1. An introduction to music history
To know the different periods in the progression of western classical music and to understand how musical characteristics developed through this time.

2. Initial questions When did music begin?
Why do we talk about ‘western’ and ’non western’ musics?
Is there a clear definition between popular music and classical music?

3. Timeline – Western Art Music
Dates
Musical Period
Historical Events
The Medieval Period
The Renaissance Period
The Tudor period – Henry VIII etc
The Baroque Period
Louis XIV in France, several Europpean conflicts including the Franco-Dutch wars
The Classical Period
The Georgian Era
The Romantic Period
The Victorian Era
Now
The Twentieth Century
The Edwardian Era Post WW1 / Pre WW2 / Post WW2

4. To understand the contextual characteristics of Baroque music.
The Baroque period
To understand the contextual characteristics of Baroque music.

5. Starter quiz
Answer the following questions in your books.

6. 1
What are the dates of the Baroque period?

7. 2
What does the term Baroque mean?

8. 3
Name the three main keyboard instruments of the Baroque period.

9. 4
Name the four main composers of the Baroque period.

10. 5
What happened to the texture of music during the Baroque period?

11. 6
Describe the type of dynamics used in Baroque music.

12. 7
What is ornamentation?

13. Baroque Music – IN a nutshell…
Terraced dynamics (no gradation)
Repetition of short motifs
Fairly narrow harmony – mainly I and V. But suspensions, pedal notes, ornamentation and added chords ensure variation.
Contrapuntal texture (polyphony) – at the beginning of the period, a light, homophonic texture; polyphony then took over.
Ornamentation
Basso Continuo
One ‘affectation’
Modes replaced by major-minor keys
Forms: binary, ternary, ritornello, rondo/rondeau, variations, ground bass (chaconne, passacaglia), fugue
Genres: opera, oratorio, chorale, suite, overture, cantata, concerto, concerto grosso, prelude, toccata
Viols replaced by violin family

14. Listen to the following pieces and decide which ones are Baroque and which are not.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

15. Opera vs Oratorio Opera Oratorio Non religious Religious
Staged in theatres / opera houses with a set and costumes
Was performed in churches with no set or costumes
Dramatic
Much more simple
Highly charged, emotional scenes.
Performed with an orchestra and choir – usually had solos, duets and trios.

16. Handel's Messiah It is an Oratorio
The libretto is in 3 main parts…the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ:
Part 1: includes of prophecies foretelling the coming of the Messiah.
Part 2: The passion music of the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus – mainly the words from the Old Testament.
Part 3: Telling of Jesus’ resurrection.

17. Structure of the Oratorio in Messiah
It follows the Opera through:
Recitatives -The concentration is on the words of a narration with minimal use of music
Arias - Essentially it is a solo song which reflects on a mood or emotion
The music is more elaborate
Choruses -The Aria leads straight into the first chorus
The Chorus rounds up the story up until that point in the drama
In Messiah the story is still being unfolded. It consolidates the positively of the mood in the preceding 2 movements and the looking forward to the coming of the Lord
Mood: ‘And the Glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’
‘And the Glory of the Lord’ - 4th movement and the first chorus in 4 parts with an orchestral accompaniment

18. Key Ideas in the Messiah
It is built on a series of musical ideas, relating to a separate line of text
Each idea is written as a single line, then developed in different ways
There are four ideas
‘And the glory of the Lord’
‘Shall be revealed’
‘And all flesh shall see it together’
‘For the mouth of the Lord has spoken it’

19. Task
In your books, mind map any thoughts that you have about Handel’s Messiah in relation to features of Baroque music.

20. Thoughts??? The Messiah tells the story of Jesus’ life
Handel composed it in 24 days in 1741.
It is composed for a full choir and orchestra. All parts are sung by men.
Melismatic – A single syllable of text suing over a succession of notes.
Word Painting – Where the music reflects the words.

21. Modern choral singing
Professional choirs usually perform in concert halls. Amateur choirs will often perform in school halls or churches.
Choirs are much smaller nowadays than the large Victorian choirs.
Many 20th century choral works are written for chamber choir and orchestra.
Chamber choir pieces may have been a reaction against 19th century composers who often composed for large choirs.

22. Carmina Burana Composed 1935 – 1936
Based on 24 medieval poems on secular topics such as money, drink, gambling and lust. These poems are sung in Latin.
Written in Nazi Germany and it was immediately popular, even though it was controversial.
The most famous piece is O Fortuna which starts and ends the work.
It is composed for a huge orchestra, a main choir (SABT), a chamber choir, and a boys choir.
The piece has a lot of time changes. The rhythms follow the words.
The piece requires 8 timpani.

23. Choral Composers Baroque Composers Modern Composers
George Frederic Handel
Claudio Monteverdi
Henry Purcell
Carl Orff
Arnold Schoenberg
Olivier Messian
Benjamin Britten
Ralph Vaughan-Williams

24. music analysis
Listen to the following piece, annotate the score and answer the following questions.

25. Questions 1. What key is the piece composed in?
2. Which instrument is this piece composed for?
3. State the bar where an arpegiation is shown.
4. What is the name of the ornament in the treble part of bar 8?
5. What is the enharmonic equivalent of F double sharp (Bar 11)?
6. Give one reason why there are no dynamics in this piece.
7. What word would you use to describe the melody?
8. Who might have composed this piece?

26. Homework
Listen to one piece of Baroque music for next week. Be prepared for a discussion on what you have listened to.