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T - Music History 3 > North American Composers: Musical Style and Works > Flashcards

North American Composers: Musical Style and Works Flashcards

1
Q

Genre of Coulthard’s The Contented House:

A

orchestral music

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2
Q

What does Reich emphasize in his minimalist works?

A
  • the process of change

- slow evolution of melodic, harmonic, and contrapuntal features (ex. “Drumming”)

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3
Q

Who wrote Sondheim’s song lyrics?

A

he wrote them all himself

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4
Q

meter of the 2nd movement of Reich’s Electric Counterpoint:

A

regular alternations of 3/4, 5/8, 4/4

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5
Q

Describe the “Rehearsal Section Ff” of Coulthard’s The Contented House:

A
  • marked A tempo, poco a poco crescendo
  • original progression returns in strings in an expanded form, complemented by the woodwinds
  • clarinets gently cascade downwards, alternating 3rds and 6ths, marked delicately by triangle
  • flutes and violins join in final reminiscence of the folk song
  • closing measures marked morendo; strings and French horn die away
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6
Q

Who did Reich collaborate with?

A

American jazz, rock, hip-hop, and performance artists such as:

  • guitarist Pat Metheny
  • new wave performers David Byrne (Talking Heads)
  • Brian Eno (Roxy Music)
  • singer/composer Laurie Anderson
  • wife Beryl Korot
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7
Q

Irony of the 2 characters in Sondheim’s My Friends:

A

one is singing/dreaming about love, while the other is singing/dreaming about death

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8
Q

book (dialogue) of Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Feet Street by:

A

Hugh Wheeler

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9
Q

meter of 1st movement of Reich’s Electric Counterpoint:

A

4/4

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10
Q

Mood of Coulthard’s The Contented House:

A

serene work resembles film music and displays Coulthard’s more conservative, accessible style

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11
Q

Sondheim was an exponent of didactic theater. What is this?

A

theater that is meant to “instruct” an audience, raising their awareness of socio-political issues

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12
Q

How does Coulthard’s works show nationalism?

A

works often use quotations from Canadian folk music (ex. Canadian Fantasy, The Pines of Emily Carr)

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13
Q

Where was Reich born and what effect did it have on his music?

A
  • born in NYC, grew up in LA

- absorbed the musical culture of both American coasts

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14
Q

Electric Counterpoint demonstrates Reich’s contemporary influences such as:

A
  • jazz
  • rock
  • world beat
  • minimalism
  • electronic manipulation
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15
Q

meter of Sondheim’s My Friends:

A

3/4 but with frequently changing meters

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16
Q

Tell the general story of Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Feet Street

A
  • story of a man’s all-consuming thirst for justice
  • Sweeney Todd, a barber in Victorian-era London, is determined to kill the sinister judge who destroyed his family
  • meets landlady Mrs. Lovett. Together they form an unholy alliance
  • Sweeney uses his barber’s razor to “dispatch” all who get in the way of his vengeful quest
  • Mrs. Lovett is more practical; she grinds up the remains of Sweeney’s victims…has a meat pie shoppe
  • ultimately, Sweeney Todd gets his revenge at an enormous cost to himself and those who love him
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17
Q

Growing up, Sondheim was greatly influenced by who?

A

Oscar Hammerstein: famous lyricist, close family friend

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18
Q

Describe the 2nd movement of Reich’s Electric Counterpoint:

A
  • attack from opening movement; maintains sense of strong drive, though tempo is moderate
  • solo guitar joins; generally plays upper lines
  • gentle, lyrical character with broad phrases
  • from the initial reduced texture, additional voices are added canonically, building in density until all instruments are present
  • shifting meters and constant syncopation are the rhythmic hallmarks
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19
Q

tempo of 1st movement of Reich’s Electric Counterpoint:

A

fast (quarter=192)

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20
Q

Years of Steve Reich

A

1936-

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21
Q

Who frequently employed leitmotifs, developing them as the story unfolds?

A

Sondheim

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22
Q

Describe the introduction of Coulthard’s The Contented House:

A
  • tempo: Poco lento, semplice con teneremente
  • opens p with serene, homorhythmic passage in the strings played motto legato; supported by French horns
  • influence of Aaron Copland evident in the quiet, searching quality of the string writing
  • frequent tempo changes throughout this short movement impart a warm humanity to the sound
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23
Q

Meter of Coulthard’s The Contented House:

A

changing meters

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24
Q

Describe Sondheim’s quality of language.

A
  • quality of language matches the characters

- the more clever the rhyme scheme, the more sophisticated the character

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25
Q

Genre of Reich’s Electric Counterpoint:

A

guitar music

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26
Q

Key of 1st movement of Reich’s Electric Counterpoint:

A

one sharp, implies e natural minor

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27
Q

Source of plot of Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Feet Street:

A

based on the 1973 play “Sweeney Todd” by Christopher Bond (the roots of the legend can be traced back to the late 18th century)

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28
Q

Performing forces of Reich’s Electric Counterpoint:

A

solo electric guitar accompanied by 10 guitars and 2 bass guitars (or pre-recorded tape of the accompaniment)

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29
Q

specific summary of Sondheim’s My Friends:

A
  • Mrs. Lovett, who is secretly in love with Sweeney, presents him with his gleaming razors: instruments that she has kept hidden all these years in hope that he would one day return from an Australian prison
  • In this dark “love duet”, Sweeney tenderly embraces these instruments of revenge, while at the very same time (and unnoticed by him), Mrs. Lovett reveals her passion for him
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30
Q

Give 4 musical traits of Sondheim

A
  • rhythmically complex
  • perfect union between melody and text
  • rich harmonic language with stylistic ties to Johannes Brahms, Maurice Ravel, Sergei Prokofiev
  • master of contrapuntal writing
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31
Q

Who was Reich’s Electric Counterpoint written for?

A

American jazz guitarist Pat Metheny

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32
Q

key of the 3rd movement of Reich’s Electric Counterpoint:

A

one sharp (D Mixolydian mode suggested)

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33
Q

Key of the 2nd movement of Reich’s Electric Counterpoint:

A

4 sharps

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34
Q

Reich had frequent award-winning collaborations with respected choreographers, including:

A
  • Alvin Ailey
  • Maurice Bejart
  • Jerome Robbins
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35
Q

Describe Section A of Sondheim’s My Friends:

A
  • marked p and semipro dolce
  • opening 4 notes of the melody are an inverted fragment of the “Dies irae” (Latin for “Day of Judgement”), a chant taken from the Catholic mass for the dead. Quotations of the “Dies irae” occur throughout the score
  • minor-tinged melody begins in the low register and builds upward with emphasis on the words “friends” and “home”
  • with his razors he will act both as judge and executioner over those who have wronged him
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36
Q

Where did Reich study?

A

Juilliard School

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37
Q

Describe Section A’ of Sondheim’s My Friends:

A
  • duet proceeds a half step higher than before
  • Sweeney repeats his opening melody warm and caressingly, oblivious to Mrs. Lovett’s declaration of love
  • Mrs. Lovett’s countermelody is rhythmically more active, suggesting her skittish, chattering nature, as well as her tentativeness in declaring her feelings for Mr. Todd
  • on the words “warm in my hand” and “splendours you never have dreamed all your days…” their voices join in unison
  • Sweeney chillingly likens the drops of blood to “precious rubies”
  • finally, he proclaims, “my hand is complete again!”
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38
Q

tempo of Sondheim’s My Friends:

A

Misterioso

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39
Q

When did Reich’s career unfold alongside who?

A
  • early 1960s in NYC

- alongside other minimalist pioneers such as La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Phillip Glass, and John Adams

40
Q

Historical context of Coulthard’s Canada Mosaic:

A

commissioned by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for a tour of Japan in 1974

41
Q

Describe the “Rehearsal Section Dd” of Coulthard’s The Contented House:

A
  • marked dolce, oboe quotes a fragment of the folk song “A la claire fontaine”, answered by softly pressing strings (frequent use of tenuto markings)
  • marked dolce espressive, flute plays extended reference to the folk melody, answered gently by strings
  • music builds to climax (only mf), orchestral density increases, ascending strings and woodwinds are punctuated with woodwind trills, timpani roll, and majestic crash of cymbals
42
Q

tempo of the 3rd movement of Reich’s Electric Counterpoint:

A

fast (quarter =192)

43
Q

Who had an affinity for complex, challenging issues?

A

Sondheim

44
Q

Describe Sondheim’s form

A
  • rejected the standard AABA song form

- experimented with novel, even through composed forms

45
Q

What are the 3 main ideological objectives of Canada Mosaic, identified by Coulthard herself?

A
  • use of Canadian folk songs from different parts of the vast country
  • to create an image of Canada through her music, both the ethnic groups and varied scenes
  • to relate both the people and the scenes to her own childhood memories
46
Q

How is unity achieved in the 3rd movement of Reich’s Electric Counterpoint?

A
  • through melodic motive relationship: principal motives constructed from similar melodic intervals and their inversions
47
Q

year of composition of Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Feet Street:

A

1979

48
Q

What was Reich awarded in 2009, and for which work?

A
  • Pulitzer Prize

- “Double Sextet”

49
Q

Give 3 musical characteristics of Reich’s Electric Counterpoint.

A
  • virtuosic showcase
  • energetic musical lines weave in and out as the texture builds and decreases in density
  • joyous spirit
50
Q

What type of style did Reich create?

A

his own personal style of minimalism, merging popular, classical, and technological elements

51
Q

Year of Coulthard’s The Contented House:

A

1974

52
Q

specific form of Sondheim’s My Friends:

A

A (solo), A’ (duet)

53
Q

Key of Coulthard’s The Contented House:

A

F Major

54
Q

Name the 7 movements in Coulthard’s Canada Mosaic.

A
  • Lullaby for a Snowy Evening
  • Mam’zelle Quebecoise
  • D’Sonoqua’s Song
  • Harbour Sounds
  • The Contented House
  • Billowing Fields of Golden Wheat
  • Happy New Year
55
Q

Which Coulthard work are we studying?

A

“The Contented House” from “Canada Mosaic”

56
Q

Describe Sondheim’s characters.

A
  • music is inseparable from the characters and the action, not often heard outside of its dramatic context
  • multi-dimensional characters with neuroses and indecisive traits
57
Q

Tempo of the 2nd movement of Reich’s Electric Counterpoint:

A

slow (quarter=96)

58
Q

Who influenced Jean Coulthard?

A
  • Ralph Vaughan Williams
  • Bela Bartok
  • Aaron Copland
  • Arnold Schoenberg
59
Q

What are 3 things that Coulthard experimented with?

A
  • serialism
  • aleatoric procedures
  • electronic music
60
Q

What is Sondheim’s “My Friends” inspired by?

A

the French “Grand Guignol” tradition of theatrical horror, mixed together with broad comedy

61
Q

Some of Reich’s compositions feature “phrase shifting”. What is this?

A

slowing down and speeding up tape loops to create a constantly evolving musical density (ex. “Come Out”)

62
Q

Performing forces of Coulthard’s The Contented House:

A

large orchestra with expanded percussion section

63
Q

For more than 50 years, who has played a leading role in redefining the Broadway musical?

A

Stephen Sondheim

64
Q

How is Sondheim a realist?

A
  • In the stage work genre, love and happiness should be guaranteed, where an unrealistic version of life is depicted
  • in his rich legacy of stage works, Sondheim replaces sentimentality with emotional intensity
65
Q

What neo-Romantic characteristics are shown in Coulthard’s musical style?

A
  • lyricism
  • lush harmonies
  • emotional intensity
66
Q

What did Reich study and how did it influence his compositions?

A
  • African drumming at the University of Ghana: incorporated its rhythmic complexity into his compositions
  • Balinese Gamelan music: absorbed into his formal and harmonic procedures
67
Q

Who developed the “concept” musical and what is it? Give an example.

A
  • Sondheim
  • all elements of the work are integrated to suggest a central thematic image or idea
  • ex. the Kabuki (Japanese theater) inspired “Pacific Overtures”
68
Q

Source of text of Coulthard’s The Contented House:

A

original French Canadian folk song “A la claire fontaine”

69
Q

Reich’s works were often brimming with what characteristic of minimalism? Give an example.

A
  • motoric drive

- ex. “Six Pianos”

70
Q

Sondheim was inspired by a wide array for sources including:

A
  • films
  • plays
  • history
71
Q

Year of compositions of Reich’s Electric Counterpoint:

A

1987

72
Q

General structure of Coulthard’s Canada Mosaic:

A

7 movements

73
Q

Describe Sondheim’s story lines.

A
  • not always logical or linear

- fusion of fantasy with reality

74
Q

Describe the “Rehearsal Section Ee” of Coulthard’s The Contented House:

A
  • passage restores the gentle mood
  • clarinets trace parallel 6ths in a gently cascading passage; triangle enhances the shimmering effect
  • fragment of “A la claire fontaine” recalled by the flute
75
Q

What was Sondheim able to do in creating one of his most complex and riveting scores in “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”?

A

elevate the tragic tale of a vengeful barber to operatic heights

76
Q

lyrics of Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Feet Street by:

A

Stephen Sondheim

77
Q

What was Reich’s principal instrument?

A
  • Percussion

- often premiered his own works

78
Q

Describe the 3rd movement of Reich’s Electric Counterpoint:

A
  • movements are linked: attacca employed
  • strummed chords enter, creating a striking effect after single note
  • contains more variety and contrast than other movements
  • sudden modulations back and forth from 1 sharp to 3 flats
  • final section has 5 voice texture with dramatic crescendo to mf conclusion on the interval of a 9th
  • relentless energy maintained until the final notes, a characteristic of Ghanaian drumming tradition
79
Q

General structure of Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Feet Street:

A

2 acts

80
Q

key of Sondheim’s My Friends:

A

modal (melody opens in B flat Dorian)

81
Q

Years of Steven Sondheim

A

1930-

82
Q

Where did Reich draw his musical style from?

A

European classical and non-Western popular music sources, electronic innovations

83
Q

meter of the 3rd movement of Reich’s Electric Counterpoint:

A

3/2

84
Q

General structure of Reich’s Electric Counterpoint:

A

3 movements

85
Q

Describe the introduction of Sondheim’s My Friends:

A
  • marked misterioso and p
  • undulating 3 note ostinato is heard over sustained open fifths (Eflat- B flat- F) in the bass, establishing the solemn mood
  • delicate chimes sound to suggest the glint of the deadly blade
  • this “safety” passage is repeated by the orchestral until cued that the actor is ready to begin
86
Q

Years of Jean Coulthard

A

1908-2000

87
Q

Describe the 1st movement of Reich’s Electric Counterpoint:

A
  • singular relentless tempo with uninterrupted momentum
  • brief, syncopated motives, dance-like and delicate, emerge from the initial density, now a sparse texture
  • sudden contrast is striking to the listener
  • modulations; key signature changes to 3 flats
  • repeated notes are joined and layered by 2nds, 3rds, triads
  • massed aggregate chords result, mildly dissonant, static harmony
88
Q

Specific form of Coulthard’s The Contented House:

A

free-form

89
Q

Reich’s Electric Counterpoint pays homage to what?

A

the Baroque art of counterpoint

90
Q

Name 3 commissions that Coulthard completed for leading Canadian performers.

A
  • the Duo Sonata for Violin and Cello (Tom and Shauna Rolston)
  • Piano Sonata No. 2 (Jane Coop)
  • song cycle Spring Rhapsody (contralto Maureen Forrester)
91
Q

Name a award that Coulthard won.

A

Officer of the Order of Canada

92
Q

In what ways is Coulthard’s The Contented House an example of neo-Romanticism?

A
  • heightened emotionalism
  • individualism
  • nationalism
  • modal/tonal harmony
  • lush textures
93
Q

How was Coulthard’s interest in pedagogy demonstrated?

A

in pedagogy works for both piano and violin

94
Q

What is one of Sondheim’s finest achievements that came early in his career?

A

invited by Leonard Bernstein to write the lyrics for “West Side Story”

95
Q

what minimalist characteristics are immediately evident in the 1st movement of Reich’s Electric Counterpoint?

A
  • limited harmonic movement
  • hypnotic repeated motives
  • slowly changing dynamics crest and recede
96
Q

Genre of Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Feet Street:

A

musical

97
Q

Who had popular appealing style?

A

Coulthard

T - Music History 3 (13 decks)

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