LISTENING GUIDE

Paul Dukas (1865–1935)Fanfare from La Péri

Date of composition: 1912Orchestration: 3 trumpets, 4 French horns, 3 trombones, tubaDuration: 2:22

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Sound, Rhythm, and DynamicsThe first piece we will listen to is a fanfare for brass

instruments written by the French composer Paul

Dukas, who lived from 1865 to 1935. This is a fairly

simple piece, but it allows us to practice listening for the

elements that make a musical composition interesting.

First we’ll concentrate on sound, rhythm, and dynamics.

Then we’ll focus on the texture and the form.

Dukas composed ballets and operas as well as sym-

phonic, choral, and chamber works. He is perhaps best

known for his symphonic work The Sorcerer’s Appren-

tice, which you can hear in the Mickey Mouse episode

of Walt Disney’s film Fantasia. The fanfare we will hear

was written as the introduction to a ballet; it is scored

for three trumpets, four horns, three trombones,

and tuba.

Student CDI, 8Complete CDI, 8

The first thing you will notice when you listen to this piece is the sound. There is nothingquite like the sound of several brass instruments playing together. What is special, too, is the differ-ence between the bright, extroverted sound when they play loudly and the slightly mysterious soundwhen they play softly. In this piece, the composer also takes advantage of the contrast in soundbetween the high instruments (trumpets), the mid-range instruments (horns), and the low instru-ments (trombones and, especially, tuba).

The next thing you will notice is the rhythm. In the beginning and ending sections, the rhythmis exciting and vigorous. In the middle of the piece, there is a more relaxed rhythm.

Finally, pay attention to the dynamics. The piece starts out loud (forte, or ƒ); it drops down tomezzo forte (medium loud, mƒ) in the middle section and then crescendos to fortissimo (very loud,ƒf ) for the final section.

Now listen to this fanfare carefully. It lasts only a couple of minutes, but there is a lot to notice.Think about sound, rhythm, and dynamics.

CD TIME LISTEN FOR

8 (8) 0:00 Full group, ƒ (loud).

0:13 New idea, horns.

0:23 New idea moves to trumpets, rounded off by full group, cadence (ending chords).

0:50 Back to horns, again rounded off by full group, cadence.

9 (9) 1:20 Middle section, quieter (mƒ), more sustained, smoother.

1:40 Faster rhythm, crescendo to:

10 (10) 1:48 Modified return of opening, ƒf, leading to final cadence with trumpet flourish.

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The two other elements to notice in this piece are the texture, and the overall form. The prevail-ing texture is homophonic—mostly the instruments play in the same rhythm at the same time.Occasionally there is some counterpoint, with the horns taking one melody and the other instru-ments playing a contrasting line.

The overall form is a very common one in music: ABA form. There is an opening section, A,which presents the main ideas of the piece; then a contrasting middle section, B; then a return to theideas of the opening. In this piece, the composer brings back a shortened, slightly varied version ofthe opening at the end. This, too, is a common technique. We usually indicate this with an A′; so themost accurate representation of the form of this piece is ABA′. Listen once more for texture and form.

CD TIME LISTEN FOR

8 (8) 0:00 A section. Full group, ƒ (loud), homophony.

0:13 New idea, horns; counterpoint with other instruments.

0:23 Second idea moves to trumpets, rounded off by full group, cadence.

0:50 Back to horns, again rounded off by full group, cadence.

9 (9) 1:20 B section. quieter (mƒ), more sustained, smoother.

1:40 Faster rhythm, crescendo to:

10 (10) 1:48 A′ section. Modified return of opening, ƒf, leading to final cadence with trumpet flourish.

Music and Words:Melody, Harmony,DissonanceThe next work we will study is a song by the Viennese

composer Franz Schubert. Schubert lived in the early

nineteenth century, when an artistic movement known

as Romanticism was taking hold in Europe. This

movement concentrated on feelings and the expression

of personal emotion. Schubert specialized in German

songs; during his short lifetime, he composed no fewer

than 600 of them.

Gretchen am Spinnrade (Gretchen at the Spinning

Wheel) describes the feelings of a young woman who

sits by the window spinning as she laments the absence

of her lover. The song is based on a poem by Schubert’s

contemporary, the German poet Johann Wolfgang von

Goethe. But Schubert has not simply taken the poem

and set it to music; he has added layers of meaning to

what was already an expressive work of art. In the Lis-

A portrait of the composer Franz Schubert, painted in 1825.

tening Guide, we will see how he uses melody,

harmony, and dissonance to underscore and build on

the qualities of the original poem. The song is not just

a musical version of the poem; it is a new work of art,

intense and full of meaning.

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LISTENING GUIDE

Franz Schubert (1797–1828)Song for voice and piano,

Gretchen am Spinnrade(Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel)

Date of composition: 1814Text by Johann Wolfgang von GoetheTempo: Nicht zu geschwind (“Not too fast”)Meter: Key: D minor; Duration: 3:37

8

6

Schubert wrote this song when he was just seventeen years old. It was only his second workto be published, although he had already composed more than 100 pieces. The text, in short four-line stanzas, contains the words of a young woman yearning for her lover. Schubert repeats some ofthe words of the last stanza for dramatic and emotional intensity.

The melody is similar for each stanza and yet subtly different. Continuity is provided by the rip-pling piano part, beginning at the very start of the piece, which represents Gretchen’s spinningwheel turning as she sings. A very effective key change can be heard at the beginning of the fourthstanza (1:28). Schubert changes from D minor (the key of the piece) to F major (the relative majorkey) when Gretchen describes the manly physical characteristics of her lover. A magical momentoccurs at the end of the fifth stanza on the words “Und ach, sein Kuss!” (“And oh, his kiss!”). Forthe only time in the whole song, the spinning wheel stops, as Gretchen is overcome by emotion, andtwo very dissonant chords are heard (1:41). Only reluctantly after that does the motion of the pianoresume.

CD TIME LISTEN FOR

11 (11) 0:00 [Spinning wheel starts up—piano]

Refrain0:02 Meine Ruh’ ist hin, My peace is gone,

Mein Herz ist schwer, My heart is heavy,Ich finde sie nimmer And I will never againUnd nimmermehr. Find peace.

[simple but lovely melody; minor key]

Stanza 10:22 Wo ich ihn nicht hab’ Wherever he is not with me

Ist mir das Grab, Is my grave,Die ganze Welt My whole worldIst mir vergällt Is turned to gall.

Stanza 2 [voice gets higher]

0:36 Mein armer Kopf My poor headIst mir verrückt, Is crazed,Mein armer Sinn My poor mindIst mir zerstückt. Is shattered.

Student CDI, 11Complete CDI, 11

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Refrain [voice resumes original range; original melody]

0:54 Meine Ruh’ ist hin, My peace is gone,Mein Herz ist schwer, My heart is heavy,Ich finde, ich finde sie nimmer And I will never againUnd nimmermehr. Find peace.

Stanza 31:14 Nach ihm nur schau’ ich I look out the window

Zum Fenster hinaus, Only to see him,Nach ihm nur geh’ ich I leave the houseAus dem Haus. Only to seek him.

Stanza 4 [change to major key on word “hoher”]

12 (12) 1:28 Sein hoher Gang, His fine gait,Sein ed’le Gestalt, His noble form,Seines Mundes Lächeln, The smile of his lips,Seiner Augen Gewalt, The power of his eyes,

Stanza 51:41 Und seiner Rede And the magic flow

Zauberfluss, Of his words,Sein Händedruck, The touch of his hands,Und ach, sein Kuss! And oh, his kiss!

[intense, dissonant chords; spinning wheel stops and reluctantly starts up again;return to opening minor key]

Refrain13 (13) 2:08 Meine Ruh’ ist hin, My peace is gone,

Mein Herz ist schwer, My heart is heavy,Ich finde, ich finde sie nimmer And I will never againUnd nimmermehr. Find peace.

Stanza 62:28 Mein Busen drängt sich My bosom yearns

Nach ihm hin. For him.Ach dürft’ ich fassen Oh, if only I could grasp himUnd halten ihn, and hold him,

Stanza 7 [voice gets higher; the highest note in the song is heard on the word “vergehen” (“die”)]

2:42 Und küssen ihn, And kiss himSo wie ich wollt’, As I would like,An seinen Küssen I would dieVergehen sollt! From his kisses!

2:55 [repeat of Stanza 7, slightly modified, ending with climactic high notes]

Refrain3:16 [partial]

Meine Ruh’ ist hin, My peace is gone,Mein Herz ist schwer. My heart is heavy.

[at the very end, Schubert unexpectedly repeats only the first two lines of therefrain, as the music gets very quiet, and the song ends, seemingly up in the air,with our feelings stirred up, not completely resolved.]This is a very beautiful song. You might want to listen to it with the ListeningGuide a few times to appreciate it fully.

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LISTENING GUIDE

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)Minuet and Trio from Symphony No. 18

in F Major, K. 130

Date of composition: 1772Orchestration: 2 flutes, 4 horns, Violins I and II

(this means there are two groups of violins inthe orchestra), violas, cellos, double basses

Meter: Key: F majorDuration: 2:05

4

3

The first thing to note about this piece is that it is a minuet; that is, it conforms to the spiritand form of a favorite eighteenth-century ballroom dance. Minuets were graceful and elegantdances, and music in the minuet style often appeared as one of the movements in symphonies(orchestral works) of the Classic era.

Form: Every minuet is in binary form. There are always two sections, A and B, and each isrepeated, making the pattern AABB. Usually in a symphony the first minuet is followed immedi-ately by a second minuet (called the trio), which is also in binary form (CCDD). Then the first min-uet is played again, sometimes without repeats.

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Student CDI, 14Complete CDI, 14

Mozart as a teenager.

A Symphonic Minuet

Our next piece can help you appreciate how several

musical elements can be combined to create a musical

work. It is a movement from a symphony by Wolf-

gang Amadeus Mozart, one of the most brilliant com-

posers of eighteenth-century Europe. The symphony

was written in 1772, when Mozart was only sixteen

years old!

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Therefore the overall pattern of the symphonic minuet is AABB/CCDD/AABB (orAABB/CCDD/AB). It is easy to see that across the binary (two-part) scheme there is actually aternary (three-part) pattern, with a large-scale ABA form:

Minuet Trio MinuetA B AAABB CCDD AABB (or AB)

This pattern is quite clear in most minuet movements. There is a cadence (closing sound) at theend of each section. The sections are usually quite short.

The challenge for the composer in writing a minuet and trio is to find the right balance betweencontrast (difference) and continuity (similarity). The trio is sandwiched between appearances of theminuet. The composer has to give the trio a little contrast, to make it interesting, and yet still makeit sound as though it belongs in the sandwich.

I have provided three listening guides for this piece, each of which focuses on different elements.The first explains the form of the piece, with its repeated sections.The second shows you how tonotice tempo and meter. The third concentrates on cadences and keys.

Listening Guide 1Listen for the repeated sections.

CD TIME LISTEN FOR

Minuet14 (14) 0:00 First section of minuet (A). Begins with a graceful melody played softly by the

strings; flutes and horns join in for loud ending.

0:09 Repeat of the first section of the minuet (A).

0:18 The second section of the minuet (B). Full orchestra, continuing loud.

0:27 Repeat of the second section (B).

Trio15 (15) 0:37 First section of trio (C). Contrast of rhythm and texture, soft strings; answered by

loud phrase including the flutes.

0:51 Repeat (C).

1:04 Second section of trio (D). Whole orchestra, loud; answered by a quiet phrase that gets louder at the end.

1:17 Repeat (D).

Minuet [The minuet is played again, exactly as before.]

16 (16) 1:29 First section (A).

1:38 Repeat (A).

1:47 Second section (B).

1:56 Repeat (B).

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Listening Guide 2

CD TIME LISTEN FOR

Minuet14 (14) 0:00 A. First section. (Try tapping.)

0:09 Repeat. (The slower taps are the measures. The faster taps are the beats withineach measure.)

0:18 B. Second section. (Keep going.)

0:27 Repeat.

Trio15 (15) 0:37 C. Trio first section. (The notes are longer here, but the tempo and the meter stay

exactly the same.)

0:51 C. Repeat.

1:04 D. Second section.

1:17 D. Repeat.

Minuet [whole minuet repeated]

16 (16) 1:29 First section (A).

1:38 Repeat.

1:47 Second section (B).

1:56 Repeat.

Notice as you are tapping that the tempo and the meter remain constant all the way through themovement from beginning to end. This is extremely common in many kinds of music.

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69

Now let’s go on to the second Listening Guide and

listen for the tempo and the meter. The tempo is

moderate and regular enough that you can practice

counting three beats per measure while you listen:

1-2-3; 2-2-3; and so on. This means that the piece is in

triple meter, designated as or three quarter notes in a

measure.

If you tap your foot or your finger on each strong

beat in this piece, you’ll be tapping your foot about

once every second. Try doing that for a while as you lis-

ten. Once you are secure about that, try tapping three

times as fast. It’s not hard. Just keep tapping along

until you are coordinated with the music. With a little

practice, you can get good at both kinds of tap and

even switch between them in the middle of the piece.

4

3

The slower tap represents the occurrence of each

measure; the faster taps are the beats within each mea-

sure. The number of beats in each measure is called the

meter; the speed at which the beats occur is called the

tempo. We have about three beats per second, which is

medium-fast, and we have three beats per measure,

which means that the piece is in triple meter.

Beat: Basic pulse

Measure: Group of beats

Meter: Number of beats per measure

Tempo: Speed at which the beats occur

need to know

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Keys and CadencesOne of the hardest things for nonspecialists to listen

for in music is key. Although, really, it’s not so hard.

Key is a bit like color in a painting. The color gives a

painting a particular quality. Most paintings do not use

only one color. Similarly, a piece of music does not

usually stay in the same key the whole time, though

most pieces end in the key in which they began. Often,

they move to a different key in the middle and return

to the original key at the end. Both the minuet and the

trio in Mozart’s movement do that. The minuet begins

in F major and moves to C major (the dominant of

F) in the middle before returning to F at the end. The

trio begins and ends in C major and moves to G major

(its dominant) in the middle. The best way to hear this

is to listen especially hard at the cadences where the

musical sections end. Remember: A cadence is an end-

ing sound, like punctuation in a written text.

Listening Guide 3

CD TIME LISTEN FOR

Minuet14 (14) 0:00 First section. Begins in F major, ends with a cadence in C Major.

0:09 Repeat.

0:18 Second section. Returns to F major, ends with a cadence in F.

0:27 Repeat.

Trio15 (15) 0:37 First section. Begins in C major, ends with a cadence in G Major.

0:51 Repeat.

1:04 Second section. Starts in G major, returns to C for the cadence.

1:17 Repeat.

Minuet [whole minuet repeated]

16 (16) 1:29 First section. F, cadences in C.

1:38 Repeat.

1:47 Second section. Returns to F and ends with a final cadence in F.

1:56 Repeat.

Listen to this a few times, and notice how the keynote is different at the end of the different sections.

By now you should have listened to this little piece many times. If you have, you’ve probablylearned a great deal about how classical music works. Don’t worry if you didn’t get it all. Thesethings take time. You need to listen to a piece many, many times to appreciate all its subtleties. Takea break from this one. Then listen to it again a few more times tomorrow with the three listeningguides. And a few more times the day after that . . .

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LISTENING GUIDE

Benny Harris (1919–1975)Crazeology

Date of composition: 1947 (recorded 1994)Performers: Daniel Ian Smith (tenor saxophone)

and Mark Poniatowski (bass)Tempo: FastMeter: Key: B b

Duration: 5:17

4

4

The music we shall listen to is an instrumental composition written in 1947 by the jazztrumpeter Benny Harris, but presented here in a 1994 version by Daniel Ian Smith and Mark Poni-atowski. With jazz, more than most other music, a new performance is really a new composition,because so much is left up to the performers. This is a piece in bebop style, played here by tenorsaxophone and double bass. Bebop, or bop, is a term used to describe a style of jazz that developedin the 1940s. It is characterized by small combos, a fast tempo, and lively, free improvisation. In thisperformance, we also have a fascinating example of contrast in tone colors. The tenor saxophonehas a flexible, fluid, slightly unfocused sound and a wide range, whereas the double bass playedpizzicato (plucked) is low, rhythmic, and dry.

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More on Beats, Meter,Form, and Tone ColorThe next piece we will study is quite different, but it

will give you more practice in counting beats, listening

for meter, and hearing form. Almost all music has

form: It is form that gives music shape and coherence.

This is true of jazz, pop, and rock, as well as of classical

music.

One of the basic patterns of both jazz and popular

song is known as 32-bar AABA form. This form is

based on a group of 32 measures, divided into four

eight-measure phrases and organized in the format

AABA:

A eight-measure phrase

A repeat of music

B new eight-measure phrase

A repeat of first phrase

Literally thousands of pop and rock songs, as well as

countless jazz compositions, are based on this pattern.

For example, in Chapter 2, I showed you how the song

“Somewhere, Over the Rainbow” is an example of 32-

bar AABA form. “Somewhere . . .” starts all the A sec-

tions. “Someday I’ll wish upon a star . . .” is the B

section. The 32-bar pattern can be repeated as many

times as necessary, depending on the number of verses

in the song.

Student CDI, 17Complete CDI, 17

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The first thing to do is to listen to the piece andcount beats. You may find yourself starting with a fairlyslow pulse, but if you listen carefully you will end uptapping your foot or finger quite fast. Remember: Thebeat is the smallest unit of repeated pulse.

Next, try counting measures (each group of fourbeats). They go by quite fast—about one per second.You might get adventurous and tap beats with your fin-ger and measures with your foot. You should end up with four beats per measure. This means thatthis piece is in meter, or four quarter notes to a measure. After a while, you should be able to countmeasures quite comfortably. Some people find it easier just to count aloud instead of tapping. Countfour beats to a measure (one-two-three-four, two-two-three-four, three-two-three-four, etc.). After youget to eight, start again with one. This gives you eight measures in a group.

Once you are comfortable with the beat, you should be able to follow the structure of the entirepiece with the timed listening guide. Each section of the AABA form has eight measures.

The other thing the listening guide will show is how the piece is divided into several choruses,each in AABA form, as well as how the entire piece is framed by identical first and last choruses,played in unison (the two instruments playing the same notes). The inner choruses areimprovised—that is, made up on the spot—using the original chord pattern as a foundation. Theymove from unison, to song texture, to a bass solo, to “call and response” (i.e. the instruments tradingphrases), and back to unison again.

CD TIME LISTEN FOR

Chorus 1A 17 (17) 0:00 Unison; elaborate syncopated phrases.

A 0:10 Unison; repeat.

B 0:21 Unison; shorter leaping phrases; more key changes.

A 0:31 Unison; repeat of A.

Chorus 2A 18 (18) 0:40 Melody and accompaniment (song texture); swinging rhythm and free-flowing

improvisation.

A 0:51

B 1:01

A 1:11

Chorus 3A 1:21 Continuation . . .

A 1:31

B 1:41

A 1:51

Chorus 4A 19 (19) 2:02 Bass solo; improvisation with snatches of opening melody.

A 2:11

B 2:21

A 2:32

4

4

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Italian Renaissance painting of a female lutenist.Orazio Gentileschi (Florentine, 1563–1639), “The Lute Player,” c.1612/1620. Oilon canvas 1.435 × 1.288 (561/2 × 503/4). Photograph © 2000. Ailsa MellonBruce Fund. Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Chorus 5A 20 (20) 2:41 Continuation, with slides, chords, and twangs . . .

A 2:50

B 3:00

A 3:11

Chorus 6A 21 (21) 3:19 Sax answered by bass (“call and response”), four measures each.

A 3:28

B 3:38

A 3:47

Chorus 7A 3:57 Continuation (progressively more elaborate).

A 4:07

B 4:16

A 4:26

Chorus 8 [repeat of Chorus 1]

A 22 (22) 4:36 Unison.

A 4:46 Unison.

B 4:56 Unison; shorter phrases.

A 5:06 Unison.

“Word-Painting,”Texture, andChromaticismThe last composition we will listen to in this chapter

dates from the sixteenth century. This was an impor-

tant period in European cultural history, a period gen-

erally known as the Renaissance. Painting, literature,

architecture, and music flourished in an atmosphere of

peace and prosperity.

The country at the forefront of the Renaissance was

Italy, and the piece we will study was written by an Ital-

ian woman known as Maddalena Casulana. She was a

prolific composer and wrote both sacred and secular

music; she also sang and played the lute.

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LISTENING GUIDE

Maddalena Casulana (c. 1540–c. 1590)Madrigal, Morte, te chiamo

(Death, I Call on You)

Date of composition: 1570Small choir Tempo: SlowMeter: Duration: 1:38

4

4

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Student CDI, 23

Complete CDI, 23

One of the most popular genres of Italian music in the Renaissance was the madrigal,a composition for a small number of voices, usually on some set theme such as the beauty of natureor the pain of love. Casulana’s piece is among the latter; it explores one of the ideas common in lovepoetry: Because love causes so much sorrow, why not die? The madrigal is set in the form of a dia-logue between the poet and Death. It uses “word painting”—the reflection in music of the meaningof the words.

All the musical voices take part in the dialogue; the madrigal begins with one voice alone, grad-ually adding the others one at a time. The poet’s disturbed state of mind is reflected in the changingharmonies and chromaticism. (Remember, chromaticism is melodic motion by half steps.) Themusic begins contrapuntually, with the different voices singing individual melody lines (0:00–0:21)The central section (0:34–0:52) (“You cannot? Why not?”/“Do it!” “I shall not!”) is quite agitated,whereas the last line (0:52–1:03) is set more calmly in homophony. Note that in the middle sectionthe composer has playfully created a kind of musical joke; the Italian words “Sì fa!” and “Non fa!”are set to the notes B and F (“si” and “fa” in the do-re-mi system).

The excellent performance here is by a student group, the Butler University Madrigal Singers.

CD TIME LISTEN FOR

23 (23) 0:00 Morte, te chiamo. Death, I call on you.

[one voice enters at a time]

“Che voi? Ecco m’appreso.” “What do you want? Here I am.”

[all together; change of harmony]

0:21 Prendi m’e fa che manchi il mio dolore. Take me, and make an end to my grief.

[voices move lower]

“Non posso.” “I cannot.”

0:34 Non poi? Perchè? You cannot? Why not?

[quick dialogue]

“Perch’in te non regna il core.” “Because your heart no longer reigns in your body.”

[more homophonic]

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0:43 Sì fa! Do it!

“Non fa!” “I shall not!”

[alternating duets]

Fatte’l’ restituire, Then give me back my heart,

[cadence]

0:52 Chè chi vita non ha non può morire. For a person who has no life cannot die.

[smoother homophony]

1:03 [last four lines repeated, from 0:34]

Maddalena Casulana has created a composition in which expression and form are in perfect bal-ance. The shifting harmonies and chromaticism reflect the meaning of the words, while the texturalchanges and repetition create both variety and unity and provide closure at the end. She has com-municated feelings to the listener that could not have been communicated in any other way than bythe structural and expressive power of music.

The five pieces we have studied in this chapter—the

Dukas brass fanfare, the Schubert song, the Mozart

minuet, the jazz Crazeology, and the madrigal—are all

very different. They are different in date, style, type of

musical composition, language, instrumentation, and

emotional content. Their composers, too, are very

diverse: a late Romantic, an early Romantic, a com-

poser from the Classic period, a black American, a

female composer from the Renaissance. Yet the works

all have one thing in common: They all use the lan-

guage of music to communicate. In addition, they all

reveal greater and greater depth and provide more and

more pleasure as a result of active and committed

listening.

FOR FURTHER

DISCUSSION AND STUDY1. The “soundscape” of our world is constantly changing as old sounds disappear and are replaced by new

one. Identify different sounds that you hear on a daily basis. What is the loudest sound you hear? Themost annoying? The rarest? The highest? The most beautiful?

2. Using some type of recorder (your iPod; a digital recorder), record a “soundscape.” Swap yourrecording with another student and see if you can each identify where the recording was made.

3. “Muzak” is the registered trade name for a type of music developed to be played in the “background”in public places like malls and doctor’s offices. In some cases, background music is used to increaseworker productivity or to encourage consumers to buy more products. Is this ethical?

4. Listen to a favorite piece of music at least four times. After each time, jot down a log of what you hearand feel when you listen to the music. After the last time, compare your notes and see how yourperceptions and feelings changed as you continued to listen to the piece.

5. Compare the five examples in this chapter, specifically focusing on how each composer has achievedvariety and held the attention of the listener in the composition.

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