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476
Medieval age beggining
It started with the fall of the Occidental Roman empire. -
Period: 600 to 1453
ORIGINS OF VOCAL MUSIC
It started in the 7th century, and it included secular and liturgical music:
·Secular: Performed in court and popular events.
·Liturgical: Composed in church context and performed at religious events. -
Period: 800 to 1453
Secular vocal music (MEDIEVAL)
Passed orally, so there were hardly any records.
Characteristics: ·Monophonic texture
·Instrumental accompaniment
·Modal scales and rhythmic modes
·Local language
·Male and female voices The musicians were called minstrels. Their songs were written in songbooks. A famous one was "Cantigas de Santa María". Goliards were wandering clerics that wrote satirical poetry. -
Period: 800 to 1453
Liturgical polyphony (MEDIEVAL)
New form of musical expression that added a second voice to the plainsong. Mensural notation was created for a more precise system. Forms:
·Organum: Two parallel voices.
·Discantus: Two voices in contrary motion.
·Conductus: Two to four voices sang the same texts. -
1200
Gregorian Chant
This is a very famous type of music which took place in the medieval era. The first compiler was Gregory the Great. https://youtu.be/d5p_U8J0iRQ This is the Gregorian Chant "Salve Regina" It was composed un the 13th century. -
1440
Invention of printing press
Made it easier for knowledge and culture to spread. -
1453
Modern period beggining
It started with the fall of the Byzantine empire and ended with the French Revolution. -
Period: 1453 to
REINASSANCE TEXTURES
·Imitative counterpoint: Polyphonic texture with several but independent melodic lines that imitate each other, one after the other.
·Homorythmic homohony: Several melodic lines are performed simultaneously. Melodic lines are similar.
·Melody-dominated homophony: Composed for several parts. A melodic line that has other parts performing the harmonic accompaniment. -
Period: 1453 to
Religious vocal music (MODERN)
·Motet: A secular polyphonic compositions for two or three parts, each with different lyrics.
·Mass: Long composition with liturgical texts. Based on fixed parts.
·Chorale: Most common musical form in Protestant liturgy. Based on pre-existing melodies sung in vernacular with a simple texture and an AAB structure. -
Period: 1453 to
Secular vocal music (MODERN)
(Italy) Madrigal was the dominant form. It described feelings trough the union of music and text. (England) Numerous songs for one voice with instrumental accompainment were written.
(France) Same form with several voices. (Spain) Lyrics in spanish and strong rythms. Homorythmic homophony. Forms:
·Romance:Popular poetic ballads.
·Villancico: Popular tunes that peasants sang in villages.
·Ensalada: Combination of different forms, languages and polyphonic textures. -
Period: 1453 to
Instrumental music
Instruments were still forbiden in the church. Instrumental forms:
·Compositions based on vocal music: Instruments were a base for vocal pieces.
·Compositions with an improvisational feel: Brief improvised
pieces of good musical quality.
·Variations: Exposition of a short musical theme followed by some
variations. -
Period: 1492 to
Modern Period
It started with the fall of the Byzantine empire and ended with the French Revolution. -
Period: to
BAROQUE PERIOD BEGINNING
Started with the appareance of opera and finished with the death of Johan Sebastian Bach. Instrumental music became just as important as vocal music. Song example: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/6/62/Pachelbel%27s_Canon.ogg/Pachelbel%27s_Canon.ogg.mp3 -
Period: to
CLASSICAL PERIOD MUSIC
It started in 1730 and ended around 1820. The music from this period was a reaction to the Baroque pesimism and authors tried to focus more on the elegance and structure of the music, than the message it transmited. There are some examples later... -
Wolgang Amadeus Mozart dies...
The best known composer from the classical period, who almost composed one of the best examples of vocal music in the classical period, the "Requiem". What he didn't take in count is that it was going to be used for his own funeral: https://youtu.be/Zi8vJ_lMxQI?t=107 -
Franz Joseph Haydn composes his 102nd symphony...
He was one of the most important authors in the classical period. The 102nd symphony is just the next one:
https://youtu.be/F8HYoAr4B3o?t=134 -
Ludwig Van Beethoven composes "Waldstein"...
Beethoven, one of the last creators from the classical period, a transition composer that started the "Romantic period", composed a sonata. This is the instrumental form that was most used in the classical period and it included four different movements.
Here is the nº21: https://youtu.be/Zi8vJ_lMxQI?t=107 -
The German "Lied"
It literally means song, and it was a poem accompained by simple music. A ver famous composer was Franz Schubert, who composed Der Erlkönig: https://youtu.be/JuG7Y6wiPL8 -
Composition of a Romantic Nocturne
In the Romantic period there were some compositions specially made for piano. Here is an example of a nocturne, a short musical piece. This one is from Chopin, the number 20: https://youtu.be/acO5A0cx1wI -
Programme music in the Romantic period
It appeared in earlier periods, but was very important in romantithism. This type of music was composed for orchestras, and it aim to describe a narrative text with music. There was also programme symphony and symphonic poem. The following one is from Hector Berlioz, and it is a programme symphony: Symphonie fantastique: https://youtu.be/g2Kky5BC9Uk?t=30 -
Richard Wagner composes a very famous example of Romantic Opera...
In the Romantic period opera became the bourgeoisie's favourite entertainment. Each country had its own style, but the ones that oustanded the most were:
-Italian
-French
-German The following one is by Richard Wagner, and it is called "Lohengrin": https://youtu.be/iCy853CfyRY -
Romantic Chamber Music
In the Romantic period, another type of compositions for piano were made, the chamber music. This were of several pianos played along with other types of instruments, usually string and wind. The next one is from Antonio Bazzini and is called "The Dance of the Goblins": https://youtu.be/QUlH6gFEDbw?list=PLR_xCgMZxpEjUFpZKw7H9k_RWHvSxiqvI -
Symphonic Music from the Romantic period
In this period there were also compositions for big orchestras, and there were several different types, but the ones that stood out the most were:
-Symphony
-Concerto Here is an example of a symphony by Johannes Brahms, the Nº 1: https://youtu.be/Pr_JuHMooU4?list=PLdJRTBvC9ocdqPmRXVopNV0qZm1f9fiaK -
Musical Nationalism
This musical movement appeared when new borders in Europe appeared. The nationalist composers tried to defend the languages and musical traditions of their countries. Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky was a russian composer, not very nationalist, but still a very distinctable russian composer. He made Swann Lake Waltz: https://youtu.be/O7YZ9FQIO-8 -
Zarzuela in Romantithism
Zarzuela developed in Spain in the Romantic period, with several famous composers. There was "Zarzuela grande" and "Género chico"Here is "El chaleco blanco" by Federico Chueca: https://youtu.be/ptXQI65-Zmg?t=1763 -
Romantic Ballet
This ballet was started by a french performance in Paris, that implemented tutu and pointed shoes into dance. A quite heard but unknown musical waltz was "The Nutcracker", by Tchaikovsky: https://youtu.be/xtLoaMfinbU?t=479
