- clara schumman
Through out the 1830's Robert Schumann carried on an intense relationship with the gifted pianist and composer Clara Wieck, the daughter of his former teacher. Friedrich Wieck viewed his daughter as his supreme achievement and refused to allow them to marry. The two finally wed in 1840, she was 21 & he was 30 after Clara settled down in Leipzig, both pursuing their careers in music side by side. Clara furthered Robert's music as the foremost interpreter of his piano works, but her devotion could not ward off Robert's increasing withdrawal from the world.
- The ballet
(Tchaikovsky), a theatrical performance by a dance group, usually with costumes and scenery, to the accompaniment of music, but customarily without singing or speech, Tchaikovsky
- requiem mass
a special mass held during a funeral, a religious service for the dead, Catholic Mass for the dead, composers Berlioz, Verdi, & Brahms
- German Music drama
a term used for the mature operas of Richard Wagner, - Heavier operas
- Wagner
- leitmotif
a melodic phrase that accompanies the reappearance of a person or situation (as in Wagner's operas), a dominant or recurring theme, recurring melodic fragment or chord bearing dramatic of emotional significance, introduced by Wagner in his music dramas, A frequently recurring bit of melody, usually in opera, associated with a person, place, or idea or emotion; it is German for "leading theme." It may be heard in the instrumental or vocal part. They are particularly associated with the operas of Richard Wagner. Recurring themes or subjects in other forms of art or literature are sometimes called this as well.
- nationalism
love of country and willingness to sacrifice for it
- italian
a common foreign language used in opera, the Romance language spoken in Italy, the Romance language spoken in Italy
- Verisimo
realism, naturalism, violent emotion, turning on erotic desire
"realism" an italian operatic point of view favoring realistic subjects taken from everyday, often lower-class, life, realism, naturalism, violent emotion, turning on erotic desire
"realism" an italian operatic point of view favoring realistic subjects taken from everyday, often lower-class, life
- Giacoma Puccini
1858-1924 successor to Verismo, 1858-1924 successor to Verdi
Verismo opera
- realism opera; Italian term for a type of late nineteenth-century opera in which the subject matter concerns the unpleasant realities of everyday life, -La Bohème realism opera-an Italian operatic point of view favoring realistic subjects taken from everyday, often lower-class life
Tosca
- written by Giacomo Pucinni - setting is Rome in the 1800s Rome was torn between Napoleon and people that wanted a king. Tosca is the main charactor, husband imprisoned and wife Tosca must sleep with jailer to free him but insteads she murders the office who tried to suduce her. she has a few moments alone with her husband before the police bust in and shoots her husband and she leaps and jumps to her death screaming these last words (Scarpia to meet her before God)
etudes
- Studies or "exercises" based on specific pianistic techniques., piano exercises to improve technique of pianists
What is the name of the short musical studies of a single technical problem composed by Frederic Chopin?
program music
- musical compositions intended to evoke images or remind the listener of events, Music that describes a nonmusical subject, like a story, object, or scene, through the use of musical effects, instrumental music associated with a story, poem, idea, or scene, often found in the romantic period
symphony
- a long piece of music to be played by an orchestra, large work for orchestra, generally in three or four movements.
symphonic tone poem
- One-movement orchestral piece whose form is based on programmatic principles., One-movement orchestral form that develops a poetic idea, suggests a scene, or creates a mood, generally associated with the Romantic era., Programmatic composition for orchestra in one movement, which may have a traditional form (such as sonata or rondo) or an original, irregular form.
symphonic overture
- 1 movement program work based on an extra-musical source
overture
- orchestral music played at the beginning of an opera or oratorio, n. An instrumental prelude to an opera, oratorio, or ballet., a piece of music intended to introduce a longer work; an act or offer showing readiness to form a relationship or to negotiate
incidental music
- music composed to accompany the action of a drama or to fill intervals between scenes, Music written to accompany dramatic works., usually consists of an overture and a series of pieces to be performed between the acts of a play and during important scenes
absolute music
- Music that is independent of words, drama, visual images, or any kind of representational aspects., Instrumental music having no intended association with a story, poem, idea, or scene; nonprogram music.
Scherzo
- a fast movement (usually in triple time), light or playful part of a sonata or symphony, literally means "joke" in Italian. A rapid version of the minuet and trio form found in classical symphonies and string quartets, Composition in A-B-A form, usually in triple meter; replaced the minuet and trio in the nineteenth century.
cadenza
- a brilliant solo passage occuring near the end of a piece of music, elaborate solo
Andante
- a moderately slow tempo (a walking pace)
Presto
- (of tempo) very fast, at a very fast tempo (faster than allegro)
coda
- the closing section of a musical composition, a passage that completes a piece of music
fortissimo
- A musical direction meaning "to be played very loudly"; the opposite of pianissimo.
pianissimo
- Exceptionally soft volume, A musical direction meaning "to be performed very softly"; the opposite of fortissimo.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- An eighteenth-century Austrian composer; one of the great figures in the history of music. A child prodigy, he began composing music before he was five. He, Franz Josef Haydn, and Ludwig van Beethoven are the leading composers of the classic era. He wrote chamber music, symphonies, operas, and masses. Three of his best-known compositions are A Little Night Music and the operas Don Giovanni and the Marriage of Figaro., Brilliant musician and composer struggled to find a patron his whole life without success. He died broke at 35, yet wrote prolifically and changed the face of music forever.
Joseph Haydn
- prolific Austrian composer who influenced the classical form of the symphony (1732-1809), "Father of string quartet", First discovered by the choir director of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. Dismissed, however, when his voice broke at age 16., Popular in his day. Did well under the Patronage system in which a rich person sponsors a musician and the musician writes music for that person., father figure to beethoven and mozart ; father of the symphony; included jokes in music, wrote most genres, wrote so people could enjoy and be refreshed, played for a paying public rather than for private patrons. He is known to be a "genius". He wrote twelve symphonies, and is often called the "father of the symphony"
sonata allegro form
- The form most often used for the 1st mvt of large works like symphonies and concertos. It is a large 3-part form, usually with an introduction, exposition (A), development (B), and recapitulation (A), with a coda.
classical concerto
- three-movement work for an instrumental soloist and orchestra
the enlightenment
- A philosophical movement which started in Europe in the 1700's and spread to the colonies. It emphasized reason and the scientific method. Writers of the enlightenment tended to focus on government, ethics, and science, rather than on imagination, emotions, or religion. Many members of the Enlightenment rejected traditional religious beliefs in favor of Deism, which holds that the world is run by natural laws without the direct intervention of God.
classical period dates
- 1750 to 1825
classical orchestra
- strings, flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, trumpets, timpani, piano, four sections; piano replaced the harpsichord, 40-60 players. Standard. 4 sections. Strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. Strings- violins in 2 groups, violas, celli, basses. Woodwind- 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 basoons. Brass- 2 trumpets (natural), 2 french horns, (trombone added with Beethoven, no tuba). Percussion- 2 timpani, cymbals, triangle, snare, bass drum.
classical composers
- 1750-1825
1-Joseph Haydn, 2-Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 3-Ludwig Van Beethoven
monothematic
- Work or movement based on a single theme., haydn sometimes based a sonata allegro movement on a single theme. First in tonic key then in contrasting key.
string quartet
- chamber music with two violins, one viola, and one cello
binary
- composed of two different parts
ternary
- musical form that consists of 3 sections ABA, in which the A's stay the same and the B contrasts with A
minuet
- a stately piece of music composed for dancing the minuet, french origin, simple triple meter, moderate tempo
rondo
- A form of music that features a repeated theme alternating with contrasting sections, Compositional form often used in the last movement of symphonies featuring a main theme which is returned to several times in alternation with other forms (ABACA and ABACABA)
- singspiel opera
an opera or dramatic work with a large mixture of music, on a light or sentimental subject, with a happy ending. it may include spoken dialogue in addition to the music
- ballad
a type of poem that is meant to be sung and is both lyric and narrative in nature
- experimental
Based on trials or tests to discover something unknown, to prove a hypothesis, or to illustrate some known truth.
- chromatic
based on a scale consisting of 12 semitones
- don giovanni
An opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, recounting the dissolute life of Don Juan. At the end, a statue of a man he has killed comes to life and drags the unscrupulous seducer into the burning pit of hell.
- piano concertos
solo piano and orchestra
-popular in late 18th by virtuoso composers
-three movements: fast, slow, fast
