baroque style

baroque

• 1600-1750

• “baroque” has original connotation of deformed, abnormal, bizarre, exaggerated, + grotesque but since the 19th century, the term is positively used to identify delightfully flamboyant, decorative + expressionistic tendencies of 17th century art

notable composers of this era

• J.S. Bach

• A. Corelli

• G. F. Handel

• Claudio Monteverdi

• Henry Purcell

• Domenico Scarlatti

• Barbara Strozzi

• Manuel de Sumaya

• G. P. Telemann

• Antonio Vivaldi

composers + patronage

• wealthy absolutist government ruled + their patrons such as the popes, holy-Roman emperors, kings of England + Spain, + rulers of German city-states supported new genres of music

• composers earned a living writing music for aristocratic court or church but also for opera houses + municipalities

• woman weren’t allowed to be employed as music directors or musicians in court or opera orchestras

italy’s influence

• the most influential region of Europe in music during this era

• many musical terms reflect italian influence like pianissimo, forte, allegro, presto, crescendo

baroque orchestras

• period when the orchestra was born

• made up of strings (much smaller than modern instruments), harpsichord, cello, woodwinds like flutes/recorders (made out of wood), trumpets, horns, trombones & timpani

baroque mood

usually expresses one mood (unity of mood) joy, grief, etc.

baroque rhythm

continuity - certain rhythmic patterns repeat throughout piece

baroque beat

much more important than renaissance

baroque melody

opening melody also heard over & over; many melodies ornamented

baroque dynamics

volume levels stays constant a while, then sudeen dramatic shift

• harpsichord/organ can’t grow louder - different keyboards change volume

baroque texture

• late Baroque polyphonic (Bach) & homophonic (Handel both textures)

• chords became very important & bass line was foundation of music

basso continuno

• “means continuous bass”

• played by harpsichord (chords played w/ right hand + bass line w/ left hand) & low melodic instrument like cello

baroque forms

• includes cantata, concerto, sonata, oratorio, _ opera

• many compositions had several contrasting movements

• binary + ternary were common forms

antonio vivaldi

• born in venice

• trained in music as child but ordained as priest in 1703

• nickname: red priest

• left ministry after a year due to health + became a musician instead

• virtuoso violinist + famous composer

• became associated with music school of Pieta around 1704 + was a violin teacher, conductor + composer there

concerto

musical composition for instruments in which a solo instrument is set off against an orchestral ensemble

Johann Sebastian Bach (J.S. Bach)

• had 20 children

• orphaned by 10

• musicians in Bach’s extended family

• bach’s dad + brother studied with pachelbel

• composed over 1000 choral + instrumental works (includes 200 cantatas

• imprisoned for faring to hand in his resignation

• wrote cantata about addiction to coffee (coffee cantata)

concerto grosso

• grosso means large so concertos featured several soloists

• contrasts small group of soloists (soli) + full orchestra (tutti)

• soli could be any instrument but tutti were usually strings + harpsichord

ritornello

• italian for return

• alternates between orchestra and soloists sections

• orchestra opens, soloist does fancy things to theme, orchestra brings back ritonello

musical textures

1. monophonic - single, unaccompanied melody (Row, Row, Row Your Boat)

2. homophonic - melody with chordal accompaniment (Happy Birthday with chords)

3. polyphonic - many voiced; 2 or more equally important melodies sounding simultaneously (Pachelbel’s Canon)

fugue

• has fixed # of voices usually 3 or 4; voices are played by instruments or sung

• based on single theme aka subject

  • subject

    • enters at different points throughout piece

    • may have countersubject like its musical shadow

    • episodes - part of fugue that don’t contain complete subject

cantata

• invented in 17th century

• piece of music for voices + instruments

• different movements alternate between arias (song for solo voice + orchestra) + recitatives (vocal lines imitating speech through rhythm + pitch fluctuation)

• often used for religious service but there were many secular cantatas

• barbara strozzi may have invented cantat

George Friderick Hande;

• born in 1685 in Halle, Germany

• played violin + harpsichord in orchestra at 18

• went to italy + wrote operas at 21

• became england’s most famous composer

• composed operas, oratorios + instrumental works

oratorio

• large-scale musical composition on scared or semiscared subject for solo voices, chorus + orchestra

• like a religious opera but may be performed in churches + concert halls

sonata

• originally meant composition played on instruments rather than a cantata, which was sung by voices

• chruch sonata was appropriate for scared performances

• chamber sonata was more dancelike + meant to be performed at court of mobility

Manuel de Zumaya

• 1st mexican-born chapelmaster of cathedral of Mexico City

• followed traditional spanish religious music style but strongly influenced by italian opera