Dictionary of Music - Birding America

eye music 133Evangelist In a Passion (an ORATORIO dealingwith the crucifixion of Jesus), the narrator whorecites the story from the Bible.Evensong (ē′vən sông ′′, ē′vən song ′′). In Anglicanchurch services, the sung form of the EveningPrayer.exerciseSee ÉTUDE; FINGER EXERCISE.exposition 1 In a FUGUE, the presentation of thesubject, or main theme, by each of the voice-parts. 2In SONATA FORM, the first section, which consists ofthe statement of the main themes. Usually there areat least two themes, the first in the tonic key and thesecond in the dominant key, the two being connectedby a bridge that modulates (changes) from the firstkey to the second. If there is a third (closing) theme,it is usually also in the dominant key.expressionism A term borrowed from painting todescribe certain kinds of twentieth-century musicwritten as though to express the innermost feelingsof the composer or, in stage works, of the characters.Like expressionist paintings, which use distortionand exaggeration to picture a kind of inner reality,expressionist music often seems harsh and discordant,as well as emotional and dramatic. Outstandingexamples are Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht(“Transfigured Night”), Pierrot lunaire (“Pierrot byMoonlight”), and Erwartung (“Expectation”),Berg’s two operas, Lulu and Wozzeck, and, morerecent, Harrison Birtwistle’s Punch and Judy (1966)and Peter Maxwell Davies’s Eight Songs for a MadKing (1969). As might be expected, both the textsand music of these stage works concentrate more onthe psychology of the characters than on externalevents. (See also MUSIC THEATER.)expression marks In music, directions, eitherwritten out or in the form of signs, that tell the performerwhat the composer intended. The mostbasic kinds of expression mark are those used toindicate tempo (speed) and dynamics (loudness orsoftness). Others indicate technique (bowing,touch, use of pedals, etc.), phrasing (groups ofnotes), and the mood to be expressed (gentle,lively, passionate, grieving). Often the terms usedfor this purpose are in Italian, which has becomethe international language of music. However,many composers prefer to write in their own language,and editors and publishers do not alwaystranslate their directions into Italian. The use ofexpression marks dates from the seventeenth century.Earlier music rarely contains directions forthe performer. Interpreting older music thusrequires considerable knowledge of the musicalpractices of different periods.eye music See under MADRIGAL, def. 2.