Music and the Enlightenment-Chapter 12

Music and the Enlightenment

• • 2nd part of 18th century; a new musical style emerged called Classical
  • Developed by composers in Vienna (capital of Austria), such as Beethoven, Mozart, and Haydn (that all moved to Vienna)
• The Enlightenment and Music
• • Joseph II strongly influenced intellectual movement in 18th century (Enlightenment)
  • Original source was faith in reason that led to the great scientific discoveries of the Baroque period
  • People applied intelligence that they used for science to  public morality, education, and politics
  • Social injustice and established religion came under fire
  • Religion ceased to be overriding force in people’s minds
  • Currents of agnosticism and atheism
  • 18th century was age of good living, & age that valued intelligence, wit, and sensitivity; cultivated, elegant conversation, social arts, and hedonism
  • Invention of salon, coffeehouse, public concert
  • Enlightenment had political resonance for America
  • Declaration of Independence and Federalist Papers
  • Pursuit of entertainment was valued in 18th century, and art was expected to please rather than instruct, impress, or express
  • Light style known as Rococo was fashionable
  • Music in mid-18th century was light just before Viennese Classical style
  • Divertimento - an 18th-century genre of light instrumental music, designed for entertainment
  • Jean-Jacques was Europe’s 1st alienated intellectual (blasting social institutions) claiming natural man was born good & corrupted by civilization
  • Viewed music more natural (basic & archaic) than speech & attacked opera and glamorous musical genre
  • Comic opera became most progressive operatic form
  • New literary genre, novel (existed in Ancient Rome but did not capture European imagination until 1750)
• The Rise of Concerts
• • Development of sociology and economics of music was rise of public concerts
  • Concert series financed by subscription & ones for benefit of charity were set up regularly as major society events
  • 1748, Europe’s 1st hall designed for concerts built in Oxford & is still in use, seating 150 people
  • Parisian Concert spiritual founded in 1725 was a major series that started with sacred vocal music
  • Purely orchestral moved into public domain and grew importance & prestige
• Style Features of Classical Music
• • Discussing Baroque started with a single guiding concept
  • Early 18th century composers treated all aspects of music with thorough and rigorous quality
  • Classical music has 2 concepts, natural & pleasing variety
  • New expressive quality developed in music as result of new technique
  • Rhythm has most striking change, Classical being flexible in rhythm
  • In a single movement, tempo & meter remained constant, but rhythms of various themes differed in both obvious & subtle ways
  • Audiences wanted variety so composers refined rhythmic differences
  • Classical music is moving in a less predictable, interested, exciting way than Baroque music
  • This variety/flexibility applied to dynamics too
  • Composers worked more with gradations of volume, & first use of crescendo & diminuendo came into use
  • Rise in popularity of piano (loss of harpsichord)
  • Classical composers dedicated more attention to tone color
  • Heart of Classical orchestra was strings, just like Baroque
  • Classical orchestra gave woodwinds (high range) & brass (middle range) more regular roles
  • Only percussion instruments were 2 timpani playing w/ brass
  • Orchestra became more varied & flexible and “the grandest” compared to before
  • Enlightenment ideal of “pleasing variety” became issue w/ melody, demanding plainness in uncomplicated, singable melodies w/ clear phrases
  • Variation form grew popular
  • Predominant texture is homophonic
  • Melodies are heard with straightforward harmonic accompaniment in chords, no counterpoint or melodic-sounding bass line
  • Positive move in the direction of sensitivity
  • Spaced chords among various instruments rather than unspecified spread of continuo
  • Rise in homophony resulted in major turnaround in music technique
  • Classical composers rejected Baroque but maintained basic principle of counterpoint
  • Sonata form was most important musical form of the time
• Form in Classical Music
• • Themes in classical repeated immediately after 1st so listeners easily learned them
  • Themes are led into in distinct manner, featuring prominent transitional passages with not much melodic profile
  • After being played, themes close off distinctly with long passages consisting of multiple cadences, characteristic of Classical music & the ends of movements
  • Composers & audiences relied on a limited number of forms (standard formal patterns): sonata form, minuet form, rondo form, and theme and variations form

 

 

The Symphony-Chapter 13

The Symphony

• • Genres from 18th replacing Baroque continue in 19th and 1st half of 20th century
  • Still in use today (names encountered)
  • Symphony - a large orchestral piece in several movements
  • Prominence of symphony in Classical era is close association w/ development of sociology of music
  • Symphonies answered need for for genre that would make effective focus, requiring more variety in flexibility of sound than orchestras of early 18th century
  • Symphony caused major technical development within music (evolution of Classical orchestra)
  • Is considered achievement of Viennese Classical music
• The Movements of the Symphony
• • 1st movement - substantial piece in fast/moderate tempo, written in most important new form (sonata form); preceded by short, solemn intro to slower tempo
  • 2nd movement - obvious contrast with 1st by slow tempo & quiet mood
  • 3rd movement - contrasts in other way: persistent dance rhythms (always minuet and trio)
  • • Minuet - moderately paced dance in triple meter, inherited from the Baroque period
  • 4th movement - closing, fast again (faster than 1st), in sonata or rondo form
  • There are always exceptions to this though
• Sonata Form
• • Sonata form (sonata-allegro form): a form developed by the Classical composers and used in almost all the first movements of their symphonies, sonatas, etc.
  • Counts as intellectual and emotional core of the whole work
  • 2 or 3 movements in this form
  • Large-scale A B A form with repetitions ( :A: :BA: or :A: BA)
  • A - Exposition: (1) the first section of a fugue; (2) the first section of a sonata-form movement
  • Large, diverse section where basic material of movement is presented/exposed
  • First theme - in sonata form, a movie or tune (or a series of them) in the tonic key that opens the exposition section
  • Bridge - in sonata form, the section of music that comes between the first theme and the second group and makes the modulation; also called transition
  • Second group - in sonata form, the group of themes following the bridge, in the second key
  • Second theme - in sonata form, one theme that is the most prominent among the second group of themes in the exposition
  • Cadence theme - in sonata form, the final conclusive theme in the exposition
  • B - Development: (1) the process of expanding themes and short motives into larger sections of music; (2) the second section of a sonata-form movement, which features the development process
  • Retransition - in sonata form, the passage leading from the end of the development section into the beginning of the recapitulation
  • A - Recapitulation: the third section of a sonata-form movement
  • Coda - the concluding section of a piece or a movement, after the main elements of the form have been presented. Codas are common in sonata form.
  • Mozart, Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, first movement (Molto allegro)
  • • Exposition: Theme 1 repeated once, Theme 2 repeated once.
    • Development: Theme 1 modulated, sudden forte + contrapuntal treatment.
    • Recapitulation: Theme 1 twice, Theme 2. Coda
• Classical Variation Form
• • Entails repetition of a clearly defined melodic unit (theme) with various changes
  • Baroque era had bass pattern (ground bass)
  • Same principle but in upper register
  • Contrasting moods with the same theme
  • Classical theme and variations begin with theme in :a: :b: or :a: :ba: format
  • Theme and variations - a form consisting of a tune (the theme) plus a number of variations on it
  • • Franz Joseph Haydn, Symphony No. 94 in G (“The Surprise.” 1791)
    • • Second movement incorporated variations within variations
• Minuet Form (Classical Dance Form)
• • Classical focused on single stylized dance and introduced different genres
  • Minuet - (1) a popular 17th and 18th century dance in moderate triple meter; (2) a movement in a sonata, symphony, etc., based on this dance
  • Popularized by court of Louis XIV in 17th century and continued as major fashionable social dances in 18th
  • Other reason was that the moderately paced piece in triple meter made great contrast to quick duple meter that was common in opening and closing
  • Trio - (1) a piece for three instruments or singers; (2) the second, or B, section of a minuet movement, scherzo, etc.
• Rondo Form
• • Rondo - a musical form consisting of one main theme or tune alternating with other themes or sections (ABACA, ABACABA, etc.)
  • Rondo begins with a full-fledged tune and comes back to it after episodes

 

Classical Music Overview

Step 1

Listen to the 3 examples below to answer the following questions

Share your overall impression of Classical Music.

I feel as though I say this every time, but I am more and more familiar with every single era the further and further we move closer to modern day. I personally really love Classical Music, as it has a very distinct place in my memories (sitting in the car with my grandma). It is very relaxing and therapeutic to listen to, especially when you're stressed. There's just some magical aura to it that brings peace to mind.

How does this music sound similar to Baroque Music?

The instrumentation choices are quite similar, and honestly if I didn't have this class I would never be able to make a distinct difference between Baroque and Classical music. The format of a Classical orchestra is pretty similar to the ones from the Baroque period. The Classical period took the format of a Baroque orchestra and basically solidified it, and changed the format of how the music was played.

How does this music sound different from Baroque Music?

Classical music has more complex rhythmic patterns compared to Baroque, as well as it will have more contrasting melodies going on at once. Baroque music is almost like watered down, more basic Classical music. You may learn some Baroque pieces before you become more advanced on an instrument (not to say Baroque isn't difficult; but most classical is more complex than it in certain areas). There are also several different tones to a classical piece, whereas a Baroque piece will tend to stay in the same mood the entire piece.

 

Step 2 

Does this music from Mozart's Symphony 40 in g minor feel like it is grouped in 2 or 3 beats per measure?

3 beats per measure (or in 2/2 with all the beats coming on &'s)

Does this music from Haydn's Symphony 94 'Surprise' feel like it is grouped in 2 or 3 beats per measure?

2 beats per measure

Period Research

Step 1 

Gather resources of your own choosing to answer the following questions

1.  Provide approximate dates for the Classical Period punctuated with notable world/historical events.

The Classical Period ranged from roughly 1730-1820. Some features included:

• The Enlightenment (or Age of Reason) spread all throughout Europe during this time.
• The Industrial Revolution in 1760, where most rural societies in Europe and America became industrial and urban.
• The American Revolution (1775-1783) and the Declaration of Independence (1776)
• The French Revolution (1787) and the crowning of Napoleon (1804)
• The Mannheim School was very important to this time because it influenced composers of their period, such as Haydn (1732-1809) and Mozart (1756-1791).
• Austria and Germany had a strong importance in terms of the composers that arose during this period 

2.  Describe similar qualities and characteristics of Classical Period Art, Architecture and Music.

Just like music from the Classical period, the art and architecture from this time followed a very similar route. The buildings from this time were made of wood, stone, or marble; and featured designs carved into them such as plants and animals (unique to this period) as well as having perfect symmetry right down to the base. They aimed for more natural images, just like paintings and music (with natural variety). Paintings from this period tried to mimic forms in nature as closely as possible, but also allowing people to look more perfect than in real life. They wore no clothing, and when in motion (or active), they had a very believable essence of movement to them. All art forms from this time seem to fight against the Baroque style, tying in elements or developing off of it.

3.   In what ways has listening to the music of Mozart  been linked to I.Q. and Intellect?

A doctor in the 1950s named Albert Tomatis stated that listening to Mozart successfully helped his patients with speech and auditory disorders. In the 1990s, students at the University of California performed an experiment where they listened to 10 minutes of Mozart before taking an IQ test, and saw their scores go up by 8 points. A large portion of parents and even states set aside money for classical music to be purchased for babies and children. There are even reports that listening to Mozart can improve health, but like all of these other studies, this information isn't 100% true. Not only has Mozart been linked to intelligence, but so has listening to classical music in general or playing an instrument, so it's not exactly Mozart that is working all the magic (although we love him so much). Music has a tie to intelligence, not just Mozart. :)

4.  Cite examples of why Vienna was thought of as the 'Cultural Capital of the World' during the Classical Period.

In Vienna, a large portion of popular composers in the Classical period came from this particular city. They were either born there or eventually moved there. Some great examples would be Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert, and more. During the Classical period, every composer seemed to either move to or was born in Vienna, and the city became a major cultural capital due to its heavy traffic of people. It is said to be a cultural melting pot, with heavy amounts of artistic influences coming from there, and even gained the nickname Viennese Classic.

5.  What two instruments were invented and made famous during this time period?

The Piano and the Clarinet.

6.  What are 2 features that distinguish the harpsichord from the piano?

On a piano, the strings are hammered whereas harpsichord strings are plucked by quills. Also, the piano has a much larger range (7 octaves) compared to the harpsichord (5 octaves).

7.  Provide the following Mannheim School trivia: History, Composers & Musical Innovations(i.e. The Mannheim Rocket)

History

The Mannheim school comes from the court of Elector Charles III Philip in 1720. His orchestra grew over decades and included who are considered some of the best virtuosi of the time. One of them was Johann Stamitz, considered the founder of the Mannheim school in 1741, and eventually became its director in 1750. The Mannheim orchestra was well known for its independent treatment of woodwinds.

 

Composers

Johann Stamitz, Franz Xaver Richter, Carl Stamitz, Franz Ignaz Beck, Ignaz Fränzl, and Christian Cannabich

 

Joseph Haydn and Leopold Hofmann were also heavily influenced by the Mannheim school.

 

(They were also visited by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

 

Music Innovations

They are known for sudden crescendos (the Mannheim Crescendo) and diminuendos; the Mannheim Rocket, a swift ascending passage with a rising arpeggiated melodic line and a crescendo; the Mannheim Roller, an extended crescendo passage with a rising melodic line over an ostinato bass line; the Mannheim Sigh, a mannered treatment of the Baroque practice of putting more weight on the first of two notes in descending pairs of slurred notes; the Mannheim Birds, an imitation of birds chirping in solos; the Mannheim Climax, a high-energy section of music where all instruments drop out except for the strings; and the Grand Pause where the playing stops for a moment, only to restart vigorously. 

Members of the Mannheim school abandoned the basso continuo in their compositions, which was universal in the Baroque era. Another big innovation is the 4-movement symphony form. The Mannheim school played an important role in the development of the sonata form as well.

Step 2 

Use Haydn's Head to answer the following questions

Who was Haydn’s Patron?

The Esterházy family.

What was it that people were hoping to discover by studying Haydn’s head?

They were determined to figure out his genius or expertise from his skull. These scientists were phrenologists, who were followers of the belief that someone’s character and mental capacity can be determined from their skull.

Describe the events in 1954 that led up to reuniting Haydn’s skull with the rest of his remains.

Rosenbaum, the man that dug up Haydn’s body and retrieved his head, received the skull from the scientists after they completed their research. The Esterházy’s decided to build a mausoleum for Haydn, and when they retrieved the body the head was missing, and they eventually tracked down Rosenbaum. He, however, knew of the police’s arrival and had his wife pretend to be sick and hide it under her skirt. When he passed away, he left the head to the Society of Friends of Music, but it couldn’t be found and then showed up at the University of Vienna. The society sued the university, and eventually received the head in 1939. It was displayed in a glass case on a piano, but eventually the Esterházy family’s pressure convinced the society to return Haydn’s head to his body (where it was reattached).

America during the Classical Period

Step 1

What characteristics from Francis Hopkinson, My Days Have Been So Wondrous Free sounds "American" to you?

The rising piano in the beginning followed by the rising voice part remind me of a lot of early American pieces. Also, the constant talk of being "free" is a very American trait to music, even if it's just the lyrics. It sounds very unique compared to the European music from this time, where most of it was symphonies, whereas this piece is just a piano accompaniment to a voice.

 

Step 2

What musical elements made this a good National Anthem? 

There are several repetitions with slight differences or variations in the first 30 or so seconds of the piece that establish a common melody that sounds reminiscent of most every anthem. This is also supported by the instrumentation, having it primarily be brass for the piece is very common in most anthems. After 30 seconds, we are hit with a dynamic change to much louder, before is quiets down again with just a faint snare and crash cymbals, eventually joined by the brass again. They build up multiple times and repeat the opening line again, really allowing it to stick in your head. This very strong melody line is accompanied by some supporting harmony lines as well, and there aren't many countermelodies shown that draws your attention away from the main melody that is prominent throughout the piece. Towards the very end we hear a countermelody in a higher range for the trumpet, something not explored at any other point in the piece in terms of pitch. This kind of pitch difference keeps us on our toes to listen for the very ending.

 

Step 3

Provide 4 nuggets of trivia per topic using the following resources

William Billings

1. He was poor and uneducated, but managed to pick up music and start teaching at 22.

2. He was self-trained, and a friend of Samuel Adams and Paul Revere.

3. He was born (on October 7, 1746) and died (September 26, 1800) in Boston.

4. He is called a gargoyle by biographers due to being blind in one eye, having a short leg and withered arm, and was addicted to tobacco.

Folk Music In Colonial America

1. Thomas Jefferson was a fiddler and performed at festivals and social events when he was younger.

2. Fiddle music and folk dancing were a very popular form of entertainment in Colonial America.

3. William Sidney Mount was an artist, musician, composer, and invented a steamboat paddle wheel.

4. The violin was called the fiddle at this time and was one of the only instruments known to the colonies.

The Original National Anthem

1. The unofficial anthem of America during the Revolutionary War was sang when marching to war and in pubs, meeting halls, and churches.

2. It came from a British poet in 1814 that saw the flag still flying after a “vicious bombardment”.

3. It was declared to be the national anthem by Woodrow Wilson in 1916.

4. The melody used is actually a British drinking tune from a drinking society called “The Anacreontic Society”.

Francis Hopkinson

1. Francis Hopkinson was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and an avid member of the American Revolution.

2. Hopkinson wrote poetry and satire on political derisive issues, known as being popular and humorous.

3. It was believed that James Bremner, a violinist in Philadelphia, was Hopkinson’s music teacher.

4. His grave when he was buried was falsely marked and therefore its trace was lost.

Lowell Mason

1. The singing school was initially for congregational singing for churches, but eventually moved to social life and 18th century New England.

2. During/after the Revolutionary war, they removed the “crude” music and schools and moved them from singing schools to the public school system.

3. Singing masters from community singing schools became tunesmiths and arranged harmonies that focused on polyphony rather than homophony.

4. Lowell Mason was the chief of the Better Music movement that moved out old Yankee singing masters and moving to the Old Southwest congregational singing.

 

Step 4 

Describe the timbre of the Glass Armonica invented by Ben Franklin and describe how it works

The timbre of the Glass Armonica is very glassy and almost hollow, as well as it has a very flute-synth kind of sound to it. Sometimes the sound would get very nails-on-chalkboard kind of uncomfortable, but most of the time it had a very relaxing sound to it, almost like pinging glasses with different water levels. Funnily enough, the Glass Armonica has no relation to harmonicas, which only have a similarity in close names.  It looks like the primary way to play it is just letting your finger run along the glass on the machine as it does the work. The glasses are different sized to create different pitches and are aligned on a dowel, with the glasses being attached by cork on the inside. All you need is the dowel to spin and have wet hands, and it produces just like you would with a glass full of water.

HONORS TRACK

Can Wolfie Come out and play?

OPTION 1

Use the following resources to create a Trip Advisor Guide(see below)

 

BROCHURE HERE: LINK (Information in paragraphs below)

 

1.  What can a visitor expect to see and experience at this museum?

An individual that decides to visit the Mozarthaus in Vienna will experience not only the apartment that he grew up in, but the history of him and his family. It is said that it is the most expensive apartment he ever lived in and the only one that is still intact to this day. You can experience the entire apartment laid out very similar to exactly how it was when Mozart was there, created with the help of pictures. The building where his apartment is located has existed since the 15th century and has been open to the public for over 70 years. There is even a music clock in the museum that plays "Andante for a cylinder in a small organ", which is thought to have been composed for this clock. On top of that there is also a gift shop, and many interesting surrounding attractions as well.

 

2.  What are some museum highlights/special features?

The special exhibition currently on display from now until January 26, 2020 is called "Mozart: Traveller across Europe". It showcases the "Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien", highlighting young Mozart's travelling around Europe for performances and how it affected his education. He discovered all sorts of musical styles and composers throughout the European music scene, along with developing an understanding of culture, social life and skills, and confidence. Stated above as well is the music clock that plays a tune that is thought to have been composed by Mozart for that very clock.

 

3.  Location, Hours, Tickets, Gift Shop, etc.

The house's location is A-1010 Vienna, Domgasse 5. Their hours are from 10AM to 7PM every day. The price of tickets ranged from € 2,50 to € 24, depending on bundles and such. There is a gift shop in the building, which contains all sorts of things that revolve around Mozart. Some items you could find are CDs and DVDs; souvenirs and gifts; literature and opera libretti; and children's books, music boxes, t-shits, and much more.

 

4.  Additional ways to experience Mozart in Salzburg

The Salzburg Festival: Very professional conductors, musicians, singers, and actors all gather in the the city of Salzburg and draw in tourists from all over. This event features the music of Mozart and other Austrian composers.

 

Mozart's Birthday: An annual music festival is held in Salzburg for Mozart's birthday (usually a week-long event). It brings his work to his hometown, such as operas and concerts put on by the Vienna Philharmonic. The Mozarteum Foundation is determined for this to display the real Mozart and Salzburg experience.

 

5.  Trivia regarding Mozarthaus Vienna

• This house is called Mozart's Geburtshaus, translating to Mozart's birthplace. He was born in this apartment and it is now the most visiting museum in Austria.
• Mozart's family actually lived in this place for 26 years on the third floor apartment.
• Mozart, his parents, and his sister spent most of their time there, and in 1773 they moved to the more well-known house on Makartplatz Square.
• The museum even includes furniture from the 18th century to ensure accuracy in recreating living in Mozart's house/time.