A Brief Survey of Western Music

800AD - PresentA Brief Survey of Western MusicImportant Points in this Slide ShowThis multimedia unit on music history, style and form is designed to be learned and studied on an individual basis.Any words or names in red italics are important and need to be memorized. You should write them in your notes as we cover them in class.We will take three days to go through this presentation and then the test will take place on the fourth day.You are encouraged to review each lesson at home after we discuss it in class to help learn it. Listen to various music examples given.You can download the PowerPoint 2007 viewer if you do not have PowerPoint on your computer: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=6

OverviewMusic has evolved continuously over the past thousand years.Music styles change, as does clothing, hairstyles, art, architecture and language, as humans constantly look for variation and change.There is a strong human need for repetition and contrast in our lives: repetition so that we feel secure and comfortable with what is going on, and contrast to provide variety.There is no master planner deciding when music should change. An innovative composer may try something new, and if it is popular the new idea catches on, and if not, it does not survive. Musical Style PeriodsMedieval Period (c.800-1450)Renaissance Period (1450-1600)Baroque Period (1600-1750)Classical Period (1750-1825)Romantic Period (1825-1910)Modern Period (1910-present)c.800-c.1450The Medieval PeriodInstrumental Music of The Middle AgesInstrumental music was improvised in the Middle Ages.Medieval instruments consisted of the shawm, krummhorn, rebec, sackbut , lute, drums and other ancestors of our modern instruments.Instruments would have been used for dancing, war, celebrations, although the concept of an organized orchestra or band is still many centuries away.

Music for the ChurchUnlike today, the Church was a very powerful force in European medieval society. At a time when most people were illiterate, it was the monks who could read and write, and therefore controlled most aspects of society. Universities were founded for the training of priests.The great cathedrals were constructed during this time, and musicians began to compose music for the Church.

Notre Dame Cathedral, ParisSalisbury Cathedral, EnglandGregorian ChantComposers developed a type of sacred music that was not like the secular music found outside the church.Secular music is worldly, often based on dances, and therefore has a steady beat.Gregorian chant (named after Pope Gregory the Great) was melismatic (many notes to a syllable), monophonic (single line with no harmony), was very fluid with no steady pulse, and was sung in Latin.Chant, or plainsong, was based on the ancient modes. (Mode IV began on what we would now call fah or Lydian.)Gregorian chant is the ancestor of our modern music. It was composed on a four-line staff with neumes, which evolved eventually into our modern notation.

Gregorian Chant

An example of the beautiful artwork and attention to detail that was used when this music was copied.Gregorian Chant Dies IraeThe Dies Irae is one of the sections of the funeral requiem mass. It means day of wrath in English. Listen for the free-flowing melody which is unaccompanied and has no steady beat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlr90NLDp-0The High Middle AgesAt Notre Dame in Paris, composers began to ornament the chant by adding a second line of music for embellishment. Lonin (c.1159-c.1201) was the first composer whose name has come down to us.The Latin word for this two-part music is organum.The two lines never came closer than a fourth to each other.This harmony of open 4ths, 5ths and octaves gives this music an ancient, modal sound. When composers today try to give their music an ancient feel, they will write chords of open 5ths without any 3rds which make chords major or minor.Eventually a third line was added, and words were given to the parts. The words could be in different languages. This new form was called a motet (from the French mot for word).

Lonin Organum DuplumDuplum is Latin for two. You will hear two separate lines of music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq5B3M4jRtQ1450-1600The Renaissance PeriodHistorical Developments The invention of the printing press allowed for the mass printing of books and music.The invention of gunpowder brought to an end the age of knighthood.Astronomers such as Galileo began to observe the stars and planets, making observations which challenged the Churchs traditional view of Creation.Theologians such as Martin Luther began to challenge the Church on its beliefs, paving the way for the Reformation and the fragmenting of the Church into various denominations. One important change was the use of the vernacular in services. Vernacular is the native language of the people. (The vernacular in England is English, and in Germany is German.)

Musical DevelopmentsThe 3-part medieval motet evolved into fully mature motets, anthems, madrigals and chansons. The use of the third in chords gives a thicker, more modern-sounding harmony.These a cappella choral pieces often had thick textures of 5, 6 or more individual lines of music. They were based on imitation, or polyphonic counterpoint.The Renaissance period is considered to be the Golden Age of unaccompanied choral singing.A motet is a sacred work in Latin, based on imitative polyphony.The anthem is a sacred work for choir sung in English, a result of the Reformation in England.Madrigals and chansons were secular works. Madrigals were usually in Italian or English, and chansons were in French.

Thomas Tallis The LamentationsThis is a fine example of a cappella singing in imitative polyphonic style by the Choir of New College, Oxford, England. You will note that the men are singing the alto, tenor and bass parts.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG9Gv0x-4Lo

Morley Now is the month of mayingThis light-hearted madrigal by Thomas Morley is one of the best-known madrigals. In this example it is sung by the Kings Singers, an English a cappella choral group consisting of six male singers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ7VirCScp0Important Renaissance ComposersThomas Tallis (1510-1585) Orlando de Lassus (1530-1594)Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594)Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)Thomas Morley (1557-1602)Thomas Weelkes (1576-1623)William Byrd (1540-1623)Renaissance Instrumental MusicInstrumental music was still improvised, as in the Medieval period.It will not be until the Baroque Period when composers begin to compose for instruments and ensembles.Common instruments during this period were the shawm, lute, cornett (made of wood), flute, sackbut, slide trumpet, viol, and harpsichord (keyboard instrument with plucked strings).Instruments would have been used for dancing, military purposes, celebrations, fanfares, and so on.Renaissance Dance Music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqvoFHekE0c1600-1750The Baroque PeriodBaroque CharacteristicsBaroque is a Portuguese word meaning an unrefined, rough jewel. It was first used as a derogatory description of the music of this time.Baroque music, like Baroque architecture, painting and clothing, tends to be highly ornamented and decorated and flamboyant.

Baroque MusicComposers were now writing for instruments, and from this point on instrumental music overshadows choral music.The bar line was developed as a means of keeping instruments together.Music developed a steady, pulsating, relentless beat, like a motor which never stops.The use of trills and other forms of ornamentation becomes standard.Baroque music sounds majestic, pompous and regal to our ears, and is commonly used for ceremonial occasions in our day.There was often a harpsichord in the orchestra, which leads to the development of terraced dynamics (loud or soft, but no crescendos or decrescendos).Opera was developed in Italy, which is a dramatically different form of music. This leads to the use of Italian descriptive terms for music.Important Baroque ComposersJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)George Friderich Handel (1685-1759)Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)Henry Purcell (1659-1695)Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706)

Bach: Brandenburg Concerto #3It was quite common for performers to stand when playing during the Baroque period. Note how the harpsichord is placed in the centre of the ensemble. The composer would often lead the group while playing.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ9qWpa2rIg

Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworkshttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_for_the_Royal_Fireworks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5duJvI4bLcPachelbel: Canon in DThe famous Canon in D is not a real canon at all, since the melody occurs in the bass only. You will recall that a canon is a musical form in which the melody is imitated in sequence by all of the parts or voices. The Canon in D is the most famous canon in the world that is not a canon! It is actually a passacaglia. A passacaglia is a form in which a melody is repeated over and over in the bass, overtop of which are other parts providing variety. The performers here are playing on period instruments, which means they are made with the same sort of materials as they would have been in Pachelbels day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvNQLJ1_HQ01750-1825The Classical PeriodClassical MusicMusic of the Classical era has a completely different feel than the Baroque era which preceded it.Music from this era sounds light, refined, elegant and sophisticated to our modern ears.The String Quartet and Symphony were developed by Haydn. He is considered to be the Father of the String Quartet and Father of the Symphony.A symphony is a major work for orchestra divided into four movements.The piano-forte was invented, making the harpsichord obsolete. The piano-forte could play loudly and softly as its name implies, and could play crescendos and decrescendos which greatly enhanced the development of expressive music. It could also sustain notes while the harpsichord could not.The clarinet as we know it was developed.

Mozart Eine Kleine NachtmusikThis is the first movement of Mozarts Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Night Music), one Mozarts most best known and well-loved pieces. It was written for string orchestra.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT7_Y1pIBb4Important Classical ComposersFranz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)Beethoven was a transitional composer straddling the Classical and Romantic eras. He is considered to be the first of the Romantics.Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven were all closely associated with the city of Vienna in Austria, and are sometimes referred to as the Viennese School.1825-1910The Romantic PeriodRomanticismTo be Romantic is to be expressive.When a composer attempts to express an emotion or non-musical idea through music, he/she is being romantic.There was so much expressive music being composed in the 19th century that it is now referred to as the Romantic era, even though all composers, past and present, are expressive.Orchestras became very large to be able to handle the large dynamic contrasts.Romantic music tends to be dramatic, with plenty of crescendos and decrescendos.Rubato was common, wherein the tempo deliberately speeds up and slows down.Program music is instrumental music that tells a story. An example is music that is composed for a play (or in our time, a movie) which becomes so popular that it is performed separately, without the original play. This type of program music is called incidental music.

Some Important Romantic ComposersLudwig van BeethovenFranz SchubertHector BerliozJohannes BrahmsFelix MendelssohnRobert SchumannFrdric ChopinRichard WagnerGiuseppe VerdiGiacomo PucciniPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Wagner: The Ride of the ValkyriesThis is an example of a big, exciting, Romantic piece for large orchestra.It is from the opera Die Walkre, which itself is the second of the four operaswhich comprise the epic Der Ring des Nibelungen. For more information, seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ride_of_the_Valkyrieshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AlEvy0fJto

Chopin - Nocturne Op.9 No.2This piano piece by Chopin is the opposite mood of Wagners, yet it is still Romantic. It is quiet, delicate and sensitive. It demonstrates the use of rubato and is very expressive.The pianist is Arthur Rubenstein, one of the great pianists of the 20th century and a renowned interpreter of Chopins piano music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGRO05WcNDk1910-presentThe Modern EraCharacteristics of Modern MusicMuch modern music reflects the hustle and bustle of modern life, as we race around in our vehicles on asphalt, and live and work in buildings made of concrete, glass and metal and other unnatural materials.Modern composers often use irregular rhythms and metre, such as 5/4, 5/8, 7/8, and 11/8.The use of dissonant harmonies is common.Shifting time signatures (frequent metre changes Eg Centuria)Polymetre 2 different metres at same time.12-tone music Music based on tone rows instead of scales.

Bernstein Chichester PsalmsThis work for choir and orchestra opens with dramatic, dissonant harmonies, and then breaks into 7/8 time. It is a wonderful example of modern choral music that uses newstyles of composition yet remains appealing to the average listener.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4L-w_bDfUs Important 20th Century ComposersEdward Elgar (1857-1934)Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) Bla Bartk (1881-1945)Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)John Cage (1912-1992)Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)