History of Western Music (Music 330B)

Review Outline for Midterm No. 2 (Spring Semester 2009)

This is only an outline, and many details must be filled in from the anthology and textbooks.

The format of the exam will consist of multiple choice, identifications, short questions, and three listening extracts with a question tied to one of them.

Note: NAWM=Norton Anthology of Western Music.

Here are the numbers from NAWM that you will need to know for the exam: nos. 111–113, 116–119, 121–129 (that is, omitting nos. 114–115, 120).

I. The New Order, 1815–1848.

A. The Decline of Patronage.

1. "The typical musicians no longer served a prince or church but made a living as a free agent through public performance, teaching, composing on commission, or creating music for publication." (Burkholder, p. 597)

2. The rise of the virtuoso — traveling musicians who dazzled audiences.

3. Tendency to specialize in one medium.

4. Publication is now a major part of a composer's career.

B. Middle-Class Music-Making.

1. Middle class grew in size and influence and had more leisure time.

2. Musically educated, this became one of the ways of social entertainment.

3. As a sign of social status, a young girl would stay at home and, among other accomplishments, learn a musical instrument.

C. The Piano.

1. As part of the industrial age, piano were more available and less expensive.

2. Greatly expanded range.

3. Women in particular played the piano.

4. Virtuosos composed and taught.

D. The Market for Music and the New Idiom.

1. Rise in publishing and printed music.

2. The amateur markets affected the music produced — songs, piano works, and piano duets; also transcriptions.

3. Composers had to make their music accessible for this market — pieces with evocative titles, usually short, in simple forms with predictable phrasing.

II. Romanticism in Music.

A. "Romantic" as a term.

1. Derived from the medieval romance.

2. Applied first to literature in the 18th century

3. Distinguished from "classic" (objectively beautiful and universally valid).

B. Subjectivity in Music.

1. Roots in the romantic movement in literature, ca. 1770.

2. Emphasis on the expression of personal feelings (subjectivity).

3. Composers are no longer craftsmen, but artists, in search of inspiration, not tools of the trade.

4. Emphasis on emotion, not learning.

C. Composers as authors.

1. Robert Schumann, founds and edits a music journal ("Neue Zeitschrift f¸r Musik").

2. Hector Berlioz, works as a music critic in Paris.

3. Weber and Liszt wrote occasional articles; Wagner wrote entire books on his operatic theories.

4. The composer as guiding light of society, not its servant.

D. Program Music.

1. New distinctions between "absolute," "characteristic" (or "descriptive"), and "program" music.

2. "Program Music" recounts a narrative or a sequence of events.

3. A "character" (or "characteristic") piece depicts a mood or a scene, suggested by its title.

4. "Absolute Music" — refers to nothing but itself (a new concept).

E. Other aspects of Romanticism.

1. Alienation: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, "The Sorrows of Young Werther" — the artist misunderstood by society.

2. Nature and obsession with the supernatural.

3. Cult of the individual: each artist unique.

III. German Song (singular, "Lied"; plural, "Lieder")

A. The Lied.

1. In the 18th century, the Lied was not an important genre.

2. This begins to change with the "ballad."

3. Also the piano part rose in importance to support, illustrate, and intensify the text.

B. Franz Schubert (1797–1828).

1. Schubert was born in Vienna 31 January 1797.

2. Importance of the song ("Lied" in German) in Schubert's output.

3. "Gretchen am Spinnrade" (9 October 1814) — NAWM 111.

4. Schubert wrote two song cycles, both to texts by Wilhelm M¸ller: "Die schˆne M¸llerin," Op. 25 (1823) and "Winterreise" (1827) — NAWM 112.

C. Robert Schumann (1810–1856).

1. At the beginning concentrated on individual genres.

a. Through 1840, only published piano music (Op. 1–23).

b. Married 1840, "Year of Song."

c. 1841 — "Year of the Symphony."

2. Beginning February 1840 and continuing through the year Schumann wrote more than half of the songs he would write.

3. Dichterliebe, Op. 48 — NAWM 113.

IV. British and North American Song [NOT COVERED].

V. Music for Piano.

A. The piano as domestic instrument.

1. Household performance: Publishers turned out a tremendous amount of music for the new domestic audience.

2. Not too hard — shorter pieces, ABA form, often with descriptive title.

3. "Character" (or "characteristic") piece — short lyrical piano piece that evokes a mood or a scene, usually accompanied by a descriptive title.

B. Improvements to the instrument.

1. Erard had perfected its instrument with a reinforced metal frame and double-escapement action.

2. Better suited to larger halls and greater virtuosity.

3. Also improved ability to sustain a melodic line.

VI. Solo Music for Piano.

A. Franz Schubert (1797–1828).

1. Most of the works Schubert published during his life were for the amateur market.

2. These included many waltzes, marches, works for piano solo and piano four-hands (two players at one piano).

3. Also works with titles that suggest a distinctive mood ("character" pieces): "Impromptu," "Moments musicaux."

4. Also sonatas.

B. Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847).

1. Virtuoso pianist, apparent in works such as his two piano concertos.

2. His "Lieder ohne Worte" (Songs without Words) were written for the amateur market (eight sets, each with six works each).

C. Robert Schumann (1810–1856).

1. Up to 1840 published only piano music (and much of his most important works for the instrument).

2. "Eusebius" and "Florestan."

3. Fantasiest¸cke, Op. 12 (1837) — NAWM 116.

E. Fryderyk Chopin (1810–1849).

1. Concentrated almost exclusively on the piano.

2. Mazurka in B-flat Major, Op. 7, no. 1 — NAWM 117.

3. Nocturne in D-flat Major, Op. 27, no. 2 — NAWM 118.

VII. Virtuosity.

A. NicolÚ Paganini (1782–1840).

1. Although not a great composer himself, his genius in realizing the virtuosic possibilities of the violin stimulated other composers, including Schumann and Liszt.

2. Caprices, Op. 1 (published 1820, probably written before then). Dedicated "to all artists." Tremendous influence on violin playing and virtuosity.

B. Franz Liszt (1811–1886).

1. Born on the Esterh·zy estate in Hungary, of Austrian parents.

a. "Years of pilgrimage" (1835–1839) — Switzerland, Italy.

b. Touring years (1839–1847) — created the solo recital.

c. Kapellmeister in Weimar (1848–1861).

d. To Rome, where in 1864 he took the four minor orders of priesthood.

2. Trois Ètudes de concert (1845–49) — NAWM 119.

VIII. Orchestral Music.

A. Number of orchestras increased rapidly.

1. Professional orchestras were established.

2. Size increased from about 40 to as much as 90.

3. Rise of the conductor.

4. Rise of a repertory.

5. Importance of Beethoven: "All later composers for orchestra labored in his shadow, knowing that their works would inevitably be compared to his and thus must meet a similar standard while offering something distinctive." (Burkholder, p. 635)

B. Franz Schubert (1797–1828).

1. Beethoven's contemporary, also lived in Vienna.

2. Earlier symphonies in the Mozartean mold.

3. Not until his "Unfinished" Symphony did he attempt a symphony along Beethoven's lines in size and scope.

4. Symphony No. 9 in C Major (1825) on a grand scale.

C. Hector Berlioz (1803–1869) — very much characterizes these trends as one of the generation that comes of age around 1830.

1. In many ways Berlioz personifies romanticism, at least as he depicted himself in his "Memoirs."

2. Perhaps unique to Berlioz, we see him living his life as if he were a character in his own novel.

3. The "Symphonie fantastique" and its program — NAWM 121.

a. "program music"

b. "idÈe fixe"

c. "cyclic"

d. "thematic transformation"

D. Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847).

1. Grew up in Berlin in a very cultured and enlightened family. Talent recognized early and proper training provided.

2. Wrote masterpieces in his teen years: Octet (1825) and the Overture to a Midsummer Night's Dream (1826).

3. On the surface the most classical of the romantic composers.

4. Violin Concerto in E Minor — NAWM 122.

E. Robert Schumann (1810–1856).

1. Schumann's early works are almost exclusively for piano (until 1840, Opp. 1–23).

2. The following year (1840) was devoted almost exclusively to song (about half of all he would write).

3. His "symphony" year is 1841.

IX. Chamber Music.

A. Past masterpieces greatly influenced the composition of chamber music.

1. Played at home, but professional ensembles began to emerge.

2. Most important were the genres associated with Beethoven: string quartet and piano trio.

3. The more avant-garde (Chopin, Liszt) wrote very little.

B. Franz Schubert (1797–1828).

1. Various works, including string quartets.

2. Perhaps his finest work is his String Quintet (two violins, viola, two cellos), D. 956 (1828).

C. Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847).

1. Among his first masterpieces, the Octet (four violins, two violas, two cellos), Op. 20 (1825).

2. Also string quartets and piano trios.

D. Robert Schumann (1810–1856).

1. Chamber music year, 1842.

2. Three string quartets, also works with piano.

E. Clara Schumann (1819–1896).

1. Robert institutionalized 1854–56 (through himself into the Rhein — insanity from venereal disease).

2. Never remarried — professional widow.

3. Returned to concertizing, specializing in Robert's music.

4. Before marriage, piano works and a piano concerto.

5. Very little during marriage.

6. Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 17 (1846) — NAWM 123.

X. Choral Music.

A. Choirs were organized for the enjoyment of the singers.

1. Amateur in status (and therefore less prestigious than orchestras and opera houses).

2. Repertoire was dominated by music of the past.

3. Three types:

a. oratorios (soloists, choir, and orchestra)

b. short choral works

c. sacred works

4. Very lucrative for publishers (each singer needed their own copy).

B. Oratorios and Other Large Works.

1. Works by Handel and Haydn formed the core.

2. Rediscovery of Bach.

3. Mendelssohn modeled his oratorios on Bach and Handel.

4. "Elijah" — NAWM 124.

C. Availability of large forces inspired Berlioz.

1. "Grande Messe des Morts" (Requiem, 1837) — orchestra with four brass bands, 16 tympani.

2. Also "Te Deum" (1855).

D. Church Music.

1. Catholic composers.

a. Schubert wrote Masses for soloists, chorus, and orchestra.

b. Rossini, "Stabat Mater" (1832, rev. 1841).

2. Cecilian Movement.

a. Musical reform within Roman Catholic Church, inspired by music of the past, especially chant.

b. Named after St. Cecilia, patron saint of music.

c. Revival of a cappella style and the restoration of chant.

XI. Italian Opera.

A. Opera remains the predominant musical form.

1. Many popular Italian figures, but no one to place beside Beethoven and Mozart.

2. Most of our examples of Italian opera has been written by non Italians — Handel, Gluck, and Mozart.

3. Beginning with Rossini, Italian composers dominate the opera house in the 19th century.

4. "If asked who was the most famous and important living composer, many people in Europe around 1825 would have answered not Beethoven but rather Gioachino Rossini." (Burkholder, p. 660)

B. Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868).

1. Born Pesaro 29 February 1792 (leap year).

2. First major successes, back to back "opera seria" and "opera buffa."

a. "Tancredi" (6 February 1813).

b. "L'italiana in Algeri" (22 May 1813).

c. Contract to provide two operas a year in Naples, 1815–1822.

4. Left Italy in October 1823, having written 34 operas.

5. Retired after "Guillaume Tell" (1829), lived another 40 years.

C. Musical principles.

1. Code Rossini.

2. Aria:

a. Two parts, a "cantabile" and a "cabaletta," slow and fast to give the singer maximum possibility for display, two possible emotions.

b. The melody of the cabaletta is repeated so ornamentation can be added, followed by paired cadences.

c. A "tempo di mezzo" often bridges the two.

d. A "scena" is the general term for anything before the "cantabile."

e. "cavatina" — entrance aria.

f. this basic formula (capable of infinite variety) was necessary to keep up such a pace of production.

3. "Il barbiere di Siviglia" (20 February 1816) — NAWM 125.

XII. Italian Opera after Rossini.

A. Two figures that tower above many: Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848) and Vincenzo Bellini (1801–1835).

1. Rossini codified Italian opera technique.

2. Donizetti and Bellini followed very closely, at least at the beginning of their careers, but the librettos they set had characters of a different nature.

3. No longer, "the emotions are real, but the characters are not," but now the characters take on flesh and blood. Now you begin to be moved not just by beautiful singing ("bel canto"), but as much by the predicaments these characters are in.

4. Not coincidentally, tragic endings become the rule by the 1840s.

B. Vincenzo Bellini (1801–35).

1. First major success in 1827, "Il pirata" (third opera).

2. Worked much more slowly than Donizetti, and, once he had his reputation, he used it as leverage to take his time and charge higher fees.

3. Also insisted that all his operas have texts by Felice Romani, true except for the last (they had a fight).

4. Bellini usually did not do revivals — he didn't have to!

5. Best known for his long sweeping melodic lines.

C. Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848).

1. Extremely facile over the course of a career that lasted less than 25 years (early 1820s to mid 1840s).

2. Wrote 70 operas, high even by the standards of the day.

3. Not until his 30th (or so) opera, "Anna Bolena" (1830) did he have a major success that put him in the big time.

4. Preferred sources: history, such as Anne Boleyn, or romantic imagery, such as novels by Sir Walter Scott ("The Bride of Lammermoor," which became "Lucia di Lammermoor").

5. "Lucia di Lammermoor" — typical romantic aspects: "mad scene," invoking of the supernatural.

6. Last opera 1843 — died of syphilis (last years in a vegetative state).

XIII. French Grand Opera.

A. Several theaters in Paris were allowed to present opera.

1. "AcadÈmie Royale de Musique" (OpÈra).

2. "OpÈra-Comique."

3. "ThȂtre Italien."

B. The OpÈra — a building known as the "AcadÈmie Royale de Musique."

1. From its title, it is clear that it catered to the aristocracy and the king at its opening in 1671.

2. All changed after the French Revolution, and a growing middle class would eventually be attracted to it, partially by its former associations with the aristocracy.

3. Not only a theater, but the one associated with the most lavish productions.

C. Grand Opera.

1. Designates a period of magnificence that begins in the late 1820s.

2. Librettist: EugËne Scribe (1791–1861) — the shape of the French opera libretto can be credited exclusively to him.

3. "Grand Opera" was about SPECTACLE (acts were referred to as "tableaus").

4. Ballet continues to be important.

5. French Grand Opera very influential on the operas of Verdi and Wagner.

D. Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791–1864).

XIV. German Opera.

A. Reliance on French models.

1. No German opera composer of stature after Mozart.

2. Germans tended to hear almost exclusively French and Italians operas in translation.

3. French "rescue opera" very popular.

B. Carl Maria von Weber (1786–1826).

1. Father formed a theater company along with his mother, a professional singer and actress.

2. Kapellmeister in Breslau in 1804.

3. Offered post of Prague opera in 1813..

4. Next post: Dresden (January 1817), to build up German opera (which still meant production of French operas in German).

5. "Der Freisch¸tz" mostly complete by 1820, premiered 18 June 1821.

C. "Der Freisch¸tz" — NAWM 126.

1. Several romantic tendencies apparent: use of local color, mixture of natural and supernatural.

2. Falls as well into the Singspiel tradition with use of spoken dialogue and melodrama.

a. Singspiel: German opera with spoken dialogue in place of sung recitatives (as in Italy).

b. "melodrama": spoken lines are accompanied by music, or among pauses in the music.

3. Also influence of French opera.

a. OpÈra comique: picturesque songs and choruses, folk-like melodies, colorful orchestral effects (tone painting, storms).

b. Grand Opera: more elaborate recitative and aria.

c. "reminiscence motive" — musical motive that can signify a person, place, or thing.

4. Careful use of orchestral color.

XV. The United States [NOT COVERED].

XVI. Opera in the later 19th century.

A. Strong national schools continued in Italy, France, and Germany.

B. Nationalism linked opera to political and cultural currents.

C. A core repertory of operas developed.

D. Singers had to have more powerful voices.

E. Subjects ranged from fantastic to realistic.

F. New genres emerged ("operetta").

G. It gradually became unacceptable to talk during performances.

XVII. Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901).

A. Born 9 October 1813 at Le Roncole near Busseto (in the province of Parma).

1. His ability was recognized early and educated locally.

2. In June 1832, Verdi applied to the Milan conservatory, but was rejected: "Faulty piano technique, a promising composer with genuine imagination but in need of contrapuntal discipline, a foreigner."

3. By late 1837 an opera was ready — no success in getting it performed, and by February 1839 he moved back to Milan.

4. November 1839, "Oberto," fair success, but even more important, Verdi received a commission for three more operas.

5. "Galley Years": 14 operas in 9 years, beginning with "Ernani" in 1844 and ending with "La traviata" in 1853.

6. Beginning with "Ernani," Verdi exercised more control over his librettos.

a. subject matter

b. libretto construction

7. Considered himself retired after "Aida" (1871).

8. Then came "Otello" (1887), as well as "Falstaff" (1893), the first comedy he had written since "Un giorno di Regno" (1840).

B. Aspects of nationalism from this period.

1. Italy was a collection of city states, several of them under Austrian rule.

2. The movement was referred to as the "risorgimento" ("resurgence").

3. Some of his choruses (for example, "Va pensiero") were interpreted as protests against foreign domination.

4. By 1859, "Viva Verdi!" was taken a patriotic rallying cry: "Viva Vittorio Emanuele Re d'Italia" ("Long live Victor Emmanuel, king of Italy").

C. "La traviata" (6 March 1853).

1. "The Fallen Woman," or "The Woman Led Astray."

2. Based on the play, "La dame aux camÈlias" by Alexandre Dumas.

3. Duet from Act III — NAWM 127.

XVIII. Later Italian Composers.

A. "Verismo" — "realism."

1. Opera composers inspired by literary movements in France and Italy.

2. Opera had already become more real in what was portrayed on stage.

3. Verismo in Italy:

a. showed extremes of passion (as the literary movement)

b. also tended to concentrate on the lower social strata — peasants in small villages, for example

4. First "verismo" opera:

a. Pietro Mascagni (1863–1945), "Cavalleria rusticana" (1890)

b. the result of a publisher's competition for new one-act operas

B. Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924).

1. Used elements of "verismo" in his operas, but not technically accurate to call him a "verismo" composer (did not have characters of the lower social classes).

2. Most popular of his operas written in row: "La bohËme" (1896), "Tosca" (1900), "Madama Butterfly" (1904).

3. Very effective on the stage, excellent use of "reminiscence motives" (not "leitmotives").

XIX. Richard Wagner (1813–1883).

A. Born Leipzig 22 May 1813.

1. Early operas.

a. One of the few opera composers who would always write their own librettos.

b. Early positions.

c. To Paris in 1839.

2. "Rienzi" accepted for performance in Dresden in June 1841. Return to Germany.

a. Begins work on "The Flying Dutchman." Accepted in Berlin.

b. Premiere of Rienzi (20 October 1842) — success.

c. Premiere of "The Flying Dutchman" (2 January 1843).

3. Appointed Royal Kapellmeister in Dresden.

a. "Tannh‰user" premiered 19 October 1845.

b. "Lohengrin" completed by 1848.

c. 1848 — begins publishing articles advocating revolution and anarchy.

d. With Liszt's help, escapes to Switzerland, and for 11 years banned from Germany.

B. Beginning with "The Flying Dutchman," Wagner turned to German and Norse myths as well as history for his operas.

1. "Dutchman" tells the story of a cursed sea captain who is condemned to sail the seas, coming to port once every seven years.

2. "Tannh‰user": combination of medieval story, a man seduced by the Goddess Venus, and the historical singing contest at the Wartburg.

3. "Lohengrin": Mixture of historical setting and the legend of the Swan Knight, one of the Knights of the Holy Grail.

C. Wagner in Exile.

1. Turns to prose writings: "A Communication to my Friends" (1851) and "Opera and Drama" (1850–51).

a. Stabreim.

b. Leitmotive.

c. Unending melody.

d. Gesamtkunstwerk.

e. "Music dramas."

2. "Der Ring des Nibelungen" (The "Ring" cycle).

a. "Das Rheingold" (1854).

b. "Die Walk¸re" (1856).

c. "Siegfried" (first two acts in draft, 1857; completed 1871).

d. "Gˆtterd‰mmerung" (1874).

D. Tristan und Isolde — NAWM 128.

E. Wagner's amnesty to Germany came through in July 1860 (except for Saxony).

1. Ludwig II of Bavaria..

2. Premiere of "Tristan" (10 June 1865).

3. Work on "Die Meistersinger von N¸rnberg" (completed 1867, premiered 21 June 1868).

4. The First Bayreuth Festival.

5. "Parsifal," completed 1877 — premiered at Bayreuth in 1882.

XX. France.

A. Grand Opera.

1. Prominent through the 1860s (and the last operas of Meyerbeer).

2. The genre begins to fade and blend with other types of serious opera.

B. Ballet.

1. Ballet had long been a part of Grand Opera, but it became popular as an independent genre.

2. Leo Delibes (1836–1891) — leading composer.

a. "CoppÈlia" (1870).

b. "Sylvia" (1876).

C. Lyric Opera.

1. Operatic genre named after the ThȂtre Lyrique (founded in 1851).

2. Style somewhere between Grand Opera (modified spectacle) and OpÈra Comique (using spoken dialogue).

3. Charles Gounod (1818–1893) — "Faust" (1859).

4. Jules Massenet (1842–1912) — "Manon" (1884).

D. Georges Bizet (1838–1875).

1. Exoticism.

a. Exploited in several operas from the later 19th century.

b. Bizet's "The Pearl Fishers" (1863), in ancient Ceylon.

c. Leo Delibes (1836–1891), "LakmÈ" (1883), in British occupied India.

d. The Spanish locale and gypsies also qualified as exotic in "Carmen" (1875).

2. "Carmen" (3 March 1875) — NAWM 129.