1. Baroque Era (1600-1750) Definition of “baroque”  extreme ornamentation art / sculpture / architecture / music used to symbolize wealth and power Scientific discoveries Galileo / Newton Three phases of Baroque Era  early - emphasis on dramatic contrast / homophonic  middle - use of maj/min scales / music for certain instr.  late (1680-1750) - what we will focus on

2. Characteristics of Baroque Music Unity of Mood Rhythmic Continuity Melodic Continuity Terraced Dynamics  organ, harpsichord, clavichord - good for this Polyphonic Texture Favored Strong Importance of Chords (Harmony)  basso continuo  figured bass Continuation of Word Painting

3. Baroque Music Baroque Orchestra  Nucleus Basso Continuo - harpsichord + cello / bass / bassoon Upper Strings - 1st & 2nd violins, violas  Woodwinds / Brass / Percussion varied Baroque Trumpet - no valves Baroque Forms  movements  Binary / Ternary  Continuous / undivided

4. Music in Baroque Society Music written to order Ruling class Opera houses / municipalities Churches The Overworked Musician How to Become a Musician … and get a job!

5. More Baroque Forms Concerto Grosso  tutti alternating with soloist or group  3 movements (F,S,F)  Ritornello Form  ritornello Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 - J.S. Bach  soloists - harpsichord, violin, flute  dedicated to the margrave of Brandenburg

6. More Baroque Forms Fugue  a polyphonic composition based on one theme  subject  answer  countersubject  episodes  pedal point  variations of subject inversion, retrograde, augmentation, diminution “Little” organ Fugue in G minor - Bach

7. The Elements of Opera opera - drama sung to orchestral accompaniment  began in Italy around 1600  fusion of music, acting, poetry, dance, scenery, costumes personnel needed to run an opera libretto serious vs. comic voice categories  coloratura, lyric soprano, dramatic soprano  lyric tenor, dramatic tenor  bassobuffo, basso profundo

8. The Elements of Opera one to five acts subdivided into scenes aria - song for solo voice w/ orchestra recitative - vocal line that imitates speech duet ensemble  trio, quartet, quintet, etc. prompter overture / prelude Should opera be translated for an audience?

9. Opera in the Baroque era the Camerata  wanted to create vocal style modeled after ancient Greek tragedy  recitative  homophonic / polyphony rejected Euridice by Jacopo Peri (1600)  earliest surviving opera  composed for wedding of King Henri IV and Marie de’Medici Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi (1607)  first “great” opera

10. Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) born in Italy Career  served at the court of Mantua - 21 years singer & violist music director wrote Orfeo  1613 - music director at St. Mark’s - 30 years composed sacred and secular music - all for voices wanted to create music of emotional intensity  use of dissonance / new effects (pizzicato / tremolo)

11. Henry Purcell (ca.1659-1695) born in England Career  age 10 - choirboy in Chapel Royal  1677 - (age 18) composer for king’s string orchestra  1679 - organist at Westminster Abbey  1682 - organist at Chapel Royal  buried under organ at Westminster Abbey wrote church music, secular choral music, chamber music, songs, music for the stage used ground bass (basso ostinato)

12. Henry Purcell Dido and Aeneas (1689)  written for girls’ boarding school  relatively short - one hour long  scored for strings and harpsichord contiinuo  libretto - (p.163)  Dido’s Lament - from Act III recitative with basso continuo aria with full orchestra ground bass  used to show grief and sorrow

13. The Baroque Sonata sonata  composition in several movements for 1-8 instruments  trio sonata - 2 high instruments and basso continuo  originated in Italy - spread to Germany, England, France  sonata da chiesa / sonata da camera Archangelo Corelli (1653-1713)  studied in Bologna - spent most of his life in Rome  friend and music director to Cardinal Ottoboni  laid foundation for modern violin technique double stops / chords  wrote only instrumental music  Trio Sonata in B minor, Op.3 No.4

14. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) born in Venice / father at St. Mark’s as violinist age 25 - took holy orders / left ministry after 1 yr.  ‘the red priest” teacher at music school of the Pietà virtuoso violinist and composer popularity waned / died in poverty composed 50 operas and sacred music best known for concerti grossi and solo concerti  La Primavera (Spring) from The Four Seasons

15. La Primavera concerto for solo violin and string orchestra Baroque program music  1. Allegro - birds, streams, storm  2. Largo e pianissimo sempre - goatherd w/ dog  3. Danza pastorale - bagpipes, dancing nymphs and shepherds Forms of movements  1. ritornello form  2. through-composed  3. ritornello form

16. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) family of long line of musicians  J.S. had 20 children  9 survived him / 4 became well-known composers born in Eisenach, Germany first musical training by father and cousin age 9 - both parents die / lives with oldest brother age 15 - leaves bother’s home / goes to school, supporting himself by singing in church choir & playing organ & violin

17. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) age 18 - becomes church organist at Arnstadt  conflict with church authorities “complicated” music “strange” maiden age 23 - resolves conflict gets a better position in Mühlhausen marries the ”strange” maiden, his cousin Barbara 1708 - court organist at Weimar  stayed for 9 years / became concertmaster of court orch.  asked to leave when passed over for promotion  jailed for one month by Duke of Weimar

18. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) 1717-1723 - court conductor for Prince of Cöthen  not involved in church music  conducted orchestra of 18 players  wrote Brandenburg Concertos 1720 - Barbara dies / leaving 4 children  marries 21-year-old singer 1723 - cantor of St. Thomas Church in Leipzig  drawbacks from career move / advantages  wrote extended compositions for each Sunday and holiday  became director of Leipzig Collegium Musicum  eminent organist and teacher

19. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) 1740’s - eyesight began to deteriorate 1750 - goes blind / dies later that year Not well-known outside Germany in his day  Baroque style out-of-date in his late career Bach’s music largely forgotten 1829 - Felix Mendelssohn presents St. Matthew Passion  Bach’s music revived ever since

20. Bach’s music composed all Baroque forms except opera bulk of music - vocal - Lutheran studied Italian concertos / French dance pieces unique combination of polyphonic texture & rich harmony use of musical symbolism music to demonstrate a specific musical form  Art of the Fugue  The Well-Tempered Clavier

21. Bach’s music Brandenburg Concerto No. 5  movements instrumentation tempi form key other notable features Mass in B Minor  setting of Roman Catholic Mass  1733 - wrote Kyrie / Gloria - sent to Catholic monarch  later - completed mass w/ new and re-used music

22. Mass in B minor instrument parts each section subdivided into arias, duets, choruses in the “Credo”  “Crucifixus” strings, 2 flutes, chorus use of ground bass  “Et Resurrexit” full orch. (w/ oboes, trumpets, and timpani)

23. The Baroque Suite set of dance-inspired movements all in same key written for solo instr. / small groups / full orch. related to specific dance types  examples allemande - moderate (Ger.) courante - fast (Fr.) gavotte - moderate (Fr.) sarabande - slow (Sp.) gigue - fast (Eng./Ire.) usually binary form “French overture”

24. The Chorale and Church Cantata Lutheran Church service in Bach’s time  7 am / lasted 4 hours  importance of music orchestra: 14-21 players chorus: 12+ men & boys single composition could last 1/2 hour  use of vernacular chorale  one note per syllable / moving in steady rhythm  sung by congregation  harmonized by choir  chorale prelude

25. The Chorale and Church Cantata cantata  written for chorus, vocal soloists, organ, orchestra  German religious text- related to liturgy for each Sunday  recitatives, arias, duets, choruses  based on a chorale tune Bach’s cantatas: wrote 295; surviving - 195  Cantata #140: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme 7 movements mvt. 1 - Chorus w/ orch. mvt. 4 - Tenor (solo or unison) w/ strings and continuo mvt. 7 - Chorus doubled by orch.

26. George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) born in Halle, Germany - not in musical family father wanted him to study law age 9 - father relented to let G.F. study w/ organist age 11 - could compose and give organ lessons age 12 - father dies age 17 - studies law at Halle University age 18 - leaves university; sets out for Hamburg became violinist/harpsichordist at Hamburg Opera House / age 20 - own opera produced

27. George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) man of temperament and conviction age 21 - went to Italy / established his career  wrote Italian operas 1710 - music director for Elector of Hanover (Ger.)  after 1 mo. - asked to leave for London Rinaldo  after 1 year - asked to leave again for London (1712-1759) became England’s most important composer favored by Queen Anne - gave him £200/year after death of Anne, Elector of Hanover becomes King George I of England - Handel’s subsidy increased to £400/year

28. George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) 1719 - music director of the Royal Academy of Music - open for only 9 seasons  composed a number of operas for brilliant sopranos and castrati formed his own company  impresario / composer / performer  Opera of the Nobility - the opposition  both companies go bankrupt / Handel has nervous breakdown  recuperates in Germany / returns to England produces more operas and adds oratorios

29. George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) 1741 - stops composing opera / focuses on oratorio  oratorios criticized, yet productive  played organ concertos between acts  plot against Handel  suffers another breakdown / recovers / composes more oratorios 1753 - still active conducting/ giving organ concerts  almost blind / statue erected in public park 1759 - 3000 mourners at his funeral in Westminster Abbey

30. The Oratorio large scale composition for chorus, vocal soloists, and orchestra no acting, scenery, or costumes - “concert”-style most based on Biblical stories choruses, arias, duets, recitatives, interludes chorus provides commentary / participates in story narrator longer than cantatas (sometimes over 2 hours) first appeared in early 17th century Italy - dramatized musical settings of Biblical stories