GCSE Music
Revision notes
Area of Study 1
Area of Study 1 – Western Classical Music, 1600-1899
HANDEL: ‘And the Glory of the Lord’ from the Messiah

Composed in 1741

Baroque piece (1600-1750)


From Oratorio (The Messiah) – a musical work
based on stories from the Bible. The Messiah
tells the story of birth, death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ





Structure = Recitative, Aria, Chorus



This is a Chorus, summing up the action of the
Story
BAROQUE FEATURES

Links to art, literature and the ornate
architecture that was around
Ornamented melodies
Major/minor keys (no modes)
Diatonic chords (belong to the key)
Basso continuo parts (Harpsichord/organ
and cello)
Different texture
Baroque orchestra (strings and
harpsichord, timpani, trumpets and horns)
Terrassed dynamics (loud and soft)

Instrumentation – Originally strings and
continuo

Built of 4 musical ideas. Handel stated each idea
in a single line, then developed it in various ways.
Each idea is contrasted with its own shape so each
one can be clearly heard when played together

3/4 metre / time signature

Allegro tempo

A Major key, modulating to the dominant E major, then B major

Joyful mood – Glorification and Praise (common for one mood to be evident
throughout Baroque pieces)

Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass voices
- Monophonic (bars 11-13)
- Homophonic (bars 33-38)
- Simple imitation (bar 17+)
- Two ideas together (bars 110-113)
- Doubling of parts (bar 51+)

Use of cadences
Area of Study 1 – Western Classical Music, 1600-1899
MOZART: 1st mvmt from Symphony No.40 in G minor

Composed in 1788

Classical piece (1750-1810)


Symphony – large scale work for orchestra in
3 or 4 movements



Structure = Sonata form (use of repetition and
contrast)

-
-
-
Exposition (1st subject, bridge, 2nd subject
in a related key)
Development (Develops ideas from the
exposition – creating variations of the
original ideas – explores different keys)
Recapitulation (Balances with opening
section – recaps 1st subject in tonic key,
bridge, 2nd subject in tonic key
Ends with a coda
CLASSICAL FEATURES




Deliberate move away from ornate
Baroque ideas.
Clear-cut and balanced structures
Simplicity and clarity – graceful melodies
and balanced/regular phrases
Less use of harpsichord – orchestra grew –
standard woodwind and brass section with
strings
Homophonic texture/Polyphonic texture
Regular cadences
Contrast in keys, melodies
More varied dynamics

Instrumentation – Strings, woodwindflutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, brass- trumpets,
french horn, Percussion- timpani

4/4 metre / time signature

Molto Allegro tempo (very fast)

G minor key, modulates to Bb major (relative major)

2nd subject has a more ‘pathetique’ mood, with falling chromatic lines
Area of Study 1 – Western Classical Music, 1600-1899
CHOPIN: Piano Prelude No. 15 in Db major (‘The Raindrop’)
















Composed in 1838
ROMANTIC FEATURES
Romantic piece (1800-1900)
Developments of the Piano – made larger to
 Music often expressed intense emotions
create a bigger sound, more notes giving greater
such as love, grief, joy, death and beauty to
pitch range, felt replaced the leather hammers
be found in the natural world
producing a more rounded and fuller sound,
 Melody lines were often longer and more
sustain and soft pedals introduced
developed
Chopin’s piano style – Romantic ideal for
 More freedom in form and structure
expressing feelings and emotions, founder of the
 Greater vocabulary of chords used with 7th,
‘cantabile’ style (in a singing style), very important
9th, 11th and dominant 13th chords
melody lines –often long, delicate and lyrical,
 Harmony often chromatic and discordant
spreading arpeggios, simple broken chord
 Strong and varied dynamics
accompaniments, use of tempo rubato, passages
 More technical demands – virtuosic
fast articulation and virtuosic technique, control of
performers
dynamics
 Expansion of the orchestra
‘The Raindrop’ is one of the longest in the set of
 Piano invented
Preludes (89 bars)
Written at a deserted monastery in Majorca, written during a storm – raindrops
dripping onto the roof of the monastery
Raindrops represented by the repeating pedal notes:
- continuously repeating Abs in section A
- continuously repeating G#s in section B (same note enharmonically –
because this is at a higher pitch it is called an inverted pedal)
Structure = ABA (Ternary Form)
Sections are unbalanced
- A = 27 bars (Db major)
- B = 47 bars (C# minor – tonic minor)
- A = 6 bars (Db major)
- Codetta = 8 bars (Db major)
Mood of B (the longest section) is dark and stormy, melody on the left hand in
thick chords
Playing techniques
- Cantabile legato (smooth and in a singing style)
- Expressive us of pedals
- Rubato (robbed time)
4/4 metre (C = common time)
Music marked sostenuto (sustained)
A section = piano (soft), regular 4 bar phrases, RH melody, LH quaver ‘raindrop’
accompaniment, homophonic texture, rubato
B section = long and dramatic, melody in LH, repeating G#s in RH, stormy mood,
RH notes in octaves, homophonic texture, starts quietly (sotto voce – in an
undertone/whisper), builds to ff
Repeat of A = short restatement of opening of the piece, comes to an abrupt halt
with a two bar monophonic phrase then a six bar chordal passage