CLASS#5

Baroque 1600-1750

• baroque --> irregular, bizarre, used in 18th

◦ used to describe anything that lacked classical proportion, symmetry and clarity

◦ implied excessive ornamentation in visual arts

Baroque music

• melody

◦ longer, more complex

◦ lots of ornamentation, decoration, dramatic leap

◦ requires skillful performers

◦ *** virtuosity, both vocal and instrumental

• texture:

◦ mainly homophonic (melody would be

supported by a harmony)

◦ basso continuo:

‣ at the heart of any Baroquen piece,

an accompaniment of harpsichord/
organ/plucked instrument will be
heard

• rise of instrumental music

◦ Stradivari, Guarneri and Amati families

◦ genres: -> concerto, prelude and fugue,

suite

Early Baroque Period High Baroque Period

Antonio Vivaldi 1648 - 1741

• born-lived in Venice

• Prete Resso - The Red Priest

• teacher at the orphanage Ospedale della Pieta for girls (which is connected to the church)

◦ Venice had lots of orphanages because of the "Carnival"

• composed sonatas, concertos, cantatas, oratorios and operas

◦ sonata - instrumental pieces for 1-2 instruments

Concerto

• concertante style

◦ achieving variety and drama by contrasting a smaller group with a larger one

• composition in which a soloist/s are set o against an orchestra (instrumental soloists)

• 3 movements: fast-slow-fast

Opera Seria

• serious rather than comic

• complicated plots: nobility, gods/goddesses

• dominated Continental Europe in 18th century

• leading male roles were sung by castrati

• Arias took the da capo form:

◦ ABA'

‣ A being repeated after contrasting B section ?????

• few duets

Vivaldi's Farnace-1727, Venice

• opera in three acts

• libretto was written by Antonio Maria Lucchini

Germany in 1700's:

• weak Holy Roman Empire

◦ made up of independent political units

• arts used for assertion of power and status

• blended Italian, French and German traditions in a new way

Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750

• family of musicians from Thuringia, central Germany

• virtuoso organist, keyboard player, violinist

• he was a cantor of St. Thomas' Church in Leipzig * Protestant church

• Fugue

◦ defn:

‣ a complex form of imitative polyphonic texture

‣ overlapping repetition of a principal theme in up to 6 melodic lines

concerto

• large-scale composition for an orchestra with a soloist/s

• solo performers alternate between playing with or alongside the larger ensemble

• fast-slow-fast

fugue

• designating a piece of music based on canonic imitation (ex: fugure-fugare)

suite:

• suite of dance-pieces in French Baroque style, preceded by an overture

opera seria:

• Italian opera

• 18th-19th century

• heroic or tragic subject

castrato:

• high-voiced male singer

• castrating young boys before puberty

• in uenced the development of oratorio and opera

da capo aria

• main aria form of opera serias

• structure: ABA'

◦ A section: self-contained song

◦ B section: contrasts

◦ A' section: returning to section A, improvising variations and adding ornamentation

anthem:

• a choral composition, usually accompanied by the organ

• from some religious text and performed at church