Graduale Aboense, hymn book of Turku, Finland. 14th-15th century. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The church used to be the home to phenomenal classical music like Bach's cantatas, Gregorian Chant , and Handel 's oratorios. What happened? What changed church music from being great to being a set list of repetitive 7/11 songs? What have we lost?  As a musician of over two decades, I have performed numerous Easter cantatas, Christmas programs, and music specials both as a professional and as a church patron. In 2008 I wrote a prize-winning sacred oratorio, Creation. Though I would hate to say it, I have to admit that the overall quality of the contemporary church musical repertoire seems low, with songs and cantatas riding the line between unimaginative and silly. I am not questioning their effectiveness in their overall purpose, but musically these works pale in comparison with the incredible masterpieces of Bach, Handel, or even contemporary composers John Rutter and Eric...

Image via Wikipedia Introduction to Music History Final Exam Review 1 We have covered the following periods of Classical Music in depth: Middle Ages/Renaissance Baroque Era Classical Era 19th Century 20th Century For the Exam, you will be expected to know the following from each time period: 3 Major Composers 1 Major Composition w/composer 5 Musical Characteristics of the Time Period You will need to describe in essay form from a selected time period: The History One major composer One major composition Listening List: You will need to identify and briefly describe five musical works from the following list: Gregorian Chant Pachelbel Canon in D Bach Toccata and Fugue Mozart Symphony 40 Beethoven Symphony 5 Mussorgsky Night on Bald Mountain Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture Debussy La Mer Steve Reich Clapping Music Bernstein "West Side Story" John Cage 4'33'' Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin Scott Joplin Maple Leaf Rag Laurie Anderson O Superman

Gregorian Chant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5p_U8J0iRQ How is this music different than classical music works from other periods? - Instrumentation? - Monophony - Musical Lines - Rhythm Sacred music was notated at this time. The primary musicians at this time were the religious clergy. (For example, Hildegard von Bingen ). They recorded sacred music. Example of written music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HEKhr002Ts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkpFB6urAEE&feature=related Music was acapella Characteristics of Gregorian Chant Otherworldy the "Voice of the Church" No rhythm Moved by step (Piano example) Simple to sing Church Modes (Piano examples) SECULAR MUSIC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvaRMZPROSo Secular music included instruments like the fiddle, pipes, reed instruments Troubadours Knights and love songs Minstrels (Musicians/Acrobats on par with slaves. No rights. Human Newspaper) Played horns fiddles and lutes. Related articles A Short History of Long-Ha...

Today we are going to talk about Rhythm and Music Notation . In 4/4 Time there is Four Quarter Notes to a measure. You would count them 1-2-3-4. Most popular music is written in 4/4 time. It is probably the most popular time signature in western music. If a piece were in 3/4 time, then you would have three quarter notes per measure. You would count this 1-2-3. A waltz is a good example of a piece in 3/4 time. In 2/4 time there will be two quarter notes per measure. Like a march. The conductor directs the orchestra. It is also his or her job to catch any mistakes and to run rehearsals. The Sleeping Beauty Waltz Example of a March Not all music is in simple duple or triple meter. Many musical styles from nonwestern countries combine all types of meters and rhythms into very complex interweavings of music. Indian Tabla Music AfroCuban Music Javanese Gamelan Music Compare the meters and rhythms of the thre previous examples. How were they different? How were they the same? How do thes...