The Renaissance

The Renaissance

• The Renaissance

• The Baroque, Part 1

• 1536-1576

• • 1536-1576

• • Guitar-shaped

• • Flat back

• • Straight neck

• Pear-shaped

• • Pear-shaped

• • Curved back

• • Tilted tuning peg box

1536

• 1536

• Improvisatory

1538

• 1538

• Much more imitative counterpoint than early fantasías

1538

• 1538

• The very first published set of variations

• Uses the romanesca bass line

1563-1626

• 1563-1626

Lively dance in ¾

• Lively dance in ¾

• Form: A A’ B B’ C C’

• Uses “divisions” in the repeated sections

Lute song

• Lute song

Based on a ballad tune

• Based on a ballad tune

• Variation form

• A A1 A2 A3 etc.

Flourished 1670 to 1700

• Flourished 1670 to 1700

Slow dance in 4

• Slow dance in 4

• Remnants of the strummed style of playing

• Binary form (AABB)

Faster dance in 3 (and sometimes 2)

• Faster dance in 3 (and sometimes 2)

Slow dance in 3

• Slow dance in 3

• Emphasizes the second beat

1685-1750

• 1685-1750

Quasi French overture style

• Quasi French overture style

• Begins with “passaggio” melody lines

• Chordal section with dotted rhythms

• Imitative fugal section

The Baroque, Part 2

• The Baroque, Part 2

• The Classical Period

Originally for unaccompanied violin

• Originally for unaccompanied violin

• This theme was also used in a cantata

Upbeat dance in 2

• Upbeat dance in 2

• The first gavotte is followed by another gavotte with more flowing melodic lines, followed by a return of the first gavotte.

• Bach’s own arrangement of his Cello Suite No. 5

• Bach adds chords and bass notes that the cello—a primarily single-line instrument—can’t play.

Starts with a section that has a series of imitative entries of melody lines (called the “subject”)

• Starts with a section that has a series of imitative entries of melody lines (called the “subject”)

• These are followed by sections with no complete subject entries at all.

• Very unusual da capo fugue

• ABA form

Binary form (AABB)

• Binary form (AABB)

• Fast “motor” rhythms

c. 1780-1830

• c. 1780-1830

Single strings instead of courses

• Single strings instead of courses

• Added a 6th string

• No more re-entrant tuning

• Bigger body

• Still smaller than a modern guitar

Typical slow introduction

• Typical slow introduction

• A theme from Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute, presented in binary form (AABB)

• A series of variations on that theme

• One is typically contrasting, in this case slow and in a minor key

• Ending coda

In sonata form

• In sonata form

• Exposition (statement of themes)

• Development

• Takes material from the themes and plays with it
• Harmonically unstable; many key changes

• Recapitulation

• Restatement of the original themes in the home key

In sonata form

• In sonata form

• Slow introduction

• Exposition

• Themes presented in A major, and then E major

• Development

• C major, D minor, E major
• Includes new material

• Recapitulation

Spain

• Spain

• Latin America

Antonio Torres guitar from 1890

• Antonio Torres guitar from 1890

• With Torres, the size and shape of the classical guitar becomes standardized for most of the 20th century and beyond.

Starts with a slow, improvisatory introduction featuring scales that sound quite middle-eastern.

• Starts with a slow, improvisatory introduction featuring scales that sound quite middle-eastern.

• Then the “singer” comes in with a beautiful melody in minor accompanied by the guitar.

• As is typical in Spanish music, there is a contrasting section in the middle, in this case in a major key.

Originally a piano piece

• Originally a piano piece

• Typical ABA form

• First section is the “dance” part of Spanish folk music

• Contrasting copla middle section full of pathos and cante jondo

• Return of the dance

Known for his zarzuelas

• Known for his zarzuelas

• Wrote a lot of guitar music for Andrés Segovia

• Mostly miniatures

• Conservative in his musical vocabulary

Wrote for Andrés Segovia

• Wrote for Andrés Segovia

• More influenced by flamenco guitar playing than the other composers who wrote for Segovia

• A soleares is a type of flamenco piece, but the tempo and strict rhythmic pattern don’t fit Turina’s piece.

NOT written for Andrés Segovia

• NOT written for Andrés Segovia

• The opening theme (with guitar and English horn) has been used by many other musicians, including Miles Davis and Chick Corea.

• Also prominently used in television commercials for the Chrysler Cordoba, with its “soft Corinthian leather”

• Written after his wife’s miscarriage

• Musically takes us from profound sadness, to anger, to acceptance

Heitor Villa-Lobos

• Heitor Villa-Lobos

• Agustín Barrios

• Léo Brouwer

One of 12 etudes written in the 1920s

• One of 12 etudes written in the 1920s

• Slow introduction

• Fast section sliding only two fingers up and down the 4th and 5th strings

• “Tremolo” section moving octaves against open strings

• Return of the “two-fingered” section

• Return of the slow introduction

One of five preludes written in 1940

• One of five preludes written in 1940

• Subtitled “Homage to the Brazilian Country Dweller”

• Begins with singing melody in the cello range

• A fast, dance-like middle section

• A section made up of one big major chord “planed” around to different positions

• Return of the “cello” melody

“Chief Nitsuga Mangoré, the Paganini of the guitar from the jungles of Paraguay”

• “Chief Nitsuga Mangoré, the Paganini of the guitar from the jungles of Paraguay”

Concert guitarist

• Concert guitarist

One of his pieces inspired by Latin American folklore

• One of his pieces inspired by Latin American folklore

• A Chilean folk dance

• One section is played with only tamboura in the right hand

Inspired by 19th-century European music and by the music of J.S. Bach

• Inspired by 19th-century European music and by the music of J.S. Bach

• Allegedly inspired by a religious experience of walking into a Catholic cathedral

• Three movements

• I. Preludio
• II. Andante religioso
• III. Allegro solemne

Translated as “Sleep little black girl”

• Translated as “Sleep little black girl”

• Known also as Afro-Cuban Lullabye

• An arrangement of a Cuban popular song

• A very free arrangement with added material, altered melodies, and reharmonized chords

• From his early period when he was most inspired by Latin American popular and folks music

Written after attending an avant-garde music festival in Poland

• Written after attending an avant-garde music festival in Poland

• Section 1: Dense “tone clusters” arpeggiated very quickly in “cells” that last for an indeterminate length of time

• Section 2: More tone clusters punctuated by individual notes; ends with indeterminate pitch notated with squiggles

• Section 3: Tapping on the fingerboard with both hands

• Section 4: Improvising on three notes with occasional other notes interspersed

• Section 5: Fast arpeggios, ending with fast tone clusters again as in the opening

Based on African folk-tales by German ethnologist Leo Frobenius

• Based on African folk-tales by German ethnologist Leo Frobenius

• Starts with a four-note figure (“the call”) heard throughout

• Three arpeggiated chords represent “the prophecy”

• The first gallop of the lovers

• “The call” again

• The lovers call each other in imitation

• Through the valley of the echoes

• Final arpeggiated chords

Written for British guitarist Julian Bream

• Written for British guitarist Julian Bream

• Based on John Dowland’s lute song, “Come Heavy Sleep”

• Not a theme and variations, but a variations and theme

• One of several Britten works from this period that deals with sleep

I. Musingly

• I. Musingly

• II. Very agitated

• III. Restless

• IV. Uneasy

• V. March-like

• VI. Dreaming

• VII. Gently Rocking

• VIII. Passacaglia

• IX. Theme

One of many modern guitarist-composers

• One of many modern guitarist-composers

• Nationalism now comes from other countries than just Spain and Latin America

Written for jazz guitarist Pat Metheny

• Written for jazz guitarist Pat Metheny

• Thirteen guitars and two electric basses

• Often played with tape accompaniment and guitar soloist