Final Exam Study Ideas - Thurs update

If this page gets updated later, I'll change the title.

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Material from earlier eras will come directly from the earlier test. Yes, verbatim.

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Listening:
There are will be 2 types of listening on this test. The first type will be just as we've had before, drawn from the 20th century tracks on your CDs. (Beginning with Debussy, stopping just BEFORE the Jazz.)

The second type will test your ability to describe what you are hearing, and your ability to figure out what period a piece is from. The pieces could be anything - literally - and you will describe what you are hearing..... I suggest you bone up on all those notes you took at the beginning of the semester on how to talk about music - the parts of music.

I'll have a few questions to guide you as you write.

I'll be looking for good points that you make. You are not penalized for stating something wrong (for example, by guessing the wrong composer). You are given credit for stating something correct (for example, stating that the piece sounds too dissonant to be anything other than 20th century).

Yes, it could literally be anything. Be prepared to be surprised!

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20th century:
Focus on the characteristics that make 20th century unique, musically speaking. Which composers are assoicated with which movements (impression, expressionism, etc.)? What are the musical characteristics of each movement? Watch out for those musical terms (usually in boldface or italics).

These will be multiple guess format, just like always.

Jazz:
Get a handle on which style has which basic characteristics, and the particular order the "periods" show up. You'll have ALL FOUR pages of the handout Monday. But here's the order, anyway:

Ragtime
Blues
Chicago - piano
Swing (a.k.a. Big Band)
Bebop
Cool
Third Stream & Fusion

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Miscellaneous tips:

Get a handle on which composers hail from which era.

Focus on general musical characteristics of each era.

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Final note: (pun intended!)

I'll have a place for you to make up a "code" - one that you will know, but that no one else will be able to ID you with. Do NOT use a username / facebook name / myspace name / email address / etc.

IF you put a code on your test, I'll post your final exam grade here on the blog with your code. If you leave it blank, I'll leave it off.

I'll leave that posting up for about a week, and then delete it.

Classical era study sheet (1/08 update)

This is NOT comprehensive. Treat it as a suggestion for some things to look at. After all, I haven't made up the test yet!

1. A-list Composers - Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven
2. What their jobs were like - i.e. how a career as a musician changed from Haydn -> Mozart -> Beethoven
3. Overall characteristics of the music (beginning of chapter)
4. Forms: know the official definitions: Sonata-Allegro, Rondo, Theme and Variations, Minuet & Trio
5. Genres: Symphony, Concerto, Chamber music (String Quartets), Opera, Sonata (esp. Piano Sonata)
6. The 4 movement set that I called the Sonata format
7. Why is it called the "Surprise" symphony?
8. If there is a term in bold in the text, it'd be a good idea to know what that term means.
   
   

Medieval, Renaissance Test notes (9/09 update)

Know which major composers goes with which era (hint: they have major sections in the text)

Look at the overview section -
what was the overall place of music in society?
What the role of "The Church"?
What are the overall characteristics of music from this era?

Major piece types of each era, and definitions (ex. Renaissance - Madrigal, Motet, Mass)
Section headings will help here as well.

Again, anything bold face would be good to pay attention to.

Overall, I'm more interested in the music rather than the life of the composer, so you won't get questions like "When did Josquin Des Prez work at the Vatican?"

Renaissance Music: Links & Study Sheet (9/11 update)

Here some links to pictures / info / movies relating to Renaissance music:

Pictures from an Early music course in Finland - note all the people playing Renaissance type instruments

This page - by Arto Wikla - has several movies of Arto playing the Lute.

The Early Music store offers modern replicas of Renaissance style instruments.


Study Ideas:
Characteristics of music: a cappella, polyphonic, flowing, word painting
Types of pieces: Mass, motet, madrigal
Composers: Machaut - first polyphonic settings of the mass Ordinary
How composers made a living
Instrumental: dance suite

Get a copy of the powerpoint I used in class - that will give you a good outline.