Music History Ch. 10

Counter Reformation through Venetian Opera

Counter Reformation

* much of Europe impacted
* Roman Catholic church losing their place because of a large attraction to Protestantism (Avignon Papacy, corrupt Borgia and Bavoerini families)

music of counter reformation

* Franco Flemish, native born Italian composers ex. Josquin
* Controversy in liturgy: wanted to return to pure chant instead of secular cantus firmus, wanted polyphony banned

Council of Trent

* from North Italy
* cardinals of church, bishops of major European cities
* spoke around and brought church back on track to being the leading Western world denomination

Giovanni Pierreluigi da Palestrina

* worked at Santa Maria Majorie (Maggiore) in Rome as well as St. Peter’s
* wrote only masses and motets, no secular music
* Roman polyphony and Palestrina style: unique characteristics

Roman Polyphony/Palestrina Style

* 5-6 voices, some 8 voice motets
* imitation/overlapping polyphony
* weak cadences in 3 voices at a time as others continue, and final, strong cadence of all voices at the end
* very little dissonance - well prepared for if so, and always on weak beats
* ranges of parts close together for unified sound
* clarity of text: doesn’t overlap as much as Frenco Flemish masses, understanding of text
* NO secular cantus firmus; from chant melody instead
* NO accompaniment, all acapella

Missa Pope Marcellus

* written by Palestrina: his best-known mass
* imitative, complex polyphony, acapella
* sung at papal coronations
* Latin
* believed to be written for the coronation of King of France
* **allegedly** convinced Council of Trent that polyphony was pure enough to stay

Tomas Luis da Vittoria (Victoria: Italian version)

* trained in Spain and worked in Rome
* masses and motets: Palestrina style
* showed difference between Spanish and Italian faith through his music: Spain much more somber and devout, less joyous
* wrote “O Magnum Mysterium” (“O Great Mystery”)

“O Magnum Mysterium” (O Great Mystery)

* written by Vittoria
* written for Christmas
* about how animals are the most pure beings because the were the first to see Jesus born
* ends with an alleluia

Polychoral Music

* more than one choir
* from Flemish @ San Marco
* most in antiphonal style: one choir would sing, then another, then all together
* music more homophonic, written in block-like chords to help with time gap between organs

Stile Concertato (concerted style)

* brand new to Venetian School, spread throughout Europe
* voices with instruments

Giovanni Gabrieli

* first to utilize dynamics; achieved by the number of musicians playing or singing
* first Italian to write concerted music (adding instrument to voice)
* first to use idiomatic writing (writing for specific instrument to show off qualities

concerted motet

* one of Gabrieli’s major categories
* Latin, sacred choral composition with instruments
* ex. “In Ecelisis”
* cori (choirs) spezzati (separated): soloists (1 per part) in upper voices, choir in lower voices

“In Ecelisis”

* Gabrieli: concerted motet
* processional piece into San Marco: event of thanks for sparing them from plague
* 3 cornets, violin, 2 trombones, basso cantinuo (cello and organ), and choir

sacred symphonies

* written by Gabrieli: 3 volumes
* for church use
* instrumental
* most of them in canzona form (from Flemish chanson; sections of instruments each with own theme)
* ex. canzone “septimi toni a 8”
* “sonata pian’e forte”

canzone septimi toni a 8

* Gabrieli
* from volume 2 of sacred symphonies?
* instrumental, canzona form for church
* 8 instruments on the 7th tone, 2 groups of 4 instruments with organ

sonata pian’e forte

* gabrieli: considered his most important piece
* from volume three of sacred symphonies
* excellent representation of his dynamic use

Monteverdi

* major Italian composer
* worked in Mantua for Gonzaga family
* wrote “Vespers” in honor of Virgin Mary , also wrote operas (Orpheus)
* took Gabrielli’s position in Venice as maestro decompella

Baroque era

1. means mishapen pearl
2. elaborate, dramatic, and ornamental music, origination of opera
3. began in Italy: patronage system, court and church
4. age of absolute monarchies

Italian and Venetian Government

* Italy split up
* Venice run by a council and doge (mayor), not as strictly intertwined with church

music of Baroque era

* instrumental and vocal are equal
* idiomatic writing
* non-liturgical/non-sacred: for entertainment and ameteurs, for listening: private concerts at the court
* palestrina style and acapella singing; roman polyphony no longer important
* concerted music (stile concerto- voice and instrument)

the 2 baroque styles

* stile antico: palestrina/roman polyphony: music dominates text; rules of harmony apply
* stile moderno: monody: text dominates music; rules of harmony express text, measures line up with textual phrases

Artusi

* italian music theorist
* wrote “The Imperfections of Modern Music” following Monteverdi’s “Crula Amarili” (Book 4)
* monteverde responded in book 5, stating that Artusi does not understand that the two styles of music must exist together

Cruda Amarili

* piece found within a book written by Monteverdi
* 4th of a series: books with mostly madrigals
* roman polyphony
* good poetry and music
* about a perfect woman who is cruel

academy

* group of individuals with a shared interest
* same as symposium during Greek era
* best known: Florentine camerata lead by Court of Bardi

Giromo Mei

* friend of Ct. Bardi and a scholar
* “On the Musical Modes of the Ancients”
* organized musical events for the Bardis

“On the Musical Modes of the Ancients”

* treatise by Giromo Mei
* dedicated to Ct. Bardi

opera in Florence

* intermedio: short, Greek musical story in between each act of a spoken play: performed by camarata
* camarate believed that Greek plays were to be sung because of poetic structure
* opera: plural of opus

florentine opera

* writers: Peri, Caccini, Rinuccini
* story from Greek tragedy; provides life lesson
* text dominates music (seconda practica), stile recitavio (monody)
* monody: solo vocal line and sparse chorded accompaniment
* usually 2 central characters
* little use of chorus, prologue sung by muse

Julio Caccini

* camerata member; singer
* “Le Nuove Musiche” (new music, seconda practica)

“Le Nuove Musiche”

* treatise by Caccini
* new music, seconda practica
* explaining monody as well as a manuscript including examples

Peri

* “Euridice” - first opera
* Story of Euridice’s death and Orpheus losing her again after a failed attempt to bring her back from the underworld
* Monteverdi set it for Gonzaga family as “Orfeo” - music over theater

Solo Madrigal

* Monteverdi
* monody

Monteverdi’s Orfeo

* he was closely associated with the camerata and interested in bringing back Greek tragedy as a musical entity
* based on Florentine ideals
* 5 acts of toccata (overture - section of music played three times) and prelude (toccata, prelude, opera)
* fully orchestrated, full chorus
* soloists: Orpheus, Euradice, Pluto, Char…, Sylvia
* new character: muse - music; gave summary of story (prologue)

strophic air

* ex. orfeo’s song about leaving earth to find E. from underworld
* not an aria, different from monody
* emotional response with a melodic melody

Roman Opera

* exclusively for nobility and church hierarchy
* subject: biblical stories (sacred), comedic relief every now and then due to serious topics
* greater use of chorus than Florentine’s
* no prologues

Roman Aria

* through-composed short song
* more development, more lyrical

Stefan Landi

“Sant Alessio” - Roman opera about a martyr

Venetian Opera

* subject: Roman history (true stories)
* “Deax ex Machina” (devil in machinery): great special effects
* up to 4 main characters and 4 minor characters
* less technical solos, lyrical melody and more popular songs/familiar melodies
* fully developed overture (features themes of opera)
* dominant use of castrato: leading male roles in soprano range
* comical scenes for comedic relief

Teretro San Cassiano

* 1st public opera house - Venice
* Empressario: manages shows, artistic director

castrato

* leading male singers (Venice)
* boys castrated before puberty to keep a high-pitched voice
* ex. Ferenelli

Ferenelli

* real name: Carlo Broschi
* most known castrato of 17th century

countertenor

one who has a natural bass voice, but full control of falsetto/head voice

The Coronation of Poppea

* Venetian style opera by Monteverdi (historical)
* M Nero (emperor), M Poppea (mistress), m Octavia (emperess), m Seneca (senator/Nero’s mentor)

Burney

* one of the first musicologists
* Tried to find origins of castrata but couldn’t