Classical Music Assignment- Arts #3
Terms:
Overture: the instrumental introduction to a dramatic, choral or, occasionally, instrumental composition. Similar to an
appetizer at the beginning of a meal, the overture gives a sample of the motif and themes of the music in the opera.
Aria: One voice singing with an orchestra accompaniment.
Concerto: A piece designed to showcase a particular instrument with an orchestra accompaniment
Requiem: Music for a mass for the dead.
1. Baroque Period (1680-1750) (Slightly later than Baroque period of Art, 1600-1720.)
a. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) (Italian) –Nicknamed the “Red Priest”
i. The Four Seasons (WEBSITE)
b. Johann Sebastian Bach (1689-1750) (Liepzig, German)
i. Brandenberg Concertos
ii. Well-Tempered Clavier
iii. Tocata and Fugue (WEBSITE)
c. George Handel (1685-1759) (born in German, but English by blood)
i. Messiah “Halleluiah!” section played at Christmas time. (WEBSITE)
d. Johann Pachabel (German) (1653-1706)
i. Canon in D (WEBSITE)(Pachebel’s Canon is one of the most recognizable pieces in the
world.)
2. Classical Music (1750-1825)
a. Joseph Hayden (1732-1809)(Austrian)
i. Paris Symphonies
ii. London Symphonies (WEBSITE)
b. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Austrian)
i. Eine Kleine Natchmusik “A Little Bit of Night Music” (WEBSITE)
ii. Jupiter symphony, (Symphony #40 WEBSITE)
1. Operas
a. Magic Flute
b. Don Giovanni
c. The Marriage of Figaro
c. Ludwig von Beethoven (1770-1827) (Austrian)-He was deaf.
i. Fur Elise (WEBSITE)
ii. Moonlight Sonata (WEBSITE)
iii. Pathetique Sonata
iv. Nine Symphonies,
1. The 3rd Symphony “Eroica”
2. The 5th Symphony (His most famous work)
3. The 9th Symphony “Ode to Joy” section (WEBSITE)-completely deaf when
composed
4. Operas
a. Fidelio
3. Romantic Music (1825-1900) Contemporaneous to Romantic Art Period, but stretched to 1900
a. Franz Schubert (1797-1828) (Austria)
i. The Unfinished Symphony (8th Symphony) (WEBSITE)
ii. Ave Maria (WEBSITE)
b. Hector Berlioz (1803-69) (French)
i. Symphony Fantastique
ii. Romeo and Juliet
c. Felix Mendelssohn (1809-47) (Germany)
i. Midsummer Night’s Dream
ii. The Wedding March
d. Frederic Chopin (1810-49) (Polish)-Piano virtuoso
i. Polonaise and Mazurka type of music
ii. Heroic Polonaise (WEBSITE)
iii. Had a long-time affair with writer George Sand
e. Robert Schumann (1810-56) (German)
i. Florestan
ii. Eusebian
f. Franz Liszt (1811-86) (Hungarian) –Piano virtuoso
i. Hungarian Rhapsody (made famous by Bugs Bunny cartoon) (WEBSITE)
g. Peter Tchaikovsky (1840-93) Russian)
i. 1812 Overture (played on 4th of July) (WEBSITE)
1. Operas
a. Eugene Onegin
2. Ballets
a. The Nutcracker (WEBSITE)
b. Swan Lake (WEBSITE)
c. Sleeping Beauty
h. Antonin Dvorak (pronounced “Dvorzhak”) (Czech) (1841-1904)
i. New World Symphony (9th symphony) (WEBSITE)
i. Johannes Brahms (1833-97) (German)-One of the 3 Bs with Bach and Beethoven
i. A German Requiem
j. Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) (Czech) (Jewish)
i. 5th Symphony
k. Johann Strauss II (1825-99) (Austrian)
i. King of the Waltz, a type of Austrian dance
ii. Blue Danube (WEBSITE)
l. Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) (Russian)
i. Flight of the Bumblebee (WEBSITE)
m. Operas of Romantic Period- You must learn all of these!!
i. Richard Wagner (1813-83) (German)- Hitler’s favorite
1. Tristan and Isolde
2. Parsifal
3. The Ring of the Nibelung cycle (4 opera series)
a. Includes Ride of the Valkyrie (from Valkyrie Opera)(WEBSITE)
ii. Guiseppe Verdi (1813-1901) (Italian)
1. La Traviata (WEBSITE)-an opera about a prostitute who falls in love
2. Rigoletto
3. Aida- Opera takes place in Ancient Egypt
4. Othello
5. Falstaff
iii. George Bizet (1838-75) (French)
1. Carmen (WEBSITE)-Most performed opera of all time; takes place in Spain
iv. Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) (Italian)
1. La Boheme (WEBSITE)- a group of young bohemians living together in Paris
2. Madame Butterfly-American sailor falls in love with Japanese girl
3. Tosca
4. Turandot
v. Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) (Italian)-Most famous for the overtures for the following:
1. William Tell (WEBSITE)
2. Barber of Seville (WEBSITE)
vi. Richard Strauss (1864-1949) (German)-Specialized in tone poems
1. Electra
2. Salome
3. Der Rosen Kavalier
4. Also Spake Zarathustra (WEBSITE) (from philosopher Nietzche work;
music from movie 2001.
4. Modern Music (1900-Present)-Crappy music
a. Scott Joplin (1867-1917) (Black American)- Synonymous with Roaring 20s and Depression
i. Maple Leaf Rag (WEBSITE)
ii. Ragtime
b. Claude Debussy (1862-1918) French
i. Claire de Lune (WEBSITE)
ii. Afternoon of a Fawn
c. Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) Russian)
i. Ballets
1. Firebird
2. The Rite of Spring
3. Petrushka
d. Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) (French)
i. Bolero (WEBSITE)
e. Georg Gershwin (1898-1937) (American)
i. Rhapsody in Blue (WEBSITE)
f. Aaron Copland (1900-90) (American)
1. Appalachian Spring
g. Sergei Prokofiev (1891-53) (Russian)
1. Peter and the Wolf
a. Strange piece in which every animal in the piece has its own melody
2. Alexander Nevsky
h. Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) Russian)
1. Rhapsody on the Theme of Paganini (WEBSITE)
i. Gustav Holst (1874-1934) (English)
1. The Planets (Jupiter, Mars, etc)
a. Mars is the Darth Vader theme from Star Wars