TYPES AND STYLES

March – Music for procession or parade must necessarily be in duple or

Quadruple time. Written for slow marching or quick marching
Consisting of 2 beat or 4 beat rhythms.
Ex- Handel’s Scipio march
Funeral march
Schubert’s Military march
Colonel Bogey march
J.P. Sousa (American) written over 200 marches for
Marching Parades.

Waltz – It was the most popular 3/4 dance of the 19th century.
Ex - Waltz of the flowers
Fairy wedding waltz
Blue Danube waltz (Johann Strauss-Waltz King)

Minuet – A slow, stately ballroom dance in Triple time. It’s a French dance popular in 18th
Century.

Vocal – for voices to be sung.

Choral – for a large number of voices a chorus or choir.

Instrumental – To be played on an instrument.

Chamber music(Room music) – It’s a type of classical music that was performed in small
space such as a house or a palace room. (The word “chamber” in English means a room)
Usually 2 to 9 performers. The performers will play as a group but each player will play his
or her part separately on their instrument.

Solo – A composition for one instrument or voice.

Duet – A composition for two performers.
Trio – A composition for three performers.
(Piano trio – Violin, Cello and Piano)
(String trio – Violin, Viola and Cello)
Quartet – A composition for four performers.
( String quartet –2Violins, Viola and Cello)
Quintet – A composition for five performers.
(Piano quintet – 2Violins, Viola, Cello and Piano)

Programme music (Illustrative music) – Music describing an incident or happening in

nature is called programme music. The idea first stated with Franz Liszt in the Romantic
period.
Ex-
1.The four seasons – Antonio Vivaldi (Italian composer known as Red priest belong to late
Baroque period)
A set of four violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi composed in 1725, Four seasons is
Vivaldi’s best known work. Each concerto gives a musical expression to a season of the
year.
2.Carnival of Animals – Saint Saens (French composer belong to Romantic period).
It is a colorful and popular work for two pianos and small orchestra. It is often
performed in concerts as a way of introducing classical music to audiences. While he was on
vacation in a small village in Austria. Despite the enjoyment he had in composing this piece.
He portrays different animals through the use of the different instruments alone and in
combination with each other.
3.William Tell Overture – G. Rossini.
It is the overture to the opera William Tell whose music was composed by G.Rossini. It
premiered in 1829 and was the last Rossini’s 39 operas. The overture is in four parts , each
following without pause.
4.Pastoral Symphony – L.V.Beethoven.
It is Symphony No.6 in F major, op.68 composed by Beethoven and completed in
1808.It is a charming masterpiece which both paints a picture of nature and describes
man’s feelings towards it. Beethoven loved the natural world, and was inspired to write this
symphony by his regular walks in the countryside around Vienna.
5.Peter and the Wolf – Sergy Prokofiev
It is written for symphony and spoken word. Created in 1936 for Prokofiev’s own son,
the work has become a classic. The charming tale of a young boy’s adventures in the
meadow behind his grandfather’s house tells a story while teaching children about
recognizing musical themes. Prokofiev used instruments from four instrument families.
(string, woodwind, brass and percussion)to tell the story. In the story each character is
represented by a particular musical instrument.

Characters Instruments
Peter Strings(violin, viola, cello, double bass)
Bird Flute
Cat Clarinet
Grand Father Bassoon
Duck Oboe
Wolf French Horn
Hunters Timpani

1812 overture – (Solemn Overture, Festival Overture in E flat major) p.I.Tchaikovsky.

It is a concert overture written in 1880 by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to
celebrate Russia’s victory over Napoleon’s Army in 1812.
-The overture begins with the Russian hymn “O Lord Save Thy People”. Viola and Cello
section begins and with the other instruments entering gradually illustrating the peaceful
element of life in Russia at the time.
-The change of mood introduced by the woodwinds at this stage conveys a disturbing
feeling as an indication of trouble approaching Russia.
-Next the enemy’s approach is announced by the snare drums with the theme.
-As the war develops the power of the French Army’s attack is underlined by the opening
theme of their National Anthem La Marseillaise supported by tensed ostinato by the
strings.
-This is followed by a Russian folk dance theme that symbolizes the growing Russian
National unity.
- The final stages of the battle is represented with an explosive climax using brass,
percussion and real cannon with a quotation from the Russian National Anthem, God Save
the Tsar! Commermorating the Russian victory.
Absolute music(Abstract music,Pure music) – This is opposite of programme music. It isn’t
express about anything.(no story, no topic)For the structure of each piece has to be stand
on its own without extra association.

Ballet – is a theatrical representation of some story by means of a series of dances with

orchestral accompaniment. Ballet was born in the European courts of Louis X1V in the 17 th
Century.
Ex- Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite was written for a ballet which tells a story about a little
girl named Clara who has a dream on Christmas Eve.
Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake.

Concerto – An instrumental composition, most often in 3 movements that highlights a solo

instrument against the background of a full orchestra.

Cadenza – Which is special written for the soloist, extremely talented, expert players of
their instruments. In a concerto the soloist plays the cadenza without orchestra, to
demonstrate his technique and skill. Often Cadenzas comes near the end of an Aria or a
movement of a concerto. Cadenza should be an exciting, powerful climax.

Overture – An introductory movement for orchestra to introduce an opera, oratorio or

other dramatic vocal composition, but an independent instrumental work.

Symphony – is an extended musical composition in western classical music, often written

for orchestra. Usually lasting between 20-45 minutes. It often consists of four movements.
(A sonata for full orchestra)
1. A dramatic fast movement.
2. A lyrical slow movement.
3. A dance like movement (Minuet and scherzo).
4. A brilliant fast movement.
Ex- Beethoven – 6th Symphony [pastoral] He wrote 9 Symphonies.
Haydn - 102nd Symphony [Clock] He wrote 104 Symphonies.
Mozart - 41st Symphony [Jupiter] He wrote 40 Symphonies.
In Romantic period development of concerto and Symphony.
Concerto remain popular during the Romantic period. There were many written for piano
and violin.
In Romantic period Symphony have much broader range of instruments than Classical
symphonies, especially for the brass, woodwind and percussion sections. In Romantic
symphonies, strings are not always the one playing the main melody and it is varied.
Meaning woodwinds and brass instruments too often play the main melody in comparison
to Classical Symphonies.
Ex- Dvarok’s “New World” the brass instruments play the main melody.

Lied – Lied is the German word for song. Sometimes called “Art Songs”. Lieder are written
for voice and piano for performance in chambers or concert halls. The piano
accompaniment plays an important role in the song. Common themes of Lieder are love,
longing and the beauty of nature. Franz Shubert gave birth to Lieder. Among his songs are
“who is Sylvia” and “Hasrk!Hark! The Lark!”
(The story of famous Lied “Earl King”- Composed by F.Schubert. Story of a boy riding home
on horse back in his father’s arms. He is frightened by the Earl King and father is trying tell
those are things he think. But when he arrives home his son is dead.
*This is composed for solo voice and piano accompaniment.
*Charactors- Father, son, and Earl King.
*Horse galloping-Piano triplets.

Prelude – is a short piece of music, the form of which may vary from piece to piece. The
prelude may be thought of as a preface. In the Baroque period it may have servedas an
introduction to succeeding movements of a work that were usually longer and more
complex as a Fugue. It may also have been an independent piece of work during the
Romantic period.

Fugue – A Fugue may be described as an instrumental or vocal composition, contrapuntal

in character. This is developed from one short, principal theme known as the subject of the
Fugue. The subject is announced by a single voice unaccompanied usually in the tonic key
and is immediately replied to at different pitch with each voice entering with the principal
theme.
Sonata – is a composition in the classical period for one or more solo instruments. The
piano, Violin, Cello and Flute sonatas were all popular during this period. It usually consists
of three or four independent movements varying in key, mood, and tempo. The first
movement of the Sonata is usually written in Sonata Form.
Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven all wrote Piano sonatas, violin sonatas and cello sonatas.
The standard Classical period Sonata:
-1st Movement: Allegro (fast)in sonata form
-2nd Movement: Slow
-3rd Movement: Minuet and Trio or Scherzo
-4th Movement: Allegro

Suite – is a set of dances written in the same key. All are in Binary Form.
The basic dances are;
Allemande – It is in 4/4 time.
Courante – Quick running in the style in 3/4 time.
Sarabande – It is a slow dance in simple triple time.
Gigue – It is a lively dance in 6/8 or 12/8 time.
The blues
 Is a form of music that started in the United States during the start of the 20th
century.
 It was started by former African slaves from spirituals, praise songs, and chants.
 The first blues songs were called Delta blues. These songs came from the area near
the mouth of the Mississippi River.
 Blues is based on a simple pattern. “Blues is easy to play, but hard to feel”.
 A common form for the blues is a repeating 12 bar form (each bar has 4 beats). This is
put together as 3 phrases or sections, each being 4 bars long. The basic blues only
needs 3 chords, one based on the first note of the scale - the tonic chord, one based
on the fourth note of the scale - the subdominant chord, and one based on the fifth
note of the scale - the dominant chord. The first section or phrase of 4 bars only uses
the tonic chord. A common variation is to use the subdominant chord in the second
bar. The second phrase has 2 bars (8 beats) of subdominant chord then 2 bars of
tonic chord. The third phrase has 1 bar (4 beats) of dominant chord, 1 bar of
subdominant chord and finishes with 2 bars of tonic chord.
  In a scale based on the note C (C is the 1st or tonic, F is the 4th or subdominant, and
G is the 5th or dominant), the chord pattern of a 12 bar blues would be like this:
C C C C |C C C C or F F F F |C C C C |C C C C |
F F F F |F F F F |C C C C |C C C C |
G G G G |F F F F |C C C C |C C C C |

 The melody of the simplest blues scales are based on the minor pentatonic scale.

A blues scale starting on C

for example C Eflat G A Bflat C, with extra notes (called "blue notes") added like this C Eflat
Gflat G A Bflat C. Blue notes do not normally fit a scale, but they give the music a special
feeling.
 The lyrics (words) are usually about life, more specifically, the bad things in life.
 They are simple blues songs that are also based around the form of 3 phrases.

 The blues have made a difference in newer American and Western popular music,
such as jazz, bluegrass, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, hip-hop, and country music,
as well as common pop songs.

 Famous Blue artists are

Muddy waters, Robert Jhonson, Bessi Smith.

Jazz –
 Jazz began in the United States in the early 20th century.
 Jazz music was first based on the music of African slaves who were forced to work in
the plantations of the southern United States.
 This included call and response songs, spirituals, chants and blue notes.
 There have been different types of jazz through time. New Orleans jazz began in the
early 1910s. Dixieland jazz was also popular. In the 1930s, there was swing jazz,
which was also called big band jazz. In the 1940s, bebop became a major type of
jazz, with fast songs and complex harmony.
 Large jazz bands, which are called big bands, were also popular in the 1940s. Big
bands usually have 5 saxophone players, 4 or 5 trumpet players, 4 trombone players,
 a piano player or guitar player, an acoustic bass player, a drummer, and sometimes a
singer.
 In the 1950s, there was hard bop jazz.
 In the 1960s, there was modern jazz and free jazz.
 In the 1970s, jazz fusion began to blend jazz music with rock music.

 Dixieland, sometimes referred to as traditional jazz, is a style of jazz based on the

music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. . Swing
music is a form of jazz that developed in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s.
The name came from the emphasis on the off–beat, or weaker pulse.

 Swing music,usually featured soloists who would improvise on the melody over the
arrangement. The danceable swing style of big bands and bandleaders such as Benny
Goodman was the dominant form of American popular music from 1935 to 1946,
known as the swing era.

 Notable musicians of the swing era include Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Count
Basie, Cab Calloway, Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman, Harry
James, Lionel Hampton, Glenn Miller and Artie Shaw.

 Bebop or bop is a kind of jazz that became popular near the beginning of the Second
World War, in the mid-1940s. Bebop is often fast. The musicians improvise using a
small group of chords which are repeated again and again.
 Some of the most influential bebop artists, are: alto sax player Charlie Parker; tenor
sax players Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins, and James Moody, Clifford Brown, Miles
Davis, and Dizzy Gillespie; pianists Bud Powell, Mary Lou Williams electric
guitarist Charlie Christian, Joe Pass and drummers Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, and Art
Blakey.

The main characteristic of jazz music;

-Syncopation: when beats and the rhythm falls between.
-Swing notes : to create altering short and long sound first note should be longer than
regular or traditionally.
-Blue notes: The major placement of expression is slightly lowered notes from their normal.
-Based on 12 bar blues.
-Improvisation : Creating and reacting at the moment, instead of beforehand.
-Used call and response.
-Some musicians used scat (improvised singing with nonsense words)