MUSIC REVIEWER:

Unit 1: Music of Medieval, Renaissance, and baroque periods

 Medieval period (700-1400)

 Middle ages/ dark ages
 Started with the fall of roman empire
 Monophonic plainchant
 Named after Pope Gregory I
 Pope Gregory I made this approved by the catholic church
 Pope made the plainchants popular
 ADAM DE LA HALLE
 France, 137-1288
 Son of Arras Henri de la Halle
 Education:
 Cistercian Abbey of vaucelles
 Patrons:
 Robert II
 Count of Artois
 Charles of Anjou
 Brother Louis IX
 Oldest secular composer
 Works:
 Jeux-partix
 Jeu de Robin et de Marion
 Le jeu de robin et de marion
 La chanson du roi de sicile
 Jeux-partis > Poetic debates
 Jeu de Robin et de marion > French play with music

GREGORIAN CHANTS TROUBADOR MUSIC

Monophonic Monophonic
Free meter Improvised accompaniment
Modal Tells of chilvary and love
Latin liturgy France
Neume Notation French language

 RENAISSANCE Period
 Renaitre- “rebirth”, “revival” and “rediscovery”
 “looking back” to the golden age of Greece and Rome
 Printing (1400s) contributed to the distribution of renaissance contribution
 Burgeois class the music became popular as entertainment and activity for amateurs
and educated
 Lute- most prominent instrument
 “golden age” of capella choral music
 Discoveries:
 Copernicus’ earth and sun
 Compass for navigation
 Martin Luther protestant reformation

 Composers of the Renaissance period:

 Giovanni Pierluigi de Palestrina
 Greatest master of roman catholic church music
 Majority of composition is sacred music
 Counter-reformation style
 Organist and choir master
 Masses- first book; appreciated by pope Julius iii
 Has 2 sons died in the plague epidemic
 Planned to be a priest but married a widow
 Thomas Morley
 Son of brewer
 Born in Norwich, East England
 Singer in the local cathedral
 Master of chorist 1583
 Most famous composer of secular music
 Bachelor’s degree in Oxford
 Organist in st. paul’s cathedral in london
 Characteristics of renaissance music:
 Polyphonic
 Imitation of voices is common
 Use word paintings in texts and music
 Melodic lines move in a flowing manner
 Melodies are easier to perform because these move along a scale with a few
large leaps

 Vocal music of the renaissance period:

 Mass- sacred musical composition that sets texts of the Eucharistic liturgy into
music.
 Characteristic of the mass:
 Polyphonic
 May be sung a cappella or with orchestral accompaniment
 Text may be:
 Syllabic- one note set to each syllable
 Neumatic- a few notes set to one syllable
 Melismatic- many notes to one syllable
 5 main sections of mass:
 Kyrie “lord have mercy”
 Gloria “glory god to the highest”
 Credo “ apostle’s creed” or “nicean creed”
 Sanctus and benedictus “holy,holy,” and “blessed Is He”
  Agnus Dei “lamb of god”
 Madrigal- Secular voice polyphonic music; originated from Italy; sung during
courtly social gatherings; most important secular form during the Renaissance
period.
 Characteristics of the madrigal:
 Polyphonic
 Sung a cappella
 Through- composed
 3-6 voices

 BAROQUE MUSIC
 Borroco- “ pearl of irregular shape”
 Arts highlighted grandiose and elaborate ornamentation
 Changes in musical notations were developed
 Major and minor tonality was also created in this period
 Composers of baroque music:
 George Friedrich Handel
 Johann Sebastian Bach
 Claudio Monterverdi
 Antonio Vivaldi
 Characteristics of baroque music:
 Melodies sound elaborate and ornamental
 Melodies are not easy to sing or remember
 Primarily contrapuntal textures with some homophony
 Dynamic contrast- alternation between loud and soft
 Music genre- Operas, oratorios, suites, toccatas, concerto grosso, fugue
 Orchestra consist of strings and continuo
 Harpsichord and organ are the keyboard instruments that are commonly used
 New froms
1.) Binary- AB
2.) Ternary- ABC
3.) Ground bass
4.) Fugue
 Music genre of Baroque music:
 Concerto- solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra
 Concerto grosso- music between a
 Concertino- small group of solo instruments
 Tutti – whole orchestra
 Fugue- contrapuntal piece
 Oratorio- large musical composition, incorporates narrative on religious themes.
Performed without costume, scenery and actions.
 Chorale- resemble a harmonized version of hymnal tunes of the protestant
church
TERMS TO REMEMBER:

 Cantus Firmus – “fixed song” or a pre existing melody which forms the basis of a polyphonic
composition
 Melismatic- singing one syllable of text while moving between several different notes in
succession
 Monophony- music consisting of a single melodic line without choral accompaniment; it is
the oldest type of music
 Neume- symbols representing one to four notes used as notation during medieval period
 Polyphony- music consisting of several (two or more) melodic lines, each having individual
significance and independence
 Sacred music- religious music
 Secular- other purpose than religion
 Syllabic- each syllable of text is matched with one note
 Through-composed – songs in which there is new music to each stanza; opposite of strophic
 Tonality- system where the musical piece is based on a key center
ARTS REVIEWER:
Unit 1:Western classical art traditions

PAINTINGS
 Pre- historic era
 Ways of communicating with each other
 For religious or ceremonial purposes
 Usually correct in proportion
 Dominant in paintings are large animals
 Discovered on: SEPTEMBER 12, 1940
 2400 figures composed mainly: animals, human figures, and abstract design
 Sections include:
 The great hall of the bulls
 The lateral passage
 The shaft of the dead man
 The chamber of engravings
 The painted gallery
 Chamber of felines

 Acient Egypt
 Purpose of painting:
 To make the afterlife place pleasant
 Paintings were: stylized, symbolic, shows a profile view of an animal or person
 Main colors: red, black, blue, gold and green.
 Pigments are derived from mineral that can withstand strong sunlight.

 Classic Greek era

 Found on vases, panels, and tombs
 Depict natural figures with dynamic compositions
 Subjects: battle scenes, mythological figs, and everyday scenes.
 Reveal: linear perspective and naturalist representation
 Polycromy- a combination of different color especially the brilliant ones in an artistic
manner.

 Most common methods of greek painting:

 Fresco- painting water-based pigments on freshly applied plaster usually on a
wall surface.
 Encaustic- use hot wax to fill the cracks
 Vase painting
 Kerch style- red, figured pottery named after the place it is found.
 Shapes of kerch:
 Pelike (wine container)
 Lekanis ( a low bowl with two horizontal handles and a low broad foot)
 Lebes gamikos (high handles and lid use to carry bridal bath)
 Krater ( bowl use for mixing wine and water)
 Motifs
 Life of woman
 Mythological beings and events
 ROMAN era
 Copied from Hellenic greek
 Fresco technique was used in bright bg
 Tic-tac-toe design
 Multi-point perspective
 Tropme-l’-oeil effect
 Subjects: animals, everyday life, still life, mythological subjects, portraits, landscapes
 Development of landscape paintings is the innovation of Greek to roman.

 Byzantine painting
 Lively styles of painting
 For Christian subjects
 Blend of greek & oriental styles
 Adored in churches

 Romanesque painting
 Largely placed mosaics on walls of churches that follows strict pose
 Variety of artistic traditions
 Southern French style
 Traces of mozarabic influence/ arbize influence
 Elongated oval faces
 Staring eyes
 Long noses
 Heavy outlining
 Christ wearing a greyish white robe
 Mandorla (Italian” almond”)

 Gothic era
 Illumination of manuscript pages
 Painting of frescoes on the walls of churches
 Cosmopolitan style
 Elegant mannered
 Sophisticated
 Mille fleur – thousand of flowers
 Stained glass transforms the vast stone interior with warm and glowing color and at
the same time to instruct christians in their faith

 PANEL PAINTING
o Paintings on flat panels of wood
 TOMB/WALL painting
o Uses the method frescos in either
 Tempera (water-based)
 Encaustic (wax)
o Sharp, flatty outlined style of painting because it uses water-based materials
 MOSAIC
o Assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stones or other materials.
SCULPTURE

Pre- historic
 Materials vary to region and locality
 Sculpture result of natural erosion and not human
 Has a mythological or religious significance
 Egyptian era
 Symbolic elements:
 Forms
 Hieroglyphics
 Relative size
 Location
 Materials
 Color
 Actions
 Gestures
 Material used for sculpture:
 Wood
 Ivory
 Stones
 Characteristics:
 Symbolism were heavily used to represent gods.
 animal heads on human bodies
 horizontal lines to record an event or action
 gods are larger then humans
 kings larger than followers
 dead larger than the living
 empty spaces filled with hieroglyphics

Pre- historic

 Greek sculpture
 Tensed and stiff
 Enfolding robes
 Shows human anatomy and proportions
 Hellenistic style- elaborated patterns, mannered arrangements of figures and group
 Dramatic effects
 Roman sculpture
 Monumental terra-cotta
 Produced own myth
  Byzantine sculptures
 Theme: religious, everyday life, nature
 Animals were used as symbols (dove, deer, peafowl)
 Acrostic signs – form of writing in which a message is formed by taking the first
letter, syllable or word

 Romanesque sculpture
 Reliquaries, altar frontals, crucifixes and devotional images
 Devotional images
 Made from costly materials for royal and aristocratic patrons

 Gothic sculpture
 has a freedom of style
 patterns are more lively and realistic

ARCHITECTURE

 Pre-historic Architecture
 Megaliths – big rock
 Lithos- “stone”
 Megas- “big”
 Made from huge stone probably intended for burial
 Has a plenty of legends and superstitions
 Rocks and stones associated with divinity
 Main types of MEGALITH stones
 Menhir- vertivally on ground; arranged in rows
 Dolmens- stone table
 Cromech- bent, curved; circle of standing stones
 Egyptian Architecture
 Structure has thick slope walls with few openings to provide stability
 Exterior and interior are covered with hieroglyphics
 Ornaments are symbolic
 Sacrab
 Solar disk
 Vulture
 Common motifs
 Temples are aligned with astronomically significant events like solstices, equinox
 Pyramid of Giza
 3 pyramids of the three kings
 Khufu
 Khafa
 Menkaura
 Mastaba
 Flat roofed
 Rectangular structure
 Made of mud brix or stones
 Greek architecture
 Correct an optical illusion
 Columns are slightly contorted, swollen at the center and leaning inward
 DORIC
 IONIC
 CRONITHIAN
 Roman architecture
 Stone structures to perpetuate their glory
 Byzantine Architecture
 Common with early Christian architechture
 Mosaic decoration
 High windows
 Romanesque Architecture
 Grand sculptured portals
 Wood or metal doors are surrounded by elaborate stone sculptures
 Gothic architecture
 pointed arch
 higher ceiling vaults and stone vaulting