Lesson 8

Course Review

A review of Introduction to Classical Music.

The 50 Greatest Composers by Period

The Romantic era produced more of the greatest composers (as determined by our book) than any other era, with 28. Next is the Twentieth Century with 10, and third is the Baroque period, with 7.

Composers

This lesson will serve as a review of the most important composers, compositions, and composition forms discussed in this course.

Music in Antiquity (500 B.C.-1200 A.D.)

To call the Greek mathematician Pythagoras a composer would be stretching our knowledge of his works. However, his was an influential voice in the very early days of what we now call Western music. His studies concerning the mathematical relationships between sound intervals (remember “Louie, Louie”?) were essential to early Greek music theory and helped provide a solid foundation about the mechanics of sound and instrumentation for generations of musicians who followed.

Likewise, Pope Gregory I isn’t remembered as a composer, at least in this course, but rather as the namesake for a particularly famous type of plainsong. It’s difficult to say just how influential the Pope was regarding the development of the “Gregorian” chant. It’s much easier to point to the chant itself, and recognize its importance as a fundamental though transitional stage in the bigger picture of Western music.

Early Polyphony (1000-1500)

When we finally arrive at the 14th century, it’s possible for the first time to identify composers who contributed to the often-sporadic development of European music.

Musicians such as Machaut and Landini were important to the progress of early European polyphony. Their motets and ballata are delightful examples of contrapuntal ingenuity in the old days.

Chief among composers of the 15th century are the Englishman Dunstable and the widely traveled Flemish composer, Dufay, both masters of early polyphony.

Polyphony Comes of Age (1500-1600)

In the 16th century the masters of the madrigal came into their own. The works of Lasso, Palestrina, and Byrd represent the finest in 16th-century counterpoint and are timeless examples of the beauty of the madrigal.

Early Baroque (1600-1750)

Times change, and music follows. The beginning of the 17th century saw a decline in the popularity of the madrigal and the rise of the opera. The Italians Peri and Caccini were the first to bring the new art form to the public, but they were soon joined by the likes of Monteverdi, Cavalli, Scarlatti, Vivaldi, and the Frenchmen Lully and Rameau.

As the opera form developed, so too did the non-dramatic forms of the cantata and sonata. The father-son team of Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti composed an incredible 700 cantatas between them, with Handel, Pergolesi, and Bach contributing significantly to the form.

J. S. Bach and the Baroque (1685-1750)

No other composer had the impact on the scope of Western music that Johann Sebastian Bach had. Incredible as it may seem, his work faded into obscurity until Felix Mendelssohn rediscovered Bach’s compositions and reintroduced them to the world in the 19th century.

The Classical Era (1750-1820)

The compositions of “Papa” Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart epitomized the era of Classical music. Vienna was the musical center of the Western world, and these two composers were senior members of the city’s inner circle of musicians. Haydn, “the father of the symphony,” directly influenced numerous composers (including Mozart and Beethoven) through his instruction. Mozart was perhaps even more influential than Haydn, instructing others by means of the genius of his work.

The Romantic Era (1820-1880)

The Romantic era and its idealism were introduced to musical audiences of the 19th century through the works of Ludwig van Beethoven, the composer who bridged the chasm between the elegant and courtly beauty of the Classical composition and the emotional and passionate expressions of the Romantic period.

That’s a Lotta Opera!

According to the Oxford Companion to Music, more than 42,000 operas and operettas have been written since 1600.

Compositions

The following compositions represent some of the finest Western music ever written. This list fairly closely follows the flow of the course, but it certainly isn’t exhaustive. I hope that you’re able to use it (along with this course’s numerous references) to increase your classical listening repertoire, and as a guide to further research.

Gregorian Chants:

Basic 100, Vol. 71: Gregorian Chants

Catalog Number: 68362
UPC: 90266836222
Format: CD
Release Date: Nov 7 1995
Label: RCA

Minstrels:

Medieval & Renaissance Minstrels, Songs & Dances
Musica Antiqua

Catalog Number: 341
UPC: 76637034121
Format: CD
Release Date: Jul 18 1994
Label: LEGACY

Madrigals:

Olde English Madrigals & Folk Songs at Ely Cathedral
John Rutter

Catalog Number: 500
UPC: 12805050029
Format: CD
Release Date: Oct 25 1990
Label: AMER GRAMAPHONE

Operas:

The Best Opera Album In The World Ever

Catalog Number: 42203
UPC: 724384220327
Format: CD
Release Date: Jul 27 1999
Label: VIRGIN RECORDS

Oratorios and Cantatas:

Handel: Messiah
Same Day Delivery in Manhattan.

Catalog Number: 554511/12
UPC: 636943451120
Format: CD
Release Date: Nov 30 1999
Label: NAXOS

Concertos:

Bach: Brandenburg Concertos 1-6/Brandenburgische Konzerte

Catalog Number: 443847
UPC: 28944384727
Format: CD
Release Date: May 16 1995
Label: POLYGRAM RECORDS

Symphonies:

Symphonies/The Greatest Hits

Catalog Number: 3621
UPC: 15095362124
Format: CD
Release Date: Mar 3 1998
Label: INTERSOUND RECORDS

Overtures and Symphonic Poems: Overtures/Barber Of Seville/William Tell

Rossini: Overtures
Claudio Abbado

Catalog Number: 431653
UPC: 28943165327
Format: CD
Release Date: Jun 14 1991
Label: POLYGRAM RECORDS

Classical Music and Americans

Although no American composer made the list in Classical Music: The 50 Greatest Composers and Their 1,000 Greatest Works, Goulding does make an effort to cover some of the American classical composers of note. See pages 19-22 in your book.

Composition Forms

We began this course by studying a wide variety of early influences on Western music, particularly as they affected theories about music. However, the first musical samples that we listened to were Gregorian chants. If you haven’t already done so, take some time now to listen to other examples at the host site.

“Introit For The 1st Sunday In Advent (Mode 8)” (disc 1, selection 1)

Gregorian Chant For All Seasons

Catalog Number: 5010
UPC: 47163501029
Format: CD
Release Date: Nov 4 1992
Label: VOX (CLASSICAL)

While the monks were inside their monasteries developing the chant, minstrels and troubadours were working at their craft, spicing things up a bit with a few embellishments here and there and telling their stories to all who would listen.

“Dance-Penser Ne Doit Vilenie” (disc 1, selection 1)

Chanterai: Music of Medieval France
Sonus

Catalog Number: 80123
UPC: 751758012325
Format: CD
Release Date: Oct 18 1994
Label: DORIAN

Composers of church music during the 12th and early 13th centuries weren’t content with the limitations of plainsong chants, and eventually they started experimenting with something in between plainsong and polyphony: organum, which featured two closely related melodies.

Organum: (disc 1, selection 1)

Organum
Peter Michael Hamel

Catalog Number: 11074
UPC: 13711107425
Format: CD
Release Date: Jan 23 1992
Label: KUCK KUCK RECORDS

The harmonies that were achieved from the two adjacent melodies of organum created quite a stir, and by the end of the 13th century compositions using simple polyphony had developed to the point of requiring a new name, ars nova (the “new art”) that set it apart from older, more conventional music (ars antiqua).

Motets (sacred songs) and simple madrigals (secular songs) were the popular forms of the ars nova during the 14th and 15th centuries.

Remede de Fortune: “Biaute paree de valour” (disc 1, selection 1)

Remede de Fortune

Catalog Number: 68
UPC: 22551006829
Format: CD
Release Date: May 16 1994
Label: NEW ALBION RECORDS

“Nessun Ponga Speranca” (disc 1, selection 5)

The Garden Of Zephirus

Catalog Number: 66144
UPC: 34571161440
Format: CD
Release Date: Oct 28 1992
Label: HYPERION

“Movements from The Ordinary Of The Mass: Kyrie” (disc 1, selection 1)

The Renaissance in Music

Catalog Number: 60992
UPC: 74646099223
Format: CD
Release Date: Jan 12 1999
Label: SONY

The 16th century witnessed a tremendous rise in the popularity of the madrigal, which by then had become a sophisticated polyphonic form.

“O Lux Beata Trinitas” (disc 1, selection 5)

Illumina

Catalog Number: 125
UPC: 40888012528
Format: CD
Release Date: Oct 19 1999
Label: COLLEGIUM

The 17th century was a time of significant musical development in Europe. Opera became the rage, interest in madrigals faded, and the cantata (vocal) and sonata (instrumental) forms provided composers with fascinating new ideas for their compositions.

Opera: “Prologue: Sinfona” (disc 1, selection 1)

Claudio Monteverdi: L’Incoronazione Di Poppea

Catalog Number: 42547
UPC: 22924254727
Format: CD
Release Date: Jun 8 1993
Label: ELEKTRA/ASYLUM

Cantata and Sonata: “Cantata No. 202, Wedding: Aria” (disc 1, selection 1)

Bach Cantatas

Catalog Number: 3039
UPC: 47163303920
Format: CD
Release Date: Jul 9 1996
Label: VOX (CLASSICAL)

Vivaldi — Italian Cello Sonatas: “Sonata in E minor: 1, Largo” (disc 1, selection 3)

Italian Cello Sonatas
Janos Starker

Catalog Number: 434344
UPC: 28943434423
Format: CD
Release Date: Sep 20 1994
Label: POLYGRAM RECORDS

“Sonata in G Minor — Presto” (disc 1, selection 4)

Handel: Recorder Sonatas

Catalog Number: 60441
UPC: 90266044122
Format: CD
Release Date: Jun 6 1991
Label: RCA

“Symphony No. 94 in G, ‘Surprise’: Adagio” (disc 1, selection 5)

Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 92, 94, & 96
Same Day Delivery in Manhattan.

Catalog Number: 46332
UPC: 74644633221
Format: CD
Release Date: Apr 5 1991
Label: SONY

“Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551, ‘Jupiter’: Allegro vivace” (disc 1, selection 1)

Mozart: Symphonien Nos. 40 & 41/Jupiter
Same Day Delivery in Manhattan.

Catalog Number: 445548
UPC: 28944554823
Format: CD
Release Date: Sep 19 1995
Label: POLYGRAM RECORDS

Symphony No. 5: “Allegro con brio” (disc 1, selection 1)

Symphonies/The Greatest Hits

Catalog Number: 3621
UPC: 15095362124
Format: CD
Release Date: Mar 3 1998
Label: INTERSOUND RECORDS

With the advent of the Romantic period in literature, art, and music, composers began to ignore traditional “restrictions” on compositional form and style. Experimentation (by early-19th-century standards) became the norm, and composers didn’t waste any time in altering traditional forms to accommodate their musical goals.

Overtures weren’t new to the 19th century, but the concept of an overture as an independent concert composition certainly was. Lieder, or art songs, were written by the thousands, affirming the love of art, nature, womanhood, and many other deeply felt emotional expressions. Add to this group of new forms the symphonic poem, often a musical description of the composer’s response to poetry or art.

And finally, consider the contribution of nationalistic music, which seeks to express the folk idioms of a particular region or nation. The idea of using simple folk melodies as a foundation for a more complex musical form wasn’t new. What was new, however, was the emphasis that was placed upon the national or racial heritage of the melody by composers of the Romantic era and beyond.

“Egmont, Opus 84″ (disc 1, selection 2)

Beethoven: Complete Overtures
Same Day Delivery in Manhattan.

Catalog Number: 438706
UPC: 28943870627
Format: CD
Release Date: Feb 15 1994
Label: POLYGRAM RECORDS

“An Eine Aolsharfe, Angelehnt An Die Efeuwand” (disc 1, selection 1)

Hugo Wolf: Mörike Lieder

Catalog Number: 8726
UPC: 95115872628
Format: CD
Release Date: Oct 28 1992
Label: CHANDOS

“Symphonic Poem No. 3: Les Preludes” (disc 1, selection 2)

Liszt: Orchestral Works

Catalog Number: 453130
UPC: 28945313023
Format: CD
Release Date: Jul 14 1998
Label: POLYGRAM RECORDS

“The Bartered Bride: Overture” (disc 1, selection 1)

Smetana: The Bartered Bride / From My Life

Catalog Number: 8412
UPC: 95115841228
Format: CD
Release Date: Oct 28 1992
Label: CHANDOS

“Night On Bald Mountain” (disc 1, selection 1)

Moussorgky: Night on Bald Mountain/Pictures at an Exhibition
Same Day Delivery in Manhattan.

Catalog Number: 80042
UPC: 89408004223
Format: CD
Release Date: Oct 25 1990
Label: TELARC

Final Note

This course has taken you along a path that follows the development of Western music for nearly 2,500 years. As an introduction to classical music, the course could not afford to stray too far from the path; rather, it provided a glimpse at a few musical peaks and valleys along the way. Much more remains to be seen — and more importantly, to be heard. I encourage you to continue exploring classical music and its history, taking the time to increase your understanding of noteworthy innovations and events, as well as developing your own base of knowledge and resources.

If there is anything about what we’ve covered that you wish to discuss, or if you have questions about this course, please make use of the message board. And remember to hold on to A History of Western Music. It’s a great book to be able to reference.

The history of music is fascinating, and its discovery and exposition fill countless libraries around the world, but it is the music itself that gives the history of music its life, context, and meaning. That’s why all the lessons in this course include audio samples: to bring you closer to the actual musical experience. For this reason, I recommend that you spend as much time as possible listening to the compositions recommended in the course in their entirety, and that you discover your own path to music appreciation and enjoyment.

Assignment: Course Review

Check your local newspaper, the community calendar, or the Internet to find listings for classical music events in your area, or call a local college or university. Many such events are free or cost very little. Attend and enjoy, and make it a lifelong practice.