Music 27 MT1 Study Guide

1. M

elody: ways sounds or pitches are strung together by a single instrument or voice

Accompaniment: the additional but subordinate music to support a melodic line
1. Step, leap, stepwise: In steps you hit each note in the scale in order, whereas a leap skips around the scale
2. M

otive: a short tune or musical figure that characterizes and unifies a composition.

Can be any length but is usually only a few notes. Can be a melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic that is easily recognizable throughout the composition

Rhythm: the time and tempo of a piece
M

eter: measure of time; arrangement of poetical feet; grouping of beats into regular

patterns; repeating beats/pulse throughout composition

uple meter, triple meter: Duple (strong weak; rhythmic patter with the measure

being divisible by 2) Triple (strong weak weak)

armony: sounds sung or played simultaneously

Consonance: an accord of sounds sweet and pleasing to the ear
D

issonance: two or more notes sounded together which are dissonant, and, in

prevailing harmonic system, require resolution to a consonance

Form: patterns of repetition and contrast that are created as a piece unrolls through time
Contrast: a device used to keep the interest of listeners by providing the opposite in part of the music. Example: tempo from slow to fast
Repetition: sounds or sequences are repeated throughout the composition
Plainchant, Gregorian chant: Old church hymns
Pope Gregory 1: Pope from 590-604
Sequence: a style of chant used in the medieval church. It was usually syllabic
Syllabic: style of chant which sets one note to each syllable of the text
M
O

elisma, melismatic: a group of many notes sung melidolically to a single syllable pera: a drama set to music, usually sung throughout originating in the 17th century

in Italy

Aria: Originally an air a song; a tune; sung by a single voice with or without accompaniment. Now taken to mean alyric song for solo vice generally having two contrasting parts (I and II), ending with a literal or elaborated repeat of part I. The aria first developed into this form in the early operas; the arias found in an opera, cantata or oratorio usually express intense emotion.
Recitative: In an opera, oratorio, cantata, or other

multi-movement vocal compositions, a recitative is a narrative s ong that describes some action, thought, or emotion. The recitative follows the natural flow of the language, and is more a speaking composition than a singing composition. The two styles of recitative are the dry (secco) style and theaccompanied (accompagnato) or measured recitative (recitative misurato or s tromentato) style

Strophic form, strophic song, strophic aria:
D
M

e capo aria:

artin Luther, Lutheranism: Founder of Protestantism, posted his 95 thesis on the

catholic church describing the faults with the church

Chorale, Lutheran Chorale, gapped:
1. Chorale: a hymn (song of praise or adoration of diety) of the Lutheran church, usually written for four voice harmony
2. Cantata: a poem set to music to be performed by voices and instruments, which usually has several movements: airs, recitatives, and choruses
3. Ritornello: a short reoccurring instrumental passage in baroque aria and concerti, particularly in a tutti section
4. Baroque Period, Baroque Style: 1600-1750: orchestra was born; music written in certain keys and accompanied by multiple instruments, lots of harmony
5. Romantic Period, Romanticism: 1800s; a response to the enlightenment and the industrial revolution. Emphasis on emotions over reason and arts over science
6. Lied: term referring to a German song of any era, but most commonly from the romantic era
7. W

ord-Painting: musical depiction of words in text; the music tries to imitate the

emotion, action, or natural sounds as described in the text

Talk/write about how rhythm in general relates to our bodies, and also to compare specific r hythms in pieces of music to bodily movements and pulses like walking, dancing, breathing. Rhythm can be found in our various bodily functions. Our walking pattern is often determined by rhythm (1,2,1,2), same with breathing. Our heart pumps in a particular rhythm according to our heart rate. For example, the piano part for “Erlkonig” has a very fast rhythm that can resemble the heartbeat of someone who is nervous and pumped with

adrenaline. It can also resemble someone with a very quick pace in walking.

Talk/write about how the shape of a specific melody (going up vs. down, by steps vs leaps) c ommunicates emotion or character.

If the melody is going up, it can invoke a sense of emotional climax to a certain feeling. The kind of feeling depends on the key of the melody. If the key is major, the ascending melody can invoke a sense of a dramatic buildup to something majestic or a great state of euphoria. If the melody is going down, and is in a major key, it can evoke an emotion of positive, satisfied resolve that can wrap up the musical piece nicely. If the melody is going up, but is in a minor key, it can invoke a feeling of great despair that is building up to a climax. If the melody is going down, and is in a minor key, then it can invoke a feeling of depression and hopelessness, since the descending notes will make one also descend emotionally.

Describe the main features of romanticism and to discuss how each of German Lieder we’ve

studied (Schubert, Schumann, Clara Schumann) reflect aspects of Romantic style. Emphasis on emotion, nature, unrequited love. Pieces of nature represent things like the truth and consolation. However, people realize that nature ironically becomes terrifying and doesn’t provide the answers people pursue for.

Der Jung: Piano sounds like water and peaceful; melancholy

Erlkonig: Piano was more threatening, different for different voices, painted chaotic, stormy scene

Discuss the different functions and styles of music played by the piano in each of the Lieder w e’ve studied (“Der Jüngling,” “Erlk?nig,” “Im wundersch?nen Monat Mai,” and the two

songs by Mahler). Is the piano more in conversation with the voice, offering an

independent voice, or more background and support and accompaniment? What kinds of r hythms and melodic patterns does the piano play and how do they relate to the ideas in

the words?

In “Der Jungling,” the piano serves as more of a background sound that sets the mood for the entire song, as well as support the vocal soloist. The ascending melody with a major key, creates a giddy sense of happiness that is usually associated with spring. However, the pleasantness of springtime, which is shown by the happy mood created by the piano, contrasts with what the singer is singing about. The singer sings about how the pleasantness of spring reminds him of an old romance he had with a woman that has now ended. Irony is a part of romantic-era songs like this one. In “Erlkonig,,” the piano also takes on an accompaniment role, creating a mood of urgency and intensity as the father is trying to bring his sick son home as fast as he can through the rainy storm. The rhythm of this piano part is very fast, making the listener feel nervous and anxious about the fate of the son as he shifts between reality (his father) and fantasy (the elf king). In “Im wunderschonen Monat Mai,” the piano part takes on a more active role by resembling the style and notes that the singer will take on when he sings. The piano is in conversation with the voice, introducing what the singer will say before the singer sings. The beginning part of the piano sets the mood of hopelessness due to unrequited love. This mood remains constant for the remainder of the song, thus staying in conversation with the singer as he draws out his notes in minor keys to emphasize the despair that the speaker feels about his unrequited love. Mahler - Mimics the sound of the trumpets, and plays in between stanzas to reset the mood of the piece before each person begins speaking and singing the lyrics Overall, the rhythms and melodic patterns represent the mood of the piece at different points. If the rhythm is fast, then it mimics the chaotic nature. If the piano makes leaps, it is also very unpredictable and trying to explain the climax of a piece.

Connect the career and music of Clara Schumann to both romantic style in general and to h er status as a female composer and wife to another genius composer-type, Robert

Schumann. Does her song (“Er ist gekommen”) sound “feminine” in any way, or different f rom Robert’s song(s)?

Clara Schumann had a very successful career as a live performer on the piano. Although she wrote her own music, she would often give them to her husband Robert as gifts. Her music is of the Romantic period, just like Robert, and she covers many of the themes common of Romanticism, such as love and nature. In terms of her music being considered “feminine” there is not that much difference between Robert and Clara’s music, except the gender of

the voice being used in their respective songs. Her song “Er ist gekommen” does not sound feminine. It shares the same themes of love and nature that Robert uses in his own songs. The only difference is that Clara’s song is sung from the perspective of a woman in a romantic relationship.

How did the values and rituals of the Lutheran religion shape the music of Bach, especially

in his Cantata No 140?

Clear enunciation so everyone can sing along. Each syllable of a word matches with a note (syllabic). Very melodic so everyone can sing along. Accessibility of Lutheran church (use vernacular language). Lutheranism big on prepping to go to heaven, taking religious lessons seriously → shaped cantata. Lutheranism encouraged individual and active participation → Influenced Bach to do the same with his music.

What musical techniques did Bach use in the Cantata “Wachet auf” to create a musical work

that was suitable for religious worship?

Bach used the technique “gapped chorale.” This means the chorale melody was broken up into separate phrases with gaps in between them. These gaps are filled with more elaborate music to make something more musically interesting than just a simple hymn. This allowed the song to still make the chorale itself intact and able to be heard clearly to the listener. Bach just embellished the chorale to make it more interesting.

How does Bach’s style in the cantata differ from the approach taken by Hildegard of Bingen

about 600 years earlier? From the approach taken in plainchant nearly a thousand years e arlier? Do all of these pieces of religious music have anything in common?

Cantata has strong pulse of beat → allowed for people to join in. More melisma in the Bach plainchant. More musical variety and more embellishment for Bach. “Gapped chorale” allowed Bach to add different musical parts in between the main chorale of the song.

Compared to thousand years ago, Bach uses multiple voices for multiple vocals for harmony, while 1000 years ago was just one voice. One thing that all these pieces of religious music have in common is the presence of a chorale, or a main hymn to constitute the melody.

How (and where, and when) was opera invented? What were the main goals of the people w ho came up with the idea of making opera? what kinds of story worked best for opera at

this stage? Why?

Opera was invented during 17th century in Italy. It was created because Italian aristocrats were curious as to what Greek tragedies would be like if you added music to them. The main goal of the people who came up with the idea of making opera was to add a musical aspect to Greek tragedies. Best stories are stories like: man’s wife dies, man tries to bring her back through his music, but fails because he looks back at her. Greek tragedies work because they were more realistic/relatable and had interesting storylines.

How does the character Orpheus (Orfeo) in Monteverdi’s opera convince Pluto to let him into

the underworld to retrieve his dead wife? What musical techniques does he try out to make his c ase? Which one(s) seem to work best?

Orpheus uses really high pitches along with his lyre strings to sing a song which persuades Pluto to allow his to be retrieved as long as Orpheus does not look back at her as they walk back above. He uses melisma in his singing to try to impress the gods. This fails, so he ends up using syllabic, simple singing to convince Pluto to let him save his wife.

Describe the differences between the typical form of a Handel aria and the form of Orfeo’s aria. H ow does each of these forms communicate a different message about the character singing and

the emotional situation that character is in?

The form of Handel’s aria is more commercial and less idea driven. Handel has more structure in his operas, as they follow the decapo format of ABA. Handel’s is also syllabic rather than melismatic like Orfeos. Orfeo’s aria is more based upon ancient Greek drama and idea driven.

The recitative parts remain similar to Orfeo’s moving the story forward, however the arias showcase the voice and the orchestra even more than before. Handel’s form communicates a more fun and flashy tone compared to Orfeo’s more deep and intense form.

Why does opera usually alternate between recitative sections and aria sections? What is the

function (musically, dramatically) of each?

Opera’s alternate between recitative and aria’s to keep the story alive and keep the story flowing. Recitatives are sung as if they are a dialogue with the music using rhythms as normal speech and not much accompaniment and little variation in the melody. Arias function as the main/ important parts of the story with lots of variation of melodies. For example, two people could be using recitatives while describing different goods in a market and then one will leave and to express his love for the girl he just met he will use aria to really convey his feelings.

Discuss the differences between the style of Alcina’s aria (“Tornami a vagheggiar”) and

Bradamante’s (“è gelosia”). What musical technqiues does Handel use to suggest that Alcina is

an entrancing sorceress and Bradamante a woman who has disguised herself as a man to rescue the fiancé who disappeared? What aspects in the music of the first aria communicate seduction and flirtation, vs. jealousy and determination in the second?

In “Tornami a vagheggiar,” the music has a happy mood set up by the string section, creating an enchanting mood and making the listener imagine an “entrancing sorceress.” The quick rhythm and melismatic melody in a major key also contribute to this point, drawing the listener in and becoming seduced by the female singer. The leap style of singing allows the singer to showcase her skill while evoking enchantment. The low voice of the singer in “E gelosia” creates a serious tone of determination that the Bradamante has to save her fiancé. The fast pace of the violins evokes a sense of determined urgency. “E gelosia” also has melisma to showcase the skill of the singer as well as her determination.

Ethan’s Notes

Listening

Questions about name, composer, time period, musical expression, features, and meaning Describe: rhythm/melody, writer of the piece, is the voice similar to the accompainement, how is it representative of the era,

“In paradisum” (anonymous)/General plainchet

Medieval chant, ~800
Burial chant sung during funerals, type of plainchant
Syllabic style (one note per syllable)
Legato melody moves step by step
No fixed rhythm, repitition, but strong tonic gives it an otherworldly, floating feeling
Voices in unison, passionate yet serene
burial antiphon from the Requiem Mass (funeral service); sung over and over while the cof?n is carried from church to graveyard in a processional, thus highly ritualized

“Rector potens, veras Deum” (anonymous)

Medieval chant, ~800
Midday prayer
Just voices, with a ringing bell at occasional intervals
Flowing rhythm, no strong pulse or repeating patterns, allows words to dominate and forces each singer to listen to the group
- Melody is very smooth, stepwise, no surprises. It’s contemplative and interior “Columba aspexit” (Hildegard of Bingen)
- Medieval, 1150
- Melismatic--one syllable can span over multiple notes
- Legato melody mixes in more leaps, covers wider range than earlier plainchant
- Again modal, not tonal (so weak pull to a tonal center, less clear sense of direction in the music)
- No ?xed rhythm or meter; rhythms follows words
- All voices sing the same melody (in unison) over an instrumental drone
- Sequence form: AA’BB’CC’ etc.
- Series of solo tunes repeated by chorus
- Hildegard:
  - German nun and eventually abbess (head of convent),near the Rhine river
  - Wrote texts and music for chanted prayers, as well as a sacred drama personifying the ?ght against the devil
  - Healer, noted practitioner of herbal medicine
  - Visionary and mystic, depicted her own visions in illuminations Aria “Possente spirto” from Orfeo (Monteverdi)
  - Late Renaissance/Early Baroque, 1607
  - verse 1: invocation, praise, two violins play echo effects--highly melismatic, ornaments usually on important words--honors gods through musical complexity, display of prowess
    - [Powerful spirit, awe-inspiring presence, without whose aid no bodiless soul can make the passage to the other shore.]
    - Verse 2: echoes from two trumpets--same intense embellishment, showing off
      - Verse 3: -harp as featured instrument; ends with long harp ritornello, building anticipation for a change of musical strategy
      - Verse 4: he introduces himself: most melismatic yet--accompaniment of full string section, who also play echo effects--vocal embellishment used here almost as a kind of violence
      - Verse 5: another change of strategy: utter simplicity--no echo effects or solo instrument, melisma stripped away: syllabic, direct (most affecting?)
      - Verse 6: slow-moving, again little vocal decoration, rhythm slows way down and string section plays with voice instead of alternating (chorale or hymn-like effect)

Cantata No. 14 “Wachet auf”, 1st and 7th Movements (Bach)

Baroque, 1731
we hear the chorale pure and unadorned in the 7th movement, but we also hear it in the 1st movement, sung syllabically by the soprano section,
- surrounded by rather beautiful elaborations from the other parts of the chorus and the orchestra.
- The technique Bach uses in this first movement is known as “gapped chorale”: a setting of a chorale melody in which the tune is broken up into
- separate phrases with “gaps” between them; new, more elaborate music(often instrumental) is inserted in the gaps
- strings + oboe; dotted rhythms (ceremonial), then exuberant scales, rising in spurts,gaining speed and momentum
- chorale line 1; voices enter Wachet auf, rüft uns die Stimme (Wake up, calls the voice to us)
- * sopranos sing the hymn slowly, one long note per measure
  - other voices (alto, tenor, bass) embroider on that same theme, but with quicker rhythms and more variety
  - main motive (in sopranos) begins with rising motion, small leaps strings + oboe in background, playing bits of the exuberant scales--then fragments of ritornello alternate with chorus singing chorale tune, until
  - ritornello 2

Arias “Tomami a vagheggiar” and “E gelosia” from opera Alcina (Handel)

Baroque, 1735
Two arias in “da capo” from from Handel’s Alcina
- Both are in ABA’ Format
- Bradamante, “E gelosia”--gavotte (noble dance, duple meter, not too fast)

? --contralto voice (female character, but disguised as aman)

? --jealousy and the power of love cause you anguish; I know the feeling

Morgana, “Tornami a vagheggiar”--light triple meter dance

? orchestral ritornello: light-hearted leaping figures,

? alternating with little flirty trill/flourishes [string section]

? --high soprano, with lots of flashy ornament--look at me lovingly, I love only you

“Der Jungling an der Quelle” (Schubert)

Romantic, 1821
Young Man at the Brook
Message: I love her, and she loves me. The weather is as beautiful as our love
Even, repetitive rhythm in piano accompaniment
Major key
Lilting/rocking pattern of melody sung by voice
- Small leaps, but no huge ones or sudden changes “Erlkonig” (Schubert)
- Romantic, 1815
- The Elf King
- Message: I can’t wait to get home, my family may be in danger.
- Fast, driving rhythm
- Many repeated notes on piano accompaniment
- Low range for voice
- Slightly dissonant notes are emphasized
  - Differentiated by melody, rhythm and range(how high or low the melody is placed in the singing voice)
  - Narrator: middle of voice, more speech-like than melodic, hammering piano dominates
  - Father: low in voice, more speech-like than melodic, many leaps in melody
  - Son: higher, more melodic, repeated leaps
  - Elfking: high (similar to son), most melodic,dance-like rhythms; the only place in the song where the “hammering” piano disappears

“Im wunderschonen Monat Mai” (Robert Schumann)

Romantic, 1840

“Er ist gekommen” (Clara Schumann)

Romantic, 1840
“He came in the storm and rain”
Role of piano in the song is to depict the lovers’ stormy relationship
- Melody at beginning is in high range/uneven rhythms → anxious tone “Wo die Trompten blasen” (Mahler)
- Post Romantic (late 19th C)
- “Where the splendid trumpets are sounding
  - Some randomass naturey love song...slow stepwise melody “Wer hat dies Liedlen erdacht” (Mahler)
  - Post Romantic (late 19th C)
  - “Who thought up this little song”
  - Love song, playful, satiric???

Terms

Melody:

A series of notes arranged in a given order to form a recognizable unit (the tune)
Terms for describing melodies: ascending/descending, step/leap, staying still, repeating notes, plain/ornamented
A melody that moves mostly by step will usually sound calmer and more deliberate than one that moves by leap. This may just be part of a purely musical contrast, but these effects can be also be used to project a mood or a character
but melody also used to indicate the “tune”

o Accompaniment:

? Supports the melody without being a hummable tune

o Step/leap/stepwise:

? In steps you hit each note in the scale in order, whereas a leap skips around the scale

Motive: can emphasize repetitions or contrast??

Motive: i think she means motif

Rhythm:

The aspect of music having to do with the duration of notes in time; the pattern in which long and short durations of sound are arranged
Characterized by accents, syncopation (unexpected swing), short/long
Human rhythms include comparison heartbeat, walking. Bodily rhythms occur in regular alterations of twos
M

eter:

A means of organizing rhythm into regular, repeating patterns; based on alternation of strong and weak beats
Duple is alternation based on patterns of two (ie march)
Triples in threes (ie waltz)
- Chords or accompanying sounds that support, underpin, and color any melody

uple/triple meter:

Harmony:

●

Form:

Consonance

Harmonies or chords that sound pleasant together
Pleasent, restful, peaceful
Harmonies or chords that sound tense, stirred up, troubling
In life we try to avoid discord, but in music discord or dissonance is an essential and pleasurable component.
It creates a sense of direction and is especially pleasurable if the tension of the dissonance is released in certain ways and at the moment when we want it to be.
Dissonance creates expectation as it asks for a consonant chord to follow it, and that progression from tension to relaxation is a big part of musical pleasure.When that happens, it is called r esolution.
- Created by play of consonance and dissonance, with patterns of contrast and repetition in the melody

Dissonance:

Contrast: change; phrase to highlight an idea or give new meaning,

Ie Handel’s Aria

Repetition: sameness, or repeating music or lyrics

Plainchant/Gregorian chant:

Believed Pope Gregory Imade this when the holy spirit approached him in the form of a dove
Plainchant is what the dove told him in musical form
Generally no predictable or noticeable rhythm
Each stanza can be spoken in one breath
Mostly vocal, very little accompaniment
The disciplines and habits of monastic life, seen to enhance contemplation,discipline of the body
Tot everyone lived like this, but many or most educated(literate) people lived some version of this life (whether in castles, merchants’ houses, or the schools attached to convents and monasteries
Legato melody moves mostly by step
Based on a medieval mode, not a major/minor scale, so the sense of pull towards a tonal center is weaker than with major scale
No ?xed rhythm or meter
Rhythms follows text at moderate tempo
Unaccompanied, all voices sing in unison (same notes)
No obvious patterns of repetition or return
Avoidance of repetitions, dance rhythms, and strong tonic gives it a ?oating, otherworldly, spiritual quality—passionate yet serene

Sequence

Syllabic

Used in religious songs (ie Bach) to make sure words can come through clearly

melisma, melismatic : words are not sung in syllables dragged out to make music sound ornate and emphasize/show off skill; Monteverdi opera

Opera drama, acting, singing, and storytelling all in one

Aria melody- opposite of recitative

Recitative syllabic part of opera to move forward the storytelling; not much melody or accompaniment

Strophic form, strophic song, strophic aria:

In poetry: a stanza or verse
Also the music used to set astanza or verse
A song in which all the verses (or strophes) of the poem are set to the same music, as in “Der Jüngling an der Quelle” or first song from Schumann’s Dichterliebe but not “Erlk?nig,” which is through-composed (different music for each verse)

da capo aria

Martin Luther, Lutheranism

Began the protestant reformation chorale, Lutheran chorale, gapped chorale Cantata -

ritornello

Baroque period, Baroque style Romantic period, romanticism

Lied:

Short work for solo voice and piano based on a pre-existing poem (usually in German); literally,“song” in German
Usually intended for intimate or domestic performance--often referring to a simple folk or rustic style
Examples: Erlkonig, Der Jungling
musical illustration of the meaning or a word or a short verbal phrase

Word-painting:

Ideas, Concepts, and Listening Skills

Prepare in advance to write about these musical and conceptual questions by listening to the pieces on the listening list REPEATEDLY and by studying the lecture slides, assigned readings, and your notes from lecture. You should be able to:

1. Talk/write about how rhythm in general relates to our bodies, and also to compare specific rhythms in pieces of music to bodily movements and pulses like walking, dancing, beating

Rhythm is very orderly and predictable in our bodies, especially in patterns of two such as when we walk, alternating our left and right feet. Another example of bodily rhythms being in alterations of twos is when blood flows to and from our heart. Meter in music is similar in that it organizes rhythm into regular, repeating patterns, based on an alternation between strong and weak beats

Duple meter: alternation based on multiples of two (strong-weak, strong-weak, like the pulsing of blood or marching feet)
Triple meter: based on multiples of three (strong-weak-weak,strong-weak-weak, etc.)
- Use marches(ex. Haydn Symphony No 94, “Surprise,” 3rd movement) as an example of duple meter, and waltzes(Chopin wrote a lot) as examples for triple meter

2. Talk/write about how the shape of a specific melody (going up vs. down, by steps vs, leaps) communicates emotion or character

To reiterate, a non-technical definition of melody can be the tune that reminds people of a song when it is played
A melody that moves mostly by step will usually sound calmer and more deliberate than one that moves by leap. This may just be part of a purely musical contrast, but these effects can be also be used to project a mood or a character

3. Describe the main features of romanticism and to discuss how each of German Lieder we’ve studied (by Schubert, Schumann, Clara Schumann) reflect aspects of Romantic style

Main features of Romanticism include poet speaking to nature seeking integration (Pantheism), nature often answers in a musical form, songs are often about unrequited love for an ideal woman (who doesn’t reciprocate)
emphasizes expression of emotion, individuality, novelty
Fascination with nature, supernatural, and old ruins
Schumann reflects the projection of human emotions unto nature, as well as fascination with the supernatural in Elf King. He also writes of lost love in Jungling.
1815-1840

4. Contrast the two songs by Schubert, “Der Jüngling an der Quelle” and “Erlk?nig”; specifically, discuss the very different ways the two songs depict nature and its relationship to humans

The first song is very tranquil and melancholy, and there are references to nature such as the piano sounding like rippling water. In the latter, the piano sounds very threatening, and there is a different tone for each person in the song. It is also important to note that the piano is extremely technical in this song to the point that it is almost unplayable, conveying a chaotic tone to the piece as the storyline goes.

Alternative Interpretation (Megha)

Der Jungling an der Quelle the repetitive, piano moving gently in steps with few sudden leaps represents the rippling water of a brook. The onomatopoeia in the wording make it sound like the brook is sighing with the singer, in a mutual reflection of their longing for Luisa. The repetitiveness of the melody, followed by sudden leaps, gives the song a melancholy and longing tone of one who is lonely but feels the pangs of lost love, reflected in the images painted by the words and music of a quiet, solitary brook and lone falling leaves.

Meanwhile, Erlkonig, the piano plays a drumming insistent harmony of minor chords that signal danger. The rapid scales in the piano also create a sense of urgency in the song as the Elf King draws closer to the child. This chaotic interplay, combined with references in the lyrics to mist and woods obscuring the supernatural yet looming threat of the Elf King, portray nature as the blurred line between reality and dangerous fantasy.

5. Discuss the different functions and styles of music played by the piano in each of the Lieder we’ve studied (“Der Jüngling,” “Erlk?nig,” “Im wundersch?nen Monat Mai,” and the two songs by Mahler). Is the piano more in conversation with the voice, offering an independent voice, or more background and support and accompaniment? What kinds of rhythms and melodic patterns does the piano play and how do they relate to the ideas in the words?

In all of these songs, the piano is serving as a background accompaniment that adds on to the narration of the story:Ho

Der Jungling - piano plays like nature and follows the voice
Erlkonig - piano mimics the rushed attitude of the father and son as they travel through the woods. Piano serves more as an accompaniment, lending a tone of urgency to the various voices the narrator takes on.
- Monat Mai: In “Im wunderschonen Monat Mai,” the piano part takes on a more active role by resembling the style and notes that the singer will take on when he sings. The piano is in conversation with the voice, introducing what the singer will say before the singer sings. The beginning part of the piano sets the mood of hopelessness due to unrequited love. This mood remains constant for the remainder of the song, thus staying in conversation with the singer as he draws out his notes in minor keys to emphasize the despair that the speaker feels about his unrequited love.
- Mahler - Mimics the sound of the trumpets, and plays in between stanzas to reset the mood of the piece before each person begins speaking and singing the lyrics
- Overall, the rhythms and melodic patterns represent the mood of the piece at different points. If the rhythm is fast, then it mimics the chaotic nature. If the piano makes leaps, it is also very unpredictable and trying to explain the climax of a piece.

6. Connect the career and music of Clara Schumann to both romantic style in general and to her status as a female composer and wife to another genius composer-type, Robert

Schumann. Does her song (“Er ist gekommen”) sound “feminine” in any way, or different from Robert’s song(s)?

Does not sound feminine, but the lyrics make it obvious that it is in a female’s perspective
Piano depicts the lovers’ stormy relationship
Melody sung at the beginning of the song is passionate—high and strongly shaped, as if it should be sung by an opera diva
Neither strophic nor through-composed

7. How did the values and rituals of the Lutheran religion shape the music of Bach, especially in his Cantata No 140?

Based on parable of 10 virgins, which has a clear eschatological theme of the Day of Judgment
Lutheran religion put a lot of significance on judgement day and the afterlife in heaven
Music is also taken from old hymns

8. What musical techniques did Bach use in the Cantata “Wachet auf” to create a musical work that was suitable for religious worship?

Uses hymns as the bases of his chorales
Separates chorales in between contrasting sections (“gapped chorale”)
Uses syllabic style to allow commoners to be able to understand sung biblical words

9. How does Bach’s style in the cantata differ from the approach taken by Hildegard of Bingen about 600 years earlier? From the approach taken in plainchant nearly a thousand years earlier? Do all of these pieces of religious music have anything in common?

Bach’s cantata has a strong beat, while Hildegard’s is still plainchant (had more melisma, more embellished)
Similarity is that these songs are all choral and have lyrics, which allow people to remember them more easily, join in, and sing along
The songs are all vocal (especially plainchant), but there is more instrumental accompaniment in Bach’s
Plainchant - No melodic line, every line is almost designed to be able to be sung in a single breath, has melisma, and there’s no strong beat

10. How (and where, and when) was opera invented? What were the main goals of the people who came up with the idea of making opera? what kinds of story worked best for opera at this stage? Why?

Opera was invented in Florence, Italy, at the end of the 16th century. The people who came up with opera wanted to make a new form of music that was more realistic, and opera was intended to draw features of Greek culture and Greek ideology. Operas are what the noblemen of Florence believed Greek tragedies should be presented as. Tragedies were not only more realistic/relatable, but they also had a storyline.

11. How does the character Orpheus (Orfeo) in Monteverdi’s opera convince Pluto to let him into the underworld to retrieve his dead wife? What musical techniques does he try out to make his case? Which one(s) seem to work best?

Orpheus’ lover dies, and he begs the gods to let him save her from hell. The piece is very melismatic because he tries to use his singing to impress the gods, but this ends up failing and only syllabic simple begging music works and he is able to save her. Orpheus is a musician who wants to go to the underworld and sing to retrieve his wife.

12. Describe the differences between the typical form of a Handel aria and the form of Orfeo’s aria. How does each of these forms communicate a different message about the character singing and the emotional situation that character is in?

Handel has more structure in his operas, as they follow the de capo format of ABA. Also, Handel’s is more syllabic rather than melismatic like Orfeo’s.

13. Why does opera usually alternate between recitative sections and aria sections? What is the function (musically, dramatically) of each?

Look at definition of recitative and aria
You need aria to have the pleasing music, and recitative to have a plotline for the story to make sense

14. Discuss the differences between the style of Alcina’s aria (“Tornami a vagheggiar”) and Bradamante’s (“è gelosia”). What musical technqiues does Handel use to suggest that Alcina is an entrancing sorceress and Bradamante a woman who has disguised herself as a man to rescue the fiancé who disappeared? What aspects in the music of the first aria communicate seduction and flirtation, vs. jealousy and determination in the second?

15. Know which period came first and when one ended and the next one began! and be able to put the composers we’ve studied in accurate order from earliest to latest

1600 - Start of Baroque with invention of opera 1607 - Opera introduced

1723 - Bach writes Church Cantatas

1750 - Baroque ends, especially when Bach dies 1789 - French Revolution

1815 - Napoleon defeated @ Waterloo

These 2 underlined events did not only history but also music. Europeans became confused as the European map was redrawn multiple times as territory was acquired and taken away over and over, and with new radical ideas emerging from the French Revolution, no one knew what the future would look like and as a result Romanticism was introduced. Other events that influenced Romanticism include the Industrial Revolution, which ruined the countryside and propelled composers to start referring to nature more in their music during this time period.

1800 - Romanticism starts

1871 - Germany becomes a country, and as a result nationalism becomes huge and the composer Mahler beings writing his music revolving around this topic. Fairy Tales (Grim Bros, etc.), which were often expressed through music, also originated out of nationalism

1900 - Romanticism ends 1914 - WWI