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Period: 600 to 800
Gregorian chant
Characteristics:
-Monophonic texture, without instrumental accompainment
-Modal scales and free time
-Text in Latin with a religious theme
-Performed by male voices and alternates between a soloist and the choir, or between two choirs
It was written down and this is how the first rules of musical notation were established. The first symbols where called neumes and they were written on top of the words to show the changes of pitch. A neumatic national system was used on a four-line stave -
800
Liturgical polyphony
A more precise system was needed to write the rythmic richness of the more complex plyphony. Menstrual notation included the first symbols related to metre and assigned different notes values depending on the duration of the note. Forms:
Organum: it's the earliest form. A main voice was a Gregorian Melody and a second, parallel voiceç
Discantus: a new form was added to the Gregorian Melody that moved in contrary motion
Conductus: new composition for two to four voices -
Period: 992 to 1050
Guido d'Arezzo
He invented the Guidonian hand and the four-line stave and gave the notes the names that we still use today. To do this he used a hymn dedicated to Saint John the Baptist called Ut Queant Laxis. He did not take into account the note Si because in those times people though that this note note belonged to the devil. He gave the note Ut to the that we now call Do (it's name changed in the 18th century) -
Period: 1098 to 1179
Hildegard von Bingen
She was a German nun, writer, scientist and composer. She experimented mystic visions and said that these visions were accompained by music. She composed a total of 78 liturgical pieces of music for her congregation, grouped together in the Symphonia Armoniae Celestium Revelationum, and the first surviving liturgical musical drama. She said that singing was a manifestation of the divine spirit of humanity -
Period: 1100 to 1200
Rhythmic modes
A specific rhythm started to be used when singing iin texts. A combination of two note values was used: the longa and the brevis: They were combinated to get six patterns, called rhythmic modes. The main rhythmic modes are:
Trochee: a metrical verse consisting of a longa syllable followed by a brevis sylable
Iamb: a metrical verse consisting on a brevis syllable followed by a longa syllable
Dactyl: a metrical verse consisting on a brevis syllable followed by two longa syllables -
1335
Cancionero de Palacio
The most important songbooks were the Spanish manuscripts. Cancionero de Palacio had more than 400 pieces from the times of the Catholic Monarchs about different subjets and in different languages -
1400
Tiento
Composition based on vocal music. Instrumentalists who usually accompaanied vocal pieces, used these as a base for instrumental works -
Period: 1400 to
Renaissance secular vocal music
It was rare and was limited to putting music to certain poems. The bourgeoisie contribued to its development. Forms:
- Madrigal: originated in Italy and was the dominant form. It described feelings through the union of music and text (in the vernacular)
- Songs: in England. For one voice with instrumental accompaniment
- Chansons: in France. For several voices with instrumental accompainment
- In Spain: the Roimances, the Villancicos and the Ensaladas -
Period: 1483 to 1546
Martin Luther
He was a German theologian and monk known for starting the Protestant Reformation. He was also a composer and flautist. He created a repertoire of simple melodies in the vernacular. On the other hand, catholic music continued to be solemn and written in Latin. ONly the clergy performed it -
1500
Renaissance music
In this period, distinction between religious and secular music continued. Vocal and instrumentalk music had this main characteristics:
- It was composed for several parts
- It was composed using medieval modal scales
- It had a defined and regular rhythm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=739R9G0qDH8 -
1500
Diferencias/Variations
It consisted of the exposition of a short musical theme followed by some variatons on it -
1500
Basso continuo
In this period, vocal and instrumental music was composed with the texture of melody-dominated homophony. An instrument of a higher register was accomppained by a baser called basso continuo. this base was performed by a polyphonic instrument or by an instrument of a lower register -
Period: 1500 to
Instrumental music (Renaissance)
The Church still prohibited instruments in liturgy so instrumental music remained secular. It began to become more important because for the first time it was independent of singing. Music began to be written and composed in a more formal way and new musical formns appeared.
The favourite instruments of the Renaissance were polyphonic (like string instruments and keeboard instruments). Wind instruments were monophonic so they were always played in groups -
1580
Opera
Is a secular vocal form that aimed to revive classical Greek theatre. It firs appeared in Italy. It was written for orchestra, chorus and soloist singers and used the melody-dominant homophony. A libretto contains the text of an opera divided into several parts with a plot that defines the character of the composition. different types:
Opera seria: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0evKSG3-SI
Opera buffa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWlWixbzTgM -
Period: to
Baroque Music
The baroque musical period started with the appearence of opera and ended with the death of Johan Sebastian Bach. The instrumental music became as important as vocal music. Characteristics of it's music:
-It aimed to arouse emotions and make musical performances more spectacular
-It used contrasting elements and overlaborate melodies
-It was based on the diatonic scales
-It had an insistent, mechanical rythm, with strong and rpeated beats
-The predominant texture was melody-dominated homophony -
Period: to
Johann Sebastian Bach
He was born in Germany in 1685, and was an excelent organist, harpischordist and conductor. He wasn't so famous when he was alive but now he is the most famous composer of the baroque period and one of the most important composers of Western music -
Dance teachers
The first dance teachers appeared in the renaissance. They taught members of the court to dance, wrote manuals about the fashione¡able dances. One example is Orchésographie, written by the French author, Thoinot Arbeau -
Tocatta
Composition with an improvisional feel. Composers started to write down any brief improvised pieces that were of good musical quality -
Instrumental music - Classical period
Technical improvements in making instruments. Three instruments became vital to the repertoire of the period:
The clarinet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uQTGrn-yZ4
The French horn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5lgAFFeerk
The piano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAr-PKUyo7Q -
Opera - Classical period
Characteristics
-plots were a closer reflection of the lives of the audience
-music reflected the dramatic action and characters
-chorus became more revelant
-orchesta grew and became more important. -
Types of operas
Opera seria:
mainly represented by the German composer Christoph Willibald Gluck He laid its foundations , with a three - act structure , mythological or historical plots , simple arias and more expressive recitatives
Opera buffa:
Originated in Naples in Italy and spread to the rest of Europe . It used everyday situations for its plots , added some comedy or romance and used a lenguage that was easy to understand -
Aberti bass
A type of accompainment which was based on a continuously repeating pattern. This consisted of arpeggiating the three notyes of each chord, alwas in the same order: lowest - highest - middle - highest -
Period: to
CLASSICAL PERIOD
period between the early modern period and the late modern period which started in 1789 with the outbreak of the french revolution and characterised by the Enlightenment (reformist movement) and the neoclassicism -
Encyclopedie
The spread of the ideas of the Enlightenment was mainly thanks to the publication of the encyclopedie, edited by Diderot and D’Alembert. This work aimed to copole all the knowledge of the time but from perspective of reason. Great thinkers and scientist participated in the encyclopedie such as Rosseau, Montesquieu and Voltaire -
Instrumental music - Romantic period - Woodwind
In this period many instruments that we use today were created or perfected:
Woodwind:
Bass clarinet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1GwLRDP5Sg
Contrabassoon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVAe7YBUc6c
English horn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz-A1HV-Kf0
Saxophone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd1DqnQMDUc -
Instrumental music - Romantic period - Brass and percusion
- Brass: Trombone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDp0OEKNxnk Tuba: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYOsNp4O7AU
- Percussion: Gong Bass drum Triangle Snare drum Cymbals Marimba: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh39-4el-YY Celesta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7WE_wbnrrE
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Compositions for piano
The piano was the most important instrument of the Romantic period. It developed technically and achieved a great expressive ability. There were different types of compositions:
- Short pieces for solo piano (sorter than sonatas)
- Chamber music (duets trios quartets and quintets)
- Longer works (concertos for piano and orchestra) -
Symphonic music
- It had over 80 musicians
- Symphony and concerto stood out
- Music developed in the romantic period was called programme music
- Programme music aims to describe a programme or narrative by extra-musical elements
- Programme symphony is a composition with a descriptive character consisting of several movements
- Symphonic poem was designed to be performed by an orcher¡stra or a small instrumental ensemble
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Impressionism
This movement started with paintings that tried to capture reality in a subjective way. Claude Debussy is well known. Characteristics:
- Musical atmospheres inspired by nature or unusual things
- Scales that evoked oriental music
- Imprecise melodic lines and a free, irregular rhythm
- Timbres of different instruments overlapping each other. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYOeH-EF00s -
Period: to
Frederic Choping
was a Polish composer and a pianist. He was a child prodigy, who started his professional career as a pianist in 1829 in Warsaw. He moved to Paris in 1931, where he combined private performances of concertos with teaching and composing. Most of his work consists of short pieces for piano, although he also composed three piano concertos and pieces of music inspired by Polish folklore.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wygy721nzRc -
Period: to
Clara Schumann
Was a hugely talented German pianist, teacher and composer. She wrote: I once believed that I possessed creative talent, but I gave given up this idea; a woman was not desire to compose. There has never been a woman able to do it. Should I expect to be the one?, as statment that is unacceptable today. She married Robert Schumann and encouraged him to compose lieder and concertos.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7g-VeD2kkU -
Period: to
Romantic period
The Romantic period was promoted by the bourgeoisie who had gained power and reacted against the ideas of the Enlightenment and neoclassical art. -
Atonality and the twelve-tone technique
-Atonality: the use of non-tonal music that was full of dissonances that generated tension
-Twelve-tone music: based on the chromatic scale. It gave the same importance to all twelve notes. It was invented by Arnold Schonberg -
Neoclassicism
It aimed for a return to Classical aesthetics. Its objective was to create pleasant music that was easy to listen to. It used tonal scales, simple melodies and clear textures. Was composed for small instrumental ensembles. Igor Stravinsky was well known -
Aleatoric Music
It was based on the chance and the ability of the performers to improvise. Each piece of music was unrepeatable. John Cage was well known.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTEFKFiXSx4 -
Expressionism
The main theme was people and their inner life. Alban Berg is well known. Characteristics:
- It used a very strong rhythm
- Compositions were designed for small chamber ensembles.
- They made use of the Sprechgesang
- Included strong dissonances
- Used atonality and the twelve-tone technique
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNCIz-_QFrs -
Period: to
Electrophones II
-Synthesiser: Polyphonic instrument that makes artificially-generated sounds. It is an electronic keyboard and a series of controls for the timbre and sound effects. Popular in the 1960s. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ08diPUv6A
-Sampler: Polyphonic instrument that is similar to the synthesiser
but the difference is that it records sounds and then plays them back by means of a keyboard or other device. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flpaf5KN8b0 -
Period: to
Electrophones I
-Theremin: Monophonic instrument introduced in 1919 by Russian Léon Theremin. It is a box with two antennas. It is played by moving the hands towards and away from the antennas without touching them. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6KbEnGnymk
Ondes Martenot: Monophonic instrument created in 1928 by the French inventor Maurice Martenot. It is a keyboard connected to a loudspeaker and a generator. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0aflcF0-ys -
Musique concrete
It used sounds from the surroundings and then modified them with the latest technology. A compositor was Pierre Boulez -
Electronic and electroacoustic music
-Electronic music was produced entirely in a recording studio using sounds generated electronically by syntesisers
-Electroacoustic music combined the real sounds from the musique concrete with the other electronically-generated sounds (Karlheinz Stockhausen).
