AOS 4 Flashcards
Classical music since 1910 (42 cards)
what did classical music (but not minimalism) used lots of?
Dissonance - minimalism reacted against this
what was Classical music inspired by?
folk music - traditional melodies, instruments and techniques
jazz
Even though classical music used dissonance what was it also?
mainly tonal
how did the orchestra expand in classical music?
included: saxophones, percussion and new electrical instruments
what was aaron copland inspired by?
folk melody and dance from the west
name two characteristics of aaron copland’s music
changes time signature (no pulse)
give two examples of aaron copland’s work
‘fanafare of the common man’ and ‘Appalachian spring- Ballet’
What did Malcolm Arnold write?
orchestral suites based on folk dances
what was Malcolm Arnold also influenced by? and what did it include?
jazz - complicated syncopated rhythms and jazzy harmonies (6th,7th,9th chords)
what was Peter Maxwell Davies influenced by?
scottish island and its traditions
give 2 examples of Peter Maxwell Davies’ work and its features
‘Farewell to Stromness’- folky melody over ground baseline in major key
‘First Symphony’ - highly dissonant
Name three things John Tavener was influenced by
religious choral music , renaissance , middle east
what did John Tavener’s religious choral music include?
Drones, modes and simple counterpoints
what is an example of John Tavener’s work and what does it include?
‘the lamb’ - melodic inversion and augmentation
What was Benjamin Britten famous for?
operas, orchestral pieces, choral pieces
the fact he was a pacifist
what is the opera by Benjamin Britten about?
‘peter grimes’ opera about English seaside town
4 sea interludes - changing state of sea - dawn to storm
who are the two main composers associated with orchestral music and where are they from?
Zoltan Kodaly and Bela Bartok
both from Hungary
what is true about both Kodaly’s and Bartok’s music?
express nationalism
include traditional folk melodies scales and instruments
what are 2 thinks that Zoltan Kodaly is known for?
the cimbalom - a twangy instrument
and the fact that he is more obviously based on folk traditions
what 2 things are Bela Bartok known for?
wrote more music for piano and orchestras - concerto for orchestra
invented ‘Bartok pizzicato’ - where you pull the string back and it slaps the fingerboard
what 3 composers are minimalist composers?
John Adams, Steve Reich, and Terry Riley
What are the 5 main features of minimalistic music?
- use of drones
- tonal
- scales and arpeggios
- changes key either very slowly or very suddenly
- overlapping ostinatos
what do overlapping ostinatos do in the music?
create complex polyrhythms
a constant sense of gradual change called METAMORPHOSIS
Overall what is Minimalism seen as?
used to be avant-garde classical music ( because of extended repetition and electronics) but now is mainstream classical
influential for pop music