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Essay: Classical studies – various Q & As

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1. Igor Stravinsky introduced The Rite of Spring which is a part “The Adoration of the Earth” in 1913. This piece focused heavily on the season of spring and sacrifice. Within the ballet, there is no real plot. In the introduction, Stravinsky wanted to highlight the calls of prehistoric wild life through the bassoon. After the introduction, we are introduced to “Omens of Spring” and “Dance of the Adolescents” in which light is brought to spring’s awakening. The dancers reflect of spring’s arrival and lead up to “The Game of Abduction.” This particular section emphasizes the celebration and excitement going on now that spring has arrived and their quest to find the sacrificial virgin. The final section “Round Dances of Spring” leads up to ceremonial event which includes the sacrifice of a virgin to satisfy the gods of spring.

2. Modernism was time period that reflected on new ways of expression in different aspects such as music, art, and literature. Avant-garde meaning in the most advanced way was embraced by many individuals. James Joyce, a novelist, is an example of this idea. Her novel Ulysses of 1922 was depicted as one of the most famous works which represented consciousness. Another example of this is Pablo Picasso, a painter of the time. Picasso stressed abstract art and cubism. Igor Stravinsky introduced complicated harmonies and dissonance in music. Different scales, including variations amongst major and minor. These three individuals were considered members of the musical “avant-garde.”

3. Traditional ballet focused heavily on technique, flow and aesthetics. The Nutcracker by Pyotr llyich Tchaikovsky aimed to maintain the story yet still allow the talent and physique of the dancers to shine through. Sergei Diaghilev wanted to attract people with exotic spectacles by adjoining the latest and most sensational in dance, music, scenery, and costume. It was more astounding than traditional in its form and style.

4. An overture is an orchestral piece at the start of an opera, oratorio, several composers have used concert overtures within their pieces. Robert Schumann wrote Hermann und Dorothea inspired by Goethe’s epic poem. Hector Berlioz wrote overtures for different genres; Shakespeare’s King Lear, The Corsair by Byron, and Waverly by Sir Walter Scott. The most popular known overtures were composed by Felix Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn wrote an overture for Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

5. Opera defined as drama introduced in music, including characters singing as opposed to speaking was a significant of the Baroque era. Opera was invented in Florence. They started as court entertainment for royal weddings and celebrations within the same status. Opera eventually gained fame and became a successful form of music. Claudio Monteverdi introduced his first opera piece, Ofrea in 1607. Another operatic piece was created by Henry Purcell in 1689, Dido and Aeneas. Over the years, opera became more famous and was used by many composers. Opera was also used by Alban Berg in 1923 during early modernism, depicted in his piece Wozzeck.

6. The conductor in a symphony orchestra keeps balance present within the musicians. He controls the tempo, dynamics, and time signature. The decisions that a conductor can make is how fast, slow, soft, or heavy he wants the music to be played. He controls the beat and the flow of the music. The conductor also guides the musicians into the piece, he cues them in which keeps the flow going.

7. Symphony, large orchestral piece in several movements, tends to differ from a concerto. In contrast, symphonies are typically in sonata form while concertos are in ritornello form in the opening movement. In the slow movement, the symphony is in sonata form again containing variations and rondo. In the slow movement, concerto has no standard form. A symphony contains a minuet while concerto does not. Finally, in the closing movement, symphony reverts back to sonata form and concerto goes back to ritornello form.

8. Atonality is an absence of any feeling of tonality. Melody tends to grow more complex and harmony becomes dissonant. A huge supporter of atonal music was Arnold Schoenberg. An example of that is Pierrot Lunaire in 1912. Another example is Alban Berg’s Wozzeck in 1923. The Rite of Spring (1913) by Igor Stravinsky was also an atonal piece.

9. Basso Continuo reflects continuous bass. It has double effect of illuminating the harmony and allowing the music to bind. The music we discussed was Giovanni Gabrielli’s O Magnum Mysterium and Antonio Vivaldi’s Violin Concerto in G. La Stravaganza first movement.

10. Historically informed performance is a method to the execution of classical music, which points to be steadfast to the approach, way, and fashion of the period in which a work was initially conceived. In the composition we talked about, the utilize of the harpsichord and recorder is made to imply the elucidation.

11. Perotin and Leonin were known for their invention of the organum. Perotin was the follower of his matter known as Leonin who developed organa for four simultaneous melodies. Their organa “Alleluia” was created for mass. Though we are unsure of who wrote it, it is believed to be Perotin. The contribution is the invention of organum.

12. During the Middle Ages, religious music was a crucial aspect. However, there was also secular music, non-religious music. Troubadours were poets who composed music that was focused on the non-religious aspects of life. Their music was filled with joy and love. These individuals also were open to using stringed instruments to accompany their music.

13. When discussing Middle Ages and music, people often think of plainchant. Plainchant refers to solo, monophonic music which was typically composed for churches and for religious purposes. There are only slight variations, with mostly monotone and single pitch. They were no metrical, with no meter and also showed no minor/major modes. The type of music was meant to be plain because it was only for religious purposes. An example of this type of music is “In Paradisum” from the ninth century which has an anonymous composer.

14. During the baroque time period, several genres were popular. However, the two genres that received the most recognition was concerto and concerto Grosso. The biggest different was between the types of orchestra it targeted. In a concerto, there happened to be one soloist while a concerto Grosso was more like an ensemble of soloists. They both focused on longer compositions because during the time people believed that it was more attracting. They were able to show different feelings through the use of these two aspects.

15. The enlightenment was a factor of history which focused heavily on thinking and intellectual skills. Music during this time period was reflective of the era. There was more variation in the dynamics of a composition. The use of crescendo and diminuendo began to flourish. There was flexibility in tone color along with a rise in use of brass instruments. Homophony was the most crucial aspect on Enlightenment music. It was melody with harmony that attracted many composers. This change emphasized the Enlightenment period because it showed how complex the music was. It showed true technique and intellect that was being used by the composers and individuals of the time.

16. Sonata-Allegro Form is defined as a form fabricated the composers of the classical period. It was mainly used in the symphonies, and sonatas during the first movement. A few examples of this type of music is Symphony No.40 G Minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the year 1788. Another is Symphony No. 94 in G and Symphony No. 99 in E flat by Franz Joseph Haydn in 1791.

17. Ritornello is what is seen at the beginning of a concert Grosso and later on seen again during the composition. This type of music tends to have a solid foundation and has power. Once is seen once, it will be present again later on but perhaps with change. It might have different keys or tempo or dynamics. Antonio Vivaldi shows us ritornello form in his Violin Concerto in G, La Stravaganza. Also, we can see ritornello form in Johann Sebastian Bach’s rendition of Brandenburg Concerto.

18. Consonance and Dissonance are opposing music techniques in terms of harmony. When referring to consonance, we are talking about an interval or a chord that is steady. It is not disorganized and lacks tension. Dissonance are sounds that are filled with stiffness and strain and have unbalanced chords.

19. Expressionism is a term that grasps an early 20th-century fashion of art, music, and writing that is charged with an enthusiastic and otherworldly vision of the world. Its commonplace characteristic is to show the world exclusively from a subjective point of view, mutilating it drastically for enthusiastic impact in arranging to bring out temperaments or thoughts. An illustration of this sort of craftsmanship is “The Scream” by Edvard Munch.

20. Characteristics of Expressionism in music include episodic, fragmentary form and structure. Also, an unforeseen musical lingo can be acknowledged. Dissonant chords are also common factor of expressionist music. Emotional intensity and tonality is also seen through the music of the expressionist period. Arnold Schoenberg was an example through his atonal music.

21. Impressionism was a craftsmanship development in France at the conclusion of the 19th century. The Impressionists were a bunch of craftsmen famous for their imaginative portray methods and approach to utilizing color in craftsmanship. These people of the development needed to see the quality of light. An example of this period is the work of Claude Monet.

22. Impressionism in music was a development among different composers in Western classical music whose music centers on recommendation and environment. Composers were labeled impressionists by similarity to the impressionist painters who utilize starkly differentiating colors, the impact of light on a question, foggy frontal area and foundation, straightening viewpoint, etc. to make the spectator center his consideration on the by and large impression. An example of impressionist music composers is Claude Debussy.

23. In 1904, Schoenberg started working with two understudies who, motivated by him, would moreover take the jump into atonality. They were Alban Berg and Anton Webern. These two students along with Arnold Schoenberg came to be known as the second Viennese School. Atonality was seen through Berg’s Musical drama Wozzeck.

24. To begin with, Viennese School is a title generally utilized to allude to three composers of the Classical period in Western craftsmanship music in late-18th-century Vienna: Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven. All lived and worked in Vienna, Austria. made Vienna the central center of melodic advancement and creation. These three never worked together, however, had an effect on the work of each other.

25. Serialism is the method of constituting with a sequence, typically a twelve tone one. factor of serialism is the ground bass, an outline of harmonies or repition in melodies This aspect was used by the Second Viennese School. An example is Alban Berg’s Wozzeck in 1923. Another example is Pierrot Lunaire by Arnold Schoenberg composed in 1912.

26. Through-composed music, in its most common sense, alludes to music that is composed all the way through without redundancy or return of melodic fabric. Most music has a few kinds of frame, which is the way a piece of music is organized. Most shapes in music have a few kinds of redundancy or return to the huge areas of the music. In through-composed music, the music is ceaselessly changing as it advances. This is in differentiate to the strophic frame, in which each stanza is set to the same music. An example of through composed is Franz Schubert’s Erlkonig (1815). An example of strophic music is the basic Happy Birthday song.

27. Absolute music is reflective of instrumental music free of the objective proposal of title, content, or program and subordinate on structure alone for its subjective comprehension. This type of music was used to pay reverence to the kings and princes. A very big component of absolute music was opera.

28. Program music is composition of music that is often linked to a story or extra musical idea. They were often composed in relations to poems, stories, etc. Program music is transcending and expressive of the era. An example is Fantastic Symphony by Hector Berlioz, Nocturne in F-sharp by Frederic Chopin, and Carnaval by Robert Schumann.

29. Classical music and Romantic music have numerous contrasts in the sound, the fashion, the structure, and the disposition. Both of these styles of music have had numerous diverse reflections and impacts on the society that have received it and taken take note of it and they both had diverse ways of communicating their craftsmanship and they have reflected their social orders through society’s negative or positive occasions that happened amid their periods and deciphered those occasions into the music that the journalists composed. Classical composers composed their music with a more euphoric temperament with a more expressive disposition, primarily since of the capitalistic and unfeeling thoughts that tormented the period, which called for more expression from its composers.

30. As mentioned in question 11, organum was introduced by Perotin and Leonin. This is the first known form of polyphony. There are several forms of organum. There is parallel organum which is free rhythm. There is also melisma which is numerous notes at the same time. An example of organum is Alleluia and Ars Nova.

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