Introduction & Concerts

Introduction to Fine Arts:Music

Music Belongs to Everyone

Focus of the Course• To increase your knowledge about music• To help you use this knowledge when

attending musical events• To equip you to answer questions and offer

opinions about music• To encourage your active participation in the

arts• To help you become an intelligent consumer

with a voice in the availability of music in your community

MusicRhythm and harmony find their way into the inward

places of the soul…Plato

Without music, life is a journey through a desert.Pat Conroy

Without Elvis, none of us could have made it.Buddy Holly

Country music is three chords and the truth.Harlan Howard

The history of a people is found in its songs.George Jellinek

Music Listening & You

2 fundamental facts about Music & Real Life

Music is important to the quality of human life

People have created different types of music for different purposes

The Musical Process

CREATIONMusical ideas

Forms (framework)Musical notation

INTERPRETATIONmedium

RESPONSEListener-audience

The Musical Process: Composer’s Ideas

• Influenced by time period in which composer lives

• Carried out through manipulation of music materials--rhythm, melody, texture, harmony

• Placed into a structured framework--musical form

• Written down using standard or non-standard notation

The Musical Process: The Performer’s Interpretation

• Influenced by Performer’s– Knowledge of

musical style– Technical facility on

instrument– Personal ideas, likes,

and preferences

The Musical Process: The Listener’s Response

• Influenced by– Knowledge of

musical styles– Personal,

preferences– Previous

experiences with music, including musical training

Art Music: Composed for Performance in concert halls & opera

houses

Learning to Listen:

Hearing and Listening are not the same!!

• Focuses on the music itself• Understands and experiences the composer’s

creative choices

The Musically Aware Listener

Listening for Aspects of Musical Works

• Nature of melodies & themes

• Texture

• Nature of rhythm & its patterns

• Changes in dynamics levels

• Dominant timbres

• Use of forms and other musical practices

Develop different modes of listening

• Physical effects it produces

• Emotional effects• Music for music’s sake

(absolute music)• Develop different

expectations about different types of music

• Improve your musical memory

• Become more sensitive to musical sounds

Different Types of Concerts

• Symphony Orchestra

• Chamber Music Ensemble

• Chamber Orchestra• Recital• Broadway Musical

• Vocal Ensembles--Secular– Large choirs– Small groups

• Vocal Ensembles--Sacred

• Opera

Symphony Orchestra

• Many instruments• Multiple players for

most instruments• Generally highly

skilled, artistic musicians

• Broad choices of music

Chamber Music Ensemble

• Fewer instruments, generally 2-20; usually not > 8

• Each player has own part• No conductor• Originally performed in people’s homes

(called “salons”)

Chamber Orchestra

• Fewer players than a symphony orchestra• Often heard in smaller concert halls• Music more intimate and clear than with

larger orchestra• Conductor leading group

Recital

• One or two soloists, plus an accompanist is typical

• Singers, pianists, violinists most common• Famous Instrumentalists also perform

recitals (e.g., flute, cello)

Vocal Ensembles--Secular

• Large Secular Groups– Chorales– Choral Societies– Women’s and Men’s Choruses, Glee Clubs– Collegiate Choirs

• Usually accompanied by piano, but sometimes by small orchestras

Vocal Ensembles--Secular

• Small Choirs– Madrigal Choirs– Chamber Singers (1 or 2 singers per part)– Jazz Choirs– A Cappella Choirs (no accompanist)

• Accompaniments Can Vary

Religious Choirs

• Large or small number of singers• Often perform in churches• Often accompanied by organ• Worship or concert format

Opera

• Singing: Soloists, Small Ensembles, Chorus

• Dramatic Action• Elaborate Costumes

and Sets• Sung Poetry (Libretto)• Orchestra• Choreography--very

specific steps

Broadway Musical Theater

• Singing--Soloists, Small Ensembles, Larger Chorus

• Spoken Lines• Orchestra• Staging and Sets• Elaborate Costumes• Elaborate Choreography

Ballet

• Blending of Arts: Sets, Dance, Costumes, Music

• Highly Trained Dancers• Orchestral

Accompaniment• Based on a Story• Choreography: Specific

movements, Steps, and Combinations

Preparing for A Concert

• Learn About the Music– Find out what will be

played– Listen to it ahead of

time--Library, Internet, Classical Radio

• Learn About Musical Styles

• Learn About Composers’ Lives

• Learn About the Artist(s), Orchestra, or Choir Performing

What do I Need to Know?

• Arrive early• Program(pg. 11)• Keys/Tonality• Dates• Catalogue

System(pg. 12)• Tempo/Expression

Terms(pg. 13-14)

Concert Etiquette

• Warm up/Lecture• Concertmaster• Tuning• Entrances/Exits • When to Applaud

The Conductor

• Music scholar• Baton• Communication• Downbeat• Conducting patterns• Left hand

expressions• Cueing

Some Important Information for Opera Goers

• Supertitles--Text is flashed across a screen over the stage

• Libretto--the actual text of the opera• www.metopera.org/synopses/

source for information about most operas; site operated by NY Metropolitan Opera

Preparing for the Ballet and Opera

• Ballet– Learn About the

Music– Read About the

Composer and the Librettist

– Read the Story– Learn About the

Dancers and the Company

• Opera– Read the libretto– If the libretto is

based on another source, study the original story

– Learn About the Composer

– Read about the Soloists

An Introduction to Musical Styles

Musical Styles & Periods

• Music-adjectival form of “Muse”– Association with

astronomy, mathematics

– “Music of the Spheres”

The Nine Muses• Daughters of Zeus

– Calliope Epic Poetry

– Clio History

– Uterpe Lyric Poetry

– Thalia Comedy, Pastoral Poetry

– Melopomene Tragedy

– Terpsichore Dancing

– Erato Love Poetry

– Polyhymnia Sacred Song

– Urania Astronomy

Style Periods of Concert Music

Medieval Period (450-1450) Renaissance (1450-1600) Baroque (1600-1750) Classical (1750-1820) Romantic (1820-1900) 20th Century (1900-2000)

Musical Styles & Periods• Style of music not confined to particular

place or time• Named for historical period it is most

associated with• Dates are approximate• Technical factors, i.e.-system of notation,

unknown tuning of instruments, lack of recording-slowed music’s development more so than art or literature