Genres of music

Genres of music

Genres of music

Mass

  • A religious piece for a choir

Baroque

Concerto Grosso

  • Music from the Baroque period, played by an orchestra and a group of soloists.
  • Often includes a harpsichord.
  • NOT the same as a concerto

Trio Sonata

  • Music written for, and played by, four instruments: 1 harpsichord, 2 violins, 1 cello.

Baroque Onwards

Oratorio

  • Similar to an opera but with a sacred text, so tells a religious story

Opera

  • A musical drama, completely sung throughout, to tell a story. Including:
  • Aria - A piece for a solo voice and an orchestra
  • Chorus - A piece for the main chorus, or choir, with an orchestral accompaniment
  • Ensemble - A piece for a group of soloists and the orchestra
  • Recitative - A sung solo punctuated by chords

Classical Onwards

Concerto

  • Concertos are composed for an orchestra with one solo instrument.
  • They usually have 3 movements, arranged fast-slow-fast.
  • Developed from the concerto grosso, concertos were first used in the classical period.
  • Famous composers of concertos include:

Classical

  • Mozart
  • Beethoven
  • Wolfgang
  • Haydn

Romantic

  • Weber
  • Chopin
  • Brahms
  • Elgar

Piano Trio

  • A group made up of a piano, a violin and a cello

Sonata

 

  • A piece written for a solo instrument with a piano accompaniment
  • eg. A violin sonata is played by a violin and a piano

String Quartet

  • A group of 2 violins, 1 viola and 1 cello.
  • Also a piece of music written for that group

Symphony

  • Symphonies are usually formed using three movements, whilst in the 1940s, a fourth movement was added.
  • The movements are usually ordered slow-fast-slow with the last movement often taking the form of a minuet.
  • It usually encompasses the whole orchestra, without solo instruments.
  • Famous composers of symphonies include:
    • Johann Stamitz
    • J.S.Bach's two sons
    • Schubert
    • Dvorak
    • Bruvkner
    • Mahler
    • Mendelssohn
    • Brahms
    • Shostakovich
    • Berlioz

Renaissance

Madrigal

  • A secular piece (not sacred or religious) for a choir.
  • Usually has "fa la la"s in it
Music

Musical Instruments

Instruments and their families

String, Brass, Woodwind, Keyboards and Percussion instrument families and their corresponding instuments.

Music

Listening exam

Listening exam

Music

Music words and definitions

Music words and definitions

Music

Periods of Musical History

Periods of Musical History

Music

World music

World music