BAROQUEBAROQUEBAROQUEBAROQUE

c. 1600 - 1750c. 1600 - 1750c. 1600 - 1750c. 1600 - 1750

Style CharacteristicsStyle CharacteristicsStyle CharacteristicsStyle Characteristics

•Rise in idealism (contrasts with “realism” of the Renaissance)

•longing for perfection

•Ornamented artistic style

•Grandiose style and preference for high drama

•Desire for luxurious lives

•led to higher poverty rates, higher levels of oppression

Advancement in Advancement in MusicMusic

Advancement in Advancement in MusicMusic

Rise in harmonic understanding•Figured Bass- special notation accompaniment

•musicians improvised an appropriate harmony

•basso continuo - at least 2 instruments

•Bass line - bassoon/viola de gamba

•Chords - harpsichord/lute/organ

•Major and Minor tonalities are explored

•Tuning system was standardized - Equal temperament - used equal mathematical “pure” intervals as tuning system

Rise in popularity of instrumental musicDevelopment and advancement of instruments

Advancement in Advancement in MusicMusic

Advancement in Advancement in MusicMusic

•Rise of virtuoso musiciansVivaldi - virtuosic violinistBach/Handel - virtuoso organistImprovisation played a significant role

•Rise of vocal registers Castrato = men castrated as boys, sing in higher vocal ranges

•Role of women rose once again•Doctrine of Affections - adapted from the popularity of text

painting Baroque codification of basic emotional states (or “affections”) aroused by music.

New Secular Vocal New Secular Vocal GenresGenres

New Secular Vocal New Secular Vocal GenresGenres

Monody - “one song”•developed by the Florentine Camerata (group of writers, artists, musicians, and humanists)

•solo song with instrumental accompaniment

•high emotional power of text

•The “new music” was considered the “expressive” style

•used the Doctrine of Affections •one emotional state for the entire duration of the song•led to opera

Opera •marriage of all artistic styles (music, theater, poetry, art-set design/costumes)

OperaOperaOperaOperaEntire drama is performed through music

•Composer: writes music

•Librettist: writes text/lyrics (or libretto)Recitatives - (plot advancement)

•speech-like sections; frequent use of single/limited notes for lyrics.

•Often performed by one or two characters

•secco - Accompanied ONLY by continuo instruments; moves with great freedom

•accompagnato - Accompanied by full orchestra; moves more evenlyArias follow recitatives; lyric moments

•popular, more memorable songs

•emotional, melody driven.

•DA CAPO ARIA - ternary (A-B-A) form; conventional and popular aria typeSeveral ensemble numbers (duets, trios, etc).

•Chorus is used to back up the solo voices OR may function independentlyOrchestra performs an overture before the opera. Often introduces melodies/themes from the opera’s arias.

Italian OperaItalian OperaItalian OperaItalian Opera

Opera was born in Italy (First opera house = Venice)

•Combination of Renaissance theatrical traditions & musical experimentation of the Florentine Camerata

•3 Acts

•Plots

•Greek mythology (typical subject)

•history (later operas)

•Italian operas gained popularity in Western EuropeClaudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) - singer, gambist

•perhaps greatest Italian composer in Baroque

•wrote nine books of madrigals

•first great master of opera

English OperaEnglish OperaEnglish OperaEnglish Opera

• Dido and Aeneas (1689) among his first written in the English Dido and Aeneas (1689) among his first written in the English

language language

• libretto: Nahum Tatelibretto: Nahum Tate

• based on Virgil’s based on Virgil’s AeneidAeneid

• Known for its climactic final sceneKnown for its climactic final scene

• recitative “Thy Hand, Belinda”recitative “Thy Hand, Belinda”

• aria = “Dido’s Lament” - aka. “When I am laid”aria = “Dido’s Lament” - aka. “When I am laid”

• 5 measure ground bass - ostinato5 measure ground bass - ostinato

• Masque - an early type of entertainment that combined vocal and instrumental

styles with poetry and dance

• England adapted the Italian model for opera and wrote libretto in English

Henry Purcell (1659-1695) - organist

New Sacred Vocal New Sacred Vocal GenresGenres

New Sacred Vocal New Sacred Vocal GenresGenres

Oratorio•Descended from religious “plays-with-music” of the Counter-

Reformation•Like a sacred opera, but without costumes•Plots based on biblical stories

George Friderik Handel (1685-1759)•master of oratorios, cantatas, operas, orchestral suites, concerto

grossi, and chamber music among others.•wrote his famous Messiah in 1742

Cantata: vocal solo + orchestra + basso continuo (optional chorus)•sacred vocal composition with instrumental accompaniment •multi-movement work (12-20 minutes in length)•based on biblical stories•many movements are based on chorales

J.S. Bach (1685-1750)•wrote 60 cantatas each year for 5 years, yet only about 150 have

survived

New Instrumental New Instrumental GenresGenres

New Instrumental New Instrumental GenresGenres

Sonata

•secular solo piece

•opposite to cantata (something played; multi-movement)

Concerto

• orchestral work with a featured soloist or solo groupBaroque Suite

• multi-movement collection of dances of contrasting character and tempo

Keyboard works

•preludes, toccatas, fugues, and sonatas

Concerto Concerto characteristicscharacteristics

Concerto Concerto characteristicscharacteristics

Solo concerto - solo instrument (violin) with accompanying instrumental group

Concerto grosso - use of small chamber group (concertino) verses a larger group (ripieno or tutti)

•Bach’s 6 Brandenburg Concertos among the most popular representation of c.g.•Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) - b. Venice, violinist

•wrote operas, concertos, sonatas, and more.

•His best-known work is The Four Seasons• 4 violin concertos depicting scenes appropriate to each

season• Each concerto (1-4) contains 3 movements (fast, slow, fast)• example of program music = music intended to evoke

something “extra-musical”... in this case, the mood and character of each season

• each concerto is accompanied by a line from a poem• program music was inspired by word painting in

Renaissance and Baroque vocal works• Use of orchestral ritornello, or repeated sections (refrains)

Suite characteristicsSuite characteristicsSuite characteristicsSuite characteristicsUsed popular dances from around Europe

•allemande = German, quadruple meter, moderate tempo

•courante = French, triple meter, moderate tempo

•sarabande = Spanish, triple meter, stately tempo

•gigue/jig = English/Irish, 6/8 compound meter, lively tempo

•Optional dances

•overture - opening piece

•minuet

•hornpipeForms (binary and ternary)For solo instrument, chamber group, or keyboard (harpsichord)

KeyboardKeyboardKeyboardKeyboardPopular keyboards

•Organ - produced sound by blowing air into pressurized tubes (or pipes)•Harpsichord - strings are plucked by quills•Clavichord - strikes the brass/iron strings with blades called tangeants

Keyboard forms * Free forms - harmony based with improvisational freedom

•preludes - short piece based on continuous evolution of melodic and rhythmic figures; usually introduced a group of dance pieces (suites), chorales, or fugue

•toccatas - virtuosic and sounds improvised

•Strict forms - based on counterpoint (polyphony)

•fugue

Well-Tempered Clavier by J.S. Bach: 2 volumes of organ musicEach volume contained 12 major pieces and 12 minor pieces

FugueFugue

Latin word fuga = flight

FugueFugue

Latin word fuga = flight

•Most were written for the organ (JS Bach was the leading “master” of fugue compositions)

•Single theme used in entire piece by being presented throughout 2 or more melodic voices (usually 3 or 4 voices - SATB registers) = IMITATION

Main theme = SUBJECTEXPOSITION = first large section- is over once all the voices have stated the

SUBJECT in full

•SUBJECT stated first in single voice; tonality established (I)

•SUBJECT stated in a second voice = ANSWER (different register, 5 notes away V=dominant); meanwhile a counter-theme continues in the first voice

•If there are 4 voices, another statement of SUBJECT and ANSWER occur while the first two continue to develop

EPISODES = are interludes that help relax the counterpoint.FINAL STATEMENT = last declaration of SUBJECT and final cadence (tonic chord).

Contrapuntal DevicesContrapuntal Devices Contrapuntal DevicesContrapuntal Devices

Ways to alter the subject:

•Augmentation = durations of note values are longer

•Diminution = durations of note values are shorter

•Inversion = subject’s melodic intervals move in opposite direction (same intervals); “upside down”

•Retrograde = subject’s melody is presented “backwards”

•Retrograde Inversion = backwards and upside down

Johann Sebastian Bach died Johann Sebastian Bach died in 1750, which also marked in 1750, which also marked

the end of the BAROQUE ERAthe end of the BAROQUE ERA

Johann Sebastian Bach died Johann Sebastian Bach died in 1750, which also marked in 1750, which also marked

the end of the BAROQUE ERAthe end of the BAROQUE ERA