the period of Western classical music between 1600 and 1750

the accompaniment section of the Baroque orchestra, normally including harpsichord and a bass stringed instrument (e.g. cello)

when a performer decorates a melody with extra notes (e.g. trills, turns)

where dynamics change suddenly, rather than gradually

a type of polyphonic texture that includes two or more interweaving melodic lines

Listen for those two instruments here

Listen to those two instruments without the rest of the orchestra

turn

mordent

trill

Which do you think is a Baroque melody? Clip 1

Which do you think is a Baroque melody? Clip 2

The Baroque period

Music

The Classical period

The Romantic period

Texture and harmony across the eras

Classical music in the 20th century

This unit builds on the Introduction to the WCT unit, exploring the Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods in greater depth, assessing the development of key musical trends, and finishing with a look at developments in the 20th century.

The Western Classical Tradition: extended

the period of Western classical music between 1750 and 1820

a long composition for orchestra, usually consisting of four shorter pieces (movements)

a three-movement solo composition, and a structure with exposition, development and recapitulation

melodic phrases which are equal in length and have complementary melodic shapes

Can you identify the Classical melody? Clip 1

Can you identify the Classical melody? Clip 2

Listen again to the phrase lengths - what do you notice? Clip 1

Listen again to the phrase lengths - what do you notice? Clip 2

In this example, Mozart uses 2-bar phrases and balanced phrasing:

In what ways does Mozart create balanced phrasing?

Can you pick out both of those parts in this clip?

Listen to the accompaniment on its own. How would you describe it?

C major chord

becomes

the period of Western classical music between roughly 1820 and 1910

music that tells a story or creates an image of something

notes that are from outside the key, creating more complex harmony

a short musical idea that represents a character, place or idea

music that shows off a performer’s technical skill

This leitmotif represents his child playing - why does it suit that?

a texture with more than one equally important melodic line

a texture consisting of a melody with a clearly separate accompaniment

music which uses only notes that are based in the key (e.g. C major or F minor)

music that uses notes from outside the key, creating more complex harmony

This creates a complex polyphonic texture, which is typical of the period.

The violin uses a distinct motif, that is then copied in the flute.

What is it that makes the accompaniment sound like an accompaniment?

Can you hear the pattern repeating in the accompaniment here?

Which instruments play the main melody and the countermelody?

Listen again to that countermelody. How does it contrast with the main melody?

Can you identify which is the distant key, and the effect that this has? Ex.1

Can you identify which is the distant key, and the effect that this has? Ex.2

What cadence is used at the very end?

a style of music that emerged in the 1960s in the USA, defined by its repetition of minimal musical ideas

where chords don’t have their traditional roles (e.g. chord V resolving to I, using mostly primary chords)

music that radically challenges what we think of as 'normal' music

a short, repeating musical idea (plural: ostinati)

Start by creating an ostinato - a short, repeating musical idea

Repeat it over and over, then introduce another ostinato over the top

Develop the texture by adding more parts

Create variety by changing the octave, dynamics and timbre of the ostinati

Consider shifting one of the ostinati rhythmically

We can easily create an effective composition based on minimal musical ideas

It starts in one part

Then joins in in another part, but starting a quaver later

Then it could move another quaver later, and so on

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The Western Classical Tradition: extended

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