Music Appreciation - Lecture 11 Notes
 


16 December 2003
Definitions (for class through January 8, 2004)

 

Genres:

Secular Vocal Music

            Parisian chanson- French song; more homogeneous texture, rhythmic equalization of                                              parts, & increasing use of pervading imitation as the principal                                                            structural device

            frottola- secular Italian vocal genre of the late 15th & 16th centuries

                        -texture: chordal, texts that are lighthearted, comic or ironic

                        -avoids imitation and contrapuntal artifice, lively, dancelike rhythms w/                                       -frequent use of syncopation and hemiola

            lute songs- strophic secular madrigals cultivated in England during early 17th cent.

                              notated for lute & any combination of one or more voices (usually 4)

                            -lute could substitute for or double as many as 3 of the 4 voices

            air de cour- “courtly air”

                              - secular song in late 16th cent. & early 17th cent. France that could be                                                     either polyphonic or homophonic (voice & lute)

            cantata- used to denote a vocal work, usually sacred, for performance forces of varying                                      size, from soloist & basso continuo to soloists, chorus, & orchestra

 

Dance Music

            pavane- slow, courtly dance in duple meter

            bourrée- lively dance in duple meter w/ prominent upbeat at beginning of each section

            saltarello- lively dance that often follows a slower one

            rondo- “round dance” performed by a large group moving in a circle at a lively tempo

 

Instrumental Music

            monody- any work of the 17th cent. w/ a solo voice supported by basso continuo

            sonata- “that which is sounded” (played on instruments)

                       - used in Renaissance & Baroque in broadest sense to indicate a work for an                               instrument or instruments of any combo

                       - from 18th cent. onward, used to indicate a work for one o more solo instruments,                                   usually in 3 of 4 movements

            sonata da camera- “sonata of the chamber”

                                        - features a series of dance-related movements, popular in Baroque

            sonata de chiesa- “sonata of the church”

                                      - features a slow 1st mvmt. & at least 1 additional imitative mvmt,                                                  popular in Baroque

            concerto- used in 17th cent. to indicate broadly any work consisting of multiple forces,                              such as voices & instruments

                          - from 18th cent. onward, reserved for works featuring a soloist or soloists                                   contrasted against a larger ensemble

            concerto grosso- Baroque concerto typically featuring small group of soloists                                                        (concertino) w/ its own basso continuo, against a larger ensemble (the                                              ripieno)

            ripieno concerto- work for large ensemble w/ no soloists

            solo concerto- features a single soloist or a pair of soloists against a ripieno ensemble

            suite- Allemande (moderate, flowing, duple meter)

                      Courante (fast, triple meter)

                      Sarabande (slow, triple meter)

                      Gigue (fast, often w/ dotted rhythms, compound meter)

            variation suite- set of contrasting dance-related mvmts based on one basic thematic idea

            symphony- 17th & early 18th cent., a work or mvmt for large instrumental ensemble

                             - 18th cent., an overture to an opera or stage play

                             - 1720 onward, a multimovement work for instrumental ensemble

 

Keyboard Music

            toccata- sectional, freely constructed keyboard work unrelated to any preexistent                                                material, & typically features rapid passagework

            fantasia- follows no structures of large-scale convention but follows instead (or gives the                                       impression of following) the composer’s free flight of fantasy

                         - lies partway between song & speech

            ricercar- freely composed work that “seeks out” a particular mode or thematic idea; full                                       of runs & passagework

                         -in the early 16th cent., improvisatory & preludial in character, often for lute or                            keyboard

                         -by the mid-16th cent, term was identified w/ polyphonic works for keyboard or                                     for instrumental ensembles

                         -by 18th cent., term associated w/ fugues that used a large # or variety of                                                contrapuntal devices

            fugue- incorporates a series of imitative entries, usually on a single theme but capable of                                     accommodating multiple themes as well

           

Vocabulary:

 

Vocal Music

            through-composed- setting each line of text to essentially new music

            recitative- style of singing characterized by syllabic declamation, w/ greater emphasis on                                 projection of the text at hand than on melody, more nearly
                                approximating  the  inflections of speech even while adhering to the basic
                                musical elements of  pitch & rhythm

 

Instrumental Music

            intabulations- any arrangement of an existing vocal work for a plucked string instrument                                               or keyboard

            augmentation- lengthening of the original note values of the subject

            diminution- speeding up of note values

            head motif- thematic idea that occurs at the beginning of a mvmt or work & returns                                      prominently throughout the course of the music that follows

           

Keyboard Music

            equal temperament- system of tuning that allowed keyboard players to play in any key

            style brisée- broken style; arpeggiated chords

 

Vocal and Instrumental Music

            prima prattica- “first” practice

                                   - coined in early 17th cent. to describe an older attitude toward text setting                                                in which the projection of a sung text was subordinated to the established                                   conventions of good counterpt

                                  - traditional style of Renaissance polyphony

            seconda prattica- “second” or later practice

                                       - coined in early 17th cent. to describe new attitude toward text setting in                                         which all musical means were subordinated to the effective delivery of                                        the text being sung

                                        - closely associated w/ emerging practice of monody

            basso continuo- continuous bass that provides the harmonic framework for the solo voice                                    above it

            figured bass- notational convention of the basso continuo in the 17th & 18th cent. using                                    numbers to indicate the desired intervals, thus the harmonies, to be played                                            above a given bass line      

            ground bass- short phrase repeated over and over again in the lowest voice

            musica reservata- music “reserved” for a select audience of elite noble-born or                                                                  aristocratic listeners

            intermedi- dramatic work, often w/ music, performed btwn the acts of a larger theatrical                                         presentation such as a play or opera

            ritornello- a “small return”

                            - an opening musical idea that returns at several points over the course of a                                   work, usually after contrasting material of some kind

                           - especially important in the genre of the concerto

            mannerism- designates a style of painting & sculpture characterized by the use of                                          distortion, exaggeration, & unsettling juxtaposition for dramatic effect

            genere concitato- agitated or warlike manner

                                      - style of writing, developed by Monteverdi, for evoking a mood of                                              agitation or anger, often through the use of rapid repeated notes and                                               fanfarelike figures

           

Dance Music

            reprises- larger sections to be repeated

            binary form- 2 reprises together

            syntactic form- central idea is presented & varied over the course of an entire movement

            paratactic form- each new section presents an essentially new idea

            basso ostinato- “ostinate bass”; bass pattern repeated many times within the course of a                                                 mvmt or work

            passamezzo- “step and a half”

                               - bass pattern used throughout the Baroque

                               - dance similar to pavane, but w/ a lighter step

            folia- “craziness or insanity”; wild & exuberant dance

                   - bass pattern used throughout the Baroque