First Essay:  

Opera and Oratorio

Compare and contrast oratorio and opera. Your opinion is valuable. Please expand on what you have read here and elsewhere. Paraphrase the comparison and refer to the listening examples to help make your point. Remember, this lesson extends into the Viennese and Romantic periods. In your answer, consider whether the later operas follow the traditions of the early opera by Monteverdi.

Second Essay:

Sonata Allegro Form

After reading the lectures for this lesson on the Viennese and the Romantic periods and completing the Listening Workshop, describe the sonata-allegro form. Where in a multi-movement work is this form most often used? What musical form preceded this form, and is the sonata-allegro form still being used today? This form is often considered dramatic and rewarding. In what way is this so and why? Please expand on what you read in the student guide, on the Internet, or in other sources. Refer to the listening examples to help make your point.

Third Essay:

Choose three 20th century selections and compare

Wozzeck, Excerpt from Act III, by Berg 
Ritual Melodies by Harvey Sextet by Reich 
General William Booth Enters Into Heaven by Ives 
Pavanne by Gabriel Fauré, arr. Ogerman (Bill Evans) 
Concerto Grosso 1985 by Zwilich 
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra by Britten 

Choose three of these seven listening selections above and compare their compositional techniques. Why do they sound so different from each other and yet are still from the same time period? Of the three you discuss, which do you like the most? Why? 

Fourth Essay:

The Concerto

The meaning of the term concerto has changed at least three times in the history of music. What are the major elements of the concerto? Is there always a soloist? Is there a traditional musical form? Refer to the listening examples in the Special Focus (Concertos) to support your conclusions.

Fifth Essay:

String Quartets

Briefly describe the development of the string quartet. How would you relate this chamber ensemble to modern performing groups such as the jazz quartet? Or to a rock ensemble? What are some of the similarities and differences? Refer to the listening examples in the Special Focus to support your conclusions.

Sixth Essay:

World Music

Why do you think that the world’s musics can impact cultures so differently? Listen to the examples of traditional musical sounds from different cultures and try to identify a common similarity. While it is easy to point out what is different, you should compare them to find shared elements. Remember that the music may serve different functions; that is, performance or to accompany a social or spiritual event.