The Composers Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert All Composed in Large-Scale Forms

Prelude 4 - - The composers Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert all composed in large-scale forms. Describes Maria Theresia von Paradis: She was an excellent pianist and organist, she was blind The era of ancient Greek and Roman civilization most captivated eighteenth-century thinkers. Occupations available to Classical-era women were professional instrumentalist, music teacher, and professional singer Haydn and Beethoven conducted their own symphonies The music of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert is characterized by elegant and lyrical melodies The Industrial Revolution of the eighteenth century saw a series of important inventions, which helped shape the modern world The Classical era has been called the Age of Enlightenment The public concert hall and the royal palace were venues available in the Classical era Maria Anna Mozart was an accomplished pianist and known as Nannerl In the eighteenth century, a new economic power was growing as a result of the Industrial Revolution. Music-making in the Classical era centered upon the court of the patron Music was valued as a necessary adornment of life Patronage provided economic security for musicians Aristocracy was a societal norm of the eighteenth century that enabled the reign of Louis XV and Frederick the Great. Clarity in the Classical era was provided by repetition and the frequent use of sequence (a pattern repeated at a higher or lower pitch). These devices created balanced structures that were easily accessible to the listener. Composers of the Classical era fully explored: String quartet, solo sonata, symphony, Composers of the Baroque era fully explored: Cantata Composer of the Viennese School: Beethoven, Mozart, and Haydn Chapter 31 - Describe the excerpt from the fourth movement of Haydn’s String Quartet: It features some staccato articulation, the musical phrases can be represented by a-a-ba-ba - The favored chamber ensemble in the Classical era was the string quartet - The third movement of a string quartet is often in minuet-and-trio form - Haydn wrote most of his string quartets in sets of six - Symphonies and string quartets typically had four movements - Haydn wrote 68 string quartets - Instruments played in Op.33: Viola, Violin, Cello - The coda features a dramatic change to an adagio tempo and a series of unexpected pauses, along with phrases of varying length. - The final movement features a refrain with two developmental episodes to make up a - - rondo form. In the coda, Haydn plays with the listener’s expectations. Describes the final movement: The first violin has most of the melodic responsibility, there is a coda that contains a musical “joke”, the meter is a dancelike 6/8 The first violin plays the melody in a sprightly dancelike meter, while the second violin, viola, and cello provide accompaniment. In Haydn’s Op.33 No.2 string quartet, he inverts the expected order of the mulimovement scheme with movements two and three. Describes the fourth movement: There are sforzando accents on the downbeats, the section develops ideas from the refrain, this is the first of two episodes, the violin plays in a high range, the passage gets softer towards the end, this is the second of 2 episodes Most instrumental works of the Classical era follow a scheme of tempos and formal ideas known as the multimovement cycle The fourth movement of Haydn’s Op.33, No.2 String Quartet is composed in rondo form The first movement of a typical Classical string quartet is santa-allegro Varying a theme’s melodic outline, rhythm, or harmony is known as thematic development. A motive is a theme’s smallest melodic or rhythmic unit. The instrumentation of Haydn’s Joke Quartet is violin, violin, viola, cello Haydn’s String Quartet, Op.33 No.2 is nicknamed Joke because the clever fourth movement includes surprises that play with listener’s expectations in the coda. While Classical composers such as Mozart and Beethoven composed music with formal structures, they were also excellent improvisers. Instrumental music that does not refer to a story outside the music itself is called absolute music. Chapter 32 - Haydn’s Symphony 94, movement II is in theme and variation form - The heart of the Classical orchestra was the string family - Haydn’s application of wit and ingenuity in over 100 symphonies like this one, earned him the nickname “Father of the symphony.” - Musical elements that were contributed by German Classical symphonists were: the ue of a “rocket theme”, the use of a “steamroller” crescendo - Haydn’s Symphony No.94 was first presented in London. Its nickname comes from the use of a fortissimo chord that startles the audience in the second movement. - This transitional bridge between the fourth variation and the coda features a sustained chord. - The Classical orchestra typically included thirty to forty players - The fourth variation features a fortissimo statement of the A section of the theme by full orchestra with offbeat accents - This is the theme of the movement and it is comprised of two sections, each of which repeat. The first section outlines a triad, while the second section is more disjunct. - In the second variation,, Haydn briefly switches to a minor key - Haydn’s legacy: He has composed 12 symphonies for a London audience, he was nicknamed “father of the symphony”, he wrote over 100 symphonies Chapter 37 - - - - Figaro is the servant and right-hand man for Count Almaviva Trio= melodies sung by the Count, Susanna, and Basilio in various overlapping combinations with both imitative and contrasting ideas Recitative= rapid, syllabic melodies without distinct melodic shape by Susanna, the Count, and Basilio Aria= Cherubino singing solo supported by a small orchestra In Mozart’s comic operas, he held society up to a mirror and emphasized the problems of separating people based on class and gender. Cherubino sings mezzo-soprano in The Marriage of Figaro Aria, Recitative, Trio Three characters in turn, Susanna, a soprano, the Count, a bass, and Basilio, a tenor, are accompanied by a fortepiano and a cello Basilio= tenor Susanna= soprano, anxious and angry statements The Count= bass, grandiose and pompous statements Aria= mezzo-soprano supported by a small orchestra Recitative= soprano, bass, and tenor supported by fortepiano and cello Both aria and recitative= homophonic texture In the trio “Cosa sento!” from Act I of The Marriage of Figaro, Susanna is anxious to get both men to leave, the Count is angry but tries to seduce her, and Basilio is devious and enjoys the situation as it unfolds. Opera buffa presented lively, down-to-earth plots rather than the remote concerns of gods and mythological heroes. In this excerpt, Susanna, the Count, and Basilio are accompanied by a keyboard instrument called the fortepiano and a cello. Cherubino hides behind a large armchair when the Count arrives to arrange a tryst with Susanna While serious opera was almost invariably in Italian language, comic opera was generally in the local language of the audience (this type of language is also known as the vernacular.) Describes opera buffa: Generally in the vernacular, more realistic depiction of human emotions and social concerns, exciting ensemble at the end of each act in which all characters participate At the beginning of the eighteenth century, serious opera was the most prevalent style of opera In the Classical era, both serious opera and comic opera were popular The type of Classical opera that continued a tradition of idealized characters and plots were called opera seria The Count arrives to arrange a tryst with Susanna, and Cherubino hides behind a large armchair. The music master, Basilio, who delights in uncovering other people’s secrets, comes looking for the Count, who also hides behind the chair. Chapter 38 - - Mozart died writing Requiem Mass In the Classical era, the main genres of sacred choral music were the Mass and the oratorio. A Requiem is a musical setting of the Mass for the Dead. Verses in Mozart’s Requiem: Dies irae, Tuba mirum, Rex tremendae The mood of Mozart’s Dies irae from Requiem shifts from loud fear in a minor key to a quiet plea for salvation. The Dies irae from Mozart’s Requiem is performed by chorus, four soloists, and orchestra; has a mostly homophonic texture; and consists of eight verses, each of which features different combinations of performers. Mozart’s Requiem was chosen for the funeral of JFK and the September 11 attack anniversary Dies irae was written in Latin The dramatic Dies irae section of Mozart’s Requiem provides a vision of the Day of Wrath Mozart’s Requiem is a sacred piece of music Requiem was left unfinished at his death