2016 Bravo! Vail Guide to the Music by Bravo! Vail

YOUR GUIDE TO THE MUSIC 2016 SEASON | JUNE 23â&#x20AC;&#x201C;AUGUST 6

INTRODUCTION

hether you are a first-time concertgoer or a regular attendee, this Guide to the Music is for you! Not sure what to wear, or when to applaud, or why it’s called ‘chamber’ music? Curious about what makes Baroque music so different from that of the Romantic or Modern eras? The Bravo! Vail Guide to the Music gives you a little more insight into classical music and the concert experience. Use the Guide in whatever way works best for you – read it from front to back, or just pick out the things that pique your interest at the next concert you attend. Then sit back, relax, and enjoy the music!

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CONTENTS THE BASICS Making the Most of Your Concert Experience............................6 What is Symphonic Music?.............................................................8 What is Chamber Music?.................................................................9 The Roots of Classical Music..........................................................9 THE HISTORY

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Antiquity............................................................................................12 Medieval Music................................................................................12 Renaissance......................................................................................13 Baroque.............................................................................................14 Classical.............................................................................................15 Romantic...........................................................................................16 20th Century / Modern.................................................................. 17 THE LANGUAGE Glossary of Musical Terms............................................................ 22 AT A GLANCE Modern Orchestra Set-Up.............................................................18 Master Quotes.................................................................................19 Suggested Reading: 20 Classical Music Books........................ 34 Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Get Lost: Into the Woods with 66 Percussionists.......... 35

THE BASICS

COMMON QUESTIONS & DIFFERENT KINDS OF MUSIC

THE BASICS

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR

CONCERT EXPERIENCE

ravo! Vail is an extremely communal experience. In fact, people often say that the social component is what sets Bravo! Vail apart from other classical music festivals. People coming together to enjoy great music in a casual atmosphere in one of the most beautiful settings in the world – that’s what makes Bravo! Vail so special.

Relax.

Dress Code—Or Not!. Those who don’t often go to formal music concerts might stress out about what to wear. But don’t worry, because at Bravo! Vail, we adhere to the “Colorado Casual: Anything Goes” mentality. There is no dress code for concerts — wear what makes you most comfortable! You can dress formally, or opt for jeans and a t-shirt, or anything in between. Just one word of advice: while the summers in Colorado are perfect, the evenings often bring rain showers and cooler temps. We recommend being prepared for both. 6

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Applause. The “rules” about applause during a classical concert have shifted a lot over the last 200 years: in the 19th century, it was completely common for audiences to spontaneously erupt in applause, for example, after a particularly virtuosic passage or especially moving rendition of an aria. More recently, the custom is to wait until a piece has been performed in its entirety, so as not to interrupt the “flow” of the full work. Ultimately, we encourage you to applaud whenever you are genuinely moved to do so. Still not quite sure what to do or when? Watch for when the conductor turns to face the audience or take a cue from audience members around you.

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After all, this is Colorado, where we like things to stay laid back. While we want everyone to be sensitive to other concertgoers, we don’t get too worked up about “standard concert hall etiquette.” Be comfortable, be courteous, and enjoy the music.

Concert Start Times.

Concert Etiquette.

Our concerts start promptly at the published start time, and latecomers may be asked to wait until the end of the first movement or the end of a work to be seated. We recommend arriving early so you can be comfortably settled in and ready to enjoy the concert when it begins. Many of our concerts take place in venues where parking can be a little tricky, so please plan accordingly. If you have time to spare, maybe visit the concessions and explore the program book. We don’t want you to rush to find your seat — arrive early and make your concert experience a relaxing and enjoyable one.

Above all, we want you to have a beautiful, musically rich concert experience. We ask that all concertgoers help to ensure a mutually enjoyable evening by silencing all devices such as cell phones and watch alarms. Please take time to turn these off prior to performances, so they don’t disrupt musicians and other patrons. Likewise, please limit conversations and other noise-making activities during the music, so everyone can enjoy the concert undisturbed.

TIP: BLUE MEANS INTERACTIVE In addition to blue hyperlinks within the text, look for blue buttons and information icons that let you listen to music, learn about performances, and more. Get started with the following buttons.

VIEW PARKING INFO

VIEW MORE FAQ’S

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THE BASICS

What is Symphonic Music?

of three contrasting movements, or sections: fast — slow — fast and dance-like. It is this form that is often considered to be the direct forerunner of the orchestral symphony which blossomed in the 19th and 20th centuries through the symphonies of Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Mahler. We also use the word “symphony” today to describe the ensemble that performs orchestral works — for example, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. It would be misleading, however, to say that the word “symphonic” dictates a specific musical form.

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ver the centuries, the word “symphony” evolved widely and with differing meanings. In fact, the first use of the word was in reference to certain instruments and it evolved to describe instrumental compositions in general. Today the word “symphonic” refers to a musical composition scored for a symphony orchestra. But symphonic music doesn’t necessarily refer just to symphonies; it includes works of all lengths and styles that require larger orchestral forces. By the 18th century, the symphony had become the name for an orchestral piece of music with a standard structure

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What is Chamber Music?

alled “the music of friends,” this form of music began to flourish at a time when economic prosperity allowed amateur musicians with ample free time to gather with friends in their homes to entertain one another. This is music written to be performed in “chambers,” or rooms in palaces or stately homes. Chamber music is composed for smaller groups of instruments and performers, usually with one performer to a part. The real excitement of chamber music comes from being in close proximity to the music and the musicians, and the incredibly intimate, direct, and personal nature of the music making.

The Roots of Classical Music

lassical music is a term with two different meanings. We often refer to classical music as a generic term to identify Western European liturgical and secular music beginning in the 9th century and continuing today. This music gradually became codified between 1550 and 1900, when much of the “classical” repertoire we perform today was written. Classical music utilizes the musical staff notation system to indicate pitch, speed, meter, individual rhythms, and exact execution of a piece of music. The earliest reference to classical music as an official term was in the 1836 Oxford English Dictionary. The second meaning of the term “classical music” describes

the Classical period of music composition. The compositional periods include the Medieval, Renaissance, Classical, Romantic, and modern periods. The Classical period is loosely identified as starting in the early 18th century and continuing through the early 19th century. Music of this period has a distinct clarity and elegance with recognizable melodies over a harmonic, chordal foundation. Western classical music does not follow a specific timeline, nor are the musical periods necessarily linear. Styles and periods have always overlapped, but musical innovations in every era have led to exciting and influential new soundscapes that have come to define each period. BRAVOVAIL.ORG

THE HISTORY

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC PERIODS

THE HISTORY

Antiquity We really have no way of knowing what the music of pre-history actually sounded like, but scholars have attempted to recreate the sounds based on the knowledge that the Greeks in particular used three primary instruments: the lyre (harp), kithara (primitive guitar), and the aulos (reed instrument). Instruments were used to accompany stories, dancing, and poems that were tied to Greek dramas. Music would accompany speech and dialogue on stage; later, competitions were held as instrumental music grew popular and more complex.

traces its beginnings to the fall of the Roman Empire. This era concludes sometime in the early 15th century. Beginning in the 12th century, Europe had begun to recover economically and stabilize after the fall of the Roman Empire and the Dark Ages that followed. We see the rise of Gregorian chant and stringed instruments like the lute and dulcimer, as well as instruments from places like Byzantium.

Take a listen to one of the first true geniuses of Western music, 14th century composer Guillaume de Machaut. The Agnus Dei from his La Messe de Nostre Dame is an example of the Ars nova (â&#x20AC;&#x153;New Artâ&#x20AC;?), when composers created music of increased rhythmic complexity.

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Medieval Music written during the Middle Ages

Renaissance Starting around 1400 and ending with the beginning of the Baroque era around 1600, the music of this period was significantly influenced by the rise of humanistic thought, and the rediscovery of the literary and artistic heritage of ancient Greece and Rome. The Renaissance period was characterized by innovation and discovery, the growth of commercial enterprise, the rise of the middle class, and the Protestant Reformation. From this changing society emerged a common, unifying musical language. The development of printing made wide-scale distribution of music possible for the first time. Demand for music as entertainment and as an activity for educated amateurs increased with the emergence of the middle class. The flourishing system of music education in the many churches and cathedrals allowed the training of hundreds of singers and composers, who were then hired as composers and teachers by churches and aristocratic courts.

The works of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, one of the Renaissance period’s most influential composers, are the culmination of Renaissance polyphony. He had a lasting influence on the development of church music. This is his “Sicut Cervus,” a four-voice setting of Psalm 42, where each voice part is derived from imitative motives.

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THE HISTORY

Baroque Describing music that flourished from approximately 1600 to 1750, the word “baroque” comes from the Portuguese word barroco, meaning “misshapen pearl.” This connotation refers to the florid and heavily ornamented music of this period that, combined with the art of improvisation, became the hallmark of the era. Baroque music’s most famous composers include Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Domenico Scarlatti, and Antonio Vivaldi. During the Baroque period, composers and performers made changes in musical notation and developed new instrumental playing techniques. Baroque music expanded the size, range, and complexity of instrumental performance. Opera as a musical genre was established during this era, as were many musical terms and concepts still used today.

Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos are a great example of the complexity and artistic flourishes that came to be synonymous with the Baroque era. This group of compositions is one of the most iconic in music history. This is the fifth of that group, and showcases the collaborative give-andtake in traditional chamber music.

DON’T MISS THIS BAROQUE INSPIRED CONCERT THIS SUMMER.

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JUNE 26: The Academy of St Martin in the Fields performs Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons alongside Astor Piazzola’s 20th century tango version of Vivialdi’s masterpiece. This program includes the Baroque Italian composer, Tomaso Vitali’s Chaconne, performed by violinist virtuoso Joshua Bell.

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Classical This term refers to music written after the death of J.S. Bach in 1750 until about 1820. A reaction to the “excesses” of Baroque performance practice, music of this period mirrors the move toward a new style in architecture, literature, and the arts, generally known as Classicism, which sought to emulate the ideals of Classical antiquity, especially those of Classical Greece. While still tightly linked to the royal court culture with its formality and emphasis on order and hierarchy, the new aesthetic emphasized a cleaner style—one that favored clearer divisions between parts, brighter contrasts and colors, and simplicity rather than complexity. The typical orchestra size increased with the legendary composers of this era: Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Listen to Haydn’s Symphony No. 94 in G Major, and you’ll hear the stately elegance that music of the classical period embodies. Even the more rigorous sections maintain a sense of structure and balance. Arguably his most famous symphony, it is commonly called the “Surprise Symphony” due to the sudden dynamic shifts that occur in the opening section.

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IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR MUSIC FROM THE CLASSICAL ERA THIS SUMMER, CHECK OUT THESE THREE CONCERTS.

JUNE 23: Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 and his Violin Concerto No. 4 open The Academy of St Martin in the Fields’ Bravo! residency. JULY 6: Artistic Director AnneMarie McDermott performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. JULY 12: Musicians from the Philadelphia Orchestra perform Mozart’s Quintet for Horn and Strings.

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THE HISTORY

Romantic Music is the heart and soul of the modern symphonic repertoire and was written roughly between the 1820s and 1910. Composers of this era, influenced by Beethoven, exploited the full spectrum of emotional expression in their music. This unleashing of emotion was the focus of all the arts of the self-described Romantic movement. The 19th century saw the creation and evolution of new genres such as symphonies that followed explicit story lines, the symphonic poem, the concert overture, and short, expressive piano pieces written for the salons of Europe by Robert Schumann and Frédéric Chopin. The Italian bel canto (“beautiful singing”) tradition of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini led directly to the later operatic masterworks of Giuseppe Verdi. North of Italy, music developed along a different path, with a new idea of the German music drama as established by Richard Wagner. His operas were organized around the leitmotif, or a short, recurring phrase associated with a particular person, place, or idea. Romantic composers turned to the visual arts, poetry, drama, literature, and nature for inspiration, and developed new musical forms, all in service to their heightened emotional artistic ideals.

Hector Berlioz’s programmatic (a term referring to a work that uses music to depict a story or imagery) Symphonie fantastique is one of the most iconic examples of Romantic emotional expression. The work is the composer’s musical rendering of a life of a Romantic artist, and the fourth movement is the most recognizable with its syncopated rhythms, haunting opening, and triumphant march-like melody.

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CONCERTS FEATURING MUSIC FROM THE ROMANTIC PERIOD INCLUDE:

JULY 29: The Voice of Wagner– this concert showcases German Romanticism with Richard Wagner’s “Prelude and Liebestod” from his opera Tristan and Isolde and “Ride of the Valkyries” and Final Scene from Act III of Die Walküre.

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JULY 27: Richard Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben performed by the New York Philharmonic. This work exemplifies the late Romantic period.

20th Century / Modern Arising out of the social advances of the 19th century and associated political tumult, music of this era is highly diverse, and developed in many different directions at the same time. Composers such as Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, and Jean Sibelius were pushing the boundaries of Post-Romantic symphonic writing at the same time that the Impressionist movement took hold in France, spearheaded by Claude Debussy. Reactions to Post-Romantic and Impressionist styles in turn were widespread: Arnold Schoenberg developed atonality out of the expressionism that arose in the early part of the 20th century, Stravinsky explored Neoclassicism, and Italian composers dabbled with the “Futurist” context. Concert music moved into the university setting after World War II, and audiences sometimes challenged these modern works as more highly experimental styles became the norm. Some composers in the United States responded by creating an American vernacular style of music, evidenced by the works of Aaron Copland and George Gershwin. In the latter part of the 20th century, minimalism ascended through the works of Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, and John Adams, as did other significant movements. The term “postmodern music” is often applied to music that “reacts” to Modernism. Experimentation and open mindedness are the hallmarks of the music of our own era.

Because music of the 20th century and beyond is so diverse, it is difficult to choose only one piece that embodies the sensibilities and aesthetics of the era. The links above will help illustrate some of the varied compositional techniques. Still, one of the most innovative composers of the 20th century was John Cage. His piece Second Construction for percussion and “prepared” piano instructed the pianist to insert screws and pieces of cardboard into the strings of the piano, thereby significantly altering the sound of the instrument. This “prepared piano” technique was later adopted by other composers throughout modern times.

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MANY CONCERTS THIS SEASON SHOWCASE MUSIC FROM THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES, INCLUDING:

AUGUST 2, 3 & 4: The Classically Uncorked series showcases modern music including a world premiere on August 4 by the Danish composer Poul Ruders performed by the Opus One piano quartet. AUGUST 6: INUKSUIT by John Luther Adams, written for a 9-99 percussionists in a vast outdoor space. The audience can walk through the soundscape as the percussionists are seated singly or in small groups throughout Minturn’s Maloit Park.

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THE MODERN ORCHESTRA SET-UP

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Please note this is the standard orchestra set-up. Individual orchestra setups may vary.

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e usually think of great composers through their sounds, not their words. Yet many of the masters of modern music had memorable (and at times, self-aggrandizing) things to say about their artform.

TRUE MUSIC MUST REPEAT THE THOUGHT AND INSPIRATIONS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE TIME. MY PEOPLE ARE AMERICANS AND MY TIME IS TODAY.” GERSHWIN

DON’T BOTHER LOOKING AT THE VIEW — I HAVE ALREADY COMPOSED IT.”

WHAT YOU ARE, YOU ARE BY ACCIDENT OF BIRTH; WHAT I AM, I AM BY MYSELF. THERE ARE AND WILL BE A THOUSAND PRINCES; THERE IS ONLY ONE BEETHOVEN.”

MAHLER

BEETHOVEN

MASTER QUOTES I SIT DOWN TO THE PIANO REGULARLY AT NINE O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING AND MESDAMES LES MUSES HAVE LEARNED TO BE ON TIME FOR THAT RENDEZVOUS.”

MUSIC IS ENOUGH FOR A LIFETIME, BUT A LIFETIME IS NOT ENOUGH FOR MUSIC.” RACHMANINOFF

TCHAIKOVSKY

IN ART THERE ARE ONLY FAST OR SLOW DEVELOPMENTS. ESSENTIALLY IT IS A MATTER OF EVOLUTION, NOT REVOLUTION.”

THIS WILL BE OUR REPLY TO VIOLENCE: TO MAKE MUSIC MORE INTENSELY, MORE BEAUTIFULLY, MORE DEVOTEDLY THAN EVER BEFORE.” BERNSTEIN

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THE LANGUAGE

A SHORT GLOSSARY OF COMMON MUSICAL TERMS

THE L ANGUAGE

a cappella

bar

(“in the church manner”) choral music without instrumental accompaniment.

a measure.

baritone

gradually speeding up.

middle-range male voice, between tenor and bass; an instrument or melody in this range.

adagio

Baroque

slow tempo; a composition or movement in this tempo.

the historical era extending from about 1600 (the invention of opera) to 1750 (the death of J.S. Bach), characterized by motoric rhythm, florid counterpoint, elaborate spun-out melody, continuously unfolding form, rich harmony, use of basso continuo and small orchestral ensembles, and strong emotional expression.

allegro (“happy”) fast tempo; a composition or movement in this tempo.

andante (“walking”) moderate tempo; a composition or movement in this tempo.

aria a composition for solo voice and instrumental accompaniment, usually from an opera, oratorio or cantata.

arpeggio (“in the manner of a harp”) the notes of a chord played in quick succession rather than simultaneously.

atonal/atonality without tonality, i.e., the absence in a composition or passage of a harmonic tonal center

avant garde: [Fr.] (“ahead of the guard”), the most progressive style of its time.

bass lowest male voice; an instrument or melody in this range; the clef used for instruments in the low range.

basso continuo the ubiquitous accompanimental instruments in Baroque music — an obligatory chordal instrument (harpsichord, organ, lute), usually doubled by a bass melody instrument (cello, double bass, bassoon) — which “realize” or fill out the continuous stream of harmonies from the composition’s single notated bass line.

bravura a virtuoso work, passage or performance.

brio briskly, with vigor.

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accelerando

cadenza

da capo

an unaccompanied passage for solo instrument.

(“the head”) return to the beginning of the work or movement.

capriccio

decrescendo

(“whim, caprice”) a musical work in free form, usually comprising several continuous sections.

decreasing in volume.

chromatic pitch alterations of diatonic scales and chords through the use of sharps, flats and/or naturals, usually to heighten the music’s expressive intensity.

clef a notational sign indicating the pitch values of the lines and spaces of a staff.

coda the concluding section of a movement or work.

concertmaster the orchestra’s first-chair violinist (called “leader” in England).

concerto

Dies irae (“Day of Wrath”) a chant from the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass for the Dead, used by numerous composers (Berlioz, Liszt, Saint-Saëns, Rachmaninoff, etc.) in programmatic compositions associated with death or the supernatural.

diminuendo decreasing in volume.

dissonant the sounding together of two or more pitches in such a way as to produce an expressive state of tension or instability which, in traditional styles, leads to resolution in consonance.

divertimento

a work for soloist (occasionally multiple soloists, as in the concerto grosso) and orchestra.

multi-movement instrumental composition for entertainment (“diversion”), usually for small ensemble or chamber orchestra.

counterpoint

double stop

(from “punctus contra punctum,” i.e., “note against note”) two or more melodic lines sounding simultaneously.

two or more pitches played simultaneously on a bowed string instrument.

crescendo increasing in volume.

dynamics degrees of volume — piano (soft), mezzo-piano (medium soft), mezzo-forte (medium loud), forte (“strong,” i.e., loud), etc.

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THE L ANGUAGE

elegy

fanfare

a composition of mournful character.

(“together”) a group of musicians performing together.

a short musical piece, often for brass instruments, in the nature of a signal or alert; a musical style using principally the notes playable on the natural trumpet or horn, i.e., those of a common chord.

entr’acte

fantasy

(“between acts”) an instrumental piece performed between the acts of a play or opera.

a work, often free in form, in which the imagination of the composer takes precedence over conventional styles and forms.

ensemble

epilogue the concluding section of a movement or work; a coda.

episode a subsidiary passage in a musical form, usually leading to an important structural juncture.

espressivo expressively.

etude a “study,” usually intended to work on a single aspect of technique, therefore yielding a composition of unified character.

exposition the opening section of a sonata form.

flat a notational symbol that lowers a pitch by a half-step.

fortepiano (“loud-soft”) the wood-frame keyboard instrument of the late 18th-early 19th centuries whose name derives from its ability to play at different dynamic levels, unlike the earlier mono-dynamic harpsichord.

fortissimo very loud.

fugue a musical style in which thematic material is imitated by the individual voices in succession; the form of a complete fugue is based on the alternation of sections in which the principal theme occurs (“expositions”) and sections (“episodes”) in which other material, often simply figural, is heard.

furiant a fiery Bohemian dance in quick triple meter with frequent shifting accents. 24

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gavotte

habañera

a French dance in moderate duple meter.

a Spanish and Cuban dance of seductive character in moderate duple meter.

genre a type of musical composition (e.g., symphony, concerto, tone poem, oratorio, etc.).

half-step

German dance

Harmonic progression

an Austrian folk dance (a “Ländler”) in moderate triple meter.

a succession of chords.

gigue a French dance in quick compound meter.

giocoso humorous.

glissando a continuous slide connecting two notes.

grace notes

the smallest traditional musical interval (i.e., “semi-tone”).

harmonics the constituent sounds of a musical tone, which include the notated pitch (“fundamental”) plus the resultant higher pitches of lesser intensity that are set in vibration sympathetically by the fundamental (“overtones” or “harmonics”); the character and relative strengths of the constituent pitches determine the sonority of an instrument or voice.

small ornamenting notes.

harmony

Gregorian chant

the simultaneously sounding of multiple musical pitches.

the monophonic liturgical music of the Roman Catholic Church; named in honor of Pope Gregory I (reigned 590-604), who is credited with initiating the systematic codification of the previously largely unorganized Church repertory into a settled musical liturgy.

ground bass

I imitation the statement of a melody in close succession in different voices.

impetuoso impetuously.

a short melodic pattern (“ground”), usually in the bass voice, that is repeated continuously while changing music is heard in the other voices.

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THE L ANGUAGE

Impressionism an early 20th-century musical style, principally associated with Debussy, in which lush harmonies, subtle rhythms and opulent sonorities are used to evoke moods and impressions.

impromptu (“unprepared, unpremeditated”) a brief work of improvisationlike spontaneity.

improvisation

J jig a lively English dance.

jota a lively dance in rapid triple meter, accompanied by castanets, from Aragon (northeastern Spain).

joyeux joyful.

spontaneous performance without the aid of notation or memory; spontaneous decoration of a notated work in performance.

incidental music music to be used in conjunction with the performance of a play.

interlude any kind of inserted music, often for church or theatrical use; an episode in a musical form.

intermezzo an instrumental movement in an opera, often used as the introduction to an act.

interval the distance between two musical pitches.

irregular meters any succession of stressed and unstressed beats that does not consistently follow the same duple, triple or compound meter.

K K. an entry in Ludwig Köchel’s chronological catalog of the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Kammermusik chamber music.

Kapellmeister (“chapel master”) a court or church music director.

key a tonality.

keyboard the set of keys in a piano, organ, harpsichord, clavichord, etc. used to activate the sound mechanism; by extension, any instrument with a keyboard.

Konzertstück “concert piece” for solo instrument and orchestra.

kraft strength.

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lament

measure

a composition commemorating a death; a piece of mournful character.

a single grouping of beats (units of musical time.)

Ländler an Austrian folk dance in moderate triple meter, predecessor of the waltz.

largo (“broad”) slow tempo; a composition or movement in this tempo.

medley a continuous succession of independent melodies.

meter a continuously repeated pattern of uniformly stressed and unstressed beats.

mezzo-forte medium loud.

Late Romantic the historical era of the late 19th century, when the elements of Romanticism — strong emotional expression, chromatic harmony, long involved forms, large virtuoso orchestra, luxuriant texture, affective melody — were brought to their ripest state.

mezzo-piano medium soft.

mezzo-soprano the middle-range woman’s voice, between soprano and alto.

minimalism

the smooth connection of notes.

a style of modern music that utilizes repetitive melodic patterns and consonant harmonies.

lento

minor

very slow tempo; a composition or movement in this tempo.

one of the two principal scale forms (along with major) in traditional Western music, and the system of harmony founded upon that scale, whose tonal center is indicated by pitch name (e.g., F minor, B-flat minor); among the expressive attributes of minor tonalities are sadness, unease, foreboding, struggle, tragedy, etc.

legato

libretto (“little book”) the words of a vocal or music theater work.

Lied song.

lontano from a distance.

lullaby a composition of gentle nature in swaying meter. BRAVOVAIL.ORG

THE L ANGUAGE

minuet

nocturne

[menuet, menuetto, minuetto] a French dance in triple meter; a common internal movement (usually the third movement) in Classical-era symphonies, quartets, sonatas, etc., where it is paired with a complementary central section (trio) of similar form and style; a composition in this style and form.

a composition suggesting the night or meditative in mood.

note an individual musical sound, consisting of pitch, duration, and sonority.

movement one of the principal portions of a symphony, concerto, sonata, etc., usually complete within itself.

night piece.

an ambiguous term, which literally means “obligatory” (i.e., must not be omitted) and is used in that sense in Baroque music, but subsequently came to indicate a secondary melody, which may be omitted at the discretion of the performer.

narrator

octave

the performer of the spoken text in a musical work.

a musical interval, heard in succession (i.e., melodically) or simultaneously (i.e., harmonically), from one pitch to another eight scale steps distant (e.g., C-d-e-f-g-a-b-C).

N Nachtstück

natural a musical pitch that is neither a sharp nor a flat; the notational sign that cancels an existing sharp or flat.

Neoclassicism a style of the early 20th century that sought to revive the clear melody and harmony, balanced form, and expressive objectivity of late 18th-century music.

Neoromantic a modern style that seeks to revive the extroverted expression, rich harmony, sweeping melody, and opulent sonority of 19th-century music.

obbligato

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off-beat the emphasis on a beat other than the one usually accented in a metric pattern.

opus (“work”) a numerical designation applied by the composer or publisher to indicate the chronological placement of a work in a composer’s output.

oratorio an extended musical setting of a sacred, usually nonliturgical, text that employs the forms and styles of opera but is performed without scenery,

costumes or stage movement.

poco little.

orchestration the technique of assigning the content of a musical work to the ensemble’s various instruments.

polyphonic

ostinato

(“many sounds”) a musical texture made from the weaving together of two or more independent lines of equal importance.

(“obstinate”) a persistently repeated musical phrase.

ponticello

overture an instrumental composition that precedes an opera, oratorio or play.

the bridge of a string instrument; bowing at the bridge to produce a glassy sound.

presto

P pastorale an instrumental piece of gentle character written in imitation of the music of shepherds, especially with reference to the shepherds who attended the birth of Christ.

very fast.

programmatic music designed to depict a story or imagery.

promenade a work or passage in the style of an informal procession.

pentatonic a five-note scale, most commonly the one playable on the black keys of the piano, which is often used to evoke images of the Far East.

phrase a division of a melody, comparable to a sentence in prose, that ends with a cadence, breath or pause.

piano soft.

quarter note a rhythmic value of moderately short duration, between a half and an eighth note.

quartet a work or passage for four voices or instruments.

quasi almost, nearly, close to.

pitch a musical tone whose sound, high or low, is determined by speed of the vibrations which produce it.

quintet a work or passage for five voices or instruments.

pizzicato a note produced by plucking a string of a violin, viola, cello or bass with the finger. BRAVOVAIL.ORG

THE L ANGUAGE

recapitulation

scale

the concluding section of a sonata-form movement or work.

a musical style in the manner of natural speech.

(“steps”) a sequence of adjacent ascending or descending pitches contained within the interval of an octave, arranged in traditional Western music into the major and minor modes.

Requiem

scherzo

the Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead.

gradually slowing down.

(“joke”) a common internal movement (usually the third movement) of vigorous character in fast triple meter in 19th and 20th-century symphonies, quartets, sonatas, etc., where it is paired with a complementary central section (trio) of similar form and style; a composition in this style and form.

Rococo

sharp

the light, diverting, elegant style of the late 18th century, as distinct from the more serious, emotionally charged styles of the previous Baroque era.

a notational symbol that raises a pitch by a half-step.

recitative

rhapsody a work of free form or unrestrained character.

ritardando

sonata a multi-movement work for soloist or small ensemble.

rondo a form in which a recurring musical refrain is separated by episodes of contrasting character: A — B — A — C — A — etc.

rubato (“robbed”) a flexible rather than strict tempo, which uses small accelerandos and ritardandos for expressive effect.

sordino muted.

spiccato (“detached”) quick notes played by bouncing the bow on the string.

staccato (“detached”) separated notes.

staff the five parallel lines that serve as the notational grid for indicating musical pitches.

subito suddenly.

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suite

for instruments in the high range.

a selection of excerpts from music for an opera, ballet or play; a Baroque composition comprising a series of dances, usually preceded by a movement in the style and form of a French overture.

tremolo (“trembling”) the quick reiteration of a single pitch on a string instrument by the rapid movement of the bow up and down.

syncopated

triad

the disturbance of the normal accentuation of metric pulses.

a chord of three notes.

trill

T tempo the speed of a composition or passage.

tessitura the portion of the total range within which most of a musical line lies.

theme a distinctive melodic idea upon which a movement or composition is based in whole or in part.

the rapid alternation of two adjacent pitches.

trio a work or passage for three instruments or voices; the center section of a three-part form (i.e., “B” in an A–B–A form).

triple meter rhythmic pattern with emphasis on every third beat (ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three), e.g., a waltz.

tutti together, i.e., the entire ensemble.

third a musical interval, heard in succession (i.e., melodically) or simultaneously (i.e., harmonically), from one pitch to another three scale steps distant (e.g., C-d-E).

U Ungherese, all’ in Hungarian (i.e., Gypsy) style.

tone poem

unison

a one-movement orchestral work with a narrative or illustrative association.

all voices and/or instruments sounding the same pitches simultaneously.

transposition

the placement of a work or passage in a tonality different from the original.

treble

valse waltz.

the highest part in an ensemble, usually a choir; the clef sign used BRAVOVAIL.ORG

THE L ANGUAGE

variations

walzer

a form in which successive statements of a theme are altered: A (= the theme) — A1 — A2 — A3 — A4 — etc.

(”to rotate”) waltz.

variazioni

whole note a rhythmic value of long duration, twice the length of a half note.

variations.

whole step

vif

a small musical interval, equal to two half-steps.

lively.

wie

vigoroso

as, like.

vigorously.

wuchtig

violento

heavy, ponderous.

violently.

virtuoso a performer or musical work of exceptional technical notoriety.

zapateado

vite

a Spanish dance in strong triple meter marked by stomping the heels.

fast.

vivace lively tempo; a composition or movement in this tempo.

zarzuela

vivacemente

a Spanish theatrical genre in which musical numbers are mixed with spoken dialogue.

very lively tempo; a composition or movement in this tempo.

zeitmass tempo.

vivo

ziemlich

lively.

rather, quite.

to, at; too.

walking bass

zurückhalten

a bass line in even, steadily flowing rhythm.

guarded, cautious.

waltz an Austrian dance in moderate triple meter.

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THANK YOU Special thanks to Dr. Richard Rodda for supplying the glossary of musical terms for this publication.

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20 CLASSICAL MUSIC BOOKS

The NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection by Ted Libbey

The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven by Charles Rosen

The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century by Alex Ross

1791: Mozart’s Last Year by Robbins H. C. Landon

A History of Western Music by J. Peter Burkholder, Donald Jay Grout, Claude V. Palisca

Minimalists (20th Century Composers) by K. Robert Schwartz

Beethoven by Maynard Solomon

Mahler: A Life by Jonathan Carr

The Insider’s Guide to Classical Recordings, From the Host of The Record Shelf, a Highly Opinionated, Irreverent, and Selective Guide to What’s Good and What’s Not by Jim Svejda

This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin

Hallelujah Junction: Composing an American Life by John Adams

The Rough Guide to Classical Music by Joe Staines

A Compendium of Essays: Purcell, Hogarth and Handel, Beethoven, Liszt, Debussy, and Andrew Lloyd Webber

Lexicon of Music Invective by Nicolas Slonimsky

Death in Winterreise: Musico-Poetic Associations in Schubert’s Song Cycle by Lauri Suurpää

American Music in the Twentieth Century by Kyle Gann

The Lives of the Great Composers by Harold C. Schonberg

Concerto Conversations: The Charles Eliot Norton Lectures, 1997-98 by Joseph Kerman

The Penguin Guide to the 1000 Finest Classical Recordings: The Must Have CDs and DVDs by Ivan March

The Vintage Guide to Classical Music by Jan Swafford

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