Western II - Handouts 4-7

What instruments are included in the Baroque Orchestra?

Violins, Oboes, Bassons, B.C. intruments, percussion/brass for dramatic effect (timpani, trumpets)

When was the baroque orchestra developed?

1680

Where did Antonio Vivaldi live and work?

Venice

What did Vivaldi write?

Vivaldi wrote exclusively for strings. Many solo concerti and concerto grosso as well as sonatas. Wrote idiomatic solo concerti which popularized the instruments they were written for. 

Where did Francois Couperin live and work?

Paris

What jobs did Couperin work?

Musician and composer in the courts of Kings Louis the 14th and 15th

“The Art of Touching the Keyboard” 

Couperin’s very popular keyboard treatice written in 1716

gouts rèunis

the synthesis of french and italian styles

what changes did Couperin make to the French Suite?

Called them “ordres” instead of suites and named each movement descriptively rather than by the name of a dance.

Allemande

“German” - heavy sounding - duple

Courant

“Running” - fast - triple

Sarabande

Mexico/Central America - emphasis on beat 2 - triple - slow

Gigue

British Isles- compound duple (6/8, 6/4)

Describe Concerto

an orchestral genre that makes use of opposing instrumental forces by alternating between solo/small group and full ensemble passages. Always in 3 movements with the fast movements in ritournello form.

describe ritournello form

alternation between tutti (ritournello) sections and solo/concertino sections. The solo section may modulate or repeat material from the ritournello.

Who was the first major French composer after Lully?

Francois Couperin

Where did Rameau live and work?

He bagan in Dijon, but later moved to Paris to compose for La Poupliniere’s household orchestr

“traité de l’harmonie”

Rameau’s theory treatise published in 1732. credited with discoveries and assertions about the overtone series and chord function.

What was Rameau’s first opera?

Hippolyte et Aricie (1733)

What are some of Rameau’s opers besides Hippolyte et Aricie?

Cadmus et Pollux (1737). Dardanus (1739), Zoroastre (1756)

How did Rameau’s operas differ from Lully’s?

Mostly harmonic differences. Harmonies were richer’more dense, and chord progressions were clearer. The orchestration was mor innovative, and Rameau later switched to the Italian Overture style rather than Lully’s French overture. 

What is a divertissement?

A instrumental dance sequence usually used as an interlude - not heavily related to the plot of the opera or ballet

Name composers in the North of Germany/Austria at the later half of the 17th century

Buxtehude, Pachelbel

Name composers in the South of Germany/Austria at the latter half of the 17th Century

Schmelzer, Biber, Froberger

What were the names of Bach’s sons?

Carl Phillip Emmanuel (C.P.E) Bach, and  Johann Christian

List Bach’s jobs and the places he worked.

1703 Arnstadt - Church organist + composer

1707 Mülhausen - Church organist +composer

1708 - Weimar - Church organist, composer, and concertmaster

1717 Cöthen - Director of court music (secular)

1723 - Liepzig - Church organist + composer, latin teacher

What kind of works did Bach compose for organ?

Chorale preludes and variations, tocatas and fantasias - with a pedagogical focus

What kind of works did Bach compose for Harpsichord/Clavichord?

suites, toccatas, prelude-fugue pairs - all with a pedagogical focus

What is “The Well-Tempered Clavier”?

A collection of 48 preludes and fugues for pedagogical usee published by Bach in 1723

What is the exposition of a fugue?

The exposition occurs as each voice enters in imitative fashion, playing the subject, the answer, or the countersubject. It ends once all voices have entered.

What is the episode of a fugue?

The episode follows the exposition, i built on fragments of the subject or countersubject, and features a modulation

What is the countersubject in a fugue?

Music that is different from the subject or answer and frequently accompanies the subject

What is the answer in a fugue?

occurs in response to a subject, and is typically just the subject transposed

What is a Cantata? (17C Italy)

A secular genre for solo voice and basso continuo featuring arias and recit that is not staged.

What is a Luthern Church Cantata

a liturgical multi-movement work for chorus, solo voice, organ, and small orchestra. It is sung in German and features religious text.

Where did Handel live and work?

Primarily London, but also Italy and Hamburg

What was Handel’s first opera?

Almira in 1705

What is another example of a Handel opera?

Agrippina 1709

Describe Opera Seria

A subgenre of Opera with flourished during the 18 C and featured mythological/historical/pastural plots in 3 acts with a moral dilemma

lieto fine

Happy Ending! Always offered at the end of an Opera Seria

Examples of Handel’s Opera Seria

Giulio Cesare 1724

Rinaldo 1711

Flavio 1723

What is Da Capo Aria?

An aria form commonly used inlat 17th and early 18th C opera. Starts with an A section followed by a B section in a contrasting mood (typically a slower tempo) and a repeat of the A section with ornamentation to showcase the virtuosic singers of the time

Who is the most famous castrato?

Farinelli

What is Oratorio?

a large scale work with aria and recit, and emphasis on chorus, and religious/moralistic plots. They are not staged and not liturgical.

Why was oratorio created?

Due to decreased patronage and the decline in opera’s popularity in London. Oratorio was cheaper to produce and more accessible to the middle/lower classes.

Examples of Handel’s oratorio

1739 - Saul

1742 - Messiah

1746 - Judas Macabeus

1751 - Jephte

What language was Opera Seria?

Italian

What language were Handel’s oratorios?

English

What language were Bach’s cantatas?

German