Music History I - Unit 2 (Baroque and Early Classical)

Give 3 examples of a form of music Bach composed

Cantata, Fugues, Passions (story of the last week of the life of Jesus)

Elements of Baroque Music

Polyphonic; Forms: fugues; Instruments: Lute, harpsichord; Dance, Improvisatory

How did opera contribute to the changing musical styles?

It kicked off the Baroque era; added extra musical meaning (minor = sad, major = happy, oboe = shepherd, etc.).

What is opera buffa?

A lighter, comic style of opera.

What are the musical elements of opera?

Elements: Orchestra, individual soloist, sometimes chorus. Form: Recitative (talky with orchestra accompaniment), Aria, Overture, Duets + Trios.

Differences between opera and oratorio

Oratorio: Sacred, not acted or staged, concert form, about sacred stories, more emphasis on choir. Opera: Secular art form (though can include sacred themes), acted and staged.

Define oratorio and give an example of a piece (name + composer)

Handel’s Messiah.

Who were the Florentine Camerata, and what were they trying to achieve?

A group of Italian musicians trying to recreate Greek drama through music.

What was a cantata?

something other than a normal worship service (smaller scale), kind of like opera with no acting (aria, recitative, and chorus). Singing a sacred story. Fits within a worship service

Where is St. Mark’s, and what is its significance to the history of music?

Located in Venice, a major cultural and trading center; home to Giovanni Gabrieli, who developed the style of multiple choirs answering one another.

2 instruments and one ensemble developed in the Baroque period

Harpsichord, Violin, and the Orchestra (Monteverdi helped develop through opera).

What instrument began to replace the lute in the Baroque period?

The Harpsichord.

What is a baroque suite?

A collection of dance pieces.

What are the chief characteristics of the fugue style?

Polyphonic and imitative.

What was something the creation of the piano allowed for?

Dynamics (soft and loud contrast).

Define idiomatic

Native to; Fits will with that thing (ex: specific style with an instrument)

Gluck’s contribution to opera in the early classical period

Made opera more naturalistic, simple, and text

Who was Elisabeth de La Guerre?

Composer at the French court who wrote harpsichord music and suites.

Relevance of Johann Stamitz

Codified the symphony form (4 movements, first with two distinct themes, dramatic dynamics).

3 composers of early classical

Gluck, Stamitz, C.P.E. Bach.

Where did Bach live last and what was his job?

Leipzig, Germany; served at St. Thomas as a “worship leader” composing music for the church.

Bach’s birth and death dates

1685–1750.

2 major composers of the Baroque period

Bach and Handel.

Who was the first composer of opera?

Peri.

What composer wrote some of the earliest brass music, and where did he work?

Giovanni Gabrieli, in Venice.

What royal did Lully work for?

Louis XIV (Baroque opera composer in France).

Early Classical Composers

C.P.E. Bach, Gluck, Stamitz

Baroque Composers

Bach, Handel, J.S. Bach, Gabrieli, Monteverdi, Elisabeth de La Guerre, Purcell

Elements of Early Classical Music

Homophonic, Forms: symphonies (writing for orchestra), Piano, Periodicity (grammar/phrasing oriented), Naturalistic

Peri’s Nationality

Italian

Handel’s Nationality

German

Lully’s Nationality

French

Monteverde’s Nationality

Italian

Purcel’s Nationality

English

Gluck’s Nationality

German