Othello:

(aka The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice), Shakespeare, 1603; based on the story Un Capitano Moro ("A Moorish Captain") by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, published 1565.  Plot revolves around Othello, a Moorish general in the Venetian army & his unfaithful ensign, Iago.  Given its varied and enduring themes (racism, love, jealousy, betrayal, revenge & repentance), Othello is still often performed in professional and community theatres alike, and has been the source for numerous operatic, film, and literary adaptations.

 

Faust:

see Chapter, page 27, Chapter III, page 101, 110

 

a cappella:

without instrumental accompaniment; in the style of church or chapel music.

 

a cappella of Palestrina style:* see Endnote <A>

a hallmark of Palestrina's music is that dissonances are relegated to the "weak" beats in a measure, producing a smoother, more consonant type of polyphony.  Given his position as Europe's leading composer (along with Orlande de Lassus, and following Josquin des Prez), his style defined late Renaissance music.  The "Palestrina style" became the standard template taught in college courses covering Renaissance counterpoint.  In the 18th century it was codified by theorist J Fux.  Citing Palestrina as his model he divided counterpoint into 5 species, designed as exercises for the student, each deployed progressively more elaborate rhythmic combinations of voices while adhering to strict harmonic and melodic requirements.  Fux's manual was endorsed by JS Bach, who himself arranged two of Palestrina's masses for performance. 

and see Chapter III, page 97

 

a fortiori:

Latin, for a still stronger reason; even more certain; all the more.

 

Passions of Shutz:

1585-1672, German composer & organist, regarded as the most important German composer before Bach & 1 of the most important composers of the 17th century.  He wrote the first German opera, Dafne, (1627).  His best known works are in the field of sacred music, ranging from solo voice with instrumental accompaniment to a cappella choral music.  His music, while starting off in progressive styles early on, grew into a simple & austere style culminating with his late Passion settings.  He only began writing large-scale compositions in his 70s (the 1660s); he then produced the greatest Passion music before Bach.  He was of great importance in bringing new musical ideas to Germany from Italy & influenced later German music..  The style of the N German organ school derives from him; a century later this music culminates in the work of J.S. Bach.  His most famous surviving Passions are: Lukas-Passion (The Passion According to St. Luke, Dresden, 1665); Johannes-Passion (The Passion According to St. John, Dresden, 1666) Matthäus-Passion (The Passion According to St. Matthew, Dresden, 1666)

 

fugues of Bach:

In music a contrapuntal compositional technique in 2 or more voices, built on a musical theme introduced at the beginning in imitation (repetition at different pitches), which recurs frequently in the course of the composition.  Bach's most famous fugues are those for the harpsichord in The Well-Tempered Clavier (seen as the greatest model of fugue).  It comprises 2 volumes written in different times of Bach's life (1722 and 1742), each comprising 24 prelude & fugue pairs, 1 for each major and minor key.  He is also known for his organ fugues, which are usually preceded by a prelude or toccata.  The Art of Fugue (1740s, late in Bach’s life) is a collection of fugues (and 4 canons) on a single theme that is gradually transformed as the cycle progresses.  He also wrote smaller single fugues and put fugal sections or movements into many of his more general works.  

 

last quartets of Beethoven:

his final major completed compositions.  Dismissed by musicians & audiences in his day, they are now widely considered to be among the greatest musical compositions of all time and have inspired many later composers.  The six string quartets (plus 1 for piano) are:

Opus 127: String Quartet No. 12 in E♭ major (1825)

Opus 130: String Quartet No. 13 in B♭ major (1825)

Opus 131: String Quartet No. 14 in C♯ minor (1826)

Opus 132: String Quartet No. 15 in A minor (1825)

Opus 133: Große Fuge in B♭ major (1826; originally the finale to Op. 130)

Opus 134 piano duet for 4 hands transcription of Opus 133 (1826)

Opus 135: String Quartet No. 16 in F major (1826)

 

Tristan of Wagner:

(aka Tristan und Isolde) opera in 3 acts, music & libretto by Wagner, composed 1857-59, premiered 1865 (Munich); based on the 12th-century romance Tristan (by Gottfried von Strassburg).  Wagner referred to the work as a drama; he was inspired by Schopenhauer (particularly The World as Will and Representation) and his affair with Mathilde Wesendonck.  One of his greatest operas, notable for its unprecedented use of chromaticism, tonal ambiguity, orchestral colour and harmonic suspension.  It was enormously influential among Western classical composers & provided direct inspiration to Mahler, Richard Strauss, Schoenberg & Benjamin Britten.  Its libretto style & music were profoundly influential on the symbolist poets of the late 19th century & early 20th century.  Many see it as the beginning of the move away from common practice harmony and tonality, layinng the groundwork for the direction of classical music in the 20th century.

 

mediately:

to effect a result or convey a message by an intermediary

 

Beethoven’s deafness:

Beethoven dated his hearing loss from a fit he suffered in 1798 induced by a rage at the interruption of his work—having fallen over, he got up to find himself deaf.  His hearing only ever partially recovered and, during its gradual decline, was impeded by a severe form of tinnitus.  As early as 1801, he wrote to friends describing his symptoms and the difficulties they caused in both professional and social settings (although it is likely some of his close friends were already aware of the problems).  Over time, his hearing loss became profound: at the end of the premiere of his Ninth Symphony in 1824, he had to be turned around to see the tumultuous applause of the audience because he could hear neither it nor the orchestra.  His loss did not prevent him from composing music, but it made playing at concerts—a lucrative source of income—increasingly difficult. After a failed attempt in 1811 to perform his own Piano Concerto No. 5 (the "Emperor"), which was premiered by his student Carl Czerny, he never performed in public again until he directed the premiere performance of the Ninth Symphony in 1824, which involved him giving cues to conductor Michael Umlauf.

 

aulos:

aka tibia (Latin), ancient Greek wind instrument, depicted often in art & also attested by archaeology; the aulete was the musician who performed on an aulos.  

 

tones:

in music, a steady periodic sound; characterized by its duration, pitch, intensity (or loudness), and timbre (or quality).  The notes used in music can be more complex than musical tones, as they may include aperiodic aspects, such as attack transients, vibrato, and envelope modulation.

extended tones:[extended cords??}  limited tones     numerable tones

 

 

lines:

an identifiable path created by a point moving in space; 1-dimensional, may vary in width, direction, & length.  Often define the edges of a form.  It can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal, straight or curved, thick or thin. They lead your eye around the composition and can communicate information through their character and direction.

 

colours:

light reflected off objects; 3 characteristics: hue (red, green, blue), value (how light or dark), intensity (bright or dull)  May be described as warm (red, yellow) or cool (blue, gray), depending on where they fall on the colour spectrum.

 

harmony:

see Chapter II, page 63

 

melody:

aka tune, voice, or line, linear succession of musical tones the listener perceives as a single entity; a combination of pitch & rhythm, but can include successions of other musical elements such as tonal colour.  It may be considered the foreground to the background accompaniment.  A line or part need not be a foreground melody.  They often consist of 1 or more musical phrases, usually repeated throughout a composition in various forms.  Melodies may be described by their melodic motion or the pitches or the intervals between pitches, pitch range, tension and release, continuity and coherence, cadence, and shape.

 

rhyme:

repetition of similar sounds (or the same sound) in 2 or more words, often in the final syllables of lines in poems & songs.  The word rhyme is also a pars pro toto ("a part (taken) for the whole") that means a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.

 

rhythm:

aka beat or the "pulse" of the music; it is the arrangement of notes or other musical sounds in time;  encompasses more than the steady repeating of a drum pattern; it is the basis of melody; a melody without pauses and sudden flurries of notes would not be very pleasant to listen to for long.

 

Myron: see EndNote <B>

of Eleutherae (borders with Attica), active 480-440 BC, Athenian sculptor, worked exclusively in bronze, famous for his portrayal of athletes (especially the iconic Diskobolos); by introducing greater boldness of pose, perfect rhythm & subordinating the parts to the whole, he revolutionized sculpture.  Pliny's remarks his work was more numerous than those of Polycleitus & more diligent & suggests they were considered more harmonious in proportions, more convincing in realism.

 

Poussin: see EndNote <B>

1594-1665, leading painter of the classical French Baroque style; worked mostly in Rome, most of his works were on religious & mythological, for Italian and French collectors.  He returned to Paris briefly as First Painter to Louis XIII & Cardinal Richelieu, but soon returned to Rome to resume his more traditional themes.  In later years he gave prominence to the landscapes in his pictures.  His work is characterized by clarity, logic & order, and he favours line over colour.  Served as an inspiration for David, Ingres and Cézanne.

 

Rembrandt:* see EndNote <C>

see Chapter I page 23, Chapter II page 81, chapter VI 183

 

Buxtehude: see EndNote <C>

1637-1707, Danish-German organist and composer of the Baroque period; his organ works represent a central part of the standard organ repertoire, frequently performed at recitals & in church services. He composed in a wide variety of vocal and instrumental idioms, and his style strongly influenced many composers, including JS Bach.  Considered one of the most important composers in Germany of the mid-Baroque.

 

Pacobel: * see Endnote <C>

1653-1706, German composer, organist & teacher who brought the south German organ tradition to its peak.  He composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most important composers of the middle Baroque era.  His music enjoyed enormous popularity during his lifetime; he had many pupils and his music became a model for the composers of south and central Germany.

 

Bach organ works: see EndNote <C>

Chapter II page 62, Chapter VI 187

 

Guardi:* see EndNote <D>

Chapter VI page 207

 

Mozart opera: * see Endnote <D>

Opera is a key part of the Western classical music tradition.  Originally it was an entirely sung piece, in contrast to a play with songs; originated in Italy late 16th century & spread through the rest of Europe in the 17th century (notable composers were Schütz in Germany, Lully in France, Purcell in England).  In the 18th century Italian opera dominated Europe (except France), attracting foreign composers such as Handel.  The most renowned figure of late 18th-century opera is Mozart, who began with opera seria but is most famous for his Italian comic operas (The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, & Così fan tutte, also The Abduction from the Seraglio & The Magic Flute) landmarks in the German tradition.  Overall he composed 22 musical dramas in a variety of genres, ranging from the small-scale, derivative works of his youth to the full-fledged operas of his maturity; 3 were abandoned before completion and were not performed until many years after the composer's death.  His mature works are all classics & have never been out of the repertory of the world's opera houses.