Studied by 43 people
High Baroque: North German School
main three of North German School
Dietrich Buxtehude
Johann Sebastian Bach
George Frideric Handel
Buxtehude intro.
organ, choral works, apendmusic
Danish but spent most of his career in Lubeck at the Luteran Mariankirche (church of the Virgin Mary)
appointed cantor (musical director) in 1668 by Franz Tunder
most prestigious position in Europe
Franz Tunder
appointed Buxtehude for cantor
very well-established organist
started a concert series of organ recitals on Sunday afternoons
widely-known series
designed his own contract for time off, flexibility, etc.
could audition/choose his successor
successor had to marry one of his daughters (Bach and Handel both turned the job down because of this)
Abendmusic
Buxtehude
evening music: concerts of choral and organ
VERY popular
Buxtehude organ music
each work included either a prelude or toccata paired with a fugue
toccatas typically virtuoso
chorale preludes
fugue: 3 or 5 interwoven voices
chorale prelude
short organ work based on a Lutheran chorale melody
chorale should be heard completely though at least once
Buxtehude’s “Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott”/”A Mighty Fortress is Our God”
chorale prelude
Bach vs. Buxtehude Chorale Melody
Bach: more complex, melody moves around lines
Buxtehude: melody typically in pedal
Bach background
older brother Christoph took him in after both parents passed, helped to raise him musically: taught him harpsichord, organ, composition and sent him to college
won scholarship to St. Michael’s School in Luneberg and graduated in three years
Buxtehude’s main impact
had a new approach to organ: made it a solo virtuoso instrument, no longer accompaniment only
Werke Verseichnis
WV
catalogue of works
BuxWV is Buxtehude, BWV is Bach
“Prelude, Fugue, and Chaconne”
Buxtehude
Chaconne: set of variations over a harmonic or chordal pattern
Fugue: based on one theme/subject developed through imitation
Bach’s Career
After graduating from St. Michael’s, became apprentice organist at Arnstadt
Neue Kirche (director of choir) 1703-1707
In 1709, took a month’s leave to study under Buxtehude in Lubeck (stayed for three months)
congregation did not like new style he developed while away (thicker polyphony and melody, organ as its own instrument), so he decided to look for another job
Mulhausen 1707-1708
so short because he didn’t like how they were Pietist Lutheran (more emotional and less formal, lower class) instead of Orthodox Lutheran (exactly how Martin Luther did it, formal, higher class)
Worked in Liepzig for remainder of life for his 20 kids to be educated well (actually only 10 lived to adulthood)
“christmas oratorio”
Bach
“St. Matthew Passion”
Bach
used a rarely used scale in it
“Goldberg Variations”
Bach
“Little Fugue in G Minor”
Bach
“Mass in B Minor”
Bach
Weimar
court of the duke: first of three major workplaces of Bach
here he was court organist and concertmaster (conductor) of orchestra
typically organ works, organ/harpsichord transcriptions of other works, primarily Italian (Vivaldi)
Kothen
Reformed Calvinist Church: second of three major workplaces of Bach
kapellmeister for Prince Leopold
primarily court orchestra: instrumental ensemble works
wrote:
4 orchestral suites: large collections of dance movements
concertos for solo instruments
concerto grosso (group of soloists and orchestra)
string and woodwind solo sonatas
3-4 movement composition in the style of selected instruments
keyboard and bass continuo
“Brandenburg Concertos”
Bach
written for Court of Margrave in Brandenburg
Bach sent letter of application as well as collection of these 6 concerti grossi as a gift
varying concertino (soloist group) in each
never heard back from them…
“Brandenburg Concerto in D Major”
harpsichord became a soloist at one point!
Liepzig
third of three major workplaces of Bach
he was kantor here: music director for the city
worked for Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church) and 3 others
main responsibility to was to write a cantata each Sunday and Feast Day
cantata
multi-movement work for choir and orchestra based on a (Lutheran) chorale melody
melody generally in top voice
number of chorale voices= number of movements
movement one always complex, polyphonic for full chorus and orchestra
melody must be heard one time through, clearly
last verse will be 4-vocie setting of chorale
congregation singing melody (top voice)
choir sings SATB
Lutheran chorale
Bach
stropic (every verse having same melody)
performed on Sunday and Feast Day (Liturgical calendar)
melody generally in top voice
Bach’s “Ein Feste Burg”
originally by Luther
rewritten by Bach with “smoothed out” rhythmic pattern for congregation
cantata
mean-tempered tuning
based on modal system
difficult to tune to
in tune with itself in fifths
even-tempered tuning
equidistant half steps
very tunable:)
“Well-Tempered Clavier”
Bach
wrote volume one in Kothen, and volume two in Liepzig
24 preludes and fugues in each (one of each Major and minor scale)
for harpsichord
“Te Deum”
Handel
usually performed after war victories in praise of God
ex. “Utrecht Te Deum”
written in Latin unlike most of his works (English)
“Messiah”
Handel oratorio
premiered in Dublin, Ireland
later performed in London for foundling hospital
Handel’s most well-known work
in da capo form: ABA
A. Scarlatti
Neapolitan opera composer
Neapolitan opera
Handel
full use of Italian castrati and virtuosic singing
silly stories with elaborate arias
Alcina
Handel
Neapolitan opera
written in Hanover
Elector of Hanover
major employer of Handel
later George I of England
employed Handel as violinist in court orchestra, composer, and Kapellmeister (director)
Royal Academy of Music
London
opera company with its own opera house and singers, except for castrati soloists (from Italy)
Handel stayed here instead of going back to Hanover, was given part of the profit made
Rinaldo
Handel opera
written for the Royal Academy of Music
ballad operas
written by English composers and in English
comedies
ballads and popular songs
everyday characters (commoners, servants, etc.)
no arias
light and entertaining music, well-liked
Haymarket Opera
Handel became employed here after the Royal Academy of Music went bankrupt
Neapolitan operas
written in Italian
Italian soloists
comic: opera buffa
English people enjoyed it even though they did not understand the language
success until ballad operas rose again
“Beggar’s Opera”
composer: Gay
librettist: Pepusch
about low-class family of theives
VERY successful and took Haymarket out of business
“Haman and Mordecai”
oratorio by Handel
story from Bible premiered in pub
oratorios
Handel
9/10 based on sacred subjects (typically from Bible) but not intended for church use
multi-movement work with solos, chorus, and orchestra
in English, new primary form of London entertainment
non-staged: story told through songs, no sets/costumes/roles
like Neapolitan opera, used recitatives, arias, choruses
greater use of chorus than N. opera, but arias were essentially identical
“Judas Maccabaeus”
“Handel’s oratorio prototype”
story of Israelite leader
Bach vs. Handel choral music
Bach: instrumental in nature, very complex and full, little time for breathing
Handel: very singable, time incorporated for breath
orchestral suite
collection of stylized dances for orchestra
Preludio befrore the first “real” movement
written by Bach and Handel
Water Music
Handel orchestral suites: 3 suites of dances for barge event for king
in F: oboe/bassoon features
in D: trumpets, horn features (first English compositon to use French horn)
in G: flute features
Royal Fireworks
Handel orchestral suite for king’s barge event
commemorating military victory
Note
Flashcard