Exam II: Genres and Forms

Genres:

  1. chanson- French polyphonic song, especially of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, set to either courtly or popular poetry
  2. pavane- stately Renaissance court dance in duple meter
  3. galliard- lively, triple-meter French court dance
  4. Italian madrigal- Renaissance secular work originating in Italy for voices, with or without instruments, set to a short, lyric, love poem
  5. English madrigal- derived from the Italian madrigal, but more lively and usually included phrases such as “fa-la-la-la”
  6. carol- English medieval strophic song with a refrain repeated after each stanza; now associated with Christmas
  7. opera- music drama that is generally sung throughout, combining the resources of vocal and instrumental music with poetry and drama, acting and pantomime, scenery and costumes
  8. opera seria- tragic Italian opera
  9. opera comique- French comic opera, with some spoken dialogue
  10. opera buffa- Italian comic opera, sung throughout
  11. ballad opera- English comic opera, usually featuring spoken dialoque alternating with songs set to popular tunes; aslo called dialoque opera
  12. Singspiel- comic German drama with spoken dialogue; the immediate predecessor of Romantic German opera
  13. French overture- Baroque instrumental introduction to an opera, ballet, or suite, in two sections: a slow opening followed by an Allegro, often with a brief return to the opening
  14. Italian overture- Baroque overture consisting of three sections: fast-slow-fast
  15. sinfonia- short instrumental work, found in Baroque opera, to facilitate scene changes
  16. chorale(prelude)- short Baroque organ piece in which a traditional chorale melody is embellished
  17. choral- Baroque congregational hymn of the German Lutheran church
  18. oratorio- large scale dramatic genre originating in the Baroque, based on a text of religious or serious character, performed by solo voices, chorus, and orchestra; similar to opera but without scenery , costumes, or action
  19. cantata- vocal genre for solo singers, chorus, and instrumentalists based on a lyric or dramatic pooetic narrative. It generally consists of several movements including recitatives, arias, and ensemble numbers.
  20. solo concerto- instrumental movement in several movements for solo instrument (or instrumental group) and orchestra
  21. sonata da chiesa- Baroque instrumental work intended for performance in church; in four movements, frequently arranged slow-fast-slow-fast.
  22. sonata da camera- Baroque chamber sonata, usually a suite of stylized dances
  23. trio sonata- Baroque chamber sonata type written in three parts: two melody lines and the basso continuo; requires a total of four players to perform
  24. suite- multimovements, generally all in the same key: allemande, sarabande, courante, gigue
Forms:
  1. rondeau- Medieval and Renaissance fixed poetic form and chanson type with courtly love texts
  2. virelai- Medieval and Renaissance fixed poetic form and chanson type with French courtly texts
  3. ballade- French poetic form and chanson type of the Middle Ages and Renaissance with courtly love texts
  4. recitative- solo vocal declamation that follows the inflections of the text, often resulting in a disjunct vocal style; found in opera, cantata, and oratorio
  5. aria(da capo)- lyric song for solo voice with orchestral accompaniment, generally expressing intense emotion; found in opera, cantata, and oratorio
  6. French overture- Baroque instrumental introduction to an opera, ballet, or suite, in two sections: a slow opening followed by and Allegro, often with a brief return to the opening
  7. Italian overture- Baroque overture consisting of three sections: fast-slow-fast
  8. sinfonia- short instrumental work, found in Baroque opera,