Music History Midterm

Agrements

French ornaments added to melodies

Allemande

4/4, continuous flowing rhythm; often starts on upbeat

Aria

Expresses a character’s emotions and often allows the singer to show off their vocal abilities

Basso continuo

Continuous bass line that provides the harmonic foundation of Baroque music. Performed by a bass instrument (cello) with a chord-playing instrument (organ/harpsichord) NOT REPEATED

Baroque opera

Dramatic muscal work combining singing, orchestra, acting, costumes, and scenery

Cantata

Vocal composition with instrumental accompaniment, usually made up of several movements

Canzona

instrumental piece derived from a French chanson; an ancestor of the sonata

Castrato

Male singer castrated before puberty to preserve a high vocal range

Chaconne

Stately triple; opening theme recurs between contrasting sections

Chorale prelude

Organ composition based on a Lutheran chorale melody

Concerto grosso

Small group of soloists (concertino) contrasts with a larger ensemble (ripieno)

Concertato style

Style with contrast between different groups of performers (voices or instruments)

Courante

Triple or compound; often starts on upbeat

Da capo aria

Aria in ABA form, with the first section repeated (usually includes ornaments the second time)

Divertissements

Entertainment interludes in French operas (dances, choruses, and spectacle)

Fantasia

Instrumental piece with a free, improvisatory style

French overture

Slow to Fast; dotted rhythms in opening

Fugue

Contrapuntal composition built from a main subject that enters from one voice and imitated by others

Gavotte

Duple; All phrases begin on upbeat

Gigue

6/8 or 12/8 (dotted rhythm)

Ground Bass

Repeating bass pattern serving as the foundation for variations above it

Intermedio

Musical entertainment performed between acts of play; precursor to opera

Italian overture

3-part overture (fast-slow-fast)

Masque

English court entertainment combining music, dance, poetry, and elaborate staging

Minuet

3/4; Elegant dance

Monody

Solo prominent vocal melody with instrumental accompaniment

Oratorio

Sacred work for soloists, choir, and orchestra performed without staging

Partita

Instrumental suite consisting of several dance movements

Passacaglia

Variation form built on a repeating bass line

Prelude

Introductory piece that precedes another work or movement

Recitative

Speech-like singing to move the plot forward and communicate dialogue

Ricercare

Early contrapuntal instrumental composition that influenced the fugue

Ritornello

Recurring musical passage that alternates with solo sections in a concerto

Rondeau

French form featuring a recurring refrain alternating with contrasting sections

Libretto

The text or script of an opera, oratorio, or cantata

Sarabande

¾ or 3/2; emphasizes second beat, slow and stately dance

Sinfonia

Used for an opera overture; precursor to the symphony

Sonata

Instrumental composition, usually in several movements, for one or more instruments

Stile antico

“Old style” composition modeled on Renaissance polyphony

Stile moderno

“Modern style” emphasizing basso continuo, monody, and expressive harmony

Suite

Collection of stylized dances performed as a set

Toccata

Virtuosic keyboard piece designed to display technical skill

Zarzuela

Spanish dramatic genre mixing spoken dialogue, singing, and dancing

Florentine Camerata

Group of musicians and intellectuals in France who wanted to recreate the dramatic style of Greek theatre. Ideas helped inspire early opera and monody → INSPIRED OPERA

Vincenzo Galilei

Member of the Florentine Camerata; promoted monody over Renaissance polyphony → MONODY ADVOCATE

Oliver Cromwell

English ruler who closed theatres during the Commonwealth period → CLOSED THEATRES

Giulio Caccini

Early opera composer and singer; promoted monody and wrote “Le nuove musiche” - DEVELOPED MONODY

Jacopo Peri

Composer of some of the first operas, including “Euridice” → FIRST OPERAS and USED RECITATIVE

Claudio Monteverdi

Major early opera composer; wrote “L’Orfeo” and helped establish Baroque opera as a major musical genre.

Francesca Caccini

Daughter - important female composer and early opera composer

Barbara Strozzi

Venetian composer known for expressive secular vocal music → VOCAL MUSIC

Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre

French composer and harpsichordist; one of the most important female Baroque composers

Paired dance suites

Early suites that grouped dances together, often a slow dance with a fast dance

Academie Royale de Musique

French royal institution that became the center of French opera

Le nuove musiche

Giulio Caccini’s collection of songs demonstrating monody and early Baroque singing

Vingt-quatre Violons du Roi

Famous French court orchestra (“Twenty-Four Violins of the Kings”)

Gradus ad Parnassum

Music theory book by Fux that taught counterpoint and stile antico