Baroque Music

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Baroque Music

• 1600 - 1750

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Characteristics

• Unity of mood
• Continuity of Rhythm
• Continuity of melody
• Terraced dynamics
• Polyphonic and homophonic textures
• Basso Continuo
• Word painting

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The Baroque Orchestra

• Consists primarily of violins, violas, and the
  basso continuo (harpsichord bass inst.)
• Woodwinds brass and percussion are optional

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Baroque Forms

• Instrumental music frequently made up of movements

• Movement a piece complete in itself

also part of a larger whole

• Performed with pause between movements

• Unity of mood within individual movements

• Movements often contrast with each other
• Ground bass a repeated musical idea used as the
  basis of a composition

• Common basic forms

• A B A

• Ternary

• Binary

• A B
• A A B

• A B B
• A A B B

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Baroque Composers

• Johann Sebastian Bach
• Claudio Monteverdi
• Henry Purcell
• Antonio Vivaldi
• George Fridirich Handel

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Johann Sebastian Bach

• German,Lutheran master of the keyboard
• Came from a long line of musicians/composers
• Most prestigious post court conductor for the
  Prince of Cothen (first position in which he was
  not involved in church or organ music

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J.S. Bach cont.

• Director of St Thomas Church in Leipzig for 27
  years
• Very religious man (J.J. and S.D.G.)
• 2 wives- 20 children
• Two important keyboard collections The Well
  Tempered Clavier and the Notebook of Anna
  Magdalena

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Types of Compositions

• Concerto Grosso A multi-movement instrumental
  composition for a small group of soloists and
  orchestra.
• Usually 3 movements
• Fast
• Slow (usually quieter)
• Fast (sometimes dance-like)
• The two groups alternate in ritornello form

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The Concerto Grosso and Ritornello Form

• Ritornello

• Frequently used in 1st last movements of
  concerto grosso
• Theme repeatedly presented by the orchestra
  (tutti) in fragments
• Contrast between solo sections and tutti

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Brandenburg Concerto 5, Allegro

• Solo group flute violin and harpsichord
• 3 movements fast-slow-fast
• Allegro movement opens with the ritornello theme.
  Notice the contrast in dynamics, texture and
  timbre
• The last section has an impressive harpsichord
  solo

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Baroque Forms cont.

• Fugue a polyphonic composition based on one main
  theme, called a subject. The texture usually
  includes three, four or five voices and includes
  a counter subject and episodes - The fugue is
  often introduced by a short piece called a
  prelude
• Example J.S. Bachs Little Fugue in G Minor

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The fugue begins with the exposition of its
subject sounding in one of the voices alone in
the tonic key. After the statement of the
subject, a second voice enters with the subject
transposed to the dominant, which is known as the
answer. Sometimes the answer is the tonic or
subdominant to avoid disturbing the sense of
key, it may also have to be altered slightly.
When the answer is an exact transposition of
the subject to the dominant, it is classified as
a real answer if it has to be altered in any way
it is a tonal answer. Main Sections Exposition
Development Coda
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Baroque Forms cont.

• The Baroque Suite a collection of stylized
  dances written for listening rather than for
  dancing
• The French Overture and the air are the only two
  movements of the suite that are not dances
• Example J.S. Bachs Suite No. 3 in D Major
• Ouverture
• Air
• Gavotte I/II
• Bourrée
• Gigue

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Wachet Auf, Ruft Uns Die StimmeCantata No.
140Johann Sebastian Bach

• Cantata multi mvt. Composition for chorus, vocal
  soloists and instrumental ensemble based on a
  chorale
• Chorale hymn tune with one note per syllable,
  religious text
• Chorale prelude Short composition for organ,
  based on a chorale and used as a memory jogger

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Wachet Auf, Ruft Uns Die StimmeJ. S. Bach

• BWV 140 is a chorale cantata
• Its primary melody and text are drawn from a
  Lutheran chorale, Wachet auf, ruft uns die
  Stimme.
• First movement is a chorale fantasia based on the
  first verse of the chorale,
• Second movement is a recitative for tenor that
  precedes the third movement,
• Third movement is a duet for soprano and bass
  with obbligato violin. In the duet, the soprano
  represents the soul and the bass represents
  Jesus.
• The fourth movement, based on the second verse of
  the chorale, is written in a trio sonata-like
  texture for the tenors of the chorus, oboe da
  caccia, and continuo.
• The fifth movement is a recitative for bass,
  preceding the sixth movement,
• The sixth movement is another duet for soprano
  and bass with obbligato oboe. This duet, like the
  third movement, is a love duet between the
  soprano soul and the bass Jesus.
• The final movement, as with many of Bach's
  cantatas, is based on the final verse of the
  chorale and is a four-part harmonization of the
  chorale melody.

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Sonata and Trio SonataJ.S. Bach

• Solo Sonata multi movement work for soloist plus
  basso continuo
• Trio sonata multi movement work for two solo
  instruments plus basso continuo (4 musicians)

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Antonio Vivaldi1678-1741

• Italian violinist-composer
• AKA The Red Priest (red hair and was a priest
  for one year)
• Most of his career he was composer, conductor and
  teacher at an all girls school
• Composed operas and church music but is best
  known for his concerti grossi and solo concertos

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La Primavera from The Four SeasonsAntonio Vivaldi

• Composition is a solo concerto
• Program music instrumental music associated with
  a story, poem, idea or scene
• Read sonnet
• Listen for ritornello, terraced dynamics,
  tremolo, glissando and trills

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La Primavera - Spring

• AllegroSpringtime is upon us.The birds
  celebrate her return with festive song,and
  murmuring streams are softly caressed by the
  breezes.Thunderstorms, those heralds of Spring,
  roar, casting their dark mantle over heaven,Then
  they die away to silence, and the birds take up
  their charming songs once more.
• LargoOn the flower-strewn meadow, with leafy
  branches rustling overhead, the goat-herd sleeps,
  his faithful dog beside him.
• AllegroLed by the festive sound of rustic
  bagpipes, nymphs and shepherds lightly dance
  beneah the brilliant canopy of spring.

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Claudio Monteverdi1567-1643

• Italian (Cremona) violist, singer composer
• the last great madrigalist and the first great
  opera composer bridging the Renaissance and the
  Baroque eras
• Mostly wrote vocal music with instrumental
  accompaniment

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OrfeoClaudio Monteverdi

• His 1st opera
• Composed for the Mantuan court with a healthy
  budget soloists, chorus, dancers and a 40 piece
  orchestra
• Incorporates recitative and aria
• Recitative Sung speech without meter
• Aria Song for solo plus accompaniment (soliloquy)

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Tu Se Mortafrom Monteverdis, Orfeo

• Sung by Orfeo after he hears of Eurydices death
• Accompanied by basso continuo organ and bass
  lute
• Homophonic, no meter or beat, no apparent
  structure
• An example of recitative

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• Tu Se' Morta
• Claudio Monteverdi
• This recitative is from Claudio Monteverdi's
  opera Orfeo.
• It is an important for several reasons
• Orfeo is considered by many to be the first great
  Italian opera. It dates from the early 1600s and
  is one of the works used to mark the beginning of
  the Baroque era. It builds on the ideas of the
  earlier Florentine Camarata concerning the use of
  the recitative, and the homophonic texture in
  preference to polyphony.
• This selection is an example of the recitative
  form.
• The singing style is simple and designed to
  provide the singer with a vehicle for a dramatic
  delivery of the text rather than just a chance to
  show off his beautiful voice. This is the
  opposite of the aria, in which the beautiful
  melodic contour takes precedence over the text.
• In the recitative there is usually one syllable
  or word per note with very little melodic
  embellishment.
• Note the simple, chordal accompaniment
• Several striking examples of word painting occur
  in this recitative.
• The words "abysses," "death," and "farewell" are
  sung on low notes.
• The words "stars," "sky," and "sun" are sung on
  high notes.

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Henry Purcell1659-1695

• Known as the greatest of English composers
• Appointed organist of Westminster Abbey and later
  organist of the Chapel Royal
• Wrote church music, secular choral music,
  instrumental chamber music, songs and theater
  music.
• Greatest hit Dido and Aeneas

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Didos Lamentfrom Purcells Dido and Aeneas

• An example of recitative aria and chorus
• Written for girls boarding school
• No virtuosos singers or musicians needed
• Written in English
• Basis for aria is ground bass

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George Frideric Handel1685-1759

• Master of Italian opera and the English oratorio
• Oratorio large composition for chorus, vocal
  soloists, and orchestra. Religious text (usually
  Biblical) that is narrative. Its like opera
  without costumes and sets. It contains choruses,
  duets, arias, recitatives and orchestral
  interludes

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Handel (cont.)

• Not from a musical family but began musical
  training at age 9
• Age 18 he traveled to Hamburg where he became a
  violinist and harpsichordist in an opera house
• Age 20 produced his first opera
• Age 21Went to Italy and wrote operas

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Handel (cont.)

• Returned to Germany in 1710, landed an impressive
  position and asked for leave to go to England
• In England, he became Queen Annes favorite
  composer and popularized the oratorio

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The MessiahGeorge Frideric Handel

• Oratorio is 2 1/2 hours long, composed in 24 days
• Written in 3 parts Part I the prophecy and
  Christs birth, Part II. Redemption by sacrifice,
  mankinds defeat when trying to oppose God, and
  Part III faith in eternal life after death

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Every Valley Shall Be ExaltedAria for tenor,
strings and basso continuo

• Describes the creation of a desert highway on
  which God will lead his people back to their
  homeland
• Examples of text painting exalted, every
  mountain and hill made low, the crooked straight
  and the rough places plain

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Hallelujah Chorus

• Contrast of three textures used to reflect text
  monophonic- for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth,
  polyphonic- Hallelujahs set against for the Lord
  God omnipotent reigneth reflects joy and
  homophonic hymn like the kingdom of this world