Music History Ch. 10

Counter Reformation through Venetian Opera

Counter Reformation

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