Introduction to Music History and Literature – MUL 2014 (Fall 2009) - Warfield

Review Sheet # 5 - Classic era Music

This review sheet covers materials presented in Forney & Machlis, Enjoyment of Music, Units IX, X, XI, XII, XIII & XIV, Chapters 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 & 39, which will be tested on the third test in MUL 2014 in the near future.

The following concepts and terms in boldface (as well as a few others not specifically listed, but indicated in these review questions) will be included on the second of the three large mid-term tests. You should know all of these terms, including their (1) spelling, (2) definition, and (3) be able to use them correctly in speaking and writing about music.

Dictionary definitions may be found in glossary section of your textbook or in the Music Materials section of the publisher-sponsored web site that supports your textbook.

Additionally, you should know by sound the six music examples (Listening Guides, p. 186-7, 188-9, 202-5, 208-9, 212-3, & 220-7) that support this portion of the textbook.

    CHAPTER 28

  1. What is a theme and what is meant by thematic development?

    2. CHAPTER 29

  2. What is absolute music, and why is "musical form" important in this category?
  3. What is a ternary form and how might it be diagrammed?
  4. What is a binary form, how might it be diagrammed, and why is this relevant to the Minuet and Trio?
  5. What are the four standard movements used in a typical work of the late eighteenth century, and what are the defining traits of each? (See the chart on p. 174)
  6. What is sonata-allegro form, how do its constituent parts resemble a binary form, and which movements might use this pattern? What are the three large sections called, what happens within each of them, and what are the four smaller subsections that make up the first and last parts of this form? What are the important harmonic regions within the form? (See the diagram on p. 171)
  7. What is a theme and variations movement, and what are some of the things that a composer can do in such a movement?
  8. What is a minuet and trio, what meter and formal plan define this movement type, and where is it normally used? What are the origins of this movement? (See the diagrams on p. 172)
  9. What is a rondo, and how may this movement be described in a simple letter scheme?

    10. CHAPTER 30

  10. What are the rough dates for the Classic (or Classical) Era, and what are the eras on either side of this one?
  11. What does the term "Classical" mean or imply, and how does it stand in contrast to the term "Romantic"? Who are the Ancient Greek gods Apollo and Dionysus, and how do they symbolize the contrasts between this era and the following?
  12. Why is this era (late 18th century) often called the "Age of Reason" or the Enlightenment, and how might those ideas and ideals have influenced the arts of that time?
  13. What ancient civilization served as a prototype for this era, and what are some examples of the ways in which this 18th-century era modeled itself on the earlier one?

    14. CHAPTER 31

  14. What major European capital city was the leading center of the musical style that best defined the Classic era?
  15. Who are the three major composers most often associated with this musical style?
  16. What are some of the basic Elements of Classic Style? What are the most important style traits of music in the Classic Era? What are antecedent and consequent phrases? What is a homophonic texture, and what is an "Alberti bass?
  17. How does musical patronage operate in this era, and how are public concerts part of this era?

    18. CHAPTER 32

  18. What is chamber music (three basic traits), and what are some common examples of chamber ensembles?
  19. What is a String Quartet (both the ensemble and the composition)?

    20. CHAPTER 33

  20. Who was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and where and when (roughly for each) was he born?
  21. In what sorts of musical activities did Mozart engage as a child, and what is a prodigy?
  22. How did Mozart support himself at first when he became an adult, and why was he fired from (or quit) this job in 1781?
  23. How and where did Mozart support himself for the last ten years of his life? What does it mean to be a freelance musician?
  24. What kinds of music did Mozart compose in his lifetime, and what is the reputation that he has today?
  25. How do the lives and careers of Haydn and Mozart represent the old and the new ways of making a living as a musician in the late 18th century?

    26. Listening Guide 19 (pp. 186-87, W. A. Mozart, Eine kleine Nachtmusik ["A Little Night Music"], K. 525, mvts. 1 & 3)

  26. What kind of piece is this, and who composed it?
  27. What is the basic meter (rhythmic movement) of each piece, and which movements within the larger work are these?
  28. What specific formal plans are used to build these movements? (Can you diagram the overall shape of each movement and its constitutent parts in a simple letter schema?)
  29. What are the performing forces?

    30. CHAPTER 34

  30. What is the symphony like in the era before Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven? Who are some famous symphonic composers in that earlier time?
  31. What is an orchestra like in the late 18th century? What are the primary instruments and rough numbers? (see the chart on p. 191)
  32. What are the standard symphonic movements, and what are some of their traits?

    33. CHAPTER 35

  33. Who was Joseph Haydn, and where and when (roughly for each) was he born?
  34. What sort of musical training did Haydn receive (and why)?
  35. Who was Haydn's most important employer, and what was Haydn's job like?
  36. In what important genres did Haydn compose the most ("Father of....?"), and what was his reputation at the time of his death?
  37. How do the lives and careers of Haydn and Mozart represent the old and the new ways of making a living as a musician in the late 18th century?

    38. Listening Guide 20 (pp. 195-96, Joseph Haydn, Symphony No. 94 in G major, "Surprise", mvt. 2)

  38. What kind of piece is this, and who composed it? Which movement within the larger work is this?
  39. What are the basic meters and rhythmic movement of the constituent sections of this movement? What melodic and harmonic devices are used to mark each section?
  40. What specific formal plans are used to build these movements? (Can you diagram the overall shape of each movement and its constitutent parts in a simple letter schema?)
  41. What are the performing forces, and how do they contribute to delineating the form of the movement?

    42. CHAPTER 36

  42. Who was Ludwig van Beethoven, and where and when did he live?
  43. How and why are Beethoven's life and career divided into three style periods? In very basic terms, what is the music of each period like?
  44. What important event or circumstance in Beethoven's life separates the first style period from the second? What is the effect of this event on the music of the later two periods?
  45. How is the music of his second and third periods different from the Classical style of Haydn and Mozart? (1-2 basic reasons are sufficient.)
  46. Why and how is the piano an important instrument for Beethoven, especially in his early years? How is the piano different in Beethoven's day from the pianos used by Mozart and Haydn? How does Beethoven's approach to the piano differ from that of earlier composers?
  47. How many symphonies did Beethoven compose, and what is so different about them, especially when compared to symphonies by Haydn and Mozart? Why are some of Beethoven's symphonies referred to as "Heroic"?
  48. What are some of the new or unusual features of the Symphony No. 5? How does Beethoven connect the four different movements?

    49. Listening Guide 21 (pp. 202-5, Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 5 in C minor, op. 67)

  49. What kind of piece is this, and who composed it?
  50. What are the performing forces, and how do they differ from those used by Haydn and Mozart?
  51. How closely does this first movement follow the sonata allegro plan? What sections of the movement are unusual (when compared to earlier symphonies), i.e., how does Beethoven violate the classical rules?
  52. What is unusual about the thematic material of this first movement (especially the first theme)? How is that important for the rest of the symphony?
  53. How do the individual movements compare to their models? (How closely do they follow the expected Classical patterns and archetypes?)

    54. CHAPTER 37

  54. What is a Concerto in the Classical era, and how does it compare to one from the Baroque?
  55. What is the standard form of a classical concerto, and how does it compare to the form of a symphony? What, in particular, is different about the exposition, and what is a cadenza?

    56. Listening Guide 22 (pp. 208-9, W.A. Mozart, Piano Concerto in G major, K. 453, mvt. 2)

  56. What kind of piece is this, and who composed it?
  57. What are the performing forces, and how do they differ from those used in some Baroque concertos?
  58. How closely does this first movement follow the sonata allegro plan? What is unusual about the exposition (when compared to that of a symphony)?
  59. What is a cadenza and how does it differ from the rest of the movement?

    60. CHAPTER 38

  60. How does a sonata differ from a symphony (in the Classical era)?

    61. Listening Guide 23 (pp. 212-3, Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2, mvts. 1 & 2)

  61. What kind of piece is this, and who composed it?
  62. What is different about Beethoven's piano, when compared to the instruments of Mozart's time, and how can you hear that in the music?
  63. How does this first movement compare to the typical first movement in the Classical era?
  64. How does this second movement compare to the typical triple-meter movement in the Classical era? What is a scherzo, and what does that suggest for the performance of this movement?

    65. CHAPTER 39

  65. What types of opera were composed in the Classical era, and how do they relate to the earlier opera of the Baroque?
  66. What are the differences between opera seria, opera buffa, and Singspiel? In what languages are each sung, what sorts of plots mightr they each have, and who was the intended audience for each? Are there any other additional traits?

    67. Listening Guide 24 (pp. 220-7, W.A. Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro [Le nozze di Figaro], Act I, scenes 6-7)

  67. What is the general plot of this opera, and who wrote the original story on which it is based?
  68. Who are the characters in these scenes, and what are doing and feeling?
  69. How do the arias and recitatives in these excerpts differ from one another? How are these recitatives different from those in Baroque operas?