Terms
Instrumental music that recounts a narrative
What is program music
A repertoire of musical “classics”—composers of the past, especially Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven—that emerged in the mid-19th century, deeply impacting the amount of music by living composers that was performed
What is the Classical Canon
German art song for voice and piano, in which composers sought a perfect union of poetry and music
What is Lied
Child prodigy, keyboard virtuoso and composer, who is considered one of the greatest composers in the Western art tradition
Who is Mozart
Listening 1
What is Una voce poco fa from The Barber of Seville by Rossini
Song form in which multiple verses of text are set to the same music
What is strophic
In politics and culture, an attempt to unify or represent a particular group of people by creating a national identity through shared characteristics such as language, culture, history, etc. In 19th c. music, composers expressed it by using elements in their works that represented their national identity
What is nationalism
A short piece, typically for piano, that depicts or suggests a mood, scene, or character
What is character piece
Virtuoso pianist, violinist and composer who represents the transition from Classical to Romantic style and is one of the most influential and admired composers of all time
Who is Beethoven
Listening 2
What is Casta Diva from Norma by Bellini
Italian vocal style of the early 19th c. featuring lyrical, embellished and florid melodies that show off the beauty, agility and fluency of the singer’s voice
What is bel canto
19th-century artistic and intellectual movement which focused on the ideas of individualism, self-expression, the emotional, irrational, and fantastic, the hero, and nature
What is Romanticism
A serious form of opera, popular in France during the Romantic era, that was sung throughout and included ballets, choruses and spectacular staging and a preference for themes of romantic love and history, so as to appeal to the middle class
What is Grand Opera
German pianist, composer, and teacher, who championed her husband’s works as well as those of Brahms and others; she was one of the foremost pianists of the 19th century
Who is Clara Wieck Schumann
Listening 3
What is Piano Trio in G minor, 3rd movement by Clara Wieck Schumann
The last, fast section of a scene in a bel canto opera
What is cabaletta
1830 uprising in Paris that resulted in reduced power for the French monarchy, which made the patronage for opera change towards the middle class
What is the July Revolution
Opera with spoken dialogue, whether comic or tragic; the theater in Paris where such operas were performed
What is Opéra Comique
French composer, music critic, and conductor who reconceptualized the symphony as program music and was a leader of the Romantic radical wing
Who is Hector Berlioz
Listening 4
What is the Wolf's Glen Scene from Der Freischütz by Weber
Term coined by Berlioz for the theme, representing the hero’s beloved, that recurs throughout the Symphonie Fantastique
What is idée fixe
A collection of shape-note hymns and spirituals published in 1844, which preserved this repertoire and represented an early example of music education in the U.S.
What is The Sacred Harp
A tradition of group singing that arose in 19th c. U.S., named after the notation used in song collections in which the shape of the noteheads indicates the solmization syllables, allowing for easy sight-reading
What is shapenote
German pianist, music critic, conductor and composer who through operas such as Der Freischütz was a key figure in the development of German Romantic opera
Who is Carl Maria von Weber
Listening 5
What is Dream of a Witches' Sabbath from Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz