Stamitz
His orchestra in Mannhiem experimented with crescendo and decrescendo
Mozart
He was a child prodigy who composed for every medium including the operas, The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, and The Marriage of Figaro
Haydn
For much of his life, he served the Esterhazy family in Hungary, where he wrote 104 symphonies
Beethoven
He was born in 1770 in Bonn; as an adult he made a living without a patron, experimenting with an increased orchestra and with the sturdier English Piano
String Quartet
This ensemble consists of two violins, a viola, and a violoncello
Da Ponte
He was the librettist for The Marriage of Figaro
Beaumarchais
He wrote the French play on which the above opera is based
symphony
It is a piece for orchestra in 3 or 4 movements, the first in sonata-allegro form
Concerto
It is a piece for solo instrument and orchestra in 3 movements, the first in sonata-allegro form.
Sonata
It is a piece for 1 or 2 solo instruments, in 3 or 4 movements, the first in sonata-allegro form
Chamber Music
It is a piece for 3-7+ instruments in 3 or 4 movements, the first in sonata allegro form.
Ternary
An A B A pattern, it is often the form of second movements
Opera buffa
A comic play sung in Italian, it has recitative adn ensembles, made possible by low male voices.
Relatives
They are major and minor keys with the same key signature
Parallels
THey are major and minor keys with the same key note
Soprano
The High female voice, it is most often assigned to young heroines in operas
Rondo
It is a pattern in which A stands for the main theme, which then alternates with other themes. THe A theme should return at least 3 times as follows:ABACADA
Tenor
It is the high male voice which sings young, honorable, aristocratic heroes.
Pianoforte
A keyboard instrument popularized in the eighteenth century, it can sustain pitches and crescendo-decrescendo
Tonic
It is the key note of a piece
Singspiel
It is German comic opera with spoken dialogue
Ensemble Finale
It is the part of an operea Buffa in which all the principal characters sing togethers, sometimes moving the plot. It happens in the middle and at the end of the opera
opera seria
Serious Italian opera, it has a rigid structure, made up of a series of recitatives and arias, with a set number of arias required for each singer, depending on his place in the hierarchy of the cast.
homophonic
This type of texture became prominent in the classic period, particularly in instrumental music.
Minuet and Trio
It is a stately dance in 3/4 meter. Its pattern was adopted as the form of third movements of symphonies, Sonatas, and Chamber music when the piece has 4 movements
Scherzo and trio
Beethoven used this form to replace the one in #25 it is a three part form in a fast triple meter
Sonata-allegro
It is the pattern for the first movements of symphonies, chamber music, concertos, and sonatas. It has three parts, the first of which introduces two keys and usually two themes
The parts are-exposition, development, recapitulation
It is the second part of hte pattern described in #27
Basso buffo
It is the low male voice that sings buffoon or comic parts in the opera buffa
Esterhazy
He was the Hungarian prince who was Haydn’s patron for about 30 years
Alberti Bass
It is the term for a chord in which the notes are played in succession to provide a continual stream of sound rather than blocked all together
Pastoral
It refers to rural life and scenes, especially either to the nativity or to an idealized countryside
Salzburg
It was Mozart’s birthplace, and every year a festival featuring his music is held there
Ensembles
A distinguishing characteristic of opera buffa, it means groups of principal singers from duets to all the principals singing together
Mezzo-soprano
It is the middle female voice and it is used for supporting female roles in opera
Contralto
It is the lowest female voice, and it is for older servants in opera
Baritone
It is the middle male voice and it is used for fathers and for dishonorable aristocrats
Bass
It is the lowest male voice and it is used for servants, for priests, and for jesus
Theme and Variations
It is a form in which a theme, usually of 2 phrases is sounded. It then returns in the exact same length, but it is altered either melodically, harmonically, rhythmically, or modally
Cadenza
It is a showy passage for the soloist appearing near the end of the movement in an instrumental or vocal work. It usually incorporates rapid runs, arpeggios, and snippets of previously heard themes into a fantasylike improvisation
Salieri
He was court composer to Emperor Joseph ll and his two successors in Vienna. He taught Beethoven, Schuber, Liszt, and one of Mozarts sons