WESTERN MUSIC

A. MUSIC IN THE MIDDLE AGES (450-1450)

- Gregorian chant – consists of melody set to sacred Latin texts and sung without
accompaniment. The chant is monophonic in texture. The melodies of Gregorian chant
were meant to enhance specific parts of religious services.

- The Church Modes – consist of seven different tones and an eighth tone that duplicates the
first an octave higher. The church modes were the basic scales of western music during
the middle ages and Renaissance and were used in secular as well as sacred music.

- Secular Music in the Middle Ages - music outside the church composed during the 12th and
13th centuries by French nobles called the troubadours and trouveres. The songs were
usually performed by court minstrels, and most of them deal with love; but there are also
songs about the Crusades, dance songs, and spinning songs.

- The Development of Polyphony: Organum – Medieval music that consists of Gregorian

chant with one or more additional melodic lines. Between 900 and 1200 organum
became truly polyphonic and the melody added to the chant became more independent.

- Composers:

a. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) – composer of “O Successores” (You

successors) was one of the most creative and many-sided personalities of the
middle ages.
b.
c. Guillaume de Machaut (1300-1377) - famous both as a musician and a poet.

B. MUSIC IN THE RENAISSANCE (1450-1600)

- Characteristics of Renaissance Music:

1. The texture is polyphonic.

2. Typical choral piece has four, five or six voice parts of nearly equal melodic
interest.

3. Imitation among the voices is common: each presents the same melodic idea
in turn, as in a round.

4. Homophonic texture, with successions of chords, is also used, especially in

light music, like dances.

5. Renaissance music sounds fuller than medieval music.

6. The bass register was used for the first time, expanding the pitch range to
more than 4 octaves.

7. Period of “golden age” of unaccompanied – a capella – choral music.

- Sacred Music

1. Motet – is a polyphonic choral work set to sacred Latin text other than the
ordinary of the mass.
 2. Mass – is a polyphonic choral composition made up of five sections: Kyrie,
Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Agnus Dei.
3. Secular Vocal Music: Madrigal – a piece for several solo voices set to a
short poem, usually about love. A madrigal like a motet, combines
homophonic and polyphonic textures.

4. Secular Instrumental Music: Dance Forms – the development of

independent instrumental music grew out of two sources: the use of
instruments to double or replace parts of a vocal composition and the use of
instruments for dance music.

- Composers:
a. Josquin Desprez (1440-1521) – master of Renaissance music. Composed
music for masses, motets and secular vocal pieces. “Ave Maria…virgo
serena” is the outstanding choral work.

b. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594) – devoted himself to Catholic

Church music that includes 104 masses and some 450 other sacred works.
“Pope Marcellus Mass” is the famous mass by Palestrina written for a
capella choir of six voice parts: soprano, alto, two tenors and two basses.

c. Thomas Weelkes (1575-1623) – an organist and church composer.

C. MUSIC IN THE BAROQUE (1600-1750)

- Characteristics of Baroque Music:

1. Baroque pieces usually express one basic mood: what begins joyfully will
remain joyful throughout
2. Rhythmic patterns heard at the beginning of a piece are repeated throughout it.
3. Baroque melody creates a feeling of continuity.
4. Paralleling continuity of rhythm and melody in baroque music is continuity of
dynamic level: the volume tends to stay constant for a stretch of time. 5.
Polyphonic in texture.
6. Chords became increasingly important during the baroque period.
7.
- Early Baroque (1600-1640) – composers’ favored homophonic texture over the
polyphonic texture typical of Renaissance music.

- Middle Baroque (1640-1680) – the church modes scales governed music for centuries
gradually gave way to major and minor scales.

- Late Baroque Period (1680-1750) – many aspects of harmony – including an emphasis on

the attraction of the dominant chord to the tonic – arose in this period. Instrumental
music became as important as vocal music for the first time. Late baroque composers
gloried in polyphony.

- Single Vocal Forms

1. Recitative – is a free form for solo voice with accompaniment in which the vocal
melody approximates the natural rhythm and pitch inflection of the text. 2. Aria – is a
song for solo and accompaniment in which the vocal part is written in a fairly complex
style, often with several notes to each syllable of the text. 3. Chorale – sung in unison or
in four-part block chord style.

- Multi-movement Vocal Forms

 1. Opera – is a drama sung with instrumental accompaniment and presented with
appropriate scenery, costumes and staging.
2. Cantata – is a composite vocal form in several movements for solo voice and
instrumental accompaniment or for solo voices, chorus and instrumental
accompaniment.
3. Oratorio – is a composite vocal work for soloists, chorus and orchestra based on a
sacred or secular text.

- Single Movement Instrumental Forms

1. Sectional Dance Form – dances written in rounded binary form.
2. Orchestral Overture – an instrumental composition which serves as an introductory
movement for an opera, oratorio or cantata or as the first movement of a composite
instrumental piece.
3. Fugue – is a composition based on polyphonic imitative treatment of a short theme
known as the subject.

- Multi-Movement Instrumental Forms

1. Sonata da chiesa (Italian: church sonata) – written for solo instruments 2. Sonata da
camera (Italian: chamber sonata) – is a composite instrumental work based on dance
forms.
3. Suite – an important Baroque instrumental form for solo harpsichord, clavichord or
orchestral instruments. It is also a dance movement: allemande, courante, sarabande
and gigue.

- Composers:

a. Johanne Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) –Works: “Branderburg Concerto,”

“Air on G-String,” “Toccata and Fugue in D minor,” “Organ Mass” and
“The Magnificat.”

b. Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) – one of the most important composers in

early baroque era. Created the earliest operatic masterpiece “Orfeo”. The last
opera by Monteverdi is “L’incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of
Poppea).”

c. Henry Purcell (1659-1695) –Works: “Dido and Aeneas,” “The Fairy Queen”
(an adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream), “King
Arthur”, and “Jubilate Deo”.

d. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) –Works: “The Four Seasons,” “Twelve sonatas

for two violins and basso continuo (opus 1),” “La Stravaganza for twelve
violin concertos.”

e. George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) –Works: “Messiah,” “Water Music,”

“Music for the Royal Fireworks,” “For unto Us a Child Is Born.”

D. MUSIC OF CLASSICAL PERIOD (1750-1820)

- Characteristics of Classical Music:

1. Emphasis on beauty, elegance and balance.

2. Homophonic Texture
3. Classical melodies are among the most tuneful and easiest to remember.
4. Sonata form was the most important design.
5. The orchestra increases in size and range. The harpsichord falls out of use.
 The woodwind becomes a self-contained section.

- Single Movement Instrumental Forms

1. Binary Form – form of movement with two principal themes or two distinct sections.
2. Ternary Form – form of movement with three principal themes or three sections.
3. Rondo Form – a typical pattern which letters representing thematic sections
(ABACABA) there are five and seven part rondo forms.
4. Variation Forms – One of a set of series of transformations of a theme by means of
harmonic, rhythmic, and melodic changes and embellishments.
5. Sonatina Form – in essence, a miniature version of sonata-allegro form, but with
shorter themes, an abbreviated or occasionally omitted development section, and a
generally lighter character.

- Multi-Movement Instrumental Forms

1. Sonata Form – refers to the form of a single movement and consists of three main
sections: the exposition, where the themes are presented; the development, where
themes are treated in new ways; and the recapitulation, where the themes return. The
three main sections are often followed by a concluding section, the coda. These
sections are all within one movement.

2. Concerto – an extended composition for a solo instrument and orchestra, frequently in

a sonata form.

- Single-Movement Vocal Forms

1. Recitative
2. Aria
3. Song
4. Chorus
-
- Multi-Movement Vocal Forms

1. Opera – show significant advances in style and technique.

- Composers:
a. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) –Works: “Eine Kleine
Nachtmusik,” “Don Giovanni,” “Symphony No.40 in g minor,” “The
Marriage of Figaro.”

b. Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827) –Works: “Symphony No. 5 in c minor,”

“Piano Sonata in C minor Op.13,” “Moonlight Sonata.”

c. Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) –Works: “The Creation,” “The Seasons,”

“Surprise Symphony,” “Trumpet Concerto in E Flat Major.”

d. Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840) –Works: “Caprice No. 24 in A minor,”

“Tarantella,” “God Save the King.”

E. ROMANTIC PERIOD (1820-1900)

- Characteristics of Romantic Music:

1. Describe as subjectivity, emotionalism, longing exuberance, imbalance,
fantasy.
2. Emphasis on self-expression and individuality of style.
3. Expressive aims and subjects
4. Nationalism and Exoticism
5. Program music
 6. Expressive tone color
7. Colorful harmony
8. Expanded range of dynamics, pitch and tempo

- Forms of Orchestral Music:

1.Program Symphony – is a composition in several movements as its name

implies, a symphony with a program. Usually, each movement has a
descriptive title.
2.Concert Overture – has one movement, usually in sonata form. The romantic
concert overture was modeled after the opera overture, a one movement
composition that establishes the mood of an opera.

3. Symphonic poem or tone poem – is also in one movement. Symphonic poems

take many traditional forms – sonata form, rondo, or theme and variations – as
well as irregular forms.

4.Incidental music – is music to be performed before and during a play. It is

“incidental” to the staged drama, but it sets the mood for certain scenes.
Interludes, background music, marches, and dances are all incidental music.

- Art Song – a composition for solo voice and piano. Poetry and music are intimately fused
in the art song.

- Strophic Form – repeating the same music for each stanza of the poem. Strophic form
makes a song easy to remember and is used in almost all folk songs.

- Through-Composed Form – writing new music for each stanza. Through-composed form
allows music to reflect a poem’s changing moods.

- Song Cycle – a cycle may be unified by a story line that runs through the poems or by
musical ideas linking the songs.

- Composers:

a. Franz Schubert (1797-1828) –Works: “Unfinished Symphony,” “Serenade,”

“Symphony No.8 in B minor.”

b. Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) –Works: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,”

“Italian Symphony,” “Hebrides Overture.”

c. Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) –Works: “Nocturne in E flat Major,” “Etude in

C minor,” “Polonaise in A flat Major.”

d. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Works: “Nutcracker Suite,” “Romeo

and Juliet,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Swan Lake.”

e. Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) –. Works: “Rigoletto,” “La Donna e Mobile,”

“Aida,” “La Traviata.”

F. THE TWENTIETH CENTURY MUSIC AND BEYOND

- Characteristics of 20th century music:

1. Tone color became more important of music than ever before.

2. Many techniques considered uncommon before were being used during this
time.
3. Many composers used noiselike and percussive instruments.
4. Glissando, a rapid slide up or down the scales.
 5. Percussion instruments became a major part of 20th century music.
6. Dissonant chords were becoming just as common as consonant chords.
7. Many emphasized irregularity and unpredictability.
8. The time signature would often change in the middle of piece.
- Impressionism – musical style that stresses tone color, atmosphere and fluidity, typical of
Debussy.

- Expressionism – musical style stressing intense, subjective emotion and harsh dissonance,
typical of German and Austrian music of the early 20th century.
- Neoclassicism – musical style marked by emotional restraint, balance and clarity, inspired
by the forms and stylistic features of 18th century music.

- Nationalism – Inclusion of folksongs, dances, legends, and other national material in a

composition to associate it with the composer’s homeland; characteristic of romantic
music.

- Exoticism – Use of melodies, rhythms, or instruments that suggest foreign lands; common
in romantic music.

- Minimalist music – is characterized by steady pulse, clear tonality, and insistent repetition
of short melodic patterns; its dynamic level, texture, and harmony tend to stay constant
for fairly long stretches of time, creating a trancelike or hypnotic effect.

- Electronic instrument – whose sound is produced, modified or amplified by electronic

means.

- Free Jazz – jazz style that departs from traditional jazz is not being based on regular forms
and established chord patterns.

- Jazz – music rooted in improvisation and characterized by syncopated rhythm, a steady

beat, and distinctive tone colors and performance techniques. Jazz was developed in the
United States predominantly by African American musicians and gained popularity in the
early twentieth century.

- Jazz Rock (fusion) – style that combines the jazz musician’s improvisatory approach with
rock rhythms and tone colors.

- Ragtime – style of composed piano music, generally in duple meter with a moderate march
tempo, in which the pianist’s right hand plays a highly syncopated melody while the left
hand maintains the beat with an “oom-pah” accompaniment.

- Popular Music – belongs to any of a number of musical genres “having wide appeal” and
is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast
to both art music and traditional music.

- Composers:

1. Arnold Schoenberg (Austrian, 1874-1951) –. Works: “Pierrot Lunaire,” “A

Survivor from Warsaw,”

2. Claude Debussy (French, 1862-1918) –Works: “Clair de Lune,” “String

Quartet in G minor,” “Nocturne,” “Fantaisie for piano and orchestra.”

3. Bela Bartok (Hungarian, 1881-1945) –. Work: “Concerto for Orchestra,”

“Third Piano Concerto,” “Violin Concerto.”

4. Sergei Rachmaninoff (Russian, 1873-1943) –Work: “Rhapsody on a Theme of

Paganini,” “Prelude in C sharp minor,” “Symphonic Dances.”
5. Aaron Copland (American, 1900-1990) –Work: “Appalachian Spring,” “The
Cat and the Mouse for piano,” “Sonata in G major for piano.”

6. John Cage (American, 1912-1992) –Work: “Sonatas and Interludes,”

“Dream,” “Water Music.”

7. Miles Davis (American, 1926-1991) – outstanding black American jazz

trumpeter and bandleader. Work: “Miles Runs the Voodoo Dow,” “Miles
Davis Quintet.”