Music History Ch. 12

Baroque England and France

Baroque English Interregnum

* interregnum: a period when normal government is suspended; a period of time in between monarchies
* King Charles I: tyrant, believed in divine right of kings, executed for treason: going against Parliament
* monarchy shifted to the commonwealth, lead by Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell

* essentially the leader of the commonwealth of England
* very strictly Calvinist Protestant
* had the theatres and concert halls closed: only allowed sacred music
* after death, his son tried to take over but was unsuccessful
* Parliament asked Charles II (Charles I’s son) to come from France to be king
* music resumed :)

Henry Purcell

* grew up in court of Charles II
* chorister in chapel at age 10, voice broke at 14 so couldn’t sing but Charles II kept him as instrument keeper
* at 18, became court composer of sacred and secular music; at 20, became organist at Westminster Abbey: did both for remainder of career


* wrote for many various genres and audiences, theatre/play music for London

Purcell and monarchies

* served 4 monarchs (3 monarchIES)
* Charles II (Anglican)
* James II (brother of Charles, Catholic: problem because state church was Anglican, forced to leave throne)
* William of Orange (cousin of Charles) and Mary

Z

* cataloging system for Purcell’s music
* Franklin Zimmerman: 20th-century American musicologist who cataloged the music
* sorted by genre: difficult-to-date pieces since Purcell wrote as a child, not everything published (except for theatre pieces) until discovered

Henry Purcell Genres

* incidental music
* Z 1-65: anthems
* Z 626: opera
* Odes
* Funeral Music for Queen Mary
* Z 860 elogies, Z 58 anthem

incidental music

* Purcell
* orchestral pieces, solos, choruses
* comparable to Broadway musicals: spoken dialogue with songs performed in between

anthem

* Purcell
* choral composition (organ and choir)
* written for Anglican worship (Church of England)


* differences from Latin motet: accompanied and in English

Ode

* Purcell
* multi-movement composition for soloists, choir and orchestra celebrating a person or event

Odes for Queen Mary

* Purcell
* 5 of them written during her reign, 6th written the year of her death: “Come Ye Sons of Art”
* excluded trumpets in a movement because he was mad at the Shores (father and son)

“Hail Bright Cecilia”

* Purcell ode
* About a saint who was considered patroness to music
* opens with orchestra and chorus, followed by a series of solos and ensembles presenting various instruments
* one movement highlights organ: “Wonderous Machine”

“I Was Glad”

* Purcell anthem
* written for coronation of James II
* words from Psalm 100

Z 626

* Henry Purcell’s one opera: “Dido and Aeneas”
* based off of book IV of Virgil’s “Aeneid” about Aenied’s path to being the 1st Roman emperor
* Virgil: Roman writer
* Purcell’s version: love story of Dido (queen of Carthage) and hero Aeneas, who betrays her, and she dies of heartbreak
* written for girls’ school in London, so mostly female roles
* prologue and 3 acts

“Dido’s Lament”

* from Purcell’s opera
* song Dido sings as she is dying of heartbreak
* begins with a recitative

lament ground

* repeated bass motif, specifically constructed with descending fourths

Funeral Music for Queen Mary

* Henry Purcell
* Also used for his own funeral as well as monarchs (ex. William)
* March
* 2 Elogies: Z860
* March played again during funeral service, Anthem played during service.
* Anthem Z 58
* Canzona

Purcell’s Funeral March

* played during procession from the palace to Manchester Abbey (outside) and then again during funeral service (inside)
* flatt trumpets (slide trumpets) and muffled drums

Purcell’s Funeral Elogies

* 2 pieces used for processions following the march
* make up Z860
* “Man that is Born of a Woman” and “In the Midst of Life, We are in Death”

Purcell’s Funeral Anthem

* “Thou Knowest, Lord, the Secrets of our Hearts”
* Z58
* played during funeral service (inside)

Purcell’s Funeral Canzona

* played as casket is taken from the church into the crypt below (inside)
* flatt trumpets, NO drums
* repeated imitative polyphony

French Baroque

* VERY different from German, English, Italian
* centered around refinement, structure, and clarity: “music in good taste”
* almost no popular music/folk songs: sacred and secular music were court-centered

Louis XIV

* “The Sun King”
* French
* believed in absolute monarchy/divine right of kings

Versailles

* Louis XIV’s hunting lodge
* refined and carefully designed gardens and rooms, reflecting French values
* Louis spent most of his time there along with his court and musicians

French opera

* French audiences didn’t care for virtuoso singing, so no castrati singers
* also made storyline more important rather than focusing so much on excessive, almost silly songs
* almost always 5 acts with a prologue sung by 1-2 Greek gods/goddesses or virtues (short summary)
* high quality, spoken plays set to music
* most originating from Ancient Greece: tragedies and pastorale
* arias: lyrical, beautiful melodies set to highlight French language
* dance: ballet was a major part of French opera; King Louis would even perform in the shows

French overture/ouverture

* developed by Lully
* 1 movement, 2 parts
* 1st part: slow and stately, dotted rhythm patterns played in double dotted pattern
* 2nd part: fast and imitative
* ex. overture of “Armide”
* Called sinfonia in Italy

French instrumental compositions

* sonata form: solo or trio sonata
* music for solo lute: mostly suites (similar to sonata da camera: dance movements)
* ordres: suites for solo harpsichord

Francois Couperin/”Couperin le Grand”

* inherited father’s organist position at church of St. Gervais, Paris when he turned 18


* at 25, admitted to court as major keyboard player/composer
* taught and composed harpsichord

27 Ordres

* Francois Couperin
* suites: collections of usually dance movements or descriptive titles
* multi-movement pieces for solo harpsichord, each carrying their own titles
* extensive ornamentation: runs, trills, mordants (turns)
* Couperin insisted they be played exactly as written

“L’art de toucher de clavecin”/”The Art of Playing the Harpsichord”

* written by Francois Couperin


* a definitive treatise of Baroque period
* about ornamentation
* how to touch keys, when to start a turn, etc.

“La Visionaire”

* first movement of Couperin’s 25th Ordre
* depicts a religious fanatic

“Les Barricades Mysterieuses”/”The Mysterious Barricade”

* Francois Couperin


* movement from Ordre 4

Francois Couperin

Who was given permission by the court to publish the masses he wrote for them?

“Trois Lecon de Tenebres”

* Francois Couperin


* NOT a mass
* service of scripture readings and music commemorating the arrest, trial and journey to cross
* takes from Lamentations of Jeremiah
* given during Holy Week
* performed in a group of 3 to make up 1st three days
* 1-3 soloists with continuo: cello and organ
* NO choir

\

portatif/portative

* small version of an organ
* continuo instrument created during Baroque period
* no pedal, one manual, 2 stops: one flute, one reed-sounding, pipes underneath

“Pieces d’ Organ”

* Francois Couperin
* 2 organ masses: “Mass for the Parishes” and “Mass for the Convents”
* mass ordinary in alternatum style: organ alternates with choir (1st kyrie performed by choir, 2nd by organ, etc.)
* like his ordres, ornamentation and double dotted rhythmic patterns

Louis Claude d’Aquin

* wrote operas, though not as well known
* studied with Lully
* from Aquin, Italy, and came to Paris to work for court
* organist/organ composer for French chapel, studied viol and was great at it

viol

* preferred over other strings in France


* smaller yet richer sound due to sympathetic strings
* fretted fingerboard

Noel

* set of variations on a Christmas melody
* some originated from popular carols or were written by d’Aquin
* ex. “Livres de Noels”: Book of Noels - 12 sets of variations

Marin Marais

* studied with Lully and conducted some of his operas
* studied viol with St. Columbe
* wrote suites called Pieces for viol
* collections of descriptive pieces
* “Bells of St. Genevieve”

Jean-Baptiste Lully

* Italian opera composer who worked in French court
* most influential composer in French history
* received musical training at court where his father worked as a miller
* organ and viol player, composer of opera and instrumental composition
* held the copyright on music in France, granted by monarch
* people had to go through him to publish or perform music in the court
* if not liked by him, could not have music published: political favors and other drama

24 Violins of the King

* made up of viols
* viola da braccia (soprano violin) → viola da gamba (cello)
* 6 1st violins
* 6 2nd violins
* 6 violas
* 6 cellos
* gave concerts for court of King Louis XIV
* performed primarily inside, entertained during meals (brass and drums typically outdoors for announcing arrival of nobility, etc.)

suites, pieces, ordres

* apply towards collections of music for solo harpsichord and ensembles (orchestra)
* titled dance pieces (given name of dance)
* titled descriptive pieces (one or two words describing a person/place/thing)

Armide

* last of Lully’s operas: tragedie lyrique (lyric tragedies)
* set during the first crusade, based on an epic poem by Torquato Tasso
* about Armide’s conflicting emotions, giving a psychological breakdown of the character
* staple of French baroque opera, then and now
* lots of ballet, prologue given by two muse-esque characters: glory and wisdom

Philippe Quinault

Set Torquato Tasso’s epic poem “Armide” into opera libretto format for Lully’s opera version