The World of Music6th edition

Part 4

Listening to Western Classical Music

Chapter 10: Music of the Baroque Period

(1600-1750)

Baroque newbies

• Location, location, location– Italy– France– Germany– England

• Its not what you know, its who …– Galileo– Newton– Descartes– Spinoza– Milton– Rubens– Rembrandt

Slip Slidin’ Away…

• A decline of the church’s influence and a rise of K+Q

• A rise of secular music …

• A rise of sponsorship outside of the church

• A rise of Protestant church music

New Terms• Chorale• Opera• Oratorio• Chamber Music• Aria / Recitative• Ornamentation / Embellishment• Homophonic• Tonality (Major/Minor)• Modulation• Terraced Dynamics • Basso Continuo• Figured Bass• Word Painting• Strophic• Da Capo Aria (ABA form)• Fugue• Chorale• Concerto

Baroque Instrumental Music

• Support Voices• Orchestra Created

– Violin Family…plus– Trumpets– Oboes– Flutes

• Much smaller than today’s orchestra in numbers

• Other Important Instruments– Lute– Harpsichord– Organ– Fortepiano (invented,

but still rare)

Reasons for the Creation of Opera

• Interest in the famous Greek Tragedies• More Theatrical Music and dramatic interest• Word Painting in Music• Shifting to a Homophonic Aesthetic from a

Polyphonic tradition• Creation of Aria and Recitative

– One a tune to show-off, the other to carry the plot

• The first one was in Italy about 1600 A.D.• Late Baroque saw the rise of Ballad opera (A

satirizing of current Opera ( the SNL of Opera)

Orchestral Concepts• Concerto vs. Concerto Grosso

– Fast … Slow … Fast pattern• Overture

– Slow intro (H) … Fast finish (P) pattern• Dance Suite

– Allamande– Courante– Sarabande– Gigue

• Sonata (Church vs. Chamber)– Solo (3 peoples, soloist + continuo (Bass inst. + keyboard))– Trio Sonata (4 peoples, 2 soloists + continuo)– Church Sonata = 4 mvmts. S…F…S…F– Chamber Sonata = Dance suite format with options to add stuff

• + Prelude• + Aria• + Other dances

Solo Keyboard Forms• Fugue (The king of the forms)

– Imitative Counterpoints’ end result..– Included Modulation(s)– 1 or 2 themes used

• Toccata• Prelude

– The above 3 can be combined in performances i.e. Toccata and Fugue, Prelude and Fugue, etc.

• Theme and Variations• Fantasia (A freer, but more complex

form of T + V on one theme)• Passacaglia• Chaconne

– P + C used a repeated Bass Line (Ground Bass)

• Dance Suite (As in Orchestral forms)

• Usual Instruments– Harpsichord– Clavichord– Organ

Choral Music

• Cantata– Sacred Subject

Material– Worship service (perf.)– Integral to the

Lutheran service– Contained Arias,

Recitatives, Choruses, Instrumental only sections

– Accompanied by an Organ

• Oratorio– Sacred Subject

Material– Concert Performance– Longer, Larger– Contained Arias,

Recitatives, Choruses, Instrumental only sections

– Accompanied by an Orchestra or Organ

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

• German (traveled and worked all over the country)• Composer, Choirmaster, and Organist• Big Family (2 wives over time)

– J. C. Bach and C. P. E. Bach developed into composers too– + 8 others that survived to adulthood

• Phenomenal Skill with Counterpoint– His music is still studied today!– Prolific Output at the Highest Level– Master of Polyphony and Tonal Harmony

• Bach’s genius was neglected for a time, but was rediscovered in the 19 th Century. (Typical – you gotta be dead to be famous)

• Biggies:– Well-Tempered Clavier– Art of the Fugue– Goldberg Variations– Brandenburg Concerto(s) … all 6 of them– St. Matthew Passion– Mass in B minor– Cantatas, cantatas, cantatas …

George Frederic Handel (1685 – 1759)

• International Man– Born in Germany– Studied/Developed in Italy (Opera)– Lived (with great fame) in England for 50 Years

• The Messiah– Oratorio– His Most Famous Piece– The “Hallelujah Chorus” is from this work.

• Water Music (FYI premiered 7-17-1717) written to be performed on 2 barges (Royalty + Musicians)

• Music for the Royal Fireworks Guess why this music was written…– Celebrating the end of a war and the eventual treaty

Other Baroque Composers• Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)

– Italian– Violin Virtuoso and featured this instrument in his compositions

• François Couperin (1668-1733)– French– Harpsichord Virtuoso and featured this instrument in his compositions

• Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre (1666-1729)– French

• Henry Purcell (1659-1695)– English

• Famous Opera: Dido and Aeneas

• Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)– Italian– Concertos and Concerto Grossos were his speciality

• George Philip Telemann (1681-1767)– German– Church music

• Masses + Motets• Oratorios + Cantatas

– Instrumental works as well• Concertos• Sonatas• Overtures• Chamber music