Ch. 11 The Art of the Natural

Chapter 11 The Art of the Natural A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 11-1 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Music and the Idea of Nature Aesthetic of Classical era is deeply rooted in ideas about nature, about difference between nature and art, about natural and artificial Appeal of nature and the natural created a climate in which the ornate gave way to the simple Emphasis shifted from musical expression of affect inherent in a poetic, dramatic, or religious text to a more straightforward, natural representation of passions A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 11-2 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Music and the Idea of Nature NATURE versus ART Genius Technique Inspiration Craft Unconscious Conscious Effortlessness Hard work Divine Human Not teachable Teachable A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 11-3 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Harmony as a structural principle. To illustrate the importance of harmony within even the most contrapuntal structures, the B-minor fugue from Book I of J. S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier is reduced to a series of harmonic progressions. A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 11-4 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Music in the Classical Era: A Stylistic Overview The Elements of Classical Style Classical era: 1750–1800 Emergence of genuine homophony Obbligato accompaniment – secondary voices contribute material essential to the musical fabric of a work Periodic phrase structure Slowing of harmonic rhythm A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 11-5 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 The Illusion of Order Contrasting levels operate in music: surface may seem orderly and straightforward, yet below surface music is turbulent and unpredictable Music abounds with irregularity, humor, irony A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 11-6 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Music in the Classical Era: A Stylistic Overview The original title page from Mozart’s Musical Joke. In this sextet Mozart lampoons many of the conventions of Classical style. The part writing is intentionally faulty at times, rhythms and harmonies are displaced, and the closing fugue never quite gets off the ground. A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 11-7 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Style and Form in the Mid-18th Century Hallmarks of Classical style emerged as early as the 1720s becoming increasingly evident around middle of century Sonata Form Most important formal innovation of Classical era was sonata form Applies to organization of individual movements in a variety of genres including sonatas, symphonies, and quartets A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 11-8 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Sonata Form Essentially expanded binary form that modulates within first reprise and usually involves more than one theme First reprise is called exposition Exposition exposes thematic ideas that will be manipulated in the second reprise Exposition begins with one or more themes in primary key area (P), followed by a transitional (T) modulation to one or more themes in secondary key area (S) A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 11-9 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Style and Form in the Mid-18th Century Sonata Form First part of second reprise is called development – develops thematic ideas of exposition Second part of second reprise is called recapitulation – balances development by reestablishing tonic Some conclude with a coda after the recapitulation A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 11-10 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Style and Form in the Mid-18th Century Sonata Form Constant elements are: modulation from primary to secondary key area in exposition departure from these harmonic areas in development simultaneous return of opening idea and the primary key area in recapitulation A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 11-11 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Style and Form in the Mid-18th Century Sonata Form By 1760s, sonata form established as structural framework for first movements of most instrumental works and for some slow movements and many finales A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 11-12 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Style and Form in the Mid-18th Century The Fantasia Genre without formal conventions Typically lacks a central theme around which the work as a whole is organized Often opening with rhapsodic, quasi-improvisatory flourishes on triad A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 11-13 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Style and Form in the Mid-18th Century