MCY 342 Quiz 1 Study Guide

Galant Style

Enlightenment and the Galant style c. 1720-60

Classicism: based on the art of Greece and Rome in antiquity (ancient past)
Aesthetic attitude – harmony, clarity, restraint, universality, and idealism

“Classic” referring to the best of its type, but did Mozart, Haydn, Stamitz, et al. think of
themselves as “classical”?
In their own time, they were heard as distinctly “modern”

Old-Fashion: Learned style

Modern: Galant style

Scheibe on J.S. Bach, “This great man would be the admiration of whole nations if he had more
amenity [pleasantness], if he did not take away from the natural element in his pieces by giving
them a turgid and confused style, and if he did not darken their beauty by an excess of art. (…)
his pieces are extremely difficult to play (…)”

Early 18th century Learned Style

 Counterpoint
 Chromaticism
 Varied affects
 Compelxtiy

Mid-18th century Galant Style

 Homophony
 Diatonicism
 Limited affects
 Clarity

Affects: moods

Rounded binary form: form used for late 18th century minuets and other instrumental
movements
Small-scale rounded binary form
Large-scale rounded binary form
 W.F. Bach, Keyboard Sonata in F Major, i, “Un poco Allegro”, sonata
Part 1. A section, doesn’t always modulate but when it does it modulates to a closely related key
 I–I
I–V
i – III
Part 2. B section, modulates to distant keys usually via sequence
A’ section, reprises A returning to the home key without the modulation
Both part 1 and part 2 repeat
Topic: allusions within a piece of music to well-known kinds of music associated with various
social settings, such as the hunt, the courtly dance, religious rituals, etc.
Learning style topic, hunt topic, waltz topic

 A short, recognizable musical idea that stands in for a cultural theme in 18th century
music

Social change in the 18th century

The Enlightenment: European movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries valuing intellectual
and cultural innovation, lead to radical political change
 Key ideas:
o Scientific method (Process for experimentation used to explore observations and
answer questions)
o Rights of Man (A book by Thomas Paine, postulates that popular political
revolution is permissible when a government does not safeguard the natural rights
of its people)
o Democratic sovereignty
 New forms:
o The essay
o The novel
o The encyclopedia
 Culminating in:
o The American Revolution (1776)
o The French Revolution (1789-93)

Diderot and D’Alembert, Encyclopédie (1751-72)

The need to expand knowledge and define life’s processes and happenings
Categorization of:
 All human knowledge (into memory, reason, and imagination), kitchen implements,
furniture, sports rackets, stringed instruments, bagpipes, the human body
Musical dice game: random rolling dice to piece together measures and make a composition

Opera Buffa

Opera buffa c.1710-70

Commedia dell’arte: popular comedy in the 16th-18th centuries in theaters of Italy

 Improvised dialogue
 Stock characters (archetypal characters distinguished by their flatness)
 Comparable to modern day sitcoms
 Clothes denote a lot about character archetypes
o Pierrot: sad clown, mopey neurotic poet
o Columbina: sassy maid, smartest in the room
o Harlequin: angry comic, volatile trickster figure
Intermezzo: short comedic operatic piece performed during the intermissions of a longer, more
serious opera in the 18th century
 Comprised of 2 short acts
 Functioned as “comic relief”
 Usually involved romantic bickering between tow opposing “stock characters” – a
soprano and a bass

Opera buffa: an “intermezzo” performed on its own, independent of an opera seria

 Originally toured by groups of “buffi” (lit. buffoons, i.e. comedians) who put on the
shows all over Europe
 Gradually became the dominant form of opera over the course of the 18th century

Opera Seria Opera Buffa

Subject: Serious, historical/mythical Silly,
contemporary/comedic
Characters: Nobility, ancient horses Ordinary people, esp.
servants
Structure: c.4 acts (drawn out) c.2 acts (lively and direct)

Pergolesi: Italian composer of opera (both “seria” and “buffa”), as well as instrumental and
church music
 Studies in Napels
 “La serva padrona” [the maid as mistress], aria
o (1733), a defining example of early opera buffa
o Bass casting, old and silly
o Soprano casting, young and witty
 “A Serpina penserete,” from La serva padrona, aria
o Serpina (“little snake”) and the seduction of Uberto
 Died at young age of 26, cementing his posthumous fame

Baroque phrasing is dense

Galant phrasing is broken up and clear

The discussions around 18th century ‘seria’ and ‘buffa’ were about much more than just musical
aesthetics

Rousseau: Genevan (Swiss) philosopher, one of the most important Enlightenment essayists
 Ideas about “the social contract” and “the noble savage” influenced the American (1776)
and French (1789) revolutions
o The social contract: a book in which Rousseau theorized about the best way to
establish a political community in the face of the problems of commercial society
Argued against the idea that monarchs were divinely empowered to legislate;
asserts that only the people, who are sovereign, have that all-powerful right
o The noble savage: an idealized concept of an uncivilized man, who symbolizes
the innate goodness of one not exposed to the corrupting influences of civilization
  Wrote many articles for Diderot and D’Amblert’s Encyclopedie
 Composed 7 operas on the side

Are human beings inherently good?

Hobbes: Humans are inherently bad, society is good, human rights are earned
Rousseau: Humans are inherently good, society is bad, human rights are inborn

Cultural criticisms (such as opera) were used to discuss controversial political issues
In the form of newspaper articles, pamphlets, and coffeehouse talking points

La Querelle des Bouffons (War of the Buffoons) “Baroque v Galant”

Rousseau, Letter on French Music (1753), “(…) lacking real beauties, they have introduced
beauties of convention (…) instead of a good music, they have created a learned music; to
supplement melody, they have mutilated the accompaniments (…) they think they are making
music but they only make noise.”

Rousseau’s verdict – considering French versus Italian perceptions

Opera seria
 Nationality: ‘French’, e.g. Rameau
 Aesthetic: instrumental and harmonic (= culture = garbage)
 Politics: monarchist/conservative
Opera buffa
 Nationality: ‘Italian’, e.g. Pergolesi
 Aesthetic: vocal and melodic (= nature = awesome)
 Politics: progressive/revolutionary

Political aesthetics
If you liked opera seria…you might also like absolute monarchy
If you liked opera buffa…you might also like violent revolution

Politics and aesthetics do not always align in permanent or predictable ways

Gluck: Bohemian composer of opera, associated with “Reform Opera”

 Reform opera: Opera seria (about gods and kings) influenced by the Galant musical
aesthetic of Opera Buffa (essentially old ideas, new approaches)
  Gluck on “Reform Opera” (1773), “It was my intention to confine music to its true
dramatic province (…) without interrupting the action, or chilling it with useless and
superfluous ornaments”
o When music and poetry the coloring should be correct and well designed, “where
the lights and shades only seem to animate the figures, without altering the out-
line.”
 “Orfeu ed Euridice” [Orpheus and Eurydice], “Che farò senza Euridice?” [What am
I to do without Eurydice?], aria
 The Orpheus story is about seulf control, being in control of one’s emotions = being
noble

Joseph Haydn

Drawing a comparison:
 Haydn at Esterháza (1762): young, wearing bright, nobleman clothes
 Haydn in London (1791): dark and professional clothes, well studied (holding a book),
much more matured

Esterházy Family: the leading Hungarian noble family in the Habsburg Monarchy (Capitals:
Vienna, Prague; part of the Holy Roman Empire) in the 18th century
 Large supporters of music
 Haydn served as a music director at the Esterházy court; he conducted the orchestra,
composed music, and served as chief of the musical personnel
 Prince Nikolaus I, succeeded his brother Anton I and was Haydn’s boss for 30 years

Places of importance
 Vienna, huge imperial (relating to an empire) capital of the HRE
 Schloss Esterházy, ancient ancestral palace in Eisenstadt, a small town, c.25 miles south
of Vienna
 Esterháza, new palace built by Nikolaus I, in the middle of nowhere, c.50 miles south of
Vienna

Haydn’s first contract as Vice-Kapellmeister (German, person in charge of music-making)

for the Esterházy family (May, 1761)
1. ,“[Haydn] will be received and treated as a house staff member (…)
2. When the orchestra is called upon to perform, Vice-Kapellmeister, as all subordinates,
will appear in uniform (…)”
3. (…) will be bound to compose such music as his Serene Highness shall command, and
not let such compositions be communicated to any other party, much less copied, but they
shall remain for his use only and his rightful ownership, and he shall not, without
knowledge and permission, compose for any other person.”
4. “(…) both morning and afternoon at the princely antechamber to inquire whether his
Highness wishes a concert be given. If he be so commanded, he will notify the other
musicians and be attentive to be sure that not only he but the other musicians as well
appear at the stipulated time.”
Haydn to his biographer, Georg Anton Griesinger:
 The Prince was always satisfied with his work, received constant approval
 As conductor of an orchestra, he could experiment, observing what worked and what did
not
 He could be as bold as he pleased
 “I was cut off from the world; there was no one to confuse or torment me, and I was
forced to become original.”

Debunking the “Papa Haydn” myths:

Haydn invented the symphony and string quartet, but didn’t do anything interesting with them
 There were plenty of symphonies and quartets before Haydn;
 His contributions are highly innovative
Haydn reached maturity only in 1782 (aged 50)
 This ignores hundreds of masterful compositions, including much of the Esterháza period

Orchestration: the art of working with the specific qualities of the many different instruments of
the orchestra
 Relies on understanding the uniqueness of each instrument and blending them together

The orchestra’s development

c.1700 – String and keys
c.1790 – Addition of brass, winds, and timpani

Symphony: a substantial work for orchestra, usually in three or – after c.1780 – four movements
 1st movement. Allegro – Sonata form
 2nd movement. Adagio – e.g. Variation/Ternary form
 3rd movement. Minuet and Trio – Ternary Form
 4th movement. Finale – Rondo form
Developed from the opera overture in the mid 18th century, initially by Italian and German court
musicians (Note: Haydn did NOT invent the symphony)

Sonata form: basic elements are an exposition, development, and recapitulation, in which the
musical subject matter is stated, explored or expanded, and restated
Sonata form is not the form of a sonata, it is a form commonly used for just the first movements
of sonatas and symphonies

Mid-18th century innovation – the public concert

People are now paying money for these events open to the public, it is no longer just for nobles
or high-class events
 Public opera banned during lent (Mid-February – Easter Sunday, April)

Feudalism shift to capitalism

Feudalism: political and military system between a feudal aristocracy (a lord or liege) and his
vassals
= Symphonist as servant
Capitalism: structure in which the means of production and distribution are privately owned and
operated for profit
= Symphonist as star and entrepreneur

Haydn in England 1791-1792 and 1794-1795

European cities by population, c.1800 – London (England), Paris (France), Saint Petersburg
(Russia), Vienna (Holy Roman Empire) (250,000-1,000,000)

Transatlantic “Triangular Trade”: the three-sided trade occurring between England, Africa,
and the Americas
Three categories of products:
1. Raw materials and natural resources; sugar, tobacco, rice and cotton from the 13 colonies
2. Manufactured products from England and Europe; guns, cloths, beads
3. Slaves from West Africa

18th century London and urban chaos1

Haydn upon arrival in London, “My arrival caused a great sensation…I went to the rounds of all
the newspapers for three successive days. (…) I could dine out everyday; but first I must
consider my health, and second my work. Except for the nobility, I admit no callers until 2
o’clock.”

Haydn at the 1791 Handel Commemoration, “Haydn “confessed that when he heard the music of
[Handel] . . . he was struck as if he had been put back to the beginning of the studies and had
known nothing up to that moment.”

1
What is this lmao
Haydn was dazzled by London, his realization – to succeed, he also had to be dazzling

Charles Burney, after Haydn’s first London concert, “electrified the audience, as to excite an
attention and a pleasure superior to any that had ever been cause by instrumental music in
England.”

What was so electric?

Attention-Grabbing Orchestra in Haydn’s London Symphonies:
 Surprising contrasts of dynamics and timbre
 Instrumental solos and other delicate moments
 Unusual (and sometimes funny) sounds
Haydn, The Creation (1798), oratorio
 Haydn’s homage to Handel’s “Messiah”
 Follows the six days of creation, as described in Genesis
Part 1. Narrates the creation of light, the earth, and the planets
Part 2. Narrates the creation of animals and man
Part 3. Set in the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve sing joyously about their
experience
 William Gardiner on Haydn’s Chaos, “[Chaos] commences with all the known
instruments, displayed in twenty-three distinct parts . . . represent the rude masses of
nature in a state of chaos.”
 Chaos of the orchestra – they are not behaving as a coherent ensemble, but as a loose
collection of instruments

God’s first “Creation” is an orchestra, i.e. Order

Wolfgang A. Mozart

Born in Salzburg, Austria

Piano concerto: An instrumental composition for solo piano and orchestra

Typically 3 movements:
 1st mvt. Allegro – Sonata form (with double exposition and cadenza)
First exposition doesn’t modulate (for the orchestra)
Second exposition modulates (with the orchestra and the soloist)
 2nd mvt. Adagio – e.g. Variation/Ternary form
 3rd mvt. Finale – Rondo form
Emerged in the 1770s and 1780s for two key reasons:
 New technology (harpsichord – clavichord – fortepiano)
The fortepiano: increased dynamic range
 New institution
The public concert: (with virtuoso soloist) concerts become a commercial institution, as
opposed to liturgical setting or at a noble’s house

Mozart, Piano Concerto No.17 in G Major, K. 452, mvt. ii, piano concert
Mozart and Da Ponte’s Opera Buffa “Triple Crown”
Mozart, Don Giovanni, “Là ci darem la mano” [There you’ll give me your hand], operatic
duet

Count Almavia & Countress Almavia – Serious

Figaro & Susanna – Silly

Trouser role: a male role in opera sung– and acted–by a female singer (i.e. Cherubino)
 Typically an adolescent male character played by a mezzo-soprano
 Note: they were accepted as male (not as cross-dressers)

The Marriage of Figaro

Act I Opening: Figaro and Susanna
 Singing as external dialogue
 Rapid text delivery and musical phrasing
 Comedic mood
 Opera buffa
Act II Opening: Countress Almaviva
 Singing as internal monologue
 Drawn-out text delivery and musical phrasing
 Tragic mood
 Opera seria

Tchaikovsky on Mozart, “I love Mozart as the musical Christ . . . Mozart was as pure as an
angel, and his music is full of divine beauty . . . the culminating point of all beauty in the sphere
of music.”

Mozart as eternal child

Mozart has technical mastery with childish puerility

Mozart as divine visionary

Mozart The Harmonicon, 1825, “You say, you should like to know my way of composing, and
what method I follow in writing . . . I myself know no more about it, and cannot account for it.
When I am, as it were, completely myself, entirely alone, and of good cheer . . . it is on such
occasions that my ideas flow best and most abundantly. When and how they come I know not,
nor can I force them . . . the whole, though it be long, stands almost finished and complete in my
mind, so I can survey it, like a fine picture or a beautiful statue, at a glance. Nor do I hear in my
imagination the parts successively, but I hear them, as it were, all at once . . . the committing to
paper is done quickly enough, for everything is, as I said before, already finished; and it rarely
differs on paper, from what it was in my imagination.”

Don’t know what the hell is happening after Mozart as tragic figure