Class notes Bach and Handel.docx

Johann Sebastian Bach March 31, 1685 – 1750

  • Born in Eisenach, Germany
  • From family of musicians.
  • 2 wives, 20 children.
  • 4 of them became famous composers.
  • Early music education from father- town musician, cousin – church organist, and older brother – also church organist. His parents died when he was 9 yo.
  • Left home at 15 yo. To earn money he sung at church, played violin and organ.
  • Church organist at 18yo in Arnstad. Got in trouble - music too complicated, and dating “strange woman” at church.
  • At 23 - found new work at Muhlhausen. Married the “strange woman”.
  • Fame is growing, virtuosic organ player and recognized for pedal keyboard skills.
  • 1708 – new job. Court organist and concert master in Weimar (Duke). (9 years). Quitted when he didn’t get promotion and landed in jail for a month.
  • 1717 - 1723 Most prominent and best paying job was for Prince of Cothen. NO CHURCH MUSIC – orchestra, no organ. Brandenburg Concertos. 1720 – 1st wife died, left with 4 kids. 1721 – married court singer (21yo)
  • 1723 – new job, cantor (director of music) at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. Two other composers turned this job down. His last job. Less money but better location. Composed new music for Sunday and Holidays for choir, soloists, orchestra, organ. Music education at St. Thomas school.
  • Very religious person.
  • Forgotten after death. No international fame during his life. Most of his scores were unpublished.
  • Became blind year before his death. Still composed and conducted.
  • Felix Mendelssohn – Bach revival 1829 – St. Mathew Passion.
  • Wrote all typical baroque forms with one exception – NO OPERA!
  • Vocal music mostly written for Lutheran Church.
  • Studies Italian concertos, and French dances, Church music (Lutheran).
  • Used enormous amount of dissonant chords
  • Mastery of harmony and counterpoint.
  • Das Woltemperierte Klavier (Well Tempered/Tuned Clavier) - Two Books of preludes and Fugues in all 24 major and minor keys. Clavier = instrument with keyboard.
  • Listening: pg 154
    • Prelude C- Major
    • Prelude c minor
    • Toccata and and Fugue D minor
    • FUGUE in G minor pg 131

Can be instrumental or vocal

Instrumental – for group of instruments or solo instrument that can play many melodies at the same time, like organ or harpsichord.

    • Polyphonic composition
    • The lines of melodies are called voices
    • The main theme is called subject
    • Voices imitate the subject (not necessary the same notes, can be transposed)
    • Typical 3 – 5 voices
    • Written by both Bach anc Handel

The subject can be varied in four principal ways:

  • Inversion – like a mirror with center line
  • Retrograde – from back to front
  • Augmentation – longer time values
  • Diminution – shorter time values

Listening: Organ Fugue in G minor “Little Fugue”

  • diagram pg 132

PICKARDY 3RD

  • Characteristic for baroque and especially Bach: end piece in minor key with major tonic chord. PICKARDY 3RD
  • “Sudden happy ending”. Originated in Renaissance.
  • hope
  • Named by J. Rousseau in 1797

Mass in B (h) minor pg. 158

Setting of the Roman Catholic Mass

Way too long to be used during real mass.

Each Section of KGCSA is divided in sections : arias, chorus, duets, etc.

Listening:

Credo : Crucifixus

Credo: Et resurrexit

Emotions?

Size of orchestra and choir?

Lament Bass

Minor – major key

Suite no 3 in D major pg 160

Instruments:

  • Trumpets,
  • Timpani,
  • Strings,
  • B.C.
  • Overture
  • Air (not dance)
  • Gavotte
  • Bourree
  • Gigue

Music for Lutheran Church: pg 163

Chorale prelude

The CHORALE

Church cantata (cantata – piece to be sung). Religious text in German. Ab 295, survived 195. Usually ab 20- 25min long

Listening:

Cantata No. 140 “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” (Awake, a Voice is Calling) 1731, uses preexisting melody from end of 16th century, (~1597)

The melody is in AAB form

B.C = organ, cello, and bassoon.

Cantata

Music for singing...

Bach wrote both sacred and secular cantatas.

Listening “The Coffee Cantata”

ORATORIO

musical dramatization of a story.

Sacred: biblical or religious (typical).

Secular: non religious topic.

  • large scale composition for chorus soloists and orchestra
  • Chorus plays more important role that in opera.
  • NO : costumes, acting, scenery, props, etc.
  • Text : religious
  • Narrator, characters, chorus (comments and participates in drama)
  • Usually around 2h long
  • More story telling than cantata

PASSION (Passion Oratorio) – describes crucifixion, written for Good Friday

Bach wrote possibly 5 oratorios???:

Two are performed.

  • St. John Passion
  • St. Mathew Passion – double chorus and orchestra/ Mendelssohn’s Bach revival

Listening: St. Mathew Passion (Passion of our Lord J.C. according to the Evangelist Mathew.)

“Kommt, ihr Tochter, helft mir klagen” (come ye daughters, join my lament) - two choruses.

Listening:

Vivaldi - Winter

Bach:

  • Brandenburg Concerto no 5
  • Prelude C- Major
  • Prelude c minor
  • Toccata and and Fugue D minor
  • Organ Fugue in G minor “Little Fugue”
  • Mass in B (H) minor
    • Credo : Crucifixus
    • Credo: Et resurrexit
  • Suite no 3 in D major
  • Cantata No. 140 “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” (Awake, a Voice is Calling)
  • “The Coffee Cantata”
  • Passion St. Mathew “Kommt, ihr Tochter, helft mir klagen” (come ye daughters, join my lament) - two choruses.

G.F. Haendel Messiah - Alleluja

George Frederic Handel (1685 – 1759)

  • Born in Halle, Germany
  • Not from a musical family
  • Studied music with local organist,
  • At 11 started composing and giving music lessons.
  • At 17 yo enrolled to University (law) for ab 1 year, then dropped out and moved to Hamburg. Where he played violin and harpsichord in opera house.
  • At 20 his first opera was produced.
  • Ambitious and stubborn. Almost paid with life for his stubbornness.
  • In 1706 he moved to Italy (4 years) where he studied and composed operas and cantatas.
  • Mingled with famous people, nobles and musicians.
  • In 1710 he became music director for Elector George Ludwig of Hannover
  • A month after taking the position at the court of George of Hannover Handel traveled to London to oversee production of his opera Rinaldo. It was a success!
  • England was a place to be. “In France and Italy there is something to learn, in London there is something to earn.
  • London - 500.000 people, the largest city in Europe.
  • One year later he asked for a leave to go to London. It was granted on the condition that it will be for a reasonable time. The leave took “only” 47 years (1712-1759)
  • Handel became famous in England, his operas were great success. (opera seria in Italian)
  • Became England’s most important composer and a favorite of Queen Anne.
  • When Queen Anne died in 1714, King George I of England was crowned. Handel wrote music for the coronation service.
  • Handel was teaching music to royal granddaughters and wrote music for royal entertainment. His salary was doubled.
  • Music composed for the royal court: Water Music (1717), Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749) – orchestral suites. Suite – collection of stylized dances.
  • Water music – Royal travel up the river Thames, 50 musicians on a barge. 1h x 3. First English score that includes French horn, that is not so French. -> Germany, Bohemia.
  • Handel composed every genre of music that was known and performed during the early eighteen century. (late baroque)
  • Handel was one of the first composers to bring Italian style opera to London.
  • Italian opera was an exotic “fashionable” entertainment for aristocracy.
  • Middle class was loosing interest in mythological plots and praising of royals.
  • Royal Academy of Music (commercial opera company) is established to support opera in London (1719). Handel was the first director. King was the principal investor. Publicly held stock company.
  • They produced number of brilliant opera serias written by Handel, with imported superstar singers from Italy. (castratos) Bach 400, Senesino 7000 thalers.
  • Opera became a political weapon. Competition – Opera of the Nobility.
  • Royal Academy of Music closed and Handel became bankrupt in 1734.
  • Bankruptcy due to the political battle and change of taste – ballad opera. Handel was friend of the King, easier target that King himself.

Best known Operas by Handel:

Giulio Cesare

Rinaldo

Xerxes

Ariodante

Acis and Galatea

  • He went to Germany to recuperate.
  • Future King of Prussia wrote “Handel’s great days are over, his inspiration is exhausted, and his taste is behind the fashion.” (1737)
  • Handel went back to London and found support in church. Wrote Oratorios in English that were produced in theatres. Oratorios were much cheaper to produce than operas. They attracted middle class. Most of the oratorios were based on Old Testament, Messiah is an exception.
  • 1741 – Messiah, no more operas after that date.
  • Second success, and even more plotting against Handel.
  • He had statue erected during his lifetime.
  • Ab 3000 people attended his funeral.

About Handel :

  • Stubborn
  • Educated
  • Influential
  • Entrepreneur
  • Flexible when hitting hard times
  • Main career in London
  • Stunning dramatic sense
  • Best Baroque opera serias that are still performed and popular.
  • Wrote instrumental and vocal music.
  • Best known for his Italian operas (42) and oratorios (22-29).
  • He liked loud music, wine, and food.

English Ballad opera

The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay

  • Produced in London in 1728
  • “Simple tunes for common criminals.”
  • Popular folk songs (English , Irish , and Scottish)
  • Re-texted ballads
  • No recitatives, instead spoken dialogues.
  • In English
  • It was very popular in English speaking countries.
  • Still being performed.
  • Comic. Poked fun at Italian opera seria and British government.
  • Major success, it run for 62 performances setting a record at that time.
  • At the end of century Beggars opera was performed in America.
  • 1928 Kurt Weil and Bertold Brecht – “Dreigroschenoper” (Three penny Opera)

SUITE:

Series of Instrumental movements performed as a unit.

Usually stylized dances.

PACS(O)G

Prelude

Allemande

Courante

Sarabande

“Other”

Gigue

Messiah (1741)

  • Ab 2.5h
  • Composed in 24 days.
  • Rehearsals drew attention.
  • The first performance was packed with people. The venue requested that women do not wear hoopskirts, and men – no swords to increase capacity. (normal capacity 600)
  • First performance in Dublin was a success.
  • London performance was not as successful. Religious text in a theatre – controversy.
  • It gained popularity and a specific status after it became performed yearly at a benefit for London Orphanage.
  • “Messiah fed the hungry, clothed the naked, fostered the orphan.”
  • Meditative instead of dramatic.
  • Based on New and Old Testament
  • Male chorus of ab 20 singers
  • Small orchestra: strings and BC with trumpet and timpani in sections.
  • Rewritten many times, even by Mozart.
  • Today it is produced as a large scale performance even with hundreds of performers.
  • Structure:
  • Opening: French Overture slow (dotted rhythm) – fast (with hearable theme like a fugue)
  • 3 parts

Listening:

Messiah: Overture and Hallelujah

Operas:

Serse: Ombra mai fu

Giulio Cesare – V’adoro pupille

Ariodante: Dover giustizia

Zadok the Priest (coronation anthem)

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736)

Rather sickly

Died due to TB

La Serva Padrona 1733 – intermezzo (beginning opera buffa) inserted between acts of opera seria.

Stabat Mater 1736 - music setting of Latin poem. Describes crucifixion form the Mary’s point of view. Composition for soprano and alto with small orchestra and B.C.

Arias and duets, no recitatives. Dissonance used to express pain.

Opera Buffa (comic opera)

Buffa- buffoonish (comic)

  • Intermezzo - Around 1700 starts as a comic scene inserted between acts of opera seria. Not connected with the plot of opera seria
  • Wide spectrum of social classes (peasants, servants, nobles) Everyday characters
  • Action happening in current time (not antiquity)
  • Servants outsmart nobles.
  • Usually no castrato (Rome is an exception – female roles)
  • 1710 – first independent comic opera.
  • Short arias.
  • Best known baroque comic opera - La Serva Padrona by Pergolesi. (The Maid Made Mistress) 1733
    • Two act intermezzo. (Ab 45 min total)
    • Serpina (soprano)
    • Uberto (bass)
    • Turns established social order upside-down.
    • Exchange of insults.
    • Servant marries the lord.

War of Buffoons

  • 1752 La Serva in Paris
  • Battle between Italian and French musical styles
  • About 60 pamphlets were written on the topic
  • Is this type of opera appropriate for French stage?
  • Should it replace Tragedie Lyrique?
  • This battle will pick up again in 1770s as battle between “Piccinists” and “Gluckists”

Listening : La Serva Pardona - Stizzoso mio stizzoso - Serpina

La Serva Pardona - Sempre in contrasti (Basti basti) -Uberto

End of Baroque!