Student

2015-2016 UIL Music Memory

Making a World of Difference UNIVERSITY INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

Student Name

_______________________

School

_______________________

Bach Barber Beethoven Bernstein Handel Haydn Ives Joplin

Mahler Mozart Poulenc Prima Rossini Shostakovich Wagner Zwilich

Listening Destinations

Toccata and Fugue in d minor Toccata

Musical Minute

Melody: a line of single pitches that move up,

down, or repeat.

Harmony: two or more different pitches sounding

at the same time.

Instrument/Voice

Organ

Notes

Toccata (“touch” or “play a musical instrument” in Italian): a piece of music for a solo keyboard instrument, often difficult, with a lot of fast notes to show off how well the performer can play. Pipe organ: the largest instrument in the world; nicknamed the “King of Instruments.” Pipe organ: a keyboard instrument, often with multiple keyboards and many metal and wooden pipes. When an organ key is pressed, air rushes into a corresponding pipe. The vibration of the air in the pipe creates the sound. There is no manuscript in Bach’s handwriting for this Toccata and Fugue. It was probably written before 1708, and Bach may have used it to test the mechanics of pipe organs he was asked to play. This “Toccata” is one of the most famous and popular pieces of music for organ.

Fast Five

1. German Baroque composer; one of the “Three B’s” (Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms).

2. Played violin, viola, harpsichord, and organ; technical expert on organ (often invited to inspect mechanics of church organs).

3. Had 20 children: 4 were composers, 9 survived him.

4. Had diabetes; went blind; died of a stroke.

5. Better known as a virtuoso organist than a composer in his day. Today he is considered to be the greatest composer of all time.

Bach \'bäk\ 1685-1750

Commando March Musical Minute

March: a piece of music with a strong beat,

written for marching to and often performed

by a military band.

Instrument/Voice

Band

Notes

Band: a group of people who play instruments together.

Commando: a soldier of an elite light infantry or special operations force.

Concert band: group of 20-60 musicians who play instruments of the woodwind, brass, and percussion families (plus sometimes string bass, harp, and piano) indoors in a concert setting.

Marching band: group of musicians who play similar instruments to those of a concert band (but no string bass, harp, or piano) outdoors in a parade or in field shows (half time show at a football game).

During World War II Barber served in the Army Air Corps Band Unit. In 1943 he wrote “Commando March” for the US Army. Barber conducted its first performance as well as a recording for the Office of War Information. The recording was used in American short wave radio broadcasts worldwide.

“Commando March” is Barber’s first composition for band. He called it his “little march,” and wrote a version for orchestra in 1943.

Fast Five

1. 20th century American composer.

2. Sang and played piano; child prodigy as a singer, pianist, and composer.

3. Visited Russia and became friends with Shostakovich; lived in an apartment below Benny Goodman, loved to hear him play clarinet, and they became friends.

4. One of America’s most widely performed and recorded composers; won Pulitzer Prize twice.

5. Continued to compose music until his death, of cancer, in New York City.

Barber \ˈbär-bər \ 1910-1981

Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral” Movement 3

Musical Minute

Symphony: a piece of music in three or more

movements for orchestra.

Instrument/Voice

Orchestra

Notes

Pastoral refers to the country. Scherzo (“joke” in Italian): third movement in a symphony, in ¾ time, usually quick and light-hearted. It is often played with a trio, followed by a repeat of the scherzo. Trio: a middle contrasting section of a three-part form, named “trio” because it was originally written for three instruments. Trio sections usually have light, simple texture. Beethoven composed the “Pastoral” Symphony at the same time as his fifth symphony, and completed it in 1808. It premiered on a four-hour concert in Vienna on Dec. 22, 1808, along with Symphony No. 5, Piano Concerto No. 4, and his Choral Fantasia. Beethoven called his sixth symphony the Pastoral Symphony, or Recollections of Country Life. It has five movements, which Beethoven titled: I. Awakening of cheerful feelings upon arrival in the countryside, II. Scene by the brook, III. Merry gathering of country folk, IV. Thunder storm, and V. Shepherd’s song; cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm.

Fast Five

1. German Classical/Romantic composer, one of the “Three B’s” (Bach, Beethoven, Brahms).

2. Played violin, viola, organ, and was a virtuoso pianist.

3. Gradually became deaf (began to lose his hearing in 1796; completely deaf in 1818).

4. Moody, disorganized, and arrogant.

5. Composer of nine famous symphonies; one of the most famous and influential composers in music history.

Beethoven \'bā-ˌtō-vən\ 1770-1827

Beethoven Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral” Movement 3

A # Scherzo

B @ Trio

A # Scherzo

B @ Trio

Coda # (Scherzo)

West Side Story Dance at the Gym (Mambo)

Musical Minute

Mambo (“conversation with the gods” in Kikongo,

the language of Central African slaves taken to

Cuba): a Cuban dance style.

Instrument/Voice

Orchestra

Notes

Choreography: movements performed by dancers in a performance; choreographer: person who designs movements for dancers. Dance-off: competition between dancers who must progressively dance better than their opponents. Latin percussion: large family of percussion instruments used in music from Latin America, with roots in African tribal music. Instruments include claves, guiro, maracas, cowbell, conga, and bongos. Broadway musical West Side Story was completed in 1957. The music was composed by Leonard Bernstein, with a story by Arthur Laurents, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and stage direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins. A popular film version was made in 1961. It won 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. West Side Story is considered to be a cornerstone of American musical theater.

Fast Five

1. 20th century American composer.

2. Played piano.

3. Composed 3 symphonies, a film score, musical theater, opera, choral, vocal, and ballet music.

4. First American conductor to become an international superstar. He is the conductor on over 400 recordings.

5. Also famous as an author and educator. Made 53 Young Person’s Concerts for CBS television.

Bernstein \'bərn-ˌstīn\ 1918-1990

© Ellione | Dreamstime.com - Dancing People Photo

Solomon The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba

Musical Minute

Chamber orchestra: a small group of musicians

who play in a room (chamber) or small hall.

Instrument/Voice

Chamber orchestra, two oboes

Notes

Oratorio: a large composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists based on a religious text; story told through music; usually performed in concert setting, without costumes, stage sets, and staging.

Sinfonia (Italian for symphony): a 17th- or 18th-century orchestra piece used as an introduction, interlude, or postlude to an opera, oratorio, cantata, or suite.

King Solomon: king of Israel and son of David; reigned from 970 to 931 BC; great in wisdom, wealth, and power.

Queen of Sheba: ruler of a kingdom in southwestern Arabia. She visited King Solomon’s court at the head of a camel caravan bearing gold, jewels, and spices. The purpose of her visit was to test Solomon’s wisdom by asking to solve a series of riddles.

Solomon: an English oratorio by Handel, based on the stories of wise King Solomon from the Bible. Composed in 1748, it was first performed in London in 1749.

Solomon is rarely performed today, but the sinfonia at the beginning of Act 3, “The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba,” has become famous and was featured at the London Olympics in 2012.

Handel \'han-dəl\ 1685-1759

Fast Five

1. German Baroque composer.

2. Played organ, harpsichord, violin, and oboe.

3. Handel and Bach were born the same year in towns less than 100 miles apart, but they never met. Both composers went blind.

4. Wrote rapidly: composed almost as fast as he could copy the notes.

5. Composed for the English court and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

The Creation The Heavens Are Telling

Musical Minute

Chorus: a piece of music sung by a choir.

Instrument/Voice

Vocal trio, choir, and orchestra

Notes

Oratorio: a large composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists based on a religious text; story told through music; usually performed in concert setting, without costumes, stage sets, and staging. Trio: a group of three performers; in this context, three singers (a soprano, a tenor, and a bass). SATB choir: a group of male and female singers (S=soprano, A=alto, T=tenor, B=bass). Haydn wrote The Creation between 1796 and 1798. It tells of the six days of the creation of the world and of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Haydn conducted the premiere in Vienna in 1798. It was a huge success. The oratorio was inspired by Handel’s Messiah, which Haydn heard when he was visiting London. The soloists of the trio represent the angels Gabriel (soprano), Uriel (tenor), and Raphael (bass). “The Heavens Are Telling” is the most famous chorus from The Creation.

Fast Five

1. Austrian Classical composer.

2. Played violin, harpsichord, piano, organ; sang in boys’ choir.

3. Often called “Papa Haydn” because of his jolly personality; had many friends, including Mozart; devoutly religious.

4. Well-respected teacher; had many students, including Beethoven.

5. The “Father of the Symphony” (wrote 104); the “Father of the String Quartet” (wrote 83) wrote two famous oratorios late in his life.

Haydn \'hī-dən \ 1732-1809

Variations on “America” Musical Minute

Theme: the main melody of a piece of music.

Variation: a technique where music is repeated with alterations to the

melody, harmony, rhythm, meter, dynamics, timbre,

or texture.

Instrument/Voice

Organ

Notes

Tempo (“time”): the speed of the beat.

Meter: the way beats of music are grouped, usually in sets of two, three, or four beats.

Dynamics: the volume of the music (how loud or soft it is).

Introduction: beginning of a piece of music; interlude: short section of music between parts of a longer composition; coda (“tail”): ending of a piece of music.

“Variations on ‘America’” was composed in 1891, when Ives was 16 years old. He submitted it for publication in 1892, but it was rejected.

In 1928 organist E. Power Biggs asked Ives if he had any organ music that Biggs could perform on his radio program. Ives showed Biggs his “Variations,” which Biggs helped to get published in 1949.

American composer William Schuman transcribed “Variations on ‘America’” for orchestra in 1962. Both the organ and orchestra versions remain popular today.

Fast Five

1. 20th century American composer.

2. Played piano and organ.

3. Earned his living as owner of an insurance agency; composed music on weekends and evenings for his own pleasure.

4. Wrote orchestra music (4 symphonies), piano and organ music, chamber music, 185 songs; won Pulitzer Prize (1942, for Symphony No. 3).

5. Had heart disease, diabetes, lost his eye sight, died after a stroke.

Ives \'īvz\ 1874-1954

The Entertainer Musical Minute

Ragtime: a style of early jazz music composed for the piano, with a bouncy,

syncopated melody; called “ragtime” at first because

it sounded as ragged as a torn piece of cloth.

Instrument/Voice

Piano

Notes

Syncopation: a rhythm where important tones begin on weak beats or weak parts of beats, giving an “off-balance” feeling to the music.

Accent: indicates that a note should be played or sung with more emphasis than the other notes.

Stinger: an accented single note at the end of an introduction and/or the end of a piece of musi.

“The Entertainer” is a classic piano rag written in 1902 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Its subtitle is :”A Rag-Time Two Step.” The Two Step is a form of popular dance that was performed with ragtime music until about 1911.

Joplin became concerned about the way others were playing ragtime and had a note placed on his music that read: “ NOTICE! DO NOT PLAY THIS PIECE FAST. IT IS NEVER RIGHT TO PLAY RAGTIME FAST. –Author.”

“The Entertainer” was the main theme for the Oscar- winning movie, The Sting, in 1973.

Fast Five 1. Early 20th century American composer. 2. Played piano, cornet, and violin. 3. Born near Texarkana, Texas. 4. Left home as a teenager and was able to support himself by playing the piano. 5. Known as the “King of Ragtime.”

Joplin \'jä-plən\ 1868-1917

Interlude

D D

C C B B

Introduction

Joplin

A

A A

Interlude

D D

C C

B B

Introduction

A

A A

Songs of a Wayfarer Ging heut’ morgen über’s Feld

Musical Minute

Song cycle: a group of songs with a common

theme or that tell a story, designed to be performed

in sequence without a break.

Instrument/Voice

Baritone and Orchestra

Notes

Baritone: the most common male singing voice, between tenor (high male voice) and bass (low male voice).

Mood: the way a piece of music makes you feel, determined by expressive elements: tempo (speed of the beat), dynamics (volume), articulation (way notes are performed), texture (way sounds are combined), and major/minor tonality.

The song cycle was composed in 1884-5 after Mahler was spurned by a singer. The four songs tell of the journey of a man who has lost his love to a rival. Mahler wrote the text.

German title of the song cycle: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen. “Fahrenden Gesellen” is a travelling apprentice. Mahler wrote the songs when he was working to become a conductor.

This is the first song cycle ever written for singer and orchestra. Mahler used the theme and orchestration of this song in the first movement of his Symphony No. 1, composed in 1887-88.

Fast Five

1. Austrian late- Romantic composer.

2. Played piano, famous as a conductor.

3. Earned his living as a conductor; composed part- time during the summer in “composing huts” in the country.

4. Composed 9 symphonies (10th was unfinished), a song- symphony, songs, and song cycles with orchestra.

5. Perfectionist and workaholic; very demanding as a conductor; loved to swim and walk in the mountains; died of heart disease.

Mahler \'mä-lər \ 1860-1911

Horn Concerto No. 2 Movement 3

Instrument/Voice

Solo French horn, chamber orchestra

Notes

Concerto: a composition, usually in three parts, or movements, for solo instrument and orchestra. Rondo form: main theme returns after each contrasting section: A B A C A. Rondo can also refer to music that is fast and vivacious. French horn: a brass instrument made from ca. 17 feet of coiled metal tubing. It developed from the post horn, hunting horn, and natural horn, to a modern horn that uses valves and valve keys. Mozart’s second Horn Concerto was completed in 1783. It was written for Joseph Leutgelb (1732-1811),a virtuoso natural horn player in the court orchestra of Salzburg. Coda (“tail”): ending of a piece of music. Horn Concerto No. 2 contains three movements. Movement 3 is a rondo: A B A C A D A Coda. The instruments of this chamber orchestra are unusual, because there are no bassoons, and two French horns, in addition to the solo horn.

Fast Five

1. Austrian Classical composer. 2. Played violin, harpsichord, viola, clavier, piano, and organ. 3. Child prodigy; considered a musical genius his whole life. 4. Traveled extensively with his sister around Europe performing for royalty. 5. One of the most important classical composers in history; died of rheumatic fever.

Mozart \'mōt-särt\ 1756-1791

Musical Minute

Chamber orchestra: a small group of musicians

who play in a room (chamber) or small hall.

Gloria Laudamus Te

Musical Minute

Soprano: high female voice, abbreviated “S.”

Alto: low female voice, abbreviated “A.”

Tenor: high male voice, abbreviated “T.”

Bass: low male voice, abbreviated “B.”

Instrument/Voice

SATB Choir and Orchestra

Notes

Mass: a choral composition that sets the Latin words of a Catholic church service to music. Sections of the ordinary Mass are: I. Kyrie, II. Gloria, III. Credo, IV. Sanctus and Benidictus, V. Agnus Dei.

Gloria: celebratory passage in a mass that praises God, divided into sections according to the text.

Laudamus Te: the second of six sections of the Gloria (means “we praise You” in Latin).

Gregorian Chant: a simple vocal line with free rhythm, performed without instruments. Developed in the Middle Ages for use in church, the Latin text is religious.

Poulenc composed the Gloria in 1959-60, for orchestra, chorus, and soprano soloist. The first performance was in Boston, in 1960.

At the end of 20th century, Poulenc’s Gloria was the second most-often performed piece of French classical music in the world, after Ravel's Bolero.

Fast Five

1. French 20th century composer; most famous member of “Les Six” (with Auric, Durey, Honegger, Milhaud, Tailleferre).

2. Played piano, accompanied famous singers on concert tours of Europe and America.

3. Wrote songs, operas, choral music, pieces for piano, chamber music, ballets.

4. One of the most important 20th century composers of religious music.

5. Died of a heart attack.

Poulenc \'pü-ˌlaŋk \ 1899-1963

Sing, Sing, Sing Musical Minute

Jazz: a type of music that was created by African

Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

It uses improvisation and syncopation.

Instrument/Voice

Big band

Notes

Improvisation: music created in real time without preparation.

Syncopation: a rhythm where important tones begin on weak beats or weak parts of beats, giving an “off-balance” feeling to the music.

Big band: small group of 12-25 musicians who play percussion, brass, and woodwind instruments.

The swing era (“big band” era): period of time (around 1935-1946) when big band swing music was the most popular music in the United States.

Bridge: term used in jazz and pop music for a connecting section within the form of the music.

“Sing, Sing, Sing” was composed in 1936 by Louis Prima, who first recorded it with the New Orleans Gang. In 1937 it was recorded in Hollywood by clarinetist Benny Goodman. Prima composed lyrics, but Benny Goodman’s instrumental version is more famous.

Goodman’s arrangement was longer than the usual three minutes that fit on one side of a record. It lasted almost nine minutes and took up both sides of the record.

Fast Five

1. 20th century American singer, actor, song writer.

2. Played trumpet and sang.

3. Followed music trends: 1920’s New Orleans style jazz band, 1930’s swing combo, 1940’s big band, 1950’s Vegas lounge act, 1960’s pop-rock band.

4. Had expensive tastes: clothes, horses, boating.

5. His was the voice of King Louie the orangutan in Disney’s animated version of The Jungle Book (performed “I Wanna Be Like You”).

Prima \'pri-mə\ 1910-1978

The Barber of Seville Largo al factotum

Musical Minute

Baritone: most common male singing voice,

between a tenor and bass.

Instrument/Voice

Baritone and orchestra

Notes

Opera: a story told completely through music. The characters sing with an orchestra and act out the story on a stage with costumes, scenery, props, and choreography.

Aria: a song from an opera, for one voice, often sung with an orchestra. Aria means “air” in Italian.

Seville: a large city in southern Spain.

The Barber of Seville was composed in less than three weeks in 1816, with Italian lyrics, and was based on Pierre Beaumarchais’s French play Le Barbier de Séville (1775).

The title of the opera refers to the character of Figaro, who is a very clever and ambitious factotum (a handyman or “jack of all trades”), and will take any job as long as he is well paid.

Opera buffa: comic opera, written for and about ordinary people with common problems. Singers must have clear diction and be able to sing patter (fast singing). The Barber of Seville is a masterpiece of opera buffa.

Rossini’s Barber is very popular: #9 on the Operabase list of most-performed operas in the world.

Largo al factotum is often used in cartoons.

Fast Five

1. Italian Romantic composer.

2. Singer; played harpsichord, piano, cello, and French horn.

3. Famous from the time he was a teenager until his death; estate worth $1.4 million when he died.

4. Wrote 32 operas; retired from writing operas at age 37; continued to compose other works.

5. Bel canto composer known as “The Italian Mozart” and “Signor Crescendo.”

Rossini \ro-'sē-nē \ 1792-1868

Symphony No. 5 Movement 2

Musical Minute

Symphony: a piece of music in three or more

movements for orchestra.

Instrument/Voice

Orchestra

Notes

Scherzo (“joke” in Italian): the third movement in a symphony, in 3/4 time, usually quick and light-hearted. It is often played with a trio, followed by a repeat of the scherzo.

Trio: a middle contrasting section of a three-part form, named “trio” because it was originally written for three instruments. Trio sections usually have a light, simple texture.

Coda (“tail”): ending of a piece of music

Pizzicato (pizz.): plucking strings with finger rather than using a bow to play an instrument in the violin family (arco: using a bow).

Form: the overall plan or structure of a piece of music.

This movement is known as a scherzo (scherzo-trio-scherzo).

Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 was composed and first-performed in 1937 in Leningrad, where it was very well-received. It is the most popular and most performed of his fifteen symphonies.

Fast Five

1. 20th century Russian-Soviet composer.

2. Played piano and violin, child prodigy as pianist and composer, played piano for silent movies.

3. Wrote 15 symphonies, 15 string quartets, over 30 film scores, music for cartoons.

4. Adapted compositions to meet the demands of the Soviet government.

5. Worldwide celebrity; picture appeared on cover of Time magazine.

Shostakovich \ˌshäs-tə-ˈkō-vich\ 1906-1975

Lohengrin Prelude to Act 3

Musical Minute

Dynamics: the volume of music (how loud

or soft it is).

Instrument/Voice

Orchestra

Notes

Opera: a story told completely through music. The characters sing with an orchestra accompanying them, and act out the story on a stage with costumes, scenery, props, and choreography.

Prelude: piece of music that introduces something important, such as an orchestral opening to an act of an opera, the first movement of a suite, or a piece preceding a fugue. In his operas, Wagner used the word “prelude” in place of “overture.”

Franz Liszt (1811-1886): Hungarian composer, conductor, and virtuoso pianist. Liszt was a close friend of Wagner, and Wagner married Liszt’s daughter, Cosima.

Wagner composed Lohengrin in 1846-1848, but did not attend the premiere, conducted by Franz Liszt in Weimar, Germany in 1850. Wagner participated in a political uprising in Dresden in 1849, and had to leave Germany when a warrant was issued for his arrest.

King Ludwig of Bavaria was so fond of Wagner and his music, that he built a fairy tale castle, “Neuschwanstein” (“New Swan-on-the-Rock”), which inspired Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Fast Five

1. German Romantic composer.

2. Played piano, also known as a conductor and theater director.

3. Famous for his operas (wrote 13), which he called “music dramas” His cycle of 4 operas, The Ring of the Nibelung, lasts over 18 hours, and was the inspiration for JRR Tolkien’s adventure series, The Lord of the Rings.

4. Wrote the librettos as well as all the music for his operas.

5. Died of a heart attack.

Wagner \ˌ'väg-nər \ 1813-1883

Symphony No. 1 Movement 3

Musical Minute

Symphony: a piece of music in three or more

movements for orchestra.

Instrument/Voice

Orchestra

Notes

Pulitzer Prize: a yearly American award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature, and musical composition. Winners receive a $10,000 cash award. Rondo form: main theme returns after each contrasting section: A B A C A; rondo can also refer to music that is fast and vivacious. Motif: a distinctive and recurring musical theme. Ostinato: a pattern that repeats. Zwilich’s Symphony No. 1 (Three Movements for Orchestra) was commissioned by the American Composer’s Orchestra and the National Endowment for the Arts in 1982. The premiere was so successful that Zwilich received commissions for new works from many orchestras. It was for Symphony No. 1 that Zwilich received the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1983. Movement 3 is in rondo form: A B A C A B A.

Fast Five

1. Contemporary American composer.

2. Plays piano, trumpet, violin.

3. Played violin with American Symphony Orchestra (1965- 72) and has made her living as a composer since 1978.

4. First woman to receive a doctoral degree in composition from Julliard, and first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music.

5. One of America’s most popular living classical composers; best known for orchestra works (concertos and five symphonies).

Zwilich \ˈswi-lik\ Born 1939

A

C

B

A

A A

B

Zwilich Symphony No. 1

Movement 3