Baroque Music and Opera

These flashcards cover key terms, concepts, and composers relevant to the Baroque period in music, focusing on opera, cantatas, and instrumental works.

Baroque period

A turbulent time of change in politics, science, and the arts, lasting from 1600 to 1750.

Monody

A style of music featuring a solo voice with chord accompaniment, allowing for clear text and natural expression.

Basso continuo

A musical accompaniment system emphasizing the bass line, common in Baroque music.

Equal temperament

A tuning system that divides the octave into 12 equal half steps.

Castrato

A castrated male singer who was a prominent vocal star during the Baroque period.

Recitative

A style of singing that resembles clear speech, supported by chords, and is used to advance the drama in opera.

Arietta

An Italian term for a featured song that reflects the emotions of a character.

Overture

An introductory piece of music that precedes the start of an opera.

Libretto

The text or dialogue of an opera.

Cantata

A multi-movement church dramatic form, similar to a small sacred opera, consisting of arias, recitatives, choruses, and instrumental movements.

Chorale

Hymn-like music associated with the Protestant (Lutheran) Church.

Baroque Oratorio

A large musical composition on a sacred subject, performed without scenery, staging, or costumes.

French overture

A three-part instrumental form marked by slow-fast-slow sequences, prevalent in Baroque music.

Da capo aria

A three-part aria form characterized by a repeat of the first section, often embellished in its return.

Concerto grosso

A form featuring a small group of solo instruments contrasting with a larger orchestra.

Antonio Vivaldi

An Italian composer known for his instrumental concertos, most notably 'The Four Seasons'.

Henry Purcell

An English composer known for writing the first English opera, 'Dido & Aeneas'.

Johann Sebastian Bach

A prominent German composer of the Baroque period, known for his cantatas and complex music.

George Frideric Handel

A German-British composer renowned for his operas and oratorios, including 'Messiah'.

Chiara Margarita Cozzolani

An Italian female composer known for her expressive vocal chamber music during the Baroque period.