Post on 17-Dec-2015
Key Terms
• Basso continuo
• Ground bass (basso ostinato)
• Functional harmony
• Opera
• Recitative
• Aria
• Suites
• Fugue
• Variations
• Toccata
• Canzona
• Passacaglia
Renaissance to Baroque
• A period of rapid change• New emphases
– Expression of strong emotion– Solo singing
• New styles– Recitative; theatrical style– Instrumental and dance music
Renaissance vs. Baroque
Renaissance• Human voices superior• Vocal ensembles• A cappella ideal• Natural, simple musical ideas• Irregular, floating rhythms• Modal harmony• Church and chamber• Declamation and word
painting
Baroque• Instruments equally important• Solo singers• Voice with accompaniment• Artifice and virtuosity• Clear, dance-like rhythms• Functional harmony• Theater, church, and
chamber• Expression of strong
emotions
Venice
• Major center of tourism and trade
• “Most Serene Republic”
• Typified magnificence and extravagance– In art and architecture
– In music
St. Mark’s Basilica
• The center for Venetian music
• Extravagant architecture– Many Byzantine mosaics– Many balconies; two choir lofts
• Extravagant music– Using two or more choirs in alternation– Mixing of voices and instruments
Extravagance and Control
• New freedom of expression
• Break from tradition
• Rigorous and systematic control of new forms
• Expressive yet organized music
Giovanni Gabrieli (c. 1555–1612)
• Prolific composer and organist at St. Mark’s
• Mixes delicate, expressive passages and rich, brilliant echo effects
Gabrieli,“O magnum mysterium”
Renaissance features
• Uses vocal ensembles
• New melody for each phrase of text
• Careful declamation and text painting
“O magnum mysterium”
Baroque features• Equal treatment of voices and instruments• Clear, often dance-like rhythms• Clarity: parallels between beginning and end• Intensification
– Repetition and sequence– Theatrical contrasts
• Interplay between choirs and instruments
“O magnum mysterium”
O great mystery
and wonderful sacrament—
that animals see the Lord new born
lying in the manger:
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
O magnum mysterium
et admirabile sacramentum
ut animalia viderunt Dominum natum
iacentem in presepio:
Alleluia, alleluia.
Style Features of Early Baroque Music
• Emotional expression tempered by control
• Methodical use of musical elements to express emotions– Rhythm and meter– Basso continuo – Ground bass– Functional harmony
Rhythm and Meter
• Strong beat and regular meter• Consistent repetition of patterns• Different patterns for different
emotions• Range between two extremes
– Recitative– Dance music
Texture: Basso Continuo
• Consistent feature of Baroque music– Strong, reinforced bass line– Strong harmonic foundation
• Played by– Bass melody instruments (cello, bass)– Chording instruments (keyboard, lute)
Texture: Ground Bass
• Ground bass = Basso ostinato, repeating bass line
• Ostinato is a nearly universal practice
Functional Harmony
• Relies on major and minor scales– Sense of stability– Disorientation of dissonance or modulation
• More focus on chord progressions over strong bass line
• More predictable, purposeful—more modern!
Opera
• Most characteristic Baroque art form
• Ideal vehicle for individual emotionalism
• Ideal example of extravagance and control– Lavish mix of many art forms
– Rigid schemes (recitative and aria)
Recitative vs. Aria
Recitative• Free, speechlike rhythms• Pitches follow speech
patterns• Continuo accompaniment• Prose text (words stated
once)• Advances the action
(movement)• Dialogue (free interaction)
Aria• Clear beat, consistent meter• Pitches form melodic
patterns and phrases• Orchestral accompaniment• Poetic text (phrases often
repeated)• Freezes the action
(reflection)• Soliloquy (expresses one
emotion)
Claudio Monteverdi(1567–1643)
• Leading figure in music c. 1600• “The last great madrigalist and the
first great opera composer”• Mantua court (1589–1612)
– Orfeo, opera’s first masterpiece
• St. Mark’s, Venice (1612–1643)– The Coronation of Poppea
Monteverdi,The Coronation of Poppea
• Poppea is mistress to Emperor Nero
• Their love triumphs after– Poppea’s former lover is banished– The Empress is set to sea– Nero’s adviser is forced to commit suicide
• Poppea is crowned Empress of Rome
The Coronation of Poppea
Act I:• Nero’s guards grumble outside
Poppea’s house• Poppea’s former lover shows up• Poppea and Nero sing a lingering
farewell (recitative)• Poppea sings of her hopes and her
ambition to become empress (aria)
The Coronation of PoppeaFrom Act I, Recitative
• Rhythm dictated by words and dialogue– Speeds up and slows down freely
• Short arioso (songlike) passages– Support Nero’s flattery of Poppea
The Coronation of PoppeaFrom Act I, Aria
• A kind of victory dance in three sections
• Recitative indicates moment of uncertainty
• Energetic rhythms depict section 3’s battle
Henry Purcell(1659–1695)
• Greatest English Baroque composer
• Member of Chapel Royal and organist at Westminster Abbey
• Sacred, instrumental, and theater music
• Influenced by French and Italian music
• Wrote the first real English opera, Dido and Aeneas
Purcell, Dido and Aeneas
• Story from Virgil’s epic poem, The Aeneid• After escaping from Troy, Aeneas falls in love
with Queen Dido of Carthage• Malicious witches make Aeneas believe that
Jove has ordered him to continue his journey • Furious at his rejection, Dido spurns him • Dido commits suicide in the final scene
Dido and AeneasAct III, final scene
• Recitative– Dark, somber tone– Mostly minor mode with chromaticism
• Aria– Descending bass line– Repeated phrases
• Chorus– Alternates imitation and homophony– Uses word painting
The Rise of Instrumental Music
• Vocal music was Renaissance ideal
• New instrumental genres emerged in Baroque era
• Three main sources– Dance– Virtuosity– Vocal music
Dance
• Opera firmly linked to ballet
• Dance suites for orchestra
• Stylized dances and suites for harpsichord
• Dance rhythms in all genres
Virtuosity
• Instrumental music was now written down
• Virtuoso performers used written music as a guide for improvisation
Vocal Music
• Baroque favored solo singers
• Imitative polyphony moved to instruments– Development of fugue
– Sets of variations on vocal tunes
Girolamo Frescobaldi(1583–1643)
• Leading organ virtuoso
• Famous performer, composer, and teacher
• Worked in Florence and Rome
• Known for expressiveness and extravagance
Instrumental Genres
• Toccatas– Free-form works; capture spirit of improvisation
• Canzonas– Rigorously organized; emphasize imitative
textures
• Stylized dances– Short, binary form, often in suites
• Sets of variations– Based on vocal melodies or harmonic patterns
Frescobaldi,Suite, Canzona
• First section uses single motive imitatively
• Contrasting section introduces new motive for imitation
• Tend to end with strong cadences
Frescobaldi,Suite, Balletto and Corrente
• Common pairing of slower and faster dances
• Inner vs. outer form– Both binary form, homophonic, same key,
similar bass lines– Balletto: duple meter, slow tempo– Corrente: triple meter, faster tempo
Passacaglia
• A set of variations on a brief series of chords and their bass line
• Similar to ground bass works, but bass line repeated less strictly