Piano Period History Examining significant composers of piano music through music history.

Baroque Decorative music (characteristic of time period) Fundamental Bass Line All parts of Baroque music must be subservient to a bass line. Fugue: composition with musical line articulated in one voice and rearticulated by following voices in repeat, inversion, etc

Johann Sebastian Bach German composer Was an organist Known as one of the greatest fugue writers. Pianoforte was created in his mid-life Listen to Minuet in G

Classical Period Orderly music (return of interest in Greek time period) Sonata (composition & form) Sonata Form: Exposition – introduce theme Development – develop theme Recapitulation – return of theme

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Austrian composer Melody writer Wrote many Sonatas Died young Listen to Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major

Romantic Emotion in sound Dramatic music through: – strong dynamic changes – large instrumentation – drastic key changes

Ludwig van Beethoven Crossover composer - began in Classical period ended in Romantic period THE composer to push the Romantic style Extreme personality helped in extreme music Know for his 9 Symphonies Became deaf at end of life Listen to Sonata Pathetique

Johannes Brahms Structured composer – followed style of Bach But incorporated dramatic Romantic qualities such as drastic key changes Listen to Intermezzo in A

Frederic Chopin French composer Wrote almost exclusively for the piano Wrote “etudes” (studies) – Each explored a single technical problem, usually set around a single motif. – Listen to Etude #4 in C# minor, Op 10, Nocturne in E flat Major

Franz Liszt Hungarian composer Know mostly for piano works Extremely big hands and long fingers – which made for difficult compositions Pieces technically difficult Listen to Hungarian Rhapsody

Impressionism late 19 th century French movement in the arts Characteristics: – Creating mood – Asian pentatonic scale – Whole tone scale – Tone color – Irregular rhythm – Dissonance

Claude Debussy French composer Didn’t like the label Impressionist (meant to be derogatory from the painters) Know for his piano works Listen to Claire de Lune

Modern/Contemporary present Breaks with or redefines the conventions of the past. Uses experimental techniques. Show the diversity of society and the blending of cultures. Jazz – syncopation, call & response, unique harmonies

Scott Joplin African American composer Known for writing Ragtime (style leading into Jazz) Duke Ellington African American composer Known for Jazz style