Music q4 notes

• Franz Peter Schubert


  Last of the Classical composers and one of the first romantic ones
• Schubert's vocal music works and lieders

  • "Gretchen am Spinnrade"
  • "Erlkonig"
  • "Ave Maria"
  • "Swan Song"
• Giuseppe Verdi


  • Studied in Busseto and later went to Milan
  • His first opera was "Oberto" performed in La Scala
  • Almost all of his works are serious love stories with unhappy endings
  • His characters are ordinary people, not those of the royal family like those found in German operas
  • Expressive vocal melody
• Verdi completed 25 operas throughout his career
• Giacomo Puccini


  Belonged to a group of composers who stressed realism, drawing material from everyday life and rejecting heroic themes from mythology and history
• Richard Wagner


  • Very much inspired by Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Introduced new ideas in harmony and form, including extremes of chromaticism
  • Explored the limits of the traditional tonal system
  • Developed a new form of opera called "music drama" where musical and dramatic elements were fused together
  • Developed a compositional style in which the orchestra has equal importance in dramatic roles as the singers themselves
• Wagner's works later influenced modern film scores "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings"
• Georges Bizet


  Became famous for his operas, with his most famous being "Carmen"
• Bizet died during the first round of "Carmen" performances (June 3, 1875)
• Nicanor Abelardo


  • Born in San Miguel de Mayumo, Bulacan, Philippines
  • His quick mastery of instruments made him a prodigy in town
  • "Ang Unang Buko" (1901) was his first composition, dedicated to his grandmother
• Romantic Opera


  • Became increasingly popular during the Romantic period
  • Musical composition having all or most of its text set to music with arias, recitative, choruses, duets, trios, sung to orchestral accompaniment
  • Usually characterized by elaborate costumes, scenery, and choreography
• Components of an Opera

  • Libretto
  • Score
  • Recitative
  • Aria
• Libretto


  The text of an opera, written by a librettist
• Score


  The book that the composer and the librettist put together, containing all the musical notes, words, and ideas to help the performers tell the story
• Recitative


  Declamatory singing, used in the prose parts and dialogue of opera
• Aria


  An air or solo singing part sung by a principal character, which is what the public will remember best when leaving the opera house
• Musical Terms Used


  • Capo
  • Acapella
  • Cantabile
  • Dolce
  • Falsetto
  • Glissando
  • Passagio
  • Rubato
  • Tessitura
  • Vibrato