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Yr 9 Music @ MHS with Mr Chua 2003.
WesTERn aRT MuSiC
(chapter 1)
MUSIC
No one knows how or where music began,
but it seems to be part of life in every age
and place. Pictures on the walls of
pyramids and on Mesopotamian vases
show people making music. In ancient
Israel, David soothed King Saul with harp
music. In early Greek civilisation
poets like Homer sang their tales
as they accompanied themselves
on simple stringed instruments.
Music and religion were
inseparable to ancient Greeks
and Hebrews. For a long time, only people
of particular caste, clan or gender were
allowed to make or play instruments. And
so, many musicians had a special social
status.
The Early Ages
The Greeks considered music an important
part of a citizen’s education, although their
use of the word ‘music’ included some
rhythmic activities more suitable for
physical education. They ascribed to
music certain moral qualities and effects.
Their dramas included a chorus that
chanted its lines. The Greeks developed
several instruments, including the lyre.
Pythagoras, for whom the geometrical
theorem is named, was also responsible for
discovering important acoustical
relationships of musical intervals.
According to legend Pythagoras
discovered this while listening to
blacksmiths' hammers. The Greeks talked
about music a great deal, believed that it
influenced man’s moral character
(Doctrine of Ethos), theorized about music
and acoustics, but did not seem to have
made any notation of its sounds.
During the early Hellenic civilization
(circa 1000 B.C.), the ancient Greek
modes were used by musicians. These
modes (scales) were symbolically used
and were specific to their geographic
origins.
After the fall of Rome in 410 A.D., the use
of chants in church services were codified
by Pope Gregory in the 5th century (i.e.
Gregorian chants). This
single melodic line with
irregular rhythm was sung
by unaccompanied solo
voice alternating with
choir. Religious (sacred)
music was notated by
monks, the only people who could read
and write. Non-religious (secular,
including folk) music was not written
down.
The Middle Ages (450 –
1450) (Medieval/Gothic) saw the
acceptance of the Christianity as the
official religion of the Roman Empire.
After the fall of the Western Empire, it
emerged as the central unifying force in
medieval Europe.
The development of a European culture
After the fall of the Roman Empire in the
fifth century, the former Roman lands
were ruled by various barbarian lords.
These lands were eventually united by the
Frankish kings, culminating in the
crowning of Charlemagne (742-814) as
Holy Roman Emperor.
The influence of Islamic culture
As the followers of the prophet
Mohammed (570?-632) expanded their
territory through the Middle East and the
Mediterranean, they preserved and built on
the knowledge of the ancient Greeks and
Romans. Through conflict (the Crusades)
and coexistence (the multicultural Iberian
Peninsula), Europe gained much from its
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Yr 9 Music @ MHS with Mr Chua 2003.
contacts with this rich culture. The
synthesis of Eastern and Western ideas
and of new thought with old, brought
about great advances in medicine,
mathematics, physics, astronomy,
geography, architecture, art, literature, and
history. Many crucial systems such as
algebra, the Arabic numerals, and also the
concept of zero (vital to the advancement
of mathematics), were transmitted to
medieval Europe from Islam.
From the 11th to 14th
centuries, songs
were exchanged and
repertoires enlarged
during
long
journeys to wars
such as the Crusades. Travelling
musicians, upper-class troubadours and
minstrels from the lowest social level,
entertained nobles and the ordinary people
with songs of gallantry, war and love, at
the same time spreading news and
information.
The Renaissance (14501600) (French: ‘rebirth’) was a time of
new trade and wealth. By this time music
was no longer one melodic line, but many,
intricately woven together (contrapuntal
style). With the invention of the printing
press, printed music became available for
the first time, making music more
accessible. Painters, poets, musicians and
brilliant artists of all kinds met and worked
at glittering courts.
Michelangelo and da Vinci were creating
works of art that celebrated the strength
and beauty of the human mind and spirit.
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (b
Palestrina, near Rome, c.1525; d Rome,
1594) and Gregorio Allegri (b Rome,
1582; d Rome, 1652) were two wellknown church music composers of this
period.
Europe 1600 – 1750
This was the age of Galileo, Newton, Rembrandt, Milton, Bacon, Descartes
and Voltaire. It was also during this period that the King James version of the
bible was introduced and the Pilgrims invaded America.
During this period great advances were made in the fields of engineering,
chemical engineering and research. Universities
and
science academies were founded, the first steamdriven
piston and many scientific instruments were
invented, inoculation against smallpox was
discovered, encyclopaedias were begun and the
first
true dictionary of music dates from this period.
The years 1600 – 1750 are classified as the baroque (French:
bizarre or “deformed”. In Spanish, “barocco” means rough pearl)
period of artistic history. Fundamental to baroque style in art,
music, and architecture, are grandeur, various lines of activity
occurring simultaneously and constant re-use of ideas and
patterns.
Architects of the baroque period designed grand interior floor
plans, often formalized into wings of rooms in complicated and
mirrored layout. Gardens had flowerbeds set in intricate
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Yr 9 Music @ MHS with Mr Chua 2003.
geometric patterns, almost like stage settings. Buildings of the baroque style were covered
with ornate decoration to give dramatic visual impact, portraying a theatrical element that
dominated poetry, music and the visual arts at this time.
Money
Trade had expanded in Europe and the rise of wealthy merchant class led to rich independent
cities such as Venice and Hamburg, where rich people could now afford to pay for
commercial theatre and opera.
A chapel-master was employed at every large church in Germany, to provide music for
services, train the choir and orchestra and play the pipe organ. Everyone went to church.
Music was an important part of the long Sunday services of the Lutheran Protestant Church.
Hymns were sung by the congregation, giving ordinary people the chance to hear and
participate in music. These hymns, called ‘chorales’, were sung in four-part harmony.
Sometimes traditional folk tunes were used for chorales and often an introductory ‘chorale
prelude’ was played on the organ to introduce the tune.
Monarchs and princes ran courts. Some of these
courts, particularly the French, were lavish. The
musical director at a royal court was responsible for
all court entertainment, which in a wealthy French
court included employment of dancers, singers, an
orchestra and a choir. Wealthy courts provided
spectacular forms of entertainment such as opera.
Small courts met the normal requirements of the day, salon music and music for the chapel.
For a musician, the only way to make a good living was to be employed by either a church or
a court.
Baroque Music
The development of opera was one of the
most significant advances made in music
during the baroque period. Baroque operas
had elaborate stage settings. At this time
there was a great interest in engineering
and ingenious mechanical devices were
invented. Apparitions that entranced
audiences, such as flocks of angels, could
be made to magically appear and
disappear.
Along with the opera singers, the
machinists who designed the operatic
stage and operated the mechanical devices
were highly paid. By comparison
composers were not remunerated very
much.
Seventy per cent of opera singers of this
period were castrati. They were adored by
their public and were treated as “rock
stars”. Groupies would wear medallions
with the faces of the famous castrati as
people of today wear t-shirts with famous /
infamous images.
During this period, as a companion for
operatic and vocal music, the orchestra
evolved. By the mid-1600s the orchestra
was growing into its own entity and the
concerto was one of the most popular
forms of music performed.
The concerto featured a solo
instrumentalist, or small ensemble of
soloists, playing in opposition to the
orchestra, thus creating an interesting
contrast of texture and volume. In
addition, during the baroque period
composers began exploring music's ability
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Yr 9 Music @ MHS with Mr Chua 2003.
to express the human spirit and to depict
natural phenomena. Antonio Vivaldi's (b
Venice, 1678; d Vienna, 1741) T h e
Four Seasons (Le quattro stagioni),
written in 1725 is a famous set of
concertos that typified this.
Prior to the baroque period there was little
difference in style between vocal and
instrumental composition. Most music
could either be sung or played on an
instrument. By the middle of the
eighteenth century the distinctly
instrumental forms of concerto, sonata and
suite had evolved.
By the eighteenth century major and minor
scales had become established and
replaced the earlier modes. Church modes
(scale systems) had by then become
obsolete.
Even though the music we generally hear
today dates from the 18th century. There is
much modern music that uses the old and
new modes, as well as the major and
minor scale system.
and mood were more unlikely to change
within each movement.
The baroque composers generally
favoured the homophonic style of one
melody with supporting chords. Johann
Sebastian Bach is regarded by many
musical fuddy-duddies to be “the last great
composer” to consistently compose in the
contrapuntal style of polyphony, with
many intricate melodies moving
simultaneously.
Polyphonic & Harmonic Styles
The contrapuntal style of composition
reached its optimum in the sixteenth
century, in the late renaissance period of
artistic history.
Contrapuntal music is ‘polyphonic’ in
style meaning that it has several melodic
lines weaving together. Although chords
are formed by the combination of
melodies, in the sixteenth century the
vertical aspect of composition was
considered to be of little importance
compared with the horizontal aspect.
The rhythm of the music in this period is
regular, strong and energetic. Dynamics
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750)
The Bach family was large
and included many
respected musicians.
Johann’s
father,
grandfather and greatgrandfather were church organists and four
of Johann’s children became well-known
composers. Bach began his musical career
as a singer and church organist. From
1708 until 1717 he was the court organist
and later the concertmaster at Weimar in
the west of Germany.
From 1717 until 1723 Bach held the
prestigious position of court conductor for
the Prince of Cothen, a keen amateur
musician. He directed and composed for
the Prince’s small orchestra of about 18
players. He then became the director of
music at Saint Thomas’ Church in Leipzig
where he was responsible for the music for
4 municipal churches. His duties were to
provide music for Sunday and religious
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holiday services, to teach the children of
St Thomas’ School and to give organ
recitals.
Bach composed in every vocal and
instrumental form except opera. His
compositions, most written for the
Lutheran Church, are the greatest
masterpieces of the of late baroque period
of music history.
Bach and Handel had very different
personalities. Johann Sebastian Bach
unlike Handel, was not a worldly man, but
pious and humble. He lived in the
Protestant north of Germany all his life
and was not particularly widely known. He
worked hard and consistently and made an
adequate living. From all accounts Bach
was a good husband to his 2 wives and a
caring father to his 20 children.
Yr 9 Music @ MHS with Mr Chua 2003.
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
English composer,
German by birth.
Handel composed in
all genres, but he was
primarily
remembered for his
operas and oratorios.
Handel began his life in Germany, the son
of a barber-surgeon who wanted him to
study law. He died an English citizen, the
most renowned musical figure of his day
and a national treasure.
The career that led him there was, in
almost every way, a complete contrast to
that of his contemporary and fellow
countryman, Johann Sebastian Bach (born
less than a month after him). Where Bach
composed for the church and for his
patrons, Handel composed for the general
public. Where Bach was primarily of man
of God, Handel was a man of the world.
And where Bach was a man who never left
his native country, Handel was a world
traveler.
He never married and died at the age of
seventy-four, almost totally blind. His
funeral, attended by over 3000 people, was
held at Westminster Abbey.
various instrumental compositions,
orchestral music, over 48 operas and 20
oratorios.
Italian opera, an exotic entertainment for
the rich, was also used for political
propaganda. Handel mixed with royalty,
formed his own opera company and
composed a number of operas for the
prima donnas of the day. These operas
also incidentally promoted the political
ideals of the aristocracy.
When Handel was heavily in debt, after
his opera company went bankrupt, he
turned to composing oratorios which
required no expensive costumes and sets.
At 18 Handel became a violinist and
harpsichordist at the Hamburg Opera
House. When 21 he left Hamburg for Italy,
where he spent 3 years studying and
writing opera, mingling with the
aristocracy and meeting leading musicians.
From Italy Handel returned to Germany
and took up the position of court composer
for the Elector (ruler) of the small state of
Hanover. In 1712 he left Germany for
England, where he remained as the leading
composer until his death in 1759.
Handel’s enormous output of work
includes keyboard suites, organ concertos,
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