Survey Music History - Winter '25 Midterm Exam

What is stile concertato?

Stile concertato is a style of music prevalent in the Early Baroque era that emphasizes elements of contrast regarding texture, meter, harmony, and polyphony.

What is the seconda prattica? How is this practice different from previous music?

Seconda prattica is the idea that word commands sound. This practice is different from previous music in that it prioritizes capturing the emotion of the words rather than the meaning; it is more secular and explores human emotion rather than piety.

What is madrigalism, and how does it relate to the seconda prattica?

Madrigalism (coined because the technique stemmed from Madrigal) is a musical technique that emphasizes aural poesis - word painting - to create a captivating effect on the senses. Madrigalism uses seconda prattica’s ideas of writing music with the intention of capturing the emotion of the words rather than meaning.

What is stile rappresentativo?

Stile rappresentativo is a style of music during the early Baroque era that prioritizes emotional delivery of text via representing music as poetic gesture. It is often applied to solo singing, and usually includes intense gestures to accompany it.

What are academies? Why are they important to music developments in the 17th century?

Academies are groups of elites in society who gather weekly to civilly discuss various topics, including music, sculpture, politics, etc. The tradition dates back to caliphates when Arabs came to Spain. They are important to music developments in the 17th century because they opened the door to collectively embracing different musical phenomena, such as the widespread acceptance of monody and thus the development of opera.

Which melodic novelty did Jacopo Peri develop in opera?

Jacopo Peri developed recitative, which is the idea of adding clarity to the text by giving the melodic line a speech-like quality in both rhythmic selection and the implementation of dialogues and action

How did monody of the Florentine Camerata influence early baroque opera? How is madrigalism important here?

The monody of the Florentine Camerata influenced early baroque opera by pinning emphasis on the meaning of the text. Madrigalism is important because it is a method of emphasizing the text’s emotion.

What traits characterize early baroque opera?

Structurally, early baroque opera is characterized by a combination of strophic areas and sinfonia refrains (ritornelli) to create a well-defined structure. Fluid recitative using madrigalism to depict what the text is saying is also a core component.

What element gave early opera arias their characteristic form?

Early opera arias were characterized by strophicism (repeated musical themes set to different text) and instrumental sinfonia ritornello.

What social changes influenced mid-century opera? How is the Teatro San Cassiano related to this?

Because public theaters were becoming more widespread, commoners were allowed to watch opera. The Teatro San Cassiano was the first example of this that permitted more loose behavior.

What are two things that changed in mid-century opera? How does this compare to operas by Monteverdi?

 Social changes in society led to musical changes: there were libretti changes, in which new plots and more characters of different classes were portrayed, and musical changes - recitatives became shorter to accommodate a public audience with a shorter attention span. Monteverdi prioritizes conveying the emotions of the words above all else; mid-century opera is different because it is becoming more accessible.

Why is the French overture an important antecedent in orchestral music?

French overture is an important antecedent in orchestral music because it has an A-B/A-B-A phrase structure, which foreshadows the future development of orchestral music structure. The return of opening material, either melodically or harmonically, is also critical.

What is a characteristic trait of late baroque opera?

Some characteristic traits of late baroque opera include virtuosity and use of da capo aria.  

What were two main English influences on late baroque opera?

Some main English influences on late baroque opera are the masque and theater.

How does Handel’s melodic treatment in arias point towards classicism?

Handel’s melodic treatment in arias point towards classicism in that he is already using themes that depart from and return to a set tonic.

What is stile brisé? How is it related to vocal music?

 Stile brisé is a technique used to give the illusion of counterpoint by arpeggiating broken harmonies and creating linear structure. Vocal music served as a predecessor to it in that its idiomatic developments encouraged those of stilé brise to take form.

What three elements contributed to the development of instrumental music in the mid-baroque?

Written ornamentation practices, vocal models, and dance models.

Which element was critical to idiomatic writing for instruments?

Improvisatory practices, and codified ornamentation (agréments) were critical to idiomatic writing for instruments

What is a mid baroque sonata? What are its characteristics?

A mid baroque sonata has an emphasis on contrast. It has sections defined by harmony and melodic material treatment. The writing is very idiomatic, with rhapsodic sections, improvisatory passages, and double stops

What traits in the Bolognese solo sonata foreshadow the solo concerto?

The Bolognese solo sonata foreshadows the solo concerto in that composers start to give attention to harmonic and melodic treatments of the solo instrument in relation to the ensemble.

Why is the trio sonata the crowning achievement of the 17th century in ensemble music?

The trio sonata is considered the crowning achievement of the 17th century because it gave more attention to melodic treatment and melody. Furthermore, it served as a precedent for themes to develop later on.

What are the types of late baroque concerti? Name them.

The three types of late baroque concerti are concerto grosso, ripieno concerto, and solo concerto.

What are the main influences in the formal development of the concerto? (1st movement)

The main influences in the formal development of the concerto are da capo aria (reinforcing the prevalence of binary forms) and ritornello form - a form in which the ritornello becomes a stabilizing element melodically and thematically.

What is the precursor of the classical symphony? How does Giuseppe Torelli’s concerto show this?

The ripieno concerto is the precursor of the classical symphony. Giuseppe Torelli’s concerto demonstrates this by giving attention to the whole ensemble a way that shows sonata-based thinking is in place.

Why is Bach known as a condenser of styles?

Bach is known as a condenser of styles because 1) he wrote in various types of music that were prevalent in the 18th century like cantata, concerto grosso, solo concerto, and orchestral suites, 2) he combined baroque musical practices from different regions, 3) he wrote music for specific venues and situations, and 4) he combined old musical practices with new musical practices

What is Bach’s approach towards symphonic writing? What are the main elements that he uses?

When writing symphonies, Bach used contrapuntal techniques, French overture, ritornello principle, themes/thematic structures from Italy, A-B da capo forms, organized harmony, and ripieno/solo concerto elements.

What can you tell about orchestral music of the late baroque? What characterizes it?

Orchestral music of the late baroque era is extremely fluid at this stage in development as it is undergoing musical synthesis from a variety of time periods and regions. It is characterized by lots of harmonic and orchestral changes.