MUSI 1307 Exam 1 Review Sheet: Baroque Music

  • Doctrine of Affections 

    • Baroque theory that diff musical moods or “affections” could evoke specific emotions in the listener 

  • Ideas of contrast 

    • In Baroque music, contrast was used to create variety and drama, such as in dynamics and textures 

  • Opera

    • Staged dramatic work combining text and music, usually in several acts, involving singers, orchestra, and often costumes, sets and dance

  • Castrato 

    • Male singer castrated before puberty to preserve a higher vocal range, commonly featured in Baroque opera 

  • Prima donna 

    • Lead female singer in an opera, often receiving the most attention and admiration 

  • Libretto 

    • Tet or script of an opera, oratorio, or other long vocal work 

  • Story of orfeo 

    • Subject of the first significant opera, L’Orfeo (1607), by Claudio Monteverdi, based on the myth of Orpheus and his journey to the underworld to retrieve his wife, Eurydice

  • Basso Continuo 

    • A continuous bass part played by instruments like the harpsichord or cello, providing harmonic support throughout a piece

  • Harpsichord 

    • A keyboard instrument widely used during the Baroque period, where the strings are plucked rather than hammered (unlike a piano) 

  • Monody 

    • Style of composition featuring a single vocal line with simple instrumental accompaniment, emphasizing clear delivery of the text

  • Recitative

    • A style of delivery in opera and oratorio where the singer adopts a speech-like rhythm, often used to advance the plot 

  • Aria 

    • A song for solo voice with instrumental accompaniment, often expressing emotion in an opera or oratorio

  • Chorus 

    • Group of singers performing together, often representing the voice of teh community or providing commentary in opera

  • Ensemble (opera) 

    • A group of singer in an opera performing, together, typically more than two characters

  • word/text painting

    • Compositional technique where the music reflects the literal meaning of the lyrics, such as ascending scales to represent going up 

  • public/entrepreneurial opera

    • During the baroque period, opera shifted from being court-sponsored to public venues, where entrepreneurs would produce and sell tickets

  • Purcell 

    • Henry Purcell, an English Baroque composer, known for works like Dido and Aeneas and his contribution to the development of english opera

  • Overture

    • Instrumental opening to an opera or oratorio, setting the tone for the work

  • ostinato/ground bass 

    • Repeated bass pattern over which the rest of the music changes, often used as a foundation for variation in Baroque music

  • Virtuosity 

    • Technical skill and brilliance, often demanded of Baroque instrumentalists and singers

  • Cadenzas 

    • Improvised or written-out ornamental passages played by a soloist in a concerto, showcasing the performer’s skill 

  • Embellishments, trill 

    • Ornamental musical flourishes added to a melody, such as trills (rapid alternation between two adjacent notes) 

  • Monteverdi 

    • Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643), an Italian composer, a pioneer of opera, bridging the Renaissance and Baroque periods

  • JS Bach 

    • Johann Sebastian Back (1685-1750), one of the greatest composers of the Baroque period, known for works like The Well-Tempered Clavier, Brandenburg Concertos, and his many cantatas

  • Movements 

    • Independent sections of a larger musical work, such as symphony or concerto 

  • Baroque orchestra 

    • Small ensemble consisting of strings, harpsichord, and sometimes winds or brass, characteristic of Baroque music 

  • Stylized dance 

    • Dances adapted for concert performance rather than social dancing, often found in suites and instrumental works 

  • Cantata

    • A vocal composition w instrumental accompaniment, often in multiple movements, used in both sacred and secular context 

  • Chorale 

    • A hymn tune associated w german protestantism, often harmonized by composers like Bach 

  • Luther 

    • Martin luther, the leader of the protestant reformation, who promoted congregational singing in the form of chorales

  • Fugue

    • A polyphonic composition based on a single theme (subject), which is introduced at the beginning and then developed through counterpoint. Key terms - 

      • Subject - the main theme of the fugue 

      • Countersubject - a secondary theme  that accompanies the subject 

      • Stretto - overlapping entries of the subject 

      • Exposition - the initial presentation of the subject in all voices

      • Episode - section that develops material from the subject

      • Diminution, Augmentation - techniques that alter the rhythmic values of the subject (making it shorter or longer) 

      • Inversion - reversing the direction of the subject’s intervals 

      • Retrograde - playing the subject backwards

  • Prelude and Fugue Pedagogical Sets 

    • Collections like The Well-Tempered Clavier by J.S. Bach, written for teaching and performance, combining prelude (a freer form) with fugue 

  • Vivaldi 

    • Antonio vivaldi (1678-1741), and Italian Baroque composer known for his virtuosic violin concertos, including the four seasons

  • Sonnets 

    • Vivaldi wrote sonnets to accompany the four seasons, describing the scenes evoked in the music 

  • Corelli 

    • Arcangelo Corelli (1652-1713), an Italian composer known for his influential violin sonatas and concertos

  • Trio sonata - camera, chiesa

    • A type of sonata written for two melodic instruments and basso continuo 

      • Sonata da camera - chamber sonata, often consisting of dance movements 

      • Sonata da chiesa - church sonata, more serious, often used in sacred contexts

  • Concerto 

    • Work for solo instruments and orchestra, typically in three movements (fast-slow-fast) 

  • Concerto grosso 

    • A baroque form of concerto where a small group of soloists (concertino) contrasts w the full orchestra (ripieno) 

  • Cadenza 

    • An improvised or written-out ornamental passage played by a soloist typically near the end of a concerto movement 

  • Ritornello 

    • A recurring passage for the orchestra that alternates with solo sections in a concerto 

  • Tutti sections 

    • A passage where the full orchestra plays together, often in contrasts to solo sections 

  • Opus numbers 

    • A numbering system for works of a composer, used to catalog their compositions 

  • BWV numbers 

    • Catalog numbers assigned to the works of J.S. Bach, compiled in the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis 

  • Handel 

    • George frideric Handel (1685-1759), a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, and instrumental works 

  • Suite 

    • A collection of stylized dances, often preceded by a prelude or overture

  • French overture 

    • A two-part musical form used in operas and suites, featuring a slow, stately opening followed by a faster, lighter section 

  • Over-dotting 

    • Rhythmic technique in french baroque music where dotted notes are exaggerated, lengthening the dotted note and shortening the following on e

  • Improvisation 

    • Spontaneous creation of music, often used in baroque performance to embellish melodies

  • Oratorio 

    • Large-scale musical work for orchestra, choir, and soloists, usually on a religious theme, without staging or costumes, like Handel’s Messiah 

  • Role of Patron 

    • Baroque composers often relied on wealthy patrons or the church for financial support patrons would commission works and sponsor performances