978-0393602517 Chapter 12

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CHAPTER 12

Style and Function of Music in Society

OVERVIEW

This chapter introduces the concepts of genre and style as ways to identify and categorize

musical pieces.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. To understand the concept of genre as a musical category that defines the overall character

of a musical work as well as its function

2. To understand the concept of style as the characteristic way a piece of music is presented

3. To gain familiarity with the broad spectrum of musical styles in history

LECTURE SUGGESTIONS

1. Display to the class the following musical genres: orchestral song, piano sonata, string

quartet, symphony, violin concerto, opera, and march. Then play a brief example of each,

asking students between examples which genre they think defines the piece. Remind

students that genre defines the kind of piece a musical work is. As the students respond,

write the titles of the pieces on the board to illustrate the (sometimes) close connection

between the title of a composition and its genre. Next, introduce students to musical genres

whose identities may not be so easy to identify as the previous genres (cantata, madrigal,

oratorio, fugue, etc.)

2. To illustrate the concepts of genre and style as distinct yet related, play two pieces in the

same musical genre but from different stylistic eras—for example, a Prokofiev piano sonata

and a Mozart piano sonata. Before playing the examples, break students into groups

organized according to the musical elements (Group 1, melody; Group 2, harmony; Group

3, texture; and Group 4, form and expression). Each group should be responsible for

comparing the musical elements of the two excerpts. Have each group report its findings to

the class as a whole. As the groups report, make notes on the board about the groups’

observations and emphasize that these responses are attempts to define the different styles

and stylistic eras of two pieces that share the same musical genre.

ASSIGNMENT SUGGESTIONS

1. Below are playlist excerpts from the eight different stylistic eras in music that we will be

covering in class. What observations can you make about the similarities of and differences

between the musical styles of these pieces? Don’t look ahead in your textbook for help, and

don’t worry about using musical terms that we haven’t covered in class. The idea is to begin

developing a process of listening for the stylistic qualities of a piece of music.

▶ Medieval era: Hildegard of Bingen, Kyrie

▶ Renaissance era: Josquin, Inviolata, integra et casta es Maria

▶ Baroque era: J. S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 1, I

▶ Classical era: Mozart, Eine kleine Nachtmusik, I

▶ Romantic era: Schubert, The Miller and the Brook

▶ Impressionist era: Debussy, Jeux de vagues, from La mer

▶ Modern era: Berg, Wozzeck, Act I, scene 1

▶ Postmodern era: Reich, Electric Counterpoint, III

2. Musical genre is a category that defines the overall character of a musical work as well as

its function (e.g., symphony, piano sonata, and opera). Can you give examples of the genre

concept in contexts outside of music? How can the genre concept be applied, for example,

to categorizing the nature of food? Animals? Literature and art? Film? Clothing and

fashion? How does the concept of style apply to these other contexts?

TEACHING CHALLENGES

Students may have difficulty differentiating form and genre. Emphasizing genre as (literally) a

“generic” categorization of a musical piece and form as the specific shape and progress of a

musical work will help. Form is also a component of style, whereas genre is somewhat

unrelated to the notion of style (with some exceptions, e.g., tragédie en musique).

CHAPTER OUTLINE

Style and Function of Music in Society (Chapter 12)

I. Music serves different functions in different societies

A. Genres: categories of repertoire

1. sacred music: religious purposes

2. secular music: outside religious context, entertainment

B. Genre vs. form

1. genre: suggests character and function (e.g., song, symphony)

2. form: internal structure of a work

3. medium: genre implies specific group that performs a work

4. title: indicates genre and key

a. cataloguing systems, (e.g., opus number)

b. titles may be descriptive

C. Oral transmission: music preservation without written notation

1. ethnomusicologists study music in cultural context

D. Listening Guides (LGs) focus: Western art music, “classical”

1. music of European and Euro-American society

2. notated, cultivated

3. vernacular music: “popular,” “traditional”

a. traditions in their own right

II. The Concept of Style

A. Style: distinctive features of any artwork

1. individualized treatment of musical elements

a. indicates creator’s personal manner of expression

2. Western music: melody-oriented with underlying harmonies

3. music of other cultures: foreign to Western ears

a. based on different musical systems

III. Musical Styles in History

A. Historical periods: distinct stylistic characteristics

1. style of a period: total language of all its artists

2. political, economic, religious, and philosophical forces

B. Generally accepted style periods:

1. Middle Ages (400–1450)

a. Early Christian (400–600)

b. Gregorian chant (600–850)

c. Development of polyphony (850–1150)

2. Renaissance (1450–1600)

3. Baroque (1600–1750)

4. Classical (1750–1825)

5. Romantic (1820–1900)

6. Post-Romantic and Impressionist (1890–1915)

7. Twentieth century and beyond (1900–present)

Part 1: Classroom-Ready Activity 1

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION

This activity is designed to integrate some of the main learning objectives of Part I in a

collaborative group and classroom experience. The activity requires students to work in small

groups to research and discuss different pieces of music selected from the textbook playlist

according to the concepts introduced in Part I as the elements of music.

INSTRUCTIONS

Divide the class into small groups of three to five students. In each group, students are to select

one or two group members as researchers and two or three students as analysts. Researchers are

responsible for researching the general features of a piece of music from the textbook playlist

(title, composer, genre, stylistic period, etc.). Analysts are responsible for identifying more

specific musical characteristics (timbre, texture, harmony, etc.) of the selection. Researchers may

use their textbooks, the companion website, or any other instructor-approved resource (Oxford

Music Online, Norton History of Western Music, Harvard Dictionary of Music, etc.) to locate

information about their pieces. Analysts may consult the companion website and online

streaming media sites for access to the excerpts. Allot the groups ten to fifteen minutes to work

on their pieces (the time may vary depending on class size and number of groups). At the

conclusion of the collaboration period, each group presents its research and analysis to the class,

including a listening example or media clip that features the excerpt. Here are some suggested

pieces for group presentations:

▶ Ravel: Boléro

▶ Mozart: Symphony No. 40, I

▶ J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 1, I

▶ Haydn: Emperor Quartet, Op. 76, No. 3, II

▶ Joplin: Pine Apple Rag

▶ Dougla Dance (Trinidad)

Student Worksheet

Name:

Research

Title:

Composer:

Genre:

Form:

Medium:

Instrument families:

Sacred/Secular:

Stylistic period:

Date:

Analysis

Instruments:

Voice types:

Melody (circle one): conjunct/disjunct

Meter: duple/triple/quadruple/nonmetric

Meter: simple/compound

Harmony: major/minor/other

Texture:

Form:

Tempo:

Dynamics:

Part 1: Classroom-Ready Activity 2

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION

This activity provides an opportunity for students to test out their knowledge and recognition of

the musical elements found in Stephen Foster’s Oh! Susanna. Working together in pairs, students

identify some of the basic melodic, rhythmic, harmonic, and formal elements covered in

Chapters 1 through 4, 6, and 8.

INSTRUCTIONS

Have the class divide into pairs and review the elements of music covered in Chapters 1

through 4, 6, and 8 (melody, rhythm and meter, harmony, tonality, form, and text setting). Pass

the student worksheet out to the class, pointing out that the music notation and lyrics to the

melody of Stephen Foster’s Oh! Susanna are printed on the page along with seven questions

that test their knowledge of the elements previously introduced. Inform students that if they

need a reminder of the structure of major and minor scales, they can consult the diagram on p.

19 of the textbook for clarification. Before starting the collaborative work, students should first

read the questions aloud and then play the example. Give the pairs ten to fifteen minutes to

complete the worksheet, pausing halfway through to repeat the listening example. As the pairs

are working, walk around the room to answer any questions they may have. At the conclusion

of the collaboration period, ask pairs to share their answers with the class; ask other groups to

weigh in on whether they agree with the answers provided and invite those who disagree to

offer their suggestions.

Student Worksheet

Name:

Foster: Oh! Susanna

1. Describe the range, contour, and movement of this melody.

2. Mark with a small x the notes you perceive to be the downbeats.

3. Judging from the downbeats, how would you describe the meter of this piece?

4. Based on the pitches of the melody, on which scale (major or minor) is the melody based?

5. Mark with “ACT” the places you perceive to be active chords and with “REST” places you

hear as resting chords. Do you hear these chords as major or minor chords? Tonic?

Subdominant? Dominant?

6. Using A and B, mark the form of this piece. Make sure to specify if a section repeats.

7. Describe the text setting of this song. Is it melismatic, neumatic, or syllabic?

Part 1: Listening Quiz

Name:

1. Musorgsky: The Great Gate of Kiev, from Pictures at an Exhibition

Which of the following best describes the dynamics of this excerpt?

a. Forte (f) at the beginning, with diminuendo and crescendos toward the end

b. Piano (p) at the beginning and fortissimo (ff) at the end

c. Diminuendo at the beginning, followed by a crescendo at the end

d. Mezzo forte (mf) at the beginning, with diminuendo to pianissimo (pp) at the end

2. Row, Row, Row Your Boat (traditional American)

What contrapuntal device appears in this excerpt?

a. Homorhythm

b. Harmony

c. Round

d. Improvisation

3. Mbira piece (Zimbabwe)

What contributes to the rhythmic complexity of this excerpt?

a. Syncopation

b. Simple meter

c. Absence of meter (nonmetric)

d. Polyrhythm

4. Lassus: Bon jour mon coeur (all but end)

Which of the following textures does this excerpt feature?

a. Polyphony

b. Homorhythm

c. Monophony

d. Imitation

5. J. S. Bach: Contrapunctus I, theme (original)

The movement of this melody is

a. Conjunct

b. Disjunct

c. Conjunct with a few leaps

d. Disjunct with one or two conjunct intervals

6. Sousa: The Stars and Stripes Forever

Which of the following best describes the tempo of this excerpt?

a. Moderato

b. Adagio

c. Vivace

d. Largo

7. Pachelbel: Canon in D

Which of the following instrument families is predominantly featured in this excerpt?

a. Woodwinds

b. Percussion

c. Strings

d. Brass

8. Bizet: Carmen, Toreador Song

What is the meter of this excerpt?

a. Duple

b. Triple

c. Quadruple

d. Sextuple

9. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (Fisk Jubilee Singers arrangement)

Which best describes the form of this excerpt?

a. Thematic

b. Call and response

c. Binary (A-A-B-B)

d. Ternary (A-A-B-B-C-C)

10. Ligeti: Lux aeterna

The harmony of this excerpt is best described as

a. Consonant

b. Dissonant

c. Starting consonant and ending dissonant

d. Starting dissonant and ending consonant

CHAPTER 13

Voice and Worship: Tradition and Individuality in Medieval Chant

OVERVIEW