Essay for Unit I Exam
Part I—
Discuss Hildegard of Bingen, her place and her significance in the history
of music. Comment on music and culture during Hildegard’s lifetime, noting
especially the types of polyphony used, the state of musical notation,
styles, genres & forms, as well as the prevailing attitude toward the
role of music in society.
Part II—
This should be the longest part of your essay. Describe significant changes
in music and culture between the time of Hildegard
and the time of Machaut, especially changes in musical notation, styles,
genres & forms, as well as the development of polyphony and changing
attitudes toward the role of music in society. Follow a chronological sequence
and identify each important stage along the way, including major figures and
schools such as Guido of Arezzo, Aquitaine, the troubadours,
Notre Dame, the trouvères, Franco of Cologne,
Petrus de Cruce, Philippe de Vitry, and the Ars Nova.
Part III—
Discuss Guillaume de Machaut, his place and his significance in the history
of music. Comment on music and culture during Machaut’s lifetime, noting
especially the types of polyphony used, the state of musical notation,
styles, genres & forms, as well as the prevailing attitude toward the
role of music in society.
In all three parts be sure to identify and describe the following—
-
important composers and compositions
-
dates (by year, not by century)
-
compositional techniques & styles
-
types of polyphony
-
notational systems (pitch & rhythm)
-
sources of information (treatises, authors, etc.)
Recommended length—two complete pages!
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Essay for Unit II Exam
Background
Gianozzo Manetti describing the 1st performance of Du Fay’s Nuper rosarum
flores—
...it seemed as though the symphonies and songs of the angels and
of divine paradise had been sent forth from Heaven to whisper in our ears
an unbelievable celestial sweetness...
Samuel Quickelberg describing the music of Orlande de Lassus—
...suiting the music to the meaning of the words, expressing the power
of each different emotion, making the things of the text so vivid that
they seem to stand actually before our eyes...
These accounts—one from the early Renaissance and the other late—present
two strikingly different understandings of music’s purpose and the relationship
between words & music, pointing to important changes that occurred
during the Renaissance.
Essay
In your essay, use either secular music (chanson, Lied, frottola, madrigal, etc.) or sacred
music (Mass, motet, Service, anthem, etc.) as a vehicle to describe the important changes
that occurred in the Renaissance. Focus especially on the relationship
between words and music, considering the following—
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text declamation
-
how the music expresses (or fails to express) the meaning of the words
-
musical texture (as it affects declamation and expression)
-
performing forces
Organize your essay in chronological order and cover all three stages of
the Renaissance—
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early Renaissance (Burgundian)
-
mid-Renaissance (Josquin & contemporaries—the Franco-Netherlanders)
-
late Renaissance (late 16th century)
Be sure to include the following—
-
specific composers & compositions
-
significant genres & compositional techniques
-
important locations (countries, cities, and so on)
-
historic events
-
dates (by year, not by century)
Recommended length—two complete pages!
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Essay for Unit III Exam
Background
In the early days of the Baroque period, Caccini spoke of a new Baroque
style as follows:
I knew likewise that in our speech some words are so intoned that
harmony can be based upon them … And having in mind those inflections andaccents
that serve us in our grief, in our joy, and in similar states, I caused
thebass to move in time to these, either more or less, following the passions,
and I held it firm throughout the false and true proportions until, running
through various notes, the voice of the speaker came to a word that, being
intoned in familiar speech, opened the way to a fresh harmony.
Speaking at the end of the Baroque era, French philosopher Jean-Jacques
Rousseau described Baroque music in these terms:
A baroque music is that in which the harmony is confused, charged
with modulations and dissonances, the melody is harsh and little natural,
the intonation difficult, and the movement constrained.
These two descriptions suggest profound changes during the Baroque era.
Caccini reflects the optimism and confidence he and his colleagues shared
in forging a new, expressive musical style. On the other end, Rousseau
ridicules the excesses of a musical style that must be expressive and emotional
at all costs.
Essay
In your essay, describe (chronologically) how this expressive, theatrical
style grew and matured during the Baroque period—from early Baroque works
of Peri & Monteverdi to late Baroque masterworks such as Handel’s Messiah
& Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. Organize your essay in chronological
order and cover all three stages of the Renaissance—
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early Baroque (c. 1580-c. 1640)
-
mid-Baroque (c. 1640-c. 1690)
-
late Baroque (c. 1690-c. 1750)
Be sure to discuss the following—
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the origins of opera in Italy
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opera’s proliferation and influence in France, Germany, and England
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other important vocal genres influenced by or modeled after opera (sacred
concerto, oratorio, passion, etc.)
-
important vocal forms (aria, recitative, chorus, etc.)
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other important musical features (text painting, texture, rhythm, harmony,
& melody)
-
specific composers & musical examples (especially Messiah & St.
Matthew Passion)
Recommended length—two complete pages!
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Page created by Mark Harbold 09/19/00—last updated 10/01/02.