MUSIC HISTORY AND THEMES

Medieval: 500-1400 CE, divided into Early, High, and Late periods, music can be separated into
religious and secular (non-religious), Gregorian chant (E) monophonic, Ars nova- European
polyphonic music (H) polyphonic and key transition to Renaissance, Heterophonic- same melody
but two performers at once, Organum: melody and melody at a 4th or 5th above, Motet-
polyphonic and very significant eventually becoming the madrigal contains great variation in
form and style, also pure instrumental music, flute invented made of wood and played by
covering tone holes and side or end -blown, recorder invented, lute and other string
instruments invented, Lyra first bowed instrument, first notation system invented as well as
most songs being transmitted orally/listening, written in neumes but not sight readable
eventually turning into dot and rod notation, 6 different rhythmic modes used until Ars Nova
became popular, polyphony became popular using 4ths, 5ths and octaves, Modal system
invented, Mass originated (E),
COMPOSERS: Stephen of Liege- Gregorian chants, Leonin- worked with organum and Notre
Dame Cathedral, Perotin- Notre Dame and created three and four part harmony, Hildegard von
Bingen- works came from God for Catholic Church, Guillame de Machaut- Ars Nova and wrote
Messe de Notre Dame

Renaissance: 1400-1600 CE, music was increasingly freed from medieval restraints and replaced
with counterpoint, canon (counterpoint where melody and one or more imitations of melody
played after time) and madrigal (multi-vocal counterpoint with no accompaniment) became
popular throughout Europe, Music baed on modes, richer texture with 4 or more melodic lines
happening at the same time (polyphony), blending melodic lines into musical texture, more
focus on chord progressions, exploration of dissonance and vehicle for expression, sacred and
secular music mingled, INSTRUMENTS: precursors to violin, guitar, lute, and keyboard, as well as
early bassoons and trombones, PRINTING PRESS and rising music education helped the spread
of various styles, Mass- Cyclic and paraphrase and imitation, cantus firmus, STYLES: toccata
(keyboard music made to show off), prelude (introduction to larger work), canzona (Italian
chanson), rondeau (French poetry in fixed 5-3-5 form), THEORY: scores very rare with no bar
lines and notated in individual parts, beginning of quarter/half notes, accidentals introduced
COMPOSERS: John Dunstable- wrote religious music, influenced many other composers and
used thirds and triadic harmony, Guillame Du Fay- wrote masses and more than 70 secular
chansons/rondeau/virelai/ ballate, wrote books on music theory (Nuper Rosarum Flores motet),
Johannes Ockeghem- wrote little but well, put cantus firmus in different parts, Josquin des Prez-
profited from printing press, Misse Josquin and simply polyphony, Thomas Tallis- worked in
Royal Court, taught William Byrd, Palestrina- complex choral polyphony and influenced Baroque
composers, Orlande de Lassus- Italian madrigals French chansons and German Lieders, wrote
over 2000 compositions, Tomas Luis de Victoria- Counter Reformation, Jacopi Peri- inventor of
opera, wrote Euridicie, Gregorio Allegri- Misiere Mei which Mozart listened to and transcribed
in one sitting.
Baroque: 1600-1750 CE, common-practice tonality where a song is written in a particular key,
full of accomplished improvisers of both solo and accompanied music, Most performances
contained basso continuo, dance suite made for listening and not dancing, experimented in
making each instrument sound fuller and change musical notation and new playing techniques,
invented opera and cantata (vocal work with instrumental accompaniment in several
movements) and oratorio (an opera but without the theatre/simply a concert piece), used
figured bass and the importance of harmony, more complex harmonic progressions and more
use of the tri-tone, harmony directed towards tonality (“closure” at the end of a piece),
Monteverdi helped shift to Baroque from Renaissance, recitative (spoken opera) and aria (sung
opera), concerto grosso- a concerto but for multiple soloists
COMPOSERS: Claudio Montiverdi- maestro of a church in Venice and published several books of
madrigals, created prima practica (harmony and counterpoint over text) and seconda practica
(meaning of words drove the harmony), Girolamo Frescobaldi- famous keyboardist and worked
at churches and king’s courts alike, composed several influential works for keyboard that even
influence Bach, Arcangello Corelli- worked for several important musical patrons and enjoyed a
stellar reputation in Rome and all of Europe, first composer to gain international acclaim solely
off of instrumental music, became basis of modern tonality, very talented violin player, Antonio
Vivldi- composed for the Ospedale della Pieta (an orphanage where he taught music to
daughters of nobleman), women were taught several instruments and were very skilled, most
pieces he composed were for them Alessandro Scarlatti- composed over 100 operas and
represents significant changes in the genre, Scarlatti- journeyed with Handel and wrote
keyboard sonatas with Hispanic influence, Pergolesi- joined Scarlatti in influencing opera and
wrote several, wrote Stabat Mater which influenced many including Bach, Jean-Baptiste Lully-
wrote comedy ballets and had a total monopoly on music in the French stage, most importantly
wrote tragedie-lyrique, Rameau- wrote a piece on music theory and became controversial often
clashing with fans of Lully, formed the idea of chords having a root note and influenced modern
theory
Classical: 1750-1820 CE, lighter and more sophisticated sound, clearer melodies over chordal
accompaniment, orchestra increased in number of member instruments and power if sound,
harpsichord replaced with piano, small ensemble works and solo works became more prevalent,
more modulations to different keys, instrumental works became more for the upper class while
comic operas and the like were for the lower class, basso continuo eventually became
nonexistent while dynamic contrast became much more prevalent, SONATA FORM: (Exposition
Development Recapitulation) as well as string quartets and symphonies arose, cadences
differentiating between tonic and dominant chords, equal temperament/universal tuning
system invented, songs became less about one song affect and more about multi-movement
effects
COMPOSERS: Carl Phillip Emanuel Bach- child of J.S. Bach, wrote in newly invented sensitive
style, played keyboard and composed for the instrument including masses and passions for
churches, first composer to write autobiographically about life, Christoph Willibald Gluck-
developed new form of opera whare drama was at the forefront and music was subservient,
influenced Mozart and Wagner, Muzio Clementi- composed 110 piano sonatas and one of the
first composers for piano, tied with Mozart in a piano competition for royalty, ran both a piano
making and publishing business, Joseph Haydn- pioneered both the symphony and the string
quartet, wrote “Surprise Sympony” and famous trumpet concerto, Chevalier de Saint-Georges-
first known classical composer of African heritage, virtuoso violinist and conductor, worked for
Marie Antoinette and pioneered the symphony concertante, Antonio Salieri- considered a great
rival and competition to Mozart, composed several operas and had Beethoven and Liszt and
Mozart’s son as pupils, Mozart- began composing at 5 years old, wrote numerous pieces and
several famous to this day while dying at 35, Beethoven- see video for EdTech, Franz Schubert-
wrote 1500 pieces and innovated the Lieder and the Unfinished Symphony
Romantic: 1800-1910, music that was individualistic and programmatic and inspired by things
other than music, includes chromaticism and moved away from traditional forms, often alluding
to nature and the supernatural, focus on melody and the movement of tonic to subdominant as
well as more elaborate harmonic progressions, popularity of program music and more extreme
dynamic contrasts
COMPOSERS: Clara Schumann- great female composer in a male-dominates space as well as a
piano virtuoso, married to Robert Schumann and both were friends to each other and Johannes
Brahms, wrote Three Romances for Violin and Piano and her 1836 Piano Concerto, Franz
Schubert- wrote over 600 songs and innovated Lieder, Wagner- opera composer and believed
music and poetry and drama are inseparable, used Leitmotifs, Johannes Brahms- followed from
and counterpoint although intensely dark and difficult to play, composed 1879 Violin Concerto,
Ein Deutsches Requiem, Giacomo Puccini- opera composer that music was effortlessly lyrical
and was referenced and influenced by several prominent composers, composed La Boheme,
Madam Butterfly, Hector Berlioz- technically difficult and used harmony as a tool for expression
rather than function as well as irregular use of rhythms and long melodies, composed
Symphonie fantastique, Antonin Dvorak- experimental and became more Classical as time went
on as well as becoming nationalistic, composed String Quartet in E Minor, New World
Symphony, Jean Sibelius- very famous Finnish composer and was paid by government to
compose, composed 1904 violin concerto and FINLANDIA, Felix Mendelssohn- child prodigy and
style was both Classical and Romantic, composed 1831 Piano Concerto and Midsummer Night’s
Dream Overture, Fanny Mendelssohn- older sister to Felix, not encouraged to pursue music
although wrote any way, music was light and poised, composed 1834 string quartet and
Overture in C, Mahler- nuff said, listen to symphonies
Impressionism: move to convey mood and atmosphere in music rather than a detailed tone
picture, experimentation with timbre, chord combinations, new tonalities and harmonies,
parallel motion and evocative titles, sense of detached observation other than deep emotion or
stories, dissonance of chords not resolved and sued as timbre, seems that most composers
identified with this label reject it
COMPOSERS: mostly just Debussy and Ravel, but Also Guy Ropartz and Toru Takemitsu
THEORY NOTES:

Performance
Simple accompaniment patterns: 1. Base line blocked chord, boom-chuck, 2. base line
alternating patterns, 3. Arpeggiation and with bass notes/octaves/both hands, ostinato-
repeated theme
VOCAL STUFF: breathing- maintain posture and relax body, breathe to diaphragm and exhale
evenly, sirens- start at lowest note in personal range and slowly slide your way up to the highest
several times without breaking the sound, lip trills- warm up diaphragm and improve breath
control/sing while buzzing, tongue trills- same as before but with tongue instead , humming-
stretch vocal chords while changing pitches and intensity of notes followed by “ah”, Vowel
warm-up exercises- controls shape of mouth and improves many things but make sure the
mouth and tongue placement is correct (Ah, Eh, Ee, Oh, Ooh), Solfege- helps with ear training
and recognizing scales/pitch accuracy, Tongue Twisters- improve articulation and makes
transitions in music easier by training with hard phrases, Yawn- reduces tension and opens
throat as well as jaw loosening exercises, remember to lift the soft palate and make sure vowel
sounds are correct and have proper breath and posture to improve tuning,
Frequency- how we perceive different pitch (higher is more frequent and vice versa)
Amplitude- how we perceive volume (more is loud and less is soft)

Instruction, Professional Issues, and Technology

Maintain proper care of instruments: guitar- wash hands before playing, clean fretboard and
change strings every month or so, professional clean once a year, Improv- imitate other
performers and their style, then varying these concepts into your own playing, FORM: Strophic
(AAA)- repetitive like Mary had a Little Lamb, Through-Composed (ABCDE)- continuously
changing, Binary (AB)- Simple and Binary, Ternary (ABA)- like binary with exact restatement of A
theme, Rondo (ABACA, ABACABA)- sections B and C are called episodes, Arch (ABCBA)- music
behaves like an arch, Sonata (Exposition- Development- Repopulation) and Theme and
Variations
Copyright and other Laws: make sure the songs or clips you use fall under Fair Use, can play
prerecorded music in classroom as part of teaching activity, Reproducing music- four factors:
purpose and character of use, nature of the work, amount and substantiality of the portion
used, and effect on market or value of the work, LIMIT IS 10% of music per student, can only
make one recording of a performance or aural test containing copyrighted material because
more requires purchasing a license, can obtain licenses through publisher for smaller total
copies or an agency for bigger orders, you can rearrange edit or simplify copyrighted works for
educational purposes as long as you do not change the fundamental character of the work,
performances of copyrighted songs require a license except for face-to-face exemption like
playing a song for a class to teach technique or playing a recording for a music history class,
make sure to asl permission when appropriate from wither the publisher or composer
Music Education: Bay Psalm book- first instructional manual for singing and musical instruction,
“An Introduction to the Singing of Psalm Tunes” by John Tufts- first textbook to address music
literacy and discusses voice and notation and intervals and clefs and time signatures, American
Singing School- First founded in 1723 by Thomas Walter, Lowell Mason- Father of Music
Education and founded the Boston Academy of Music, also writes “The Manual of Instruction of
the Boston Academy of Music for Instruction”, 1838- Massachusetts votes to include vocal
music instruction in public elementary education, 1857-NEA is established, Joseph Byrd wrote
“Vocal Music Reader”, 1907- NAfMe is formed and first marching band formation on field
occurs, 1911- Albert Mitchell introduces orchestra classes to Boston Public Schools, Jaques
Dalcroze- integration of the mind and body in music with focus on rhythm and finesse of
hearing and improv, Howard Gardner- theory of multiple intelligences (Mathematical, Linguistic,
Spatial, Kinesthetic, Inter/tripersonal, Musical Intelligences), 1950- Child’s Bill of Rights in Music,
Orff-Schulwerk: Carl Orff approaches education through elemental and sequential progress and
is focused on improvisation and creativity, Zoltan Kodaly- emphasis on singing and cultivating
great musicians that are musically literate and folk music, 1961- American Choral Directors
Association, 1965- Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 1967- Tanglewood Sympsium-
music teachers should be equipped to teach students regardless of socioeconomic background
or ethnicity and history/literature of music should be included, 1979- Department of Education,
1990s- Music Learning Theory by Edwin Gordon focuses on aptitude to learn and emphasizes
audiation and singing, RICHARD COWELL: coeditor of New Handbook on Music Teaching and
Learning , FROBELL: invented Kindergarten, wrote several infant songs including Patty Cake

Discussion Questions
Appropriate Achievements for K-4: sing on pitch and in rhythm both alone and in groups, sing
with dynamics and phrasing, perform simple passages of music with the goals listed above,
improvise simple rhythms and songs, create simple songs to accompany a story, read music with
simple rhythm and counting system and notate with the same knowledge, describe songs with
appropriate language
National Core Arts Standards: Creating- generate/conceptualize artistic ideas and work, organize
those ideas, refine and complete the work, Performing- analyze/interpret/ and select artistic
work for presentation, develop and refine work for presentation, convey meaning through
presentation, Responding- perceive/analyze/interpret intent and meaning/apply criteria to
evaluate artistic work, Connecting- synthesize and relate knowledge to personal
experiences/relate artistic ideas and work to other areas to deepen understanding
SUZUKI: Big parental involvement, start learning music early, listening to music every day,
repeating the learned material with encouragement, learn with other children and perform
graded material
NAfME Publications: Music Educator’s Journal, Teaching Music, Journal of Research in Music
Education, Journal of General Music Education, Update: Applications of Research in Music
Education, Journal of Music Teacher Education, wrote “Opportunity -to-Learn Standards for
Music Instruction Grades PreK-12
Orgs for Choral and Strings: NAfME, American Choral Directors Association, American Academy
of Teachers of Singing, International Federation for Choral Music, National Association of
Teachers of Singing, American String Teachers Association/National School, Orchestra
Association, Foundation for the Advancement of String Education
Music Philosophers: Susanne Langer- apparition of music is a dichotomy between ‘felt time’ and
‘clock time’. Music is time made audible and exclusively felt time. Strong suspension thesis:
clock time is swallowed by felt time. Leonard Meyer: Music takes place within individuals. Our
responses account for perceived emotion and meaning. Music only happens as we perceive it.
This also includes the expectation of upcoming tones, he researched for all listeners. Bennett
Reimer: Helped write the National Standards for Music Education. helped in research
concerning music education curriculum in several countries. Made clear that all ages should be
exposed to music. David Elliott: Argus for a multidimensional approach to music education.
Wants all music students to perform, improv, compose, arrange, conduct, and listen. Music
should be woven into instruction and the development of students’ music creativity is
important.
Plato- music leads to the soul, also the fact that everyone can harness their childlike energy into
creating music and enrich their souls, also used to regulate emotion and enrich their
personality, and allows the child to learn easier.
Aristotle- has very similar respect to music education as Plato, however believes that music
education can lead to improper citizens. Views full time musicians as vulgar showmen and thus
music education should not be the main focus.
IMPORTANT:
https://www.smallstepsmusicllc.com/uploads/2/5/0/4/25046540/the_school_music_program_
k-12_standards.pdf
Good Arrangers:

Technology
Sound reinforcement- (sound system) devices and processes used to amplify sounds that can
be found, can be found in places where music is performed, 3 parts: 1. Input Transducers- get
musical signals into the equipment (mics, instruments, pickups, digital to analog converters) 2.
Signal Processing- processes sound given by input (Preamplification, Equalization, Mixing,
Effects, Crossover, Amplifier) 3. Output Transducers- where the sound comes out of
(Loudspeakers, Monitors, Headphones)
Analog, Digital, and MIDI Equipment: Analog- physical ways to listen to music like the record
player and cassette tapes, Digital- equipment that records audio using digital programs like
modern recording and MP3, virtual instruments- instruments sounds created by a computer like
Garage Band, MIDI- Musical Instrument Digital Interface, never transmits an actual audio signal,
can contain countless combinations of instruments or pre-recorded pieces of a song, 3 MIDI
ports- in out and thru, output of MIDI should be connected to input of receiving device,
Common setups: MIDI and home recording system, computer and MIDI and synthesizers,
hardware sequencer and drum machine and synthesizer

Tempo Markings
Larghissimo- extremely slow, Adagissimo- very slow, Grave- slow and solemn, Largo- slow and
broad, Adagio- slow with great expression, Larghetto- rather slow , Adagietto- slower than
andante, Lento- slow, Andante- walking speed, Andantino- slightly faster than andante,
Moderato- moderate speed, Allegretto- moderately fast, Allegro- fast and bright, Vivace- lively
and fast, Presto- very fast
L’istesso tempo- at the same speed, Ma non troppo- but not too much, Affrettando- speed up
with anxiety, Calando- going slower, Precipitando- hurrying, Ritenuto- slightly slower, buf
achieved faster than a rallentando

World Music
North America- singing and percussion are main aspects, use of drums/rattles as well as
vocables and shouts, tense and nasal sound with falsetto in male voices, ostinato and rounded
parts appear, songs can get very complex both rhythmically and tonally,
Latin/South America- Argentina: birthplace of tango in brothels and bars, played with guitar and
bandoneon, chacarera- similar to tango, Milonga- precursor of tango, Bolivia- Los Kjarkas and
Cumbia, Brazil- Axe` Music, Bossa Nova, Tropicalismo, Samba, Pagode/Pagofunk, Chile- Cueca,
Cuba- rumba, danzon, merengue,