1) Hildegard of Bingen: Alleluia, O virga mediatrix a. Date: Medieval, late 12 th century b. Genre: Plainchant c. Medium: A cappella choir, alternating soloist and chorus d. Melody: Unaccompanied, conjunct line with some expressive leaps and melismas e. Texture: Monophonic (single line) f. Form: 3-part structure (Alleluia-verse- Alleluia), performed responsorially g. Context: A movement from the Mass Proper, sung on feast days for the Virgin Mary h. Text: Prayer to the Virgin Mary (text by Hildegard of Bingen) 2) Anonymous (from the Notre Dame School): Gaude Maria virgo a. In the syle of Pérotin (French, 13 th century) b. Date: Early 13 th century, medieval c. Genre: Organum for three voices d. Performance style: A cappella (soloists sing Organum; choir sings chant) e. Rhythm/Meter: simple pattern of longshort-long-short in upper voices over slow-moving bottom voice (tenor) f. Texture: monophonic chant alternates with three-part polyphony g. Context: for feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary h. Rhythm: repetitive long-short patterns in the upper voices, slow-moving chant in the bottom voice i. Text: prayer in praise of Virgin Mary\ 3) Guillaume de Machaut: Puis qu en oubli a. Date : Mid-14th century (medieval) b. Genre: Polyphonic chanson c. Form: 2 sections (A and B) repeated: ABaAabAB. Capital letter= refrain (same music, same text). Lowercase letter = verse (new text). d. Texture: 3-part polyphony e. Rhythm: Slow triple meter, with subtle syncopations f. Melody: Conjunct, low range; wavelike lines, with few melismas g. Harmony: Open, hollow cadences at phrase endings h. Text: Poetic rondeau by Machaut i. Medium: Three voices (instruments may substitute for voices) 4) Josquin: Ave Maria virgo serena a. Date: 1480s? (Renaissance) b. Genre: Latin motet c. Context: For devotional services d. Basis: Chant to Virgin Mary, heard at beginning only. Most of the motet is freely composed e. Rhythm: Duple, with shift to triple, then back f. Melody: High vs low voices, singing in pairs; opening phrase with rising 4 th quotes chant g. Harmony: consonant; hollow-sounding cadences h. Texture: imitative 4-voice polyphony and homophony i. Medium: 4 voices, SATB j. Text: Rhymed poem to the Virgin Mary 5) Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina: Pope Marcellus Mass, Gloria a. Date : Published 1567, late Renaissance b. Genre : Sacred choral work, movement from the Ordinary of the Mass c. Style: clear text declamation, a cappella d. Rhythm: slow duple, weak pulse e. Melody: Shifts between high- and lowrange voices f. Harmony: full, consonant harmony g. Texture: mixed, (homorhythmic and imitative polyphonic), monophonic opening h. Medium: 6-part choir (SATTBB), originally all male i. Form: through-composed in two parts j. Text: Gloria, from the Ordinary of the Mass 6) Henry Purcell: Come Away, Fellow Sailors from the opera Dido and Aeneas, Act 3 a. Date: 1689 Baroque b. Genre: English opera c. Context: presented at a London boarding school for girls d. Medium: solo voice and men s chorus with small orchestra and continuo (Baroque period instruments) e. Rhythm/Meter: Sprightly tempo, in triple meter; use of Scotch snap dotted figures f. Characters: Dido, Queen of Carthage; Aeneas, adventuring hero; Sailors, members of Aeneas crew g. Form: Strophic, with orchestral prelude, solo verse, and chorus h. Text: Libretto by Nathum Tate i. Basis: Virgil s Aeneid 7) Henry Purcell: Dido s Lament from the opera Dido and Aeneas, Act 3 a. Date: 1689, Baroque b. Genre: English opera
c. Context: presented at a London boarding school for girls d. Medium: Soprano and small orchestra with continuo (Baroque period instruments) e. Characters: Dido, Queen of Carthage; Aeneas, adventuring hero; Belinda, Dido s maid f. Rhythm/Meter: Free recitative followed by a slow aria in triple meter g. Form: Recitative (secco) and aria in 2 parts (AB, each repeated) over a ground bass h. Melody: Recitative with half-step movement; aria more lyrical i. Harmony: Based on repeated chromatic ground bass, stated 11 times j. Text: Libretto by Nathum Tate k. Basis: Virgil s Aeneid 8) Johann Sebastian Bach: Cantata No. 140, Wachet auf (Sleepers, Awake), No. 1 Choral Fugue a. Date: 1731, Baroque b. Genre: Chorale fantasia c. Texture: Polyphonic and imitative d. Medium: 4-part choir (SATB), with strings, double reeds, horn, bassoon, organ, violin, and piccolo e. Melody: Sopranos have slow-moving chorale melody; opening rising line = watchmen s motive; long melisma on alleluia f. Rhythm: insistent dotted rhythm in orchestra, begun in ritornello 1 g. Harmony: uplifting major key (E flat) h. Form: Bar form in three parts (A-A-B), with instrumental ritornellos i. Text: derived from the New Testament, Matthew Chapter 25 (the parable of the ten virgins); music depicts the text (watchmen, wake-up call) j. Basis: Chorale (1599) by Philipp Nicolai 9) Johann Sebastian Bach: Cantata No. 140, Wachet auf (Sleepers, Awake), No. 4 Unison Chorale a. Date: 1731, Baroque b. Text: Derived from the New Testament, Matthew Chapter 25 (the parable of the ten virgins) c. Medium: 4-part choir (SATB), with strings double reeds, horn, bassoon, organ, violin, and piccolo d. Genre: Chorale e. Basis: Chorale (1599) by Philipp Nicolai f. Form: Bar form in three parts (A-A-B), with instrumental ritornellos g. Texture: Three-part polyphonic texture h. Melody: Tenors sing chorale melody in unison, set against moving countermelody in strings i. Harmony: Bright, major key (E flat) 10) George Frideric Handel: Messiah No. 18, Aria, Rejoice greatly a. Date: 1742, Baroque b. Genre: Oratorio, in 3 parts. Part 1 is the Christmas section; part 2 is the Easter section, and part 3 tell of the redemption of the world through faith c. Context: Handel composed Messiah as an Entertainment, to recoup a Dublin concert hall s financial losses. Now, Messiah is performed often during the Christmas and Easter seasons d. Medium: soprano vocal solo and orchestra (strings and continuo) e. Text: compilation of biblical verses from Old and New Testaments. The text for rejoice greatly is from the New Testament f. Form: da capo aria (ABA, with the second A written out and abridged) 11) George Frideric Handel: Messiah No. 44 Chorus, Hallelujah a. Date: 1742, Baroque b. Medium: 4-part chorus (SATB) and orchestra (oboes, bassoons, trumpets, timpani, and strings) c. Texture: varies from homorhythmic to imitative polyphony; fugal treatment with overlapping voices d. Text: compilation of biblical verses from Old and New Testaments. The text for Hallelujah Chorus is from the New Testament. e. Form: Through-composed, but with recurring refrain: the famous hallelujah! 12) George Frideric Handel: Water Music, Suite in D Major, Alla Hornpipe a. First Performance: 1717 (mid-baroque) b. Genre: Dance Suite c. Context: Outdoor performance for a royal outing on the Thames River d. Texture: Mixed (homophony and polyphony) e. Medium: Orchestra (2 trumpets, 2horns, 2 oboes, bassoon, strings, and continuo). Timpani were added for this recording. f. Rhythm: triple meter in spritely tempo g. Melody: ascending line with leaps and trills; second section has descending minor-scale melody h. Form: Ternary, A-B-A
13) Antonio Vivaldi: Spring from The Four Seasons, First Movement a. Date: Published 1725 (late Baroque) b. Genre: Programmatic concerto for solo violin c. Medium: Solo violin and string orchestra d. Form: Ritornello alternating with contrasting episodes e. Texture: Homophonic f. Program: Italian sonnet, possibly by Vivaldi 14) Johann Sebastian Bach: Contrapunctus 1, from The Art of Fugue a. Date: 1740s (Art of Fugue published posthumously, 1751) b. Genre: Fugue; the first piece in a cycle of contrapuntal works exploring compositional possibilities of a single theme. c. Texture: Polyphonic; subject on D alternating with answer on A d. Medium: Solo keyboard (organ or harpsichord) e. Melody: Tune (called subject) outlines minor chord f. Harmony: minor throughout, but closes on a major chord (Picardy third); last fugue statement over sustained pitch (pedal point) g. Form: Fugue for four voices (exposition, middle, and closing sections; episodes separate fugue statements) 15) Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in C major, Op. 76, No. 3 (Emperor), Second Movement a. Date: 1797 (Classical) b. Genre: String quartet c. Texture: Homophonic, moving towards polyphonic d. Rhythm/Meter: simple rhythms in quadruple meter; some syncopation in later variations e. Medium: Two violins, viola, cello f. Form: Theme and variations (a-a-b-c-c form in each of four variations), closing 4-measure coda 16) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Night Music), First Movement a. Date: 1787 b. Genre: String quartet c. Medium: Two violins, viola, cello, double bass (or string orchestra) d. Melody: Marchlike; disjunct, ascending (rocket) theme; then graceful descending tune e. Rhythm: Quick duple meter f. Harmony: consonant, in G major g. Texture: Homophonic h. Form: Sonata-allegro form (3 themes) in 3 sections; Exposition-Development- Recapitulation 17) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Night Music), Third Movement a. Form: Two dances (minuet-trio), with the minuet returning. Each dance is in binary form b. Rhythm/Meter: Strongly rhythmic dance, in triple meter c. Melody: decisive minuet melody In regular phrases; conjunct and expressive trio 18) Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 100 in G minor (Military), Second Movement a. Date: 1794 (Classical) b. Genre: Symphony c. Texture: Homophonic d. Expression: sudden dynamic contrasts e. Form: Ternary with varied return (A-B- A ); A in binary form f. Melody: Simple, graceful theme, in regular phrases g. Harmony: Change from C major to C minor; then back to C minor h. Rhythm/Meter: Marchlike, regular duple meter i. Medium: Large orchestra with strings, woodwinds, trumpets, French horns, and a variety of percussion instruments 19) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto in G major, K. 453, 1 st movement a. Date: 1784, Classical b. Genre: Piano concerto c. Context: composed for a talented young student, Barbara von Ployer d. Rhythm/Meter: Lively, marchlike rhythm and tempo e. Melody: Lilting 1 st theme; quiet and lyrical 2 nd theme; new, graceful piano theme in 2 nd exposition; decorative piano writing f. Harmony: Major key; shift to key of dominant (D) in piano exposition g. Texture: Mostly homophonic h. Form: First-movement concerto form, with orchestral and solo expositions, then development, recapitulation, and coda i. Medium: Solo piano and orchestra (flute, pairs of oboes, bassoons, French horns), strings 20) Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2 (Moonlight), First Movement a. Date: 1801, late Classical
b. Genre: Piano sonata c. Medium: Solo piano d. Texture: Homophonic and polyphonic e. Rhythm/Meter: continuous triplet accompaniment pattern f. Form: Song form (two strophes separated by a development section), or ternary (ABA ) 21) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Don Giovanni, Act 1, scene 2, No. 3, 4, & 5 a. Date: 1787 b. Genre: Opera buffa c. Librettist: Lorenzo da Ponte d. Aria -> Recitative -> Catalog Aria e. Form: Two main sections, each repeated with variation (A-B-A -B ) f. Rhythm/Meter: Accented duple meter g. Medium: soprano, baritone, and bass with symphonic orchestra h. Major characters: Don Giovanni, a licentious young nobleman (baritone or bass-baritone); Leporello, Giovanni s servant (bass); Donna Anna, a noblewoman (soprano), Commendatore, the commandant, father of Donna Anna (bass); Don Ottavio, fiancé of Donna Anna (tenor); Donna Elvira, a lady from Burgos, Spain, deserted by Don Giovanni (soprano); Zerlina, a peasant girl (soprano); Masetto, a peasant, fiancé to Zerlina (bass) 22) Franz Schubert: The Elfking (Der Erlkönig) a. Date: 1815, early Romantic b. Genre: Lied, or solo song c. Medium: Solo voice and piano accompaniment d. Form: Through- composed e. Rhythm/Meter: constant triplets in piano until last line; duple meter; more lilting feel for Elfking f. Harmony: shifts form minor to major (for Elfking); dissonance to project boy s terror g. Text: Narrative ballad by Johann Wolfgang von Geothe h. Characters: Narrator (middle register, minor key), Father (low register, minor key), Son (high register, minor key), Elfking (middle register, major key); all performed by a single singer 23) Robert Schumann: In the lovely month of May first song from A Poet s Love (Dichterliebe) a. Date: 1840 (mid-romantic) b. Genre: Lied from song cycle c. Context: Performance in an intimate setting d. Texture: Homophonic e. Rhythm/Meter: Low; piano moving somewhat freely in rising lines f. Expression: Melancholic mood portrays unrequited love g. Medium: Solo voice and piano h. Form: Strophic (two strophes); piano prelude, interlude, and postlude i. Text: Lyric poem by Heinrich Heine 24) Frédéric Chopin: Mazurka in B-flat minor, Op. 24, No. 4 a. Date: 1833 (Romantic) b. Genre: Piano solo c. Texture: Mostly homorhythmic d. Rhythm: Moderate triple meter, often with accents on the second and third beats e. Harmony: Shifts between major and minor, modal harmonies, chromaticism f. Form: A-B-A-C-D-A, with sections repeated; long coda g. Expression: much rubato; many accents 25) Hector Berlioz: Symphonic fantastique, Fourth Movement, March to the Scaffold a. Date: 1830, Romantic b. Genre: Program symphony c. Program: A lovesick artist in an opium trance is haunted by a vision of his beloved, who is represented by a melodic theme called an idée fixe ( fixed idea ) d. Melody: 2 main march themes (A and B), both strongly accented e. Rhythm/Meter: Duple meter march f. Harmony: set in minor mode g. Medium: Large orchestra (flute, piccolo, 2 clarinets, 4 French horns, 4 bassoons, 2 trumpets, 2 cornets, 3 trombones, 2 ophicleides, 2 timpani, bass drum, bells, strings) h. Form: Sectorial, alternating two themes; sonata-like, with 2 themes introduced, developed, then recapped 26) Bedrich Smetant: The Moldau a. Date: 1874-1879, late Romantic b. Genre: Symphonic poem, 2 nd in the cycle of 6 symphonic poems called Mà Vlast (My Country) c. Program: Scenes along the River Moldau in Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic) d. Context: Mà Vlast derives its musical character and programmatic context from nationalist impulses e. Melody: wide-ranging river theme, heard throughout
f. Rhythm/Meter: Begins in flowing 6/8; shifts to duple for peasant dance, then back to 6/8 g. Harmony: shifts between minor and major mode h. Medium: Orchestra 27) Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90, Third Movement a. Date: 1883, Romantic b. Genre: Symphony c. Melody: Lyrical melancholic melody with waltzlike feeling; arched, regular phrases d. Rhythm/Meter: moderate triple meter; rhythmic complexity with 3-agianst-2 patterns (contrasting rhythms sounded together) and syncopation e. Medium: Symphony orchestra (although only strings, woodwinds, and French horns are used in this movement) f. Form: Ternary (A-B-A ) 28) Giuseppi Verdi: Rigoletto, aria and quartet from Act 3 a. Date: First performance 1851, Venice b. Genre: Italian opera c. Librettist: Francesco Maria Piave d. Basis: French play, Le roi s amuse, by Victor Hugo e. Aria: La donna é mobile (Duke) i. Rhythm/meter : lilting triple meter, um-pah-pah accompaniment; some rubato ii. Form: 2 strophes in aria, framed by orchestral ritornello that unifies aria f. Quartet Un dì (Duke, Maddalena, Gilda, Rigoletto): i. Rhythm/Meter: Allegro, with agitated mov t ii. Medium: Quartet g. Quartet (part 2): Bella figlia i. Overall form : A-B-A -C, end with coda ii. Square melody h. Major characters: The Duke of Mantua (tenor); Rigoletto, the Duke s jester, a hunchback (baritone); Gilda, Rigoletto s daughter (soprano); Sparafucile an assassin (bass); Maddalena, Sprafucile s sister (contralto) 29) Richard Wagner: Die Walküre, Act 3, scene 1 (Ride of the Valkyries) a. Date: 1856, first performed 1870 in Munich b. Genre: German music drama, second in cycle of 4 (The Ring of the Nibelung) c. Librettist: Richard Wagner d. Basis: Norse sagas and the Medieval German epic, the Nibelungenlied (Song of the Nibelung) e. Rhythm/Meter: Lively dotted rhythm in 9/8 for Ride leitmotif f. Melody: Swirling strings and woodwinds, then famous ride leitmotif ascends, repeated many times; battle cries from soloists in call and response; continual melody g. Texture: Polyphonic, combines main theme and swirling idea h. Medium: huge orchestra featuring many brass; woodwinds; large percussion section and many string players i. Major characters: Wotan, father of the gods (bass); Valkyries, the nine daughter of Wotan: Brünnhilde, Wotan s favorite (soprano), and Ortlinde, Gerhilde, Helmwige, Schwertleite, Waltraute, Siegrune, Rossweisse, and Grimgerde (mixed vocal types) 30) Claude Debussy: Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun a. Date: 1894 (Impressionist) b. Genre: Symphonic poem c. Harmony: Orchestra (2 harps, flute, oboes, English horn, clarinets, French horns, antique cymbals) d. Form: Free ternary (A-B-A ); loose structure e. Melody: Lyrical, sinuous melody; chromatic at opening and closing f. Rhythm/Meter: free-flowing rhythms; sens of floating; lacks pulse; middle section more animated g. Style: Impressionist, timbrally rich, rhythmically free h. Texture: Homophonic i. Basis: Symbolist poem by Stéphane Mallarmé 31) Igor Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring Part 1, excerpts a. Date: 1913 b. Basis: Scenes of pagan Russia, to a scenario by Nikolai Roerich and Igor Stravinsky. This excerpt includes three scenes from Part 1: Introductoin, Dance of the Youths and Maidens, and Game of Abduction c. Genre: Ballet (often performed as a concert piece for orchestra) d. Intro:
i. Melody: disjunct, floating folk-song melody ii. Rhythm/Meter: free shifting meter, the 4-note rhythmic idea establishes duple pulse iii. Expression: haunting mood, represents awakening of earth; very slow tempo (lento) e. Dance of the Youths and Maidens: i. Melody: Russian folk-song melodies alternate with nonmelodic sound blocks ii. Rhythm/Meter: basic duple pulse with irregular accents; constant 8 th -note motion iii. Harmony: dissonant chord (polytonal) repeated over and over; sound blocks iv. Texture: Dense, complex polyphony v. Form: Sectional, with opening section recurring several times (A-B-A -C-A-D- E-F-G-A -F ) vi. Medium: huge orchestra with expanded brass, woodwind, and percussions sections vii. Expression: forceful, with high energy and changing dynamics f. Game of Abduction: i. Melody: scurrying melodic figures and horn calls, brief folk tune ii. Rhythm/Meter: fast tempo, meter not established; unpredictable accents iii. Harmony: harshly dissonant, crashing chords iv. Texture: dense, with shifting activity v. Expression: Frenetic and primitive mood g. Choreography: Vaslav Nijinksy 32) Arnold Schoenberg: Pierrot lunaire, The Moonfleck (Der Mondfleck), no. 18 a. Date: 1912 b. Genre: Song cycle c. Texture: Complex contrapuntal with canonic (strict imitative treatment) d. Melody: disjunct line, quasi-speechlike (Sprechstimme) e. Rhythm/Meter: very fast, sounds freeflowing f. Harmony: harshly dissonant g. Form: rondeau text with poetic/musical refrain h. Medium: Solo female voice and five instrumentalists, some doubling on two instruments (violin/viola, cello, flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet, piano) i. Style Light, ironical, satirical (Schoenberg s words), expressionistic j. Poetic form: Rondeau (a refrain is repeated three times: At the beginning, in the middle, and at the end) k. Text: Twenty-one poems, all in rodeau form, by Belgian poet Albert Giraud. Schoenberg chose these 21 form the orginal group of 50 poems. 33) Béla Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, Fourth Movement a. Date: 1943, commissioned by Serge Koussevitsky for the Boston Symphony Orchestra b. Genre: Orchestral concerto c. Medium: Symphonic orchestra d. Melody: 3 contrasting themes: i. Folklike and pentatonic (A) ii. Broad and lyrical (B) iii. Harsh descending line in clarinet (C) e. Form: Rondo-like (A-B-A -C-B -A ) f. Rhythm/meter: Shifting meters and irregular rhythmic patterns g. Harmony: Polytonal, atonal, and dissonant harmonies h. Expression: nostalgic and sentimental; violent interruption at idea of Nazi invasion