class of 1685 the instrumental music of bach and handel
TRANSCRIPT
Class of 1685
The Instrumental Music of Bach and Handel
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)• George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)• Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757)
Careers and Lifestyles
• Handel– 1685: born in Halle, Germany– 1703: Hamburg• worked as violinist and
harpsichordist, composer
Careers and Lifestyles
• Handel– 1685: born in Halle, Germany– 1703: Hamburg• worked as violinist and harpsichordist, composer
– 1706–1710: Florence and Rome• formative years, “Il Sassone”
Careers and Lifestyles
• Handel– 1685: born in Halle, Germany– 1703: Hamburg• worked as violinist and harpsichordist, composer
– 1706–1710: Florence and Rome• formative years, “Il Sassone”
– 1710: Hanover• music director for the Elector of Hanover
Careers and Lifestyles
• Handel– 1685: born in Halle, Germany– 1703: Hamburg
• worked as violinist and harpsichordist, composer
– 1706–1710: Florence and Rome• formative years, “Il Sassone”
– 1710: Hanover• music director for the Elector of Hanover
– 1711: England• elector of Hanover becomes King George I of England
Careers and Lifestyles
• Bach– The Bach family of musicians– 1685: born in Eisenach, Germany– 1703–1707: served as organist in
Arnstadt
Careers and Lifestyles
• Bach– 1685: born in Eisenach, Germany– 1703–1707: served as organist in Arnstadt– 1708: served as organist in Mühlhausen
Careers and Lifestyles
• Bach– 1685: born in Eisenach, Germany– 1703–1707: served as organist in Arnstadt– 1708: served as organist in Mühlhausen– 1708–1717: served as organist and concert
director in Weimar
Careers and Lifestyles
• Bach– 1685: born in Eisenach, Germany– 1703–1707: served as organist in Arnstadt– 1708: served as organist in Mühlhausen– 1708–1717: served as organist and concert
director in Weimar– 1717–1723: served as music director in Cöthen
Careers and Lifestyles
• Bach– 1723: served as music director at St. Thomas
Church in Leipzig
The Chorale Prelude
• Orgelbüchlein• Durch Adams Fall ist ganz verderbt
[Anthology 1-84]
The Fugue
• sectional toccata• “toccata and fugue;” “fantasia and fugue”• “prelude and fugue”• Bach, Fugue in G minor [Anthology 1-82]– subject– answer– countersubject– episode
The “Well-Tempered Keyboard”
• Das wohltemperirte Clavier– Book 1 (1722)– Book 2 (1738-1742)– B minor fugue [Anthology 1-83]• appoggiaturas• Seufzer “sighs, groans”
Bach’s Imported Roots
• Georg Muffat (1653–1704)– treatise on how to play in the Lullian style
Bach’s Imported Roots
• Johann Jacob Froberger (1616–1667)– Dix suittes de clavessin• French dance music• binary form
Bach’s Imported Roots
• Johann Jacob Froberger (1616–1667)– Dix suittes de clavessin• French dance music• binary form• core dances– allemande (broad quadruple meter)– gigue (6/8 meter)– courante (grave triple meter, with hemiola effects)– sarabande (majestic triple meter)
Bach’s Suites
• French Suites (Froberger model)– galanterie; galant
• French Suite No. 5, in G major [Anthology 1-85]– allemande– courante– sarabande– gavotte– bourée– loure– gigue
“Agréments” and “Doubles”:The Arts of Ornamentation
• François Couperin (1668–1733)• 14th Set of harpsichord compositions (1722)– Le Rossignol en amour [Anthology 1-86]• gigue• character piece• agréments• double
Stylistic Hybrids:The “Brandenburg” Concertos
• French dance music• Keyboard arrangements of Italian concertos• The “Brandenburg Concertos”– assembled in 1722 in Cöthen – usually scored ensembles
Stylistic Hybrids:The “Brandenburg” Concertos
• The Fifth Brandenburg Concerto in D major [Anthology 1-87]
– concertino: violin, transverse flute, written-out harpsichord part
– cembalo solo senza stromenti (the harpsichord alone without instruments)
Handel’s Instrumental Music
• 2 dozen concertos grosso• Solo organ concertos• Orchestral suites– “Handel’s Celebrated Water Musick” (1717)– “The Musick for the Royal Fireworks” (1749)