Transcript Ali Zanelli

Classical Music (1750-1820)
 Sonata form was key during the classical period, and developed throughout the
Classical period. Although Baroque composers also wrote pieces called sonatas, the
Classical sonata was different.
 A feature of the classical period is the increase of public concerts.
 The increased space had a big impact on the size of the orchestra.
 Beethoven- Fur Elise, Moonlight Sonata, Adelaide
 Haydn- Cello Concerto No.1, The Seasons, The London and Paris Symphonies
 Mozart- Requiem, Symphony No.40, The Marriage of Figaro
 Classical music would usually have a simple melodic line and
harmonic texture.
 Sonatas are made up of three parts: exposition, development and
recapitulation.
 Keyboard works would include the Alberti Bass which is a type of
accompaniment.
 MELODY: Short and clearly defined musical phrases with two or
more contrasting themes.
 RHYTHM: Very defined and regular.
 TEXTURE: Mostly Homophonic
 TIMBRE: The symphony orchestra was organised into four sections -
strings, woodwind, brass and percussion. The harpsichord was rarely
used as the piano would take its place.
 It was more focused on elegance and balance
 short well-balanced melodies and clear-cut question and
answer phrases
 mainly simple diatonic harmony
 LaMonte Young- Trio for Strings, Vision, Poem for chairs, tables, benches etc…
 Philip Glass- Einstein on the Beach, Satyagraha, Akhnaten
 Terry Riley- In C, Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band, Dorian Reeds
 Steve Reich- It’s gonna rain, Clapping music, Electric Counterpoint
 a complex contrapuntal texture
 broken chords
 slow harmonic changes
 note addition (where notes are added to a repeated phrase)
 melodic transformation (where a melody gradually changes shape)
 rhythmic transformation (where a rhythm gradually changes shape)
 gradual changes in texture and dynamics
 Minimalism originates from America and developed during the
1960’s and 1970’s.
 It is made up of short, simple repeated patterns called loops. These
loops change gradually.
 There is no real tune
 The harmonies are made by layering patterns on top of the other.
 Metamorphosis: this is where small changes are made to a note over
a period of time.
 Notes would be gradually added as well as the addition of rests
which would replace the notes.
 A lot of music technology was used for minimalist music for example:
 Repeated loops used to be played using tape recorders
 Each loop would be put together using multitracking, meaning that you record the
loops on top of each other.
 Phrase Shifting: two parts play the same melody then the second part has a rest
added which means the two parts are out of sync and then gradually go back.
 Reich: liked to experiment with tape loops and through this developed the ‘phase
shifting’ technique.
 Terry Riley: Riley experimented with tape loops of various sounds using delay and
some instrumental sounds. He was also a solo performer who experimented with
the echo device and used alto of repeated musical material.
 Phillip Glass: deceptively simple using alternating notes and repeated broken
chords.
 La Monte Young: The first to write a minimalist piece. Known for his development of
drone music.
 Igor Stravinsky- The Firebird, The Rite of Spring, Pulcinella, The Octet
for winds. Also composed an opera-oratorio Oedipus Rex and ballets
(Apollo)
 Dmitri Shostakovich- Suite for Jazz Orchestra No.2, The Gadfly Suite,
Cello Sonata
 Samuel Barber- Agnus Dei, Vanessa(opera) , Excursions
 Neoclassicism:
 It occurred as a reaction to romanticism going back to the order and
emotional restriction of the classical period.
 It was popular between the two world wars.
 Would normally contain complex rhythms
 Large amounts of chromaticism
 Dissonances
 Clear understanding of the form.
 The revival of absolute forms
 It used an instrumental melody that used wider intervals and a more extended
range
 It did not use many accidentals.
 Used classical features of order and balance.