, sometimes live musicians

playing with prerecorded electronic soundtracks

Instruments

Traditional symphonic instruments

Electronic instruments

“Found” instruments (furniture, car parts, etc)

Composers

Claude Debussy – impressionism – piano & orchestra

Maurice Ravel – piano & orchestra; arranged many piano pieces for orchestra

Igor Stravinsky – orchestra & ballet music

John Cage – experimental music

Edgard Varese – electronic music

Arnold Schoenberg – atonal/serial music

Philip Glass - minimalism

George Gershwin – influence of musical theater & jazz on neoclassical music

Aaron Copland – neo classical, “programme” music, ballet, movies, TV

Leonard Bernstein – West Side Story

John Williams – movie music – Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, etc.

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