Aos2. Ensemble Flashcards
(18 cards)
How many movements are in the Classical String Quartet?
4
What is the tempo of the movements in the Classical String Quartet?
- Allegro
- Adagio
- Molto Allegro/ Tempo Minuetto
- Presto/Allegro
What are examples of chamber ensembles?
String Trio - Violin, Viola & Cello
Trio Sonata (Baroque) 2 violins & Harpsichord and Cello Continuo
Piano Trio - Piano, Violin & Cello
String Quartet - 2 violins, Viola & cello
Piano Quartet - Piano, 2 violins, Viola & cello
Wind quintet - Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon & Horn
String sextet - 2 violins, 2 violas & 2 cellos
Wind octet - 2 oboes, 2 clarinets’, 2 bassoons & 2 horns
What are the characteristics of Baroque Chamber Music?
Trio Sonata - the most popular form
4 players- 2 violins and the harpsichord and cello performing the role of the continuo together
Melody - performed by the two violins often in dialogue with each other (musical conversation)
Melody lines were often decorated with musical ornaments (trills, turns, mordents)
Trio sonata had a 3 part texture and movements were
What are the characteristics of Classical Chamber Music?
String Quartet - most familiar type of Chamber Music from the Classical Period (followed by Violin, Cello and Flute Sonatas)
2 violins playing the highest parts, the Viola playing in the middle and the Cello playing the lowest part
String Quartets are in 4 movements (3rd movement was often a minuet & trio in triple meter)
3rd Movement structured in Ternary Form (A¹ B A² with A being the Minuet and B being the trio
Both the Minuet and trio were often written in binary form with repeated sections, the repeats of the Minuet often being omitted during its final playing
Trio often provided a musical contrast to the Minuet being lighter in texture contrasts in Legato and Staccato using different rhythmic and melodic motifs
What are the features of Chamber Music?
Played without a conductor
One player per part
More common chamber music combinations are trios (3 players), quarters (4 players) Quintets (five players) and Sextets (six players)
Some composers wrote for larger Ensembles such as Septets (7 players) and Octets (8 players)
What is the mood/character of the movements in the Classical String Quartet?
Movement 1 - Cheerful, Joyful, Happy, Light
Movement 2 - More serious, thoughtful, reflective, lyrical or song-like
Movement 3 - Dance like, Light, Dainty with a “lighter” middle section
Movement 4 - Light, Dainty, Elegant, Happy, Cheerful
What is the form/tonality of the movements in the Classical String Quartet?
Movement 1 - Sonata form (Tonic Key)
Movement 2 - Choice of form much freer sometimes Sonata form (Often in a different but “related” key)
Movement 3 - Minuet & Trio (Tonic Key)
Movement 4 - Sonata form or Sonata Rondo Form (Tonic Key)
What is the meaning of monophonic?
Single melody line
What is the meaning of unison?
All parts play the same melody
What is the meaning of homophonic?
Parts move together in harmony (chords)
What is the meaning of melody & accompaniment?
One part plays the melody and the other parts accompony
What is the meaning of polyphonic?
Two or more different melodies played at the same time also referred to as counterpoint or contrapuntal
What is the countermelody?
The 2nd melody line
What is chordal accompaniment?
Where different instruments or parts play or sing the same notes
What does layered mean?
Adding one musical element of top of another
What does canon mean?
A contrapuntal (counterpoint-based) compositional technique that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration
What does round mean?
A song form in which three to five voice simultaneously sing a simple melody in unison or octaves starting at different times
