THE BAROQUE ERA

1600-1750

LIFE IN THE BAROQUE ERA

 Absolute monarchs

  Social hierarchy

 Elaborate codes of dress and manners

  International peace/economic expansion

 Rulers supported the arts

PHILOSOPHICAL/SCIENTIFIC THINKING

 Measurement/Mathematical Analysis

  Sir Isaac Newton: gravity, calculus, light spectrum

 Comparable principles applied to human thought/society

 Order and organization valued above all else in society & arts

ART

 Emotion could be objectively classified: specific emotions can be

aroused (grief, joy, passion, despair)

  Painting: dramatic contrasts between light and dark

  Illusion: false depth

BERNINI: APOLLO & DAPHNE (1625)

REMBRANDT: SELF PORTRAIT

POZZO: TROMPE-L'OEIL DOME

AT SANT'IGNAZIO (1685)

ARCHITECTURE

  Symmetry

 Grandeur

 Geometrically organized landscaping

 Elegant pools and gardens

LOUIS XIV: VERSAILLES

HALL OF MIRRORS

GARDENS

CHARACTERISTICS OF BAROQUE MUSIC

 Composers wanted to portray specific emotions

 Contrast and Illusion through dynamics and timbres

 Examples of contrast:

1) Concerto form

2) Echo effect (f-p)

  Only lasted 150 years (shorter than Middle Ages and Renaissance)

  Only the last 50 years of the era is represented in most orchestras

  Early Baroque: experimentation

  Late Baroque: organization and control, forms become standardized

  Forms: Opera, Cantata, Concerto, Sonata, Dance Suite, Chorale, Oratorio,

Passion

  Technique: basso continuo

EARLY BAROQUE (1600-1700)

 Argument over Renaissance-style polyphony vs. ignoring rules in

favor of expressing text

 Monody: solo voice + basso continuo

  Imitates natural speech pattern

 Example: Francesca Caccini: Maria, dolce Maria

CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI

CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI

  The first great opera composer

  Also wrote pieces in Renaissance style

  Orfeo (1607) first great opera, based on ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Euridice

  Recitative: closely imitates freedom and expressiveness of speech…one singer, basso

continuo provides punctuation

  Recitative ideal for setting dialogue and quick interchanges between people in the

drama

  Aria is lyrical, usually full orchestra accompaniment, ABA form

EXCERPT FROM ORFEO

  0:00-2:11 – Orfeo’s recitative: “O Rose of Heaven”

  2:12-3:16 – Euridice’s recitative: “I shall not say how much”

  3:17-3:48 – Chorus of nymphs and shepherds: “Leave the hills”

  3:49-4:10 – Instrumental ritornello with dancing

ENGLAND

 Music in England was fragmented because of unstable political

condition and Civil War (1642-1649)

 Charles I beheaded, Puritan Commonwealth took over

 Music positions abolished and opera houses closed

 Charles II returned (The Restoration), rebirth of English music life

HENRY PURCELL

HENRY PURCELL

  1659-1695 (only lived to be 36)

 Most talented English composer of late 17th century

 Organist at Westminster Abbey in London

 Composed large amount of vocal and instrumental music: sacred

music for Anglican church, secular songs and cantatas, chamber music

for instrumental combos and solo harpsichord music

 Best-known work was opera Dido and Aeneas (1689)

DIDO AND AENEAS

  Based on part of the great epic poem by Virgil, Aeneid

  Love affair between Dido, Queen of Carthage and Aeneas, a Trojan

warrior

  Three acts with arias, recitatives, choruses, dances and instrumental

interludes

  Only four main singers required + small orchestra of strings and

harpsichord

  About an hour long

DIDO AND AENEAS EXCERPT

  Aria: “Dido’s lament”

  Dido abandoned by Aeneas and has decided to kill herself

  “Thy hand, Belinda, darkness shades me,

On thy bosom let me rest

More I would, but Death invades me:

Death is now a welcome guest.

When I am laid in earth,

May my wrongs create

No trouble in thy breast.

Remember me, but ah! Forget my fate.”

THE RISE OF INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

  Violin family most important (Stradvari and Guarneri)

  Genres:

1) Sonata

a. Solo Sonata (solo instrument w/ b.c.)

b. Trio sonata (two instruments w/ b.c.)

Contrasting movements: sonata da camera (chamber sonata) based on dance

rhythms and sonata da chiesa (church sonata), more serious in nature.

2) Concerto

a. Concerto grosso – orchestra w/ small group of soloists

b. Solo concerto – solo instrument with orchestra - virtuosic

ARCANGELO CORELLI

ARCANGELO CORELLI

  (1653-1713)

  Brought Italian violin music to international prominence

  Expanded technique of violin playing

  Repeated notes, fast scales and double stops

  He wanted to “Show off the violin”

  Only wrote sonatas and concertos

  Famous exclusively for instrumental music

EXAMPLE

 Trio Sonata, Op. 3, No. 7, for two violins and basso continuo

I. Grave (slow and serious)

II. Allegro (fast)

III. Adagio (slow)

IV. Allegro (fast)

FRANCE

  Louis XIV

  Reigned 1643-1715

  Avid supporter of the arts

  He loved to dance!

  French dance influenced all

instrumental music

  French opera contained ballet and

elaborate scenery and constumes

FRENCH DANCES

  Allemande 2/4, 4/4 Moderate Continuous motion

  Bourrée 2/4, 4/4 Moderate to fast Short, distinct phrases

  Courante ¾ Moderate to fast Motion running in scales

  Gavotte 2/4, 4/4 Moderate to fast Bouncy

  Gigue 6/8 Fast Lively, imitative

  Minuet ¾ Moderate Elegant

  Sarabande ¾ Slow Stately, 2nd beat accented

JEAN-BAPTISTE LULLY

JEAN-BAPTISTE LULLY

 Louis XIV’s music director

 Ballet scenes from operas were so popular that they were played

independently

 Died from gangrene caused by smashing foot with conducting staff

 Example: Marche pour la Ceremonie Turcs

LATE BAROQUE (1700-1750)

  Fixed musical forms flourished in hands of masters: Vivaldi, Bach

and Handel

 Opera continues to grow in popularity: Italian opera seria was the

favorite style. Arias were the main reason to go now

  Solo concerto became more popular

  Flute, oboe, trumpet and keyboard instruments had concertos

ANTONIO VIVALDI

ANTONIO VIVALDI

  1678-1741

 Trained for the priesthood, known as “Red Priest” b/c of hair

 Appointed director of Ospedale della Pieta in Venice

  600 concertos

 Girls in orphanage gave frequent concerts

VIVALDI’S CONCERTO FORM

 Three movements:

I. Fast

II. Slow and expressive, like an opera aria

III. Even faster than the first movement

  First and third movements use ritornello form: orchestra comes in

with same or similar theme in between solo episodes, usually in

related keys

EXCERPT FROM “THE FOUR SEASONS”

  Published in 1725 (Vivaldi was 47)

 Most popular set of concertos

  For solo violin

  Programmatic – designed to tell a story

  Poem written for each movement with lines written in the score

1S T MOVEMENT FROM LA PRIMAVERA (“SPRING”)

“Spring has arrived, and full of joy

The birds greet it with their happy song.

The streams, swept by gentle breezes,

Flow along with a sweet murmur.

Covering the sky with a black cloak,

Thunder and lightning come to announce the season.

When all is quiet again, the little birds

Return to their lovely song.”

EXCERPT FROM GLORIA

 Christmas Cantata

 Mvmt. I: “Gloria in excelsis Deo”

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH

  1685-1750

  One of the most influential composers of all time

  His death marked the end of the Baroque Era

  Never considered himself a genius, only a hard-working craftsman

  Never wrote an opera

  Had two wives and over 20 children (11 died during childhood, 4

became famous Early Classical musicians)

 Hired in 1723 as music director for St. Thomas’ Church in Leipzig

 Required to compose, rehearse and direct a new cantata for every

Sunday and feast day of the year

 Head of music school attached to church: taught Latin,

composition, maintained instruments, played organ and prepared

choirs for the other three churches in town

ST. THOMAS’ CHURCH, LEIPZIG

BACH’S MUSIC

 Toccata and Fugue in D Minor

  “Little” Fugue in G Minor

  Prelude in C Major from The Well Tempered Clavier

 Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, 1st Movement

 Chorale from St. Matthew’s Passion

  Prelude from Unaccompanied Cello Suite in G Major

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL

  1685-1759

 Life overlapped Bach’s, but led a much different existence

 Travelled extensively, international celebrity

 Wrote nearly 40 operas

 Born/grew up in Halle, studied opera in Italy, eventually ended up

in London, England (buried in Westminster Abbey w/ Elizabeth I

and Charles Dickens

EXCERPTS

 BBC PROMS CONCERT “Water Music” suite

 English National Opera Recitative and aria “Where ere you walk”

from Semele

 Choir of King’s College, Cambridge Hallelujah Chorus from

Messiah

FUNDAMENTALS OF BAROQUE MUSIC

  Instrumental music is as important as vocal music

 Opera was invented, with vocal forms divided between recitative and aria

 Unifying feature of all Baroque music is basso continuo

  Principal vocal genres are opera, cantata and oratorio

  Principal instrumental genres are sonata, suite and concerto

 The music is organized by hierarchy of chords and keys (tonal harmony)