The voice in Western classical music
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the various ways that voices have been used throughout the periods of Western classical music.
Key learning points
- Composers have used voices in many different ways.
- Solo songs, such as lieder, were particularly common from the Romantic period onwards.
- They often used techniques such as word-painting and melisma.
- Opera used solo singers, a chorus and orchestra to tell epic stories, using arias and recitative.
- In the Baroque period, oratorios and anthems are two key genres of vocal music.
Keywords
Choir / chorus - a group of singers, often including soprano, alto, tenor and bass voices (SATB)
Lied - a solo song, most common in the Romantic period, usually with piano accompaniment (plural 'lieder')
Recitative - a vocal style that sounds semi-spoken, often used for dialogue in opera
Word-painting - where a vocal melody reflects the meaning of the words (e.g. a descending melody on the word ‘falls’)
Melisma - where multiple notes are sung during one syllable of a word
Common misconception
Oratorios and anthems are essentially the same - they are both religious, with similar musical features.
Anthems often are a capella, whereas oratorios always have orchestral accompaniment. Oratorios are long pieces of music, consisting of numerous songs that tell a biblical story. Anthems are shorter songs that are used as part of a Christian service.
Teacher tip
If possible, explore some broader choral repertoire with pupils. Listening exercises based on Baroque madrigals are a good starting point, focusing on the vocal techniques and the way the voices are used. To broaden learning, explore Brahms' German Requiem as an example of later choral music.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1. music is music composed for a small ensemble.
Q2.What is a trio sonata?
Q3.How many instruments are in an octet?
Q4.What is the traditional instrumentation of a piano trio?
Q5.Which of these instrumental combinations would be considered a solo? (Choose all that apply)
Q6.Which movement of a string quartet would you expect to be slow?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Put these voice types in order from highest to lowest.
Q2.Which is a solo song for voice with piano accompaniment from the Romantic period?
Q3.What is word-painting?
Q4.Which is the word for using multiple notes during one syllable?
Q5.Which two are the key song types in opera?
Q6.What is an oratorio?
To help you plan your 10 music lesson on: The voice in Western classical music, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 music lesson on: The voice in Western classical music, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 music lessons from the The Western Classical Tradition (1600-1910) unit, dive into the full secondary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.