Chapter 8

The Early Baroque Period

Key Terms

• Basso continuo

• Ground bass (basso ostinato)

• Functional harmony

• Opera

• Recitative

• Aria

• Suites

• Fugue

• Variations

• Toccata

• Canzona

• Passacaglia

Renaissance and Early Baroque Timeline

Early Baroque (cont.)

Renaissance to Baroque

• A period of rapid change• New emphases

– Expression of strong emotion– Solo singing

• New styles– Recitative; theatrical style– Instrumental and dance music

Renaissance vs. Baroque

Renaissance• Human voices superior• Vocal ensembles• A cappella ideal• Natural, simple musical ideas• Irregular, floating rhythms• Modal harmony• Church and chamber• Declamation and word

painting

Baroque• Instruments equally important• Solo singers• Voice with accompaniment• Artifice and virtuosity• Clear, dance-like rhythms• Functional harmony• Theater, church, and

chamber• Expression of strong

emotions

Venice

• Major center of tourism and trade

• “Most Serene Republic”

• Typified magnificence and extravagance– In art and architecture

– In music

St. Mark’s Basilica

• The center for Venetian music

• Extravagant architecture– Many Byzantine mosaics– Many balconies; two choir lofts

• Extravagant music– Using two or more choirs in alternation– Mixing of voices and instruments

Extravagance and Control

• New freedom of expression

• Break from tradition

• Rigorous and systematic control of new forms

• Expressive yet organized music

Giovanni Gabrieli (c. 1555–1612)

• Prolific composer and organist at St. Mark’s

• Mixes delicate, expressive passages and rich, brilliant echo effects

Gabrieli,“O magnum mysterium”

Renaissance features

• Uses vocal ensembles

• New melody for each phrase of text

• Careful declamation and text painting

“O magnum mysterium”

Baroque features• Equal treatment of voices and instruments• Clear, often dance-like rhythms• Clarity: parallels between beginning and end• Intensification

– Repetition and sequence– Theatrical contrasts

• Interplay between choirs and instruments

“O magnum mysterium”

“O magnum mysterium”

O great mystery

and wonderful sacrament—

that animals see the Lord new born

lying in the manger:

Hallelujah, hallelujah.

O magnum mysterium

et admirabile sacramentum

ut animalia viderunt Dominum natum

iacentem in presepio:

Alleluia, alleluia.

Style Features of Early Baroque Music

• Emotional expression tempered by control

• Methodical use of musical elements to express emotions– Rhythm and meter– Basso continuo – Ground bass– Functional harmony

Rhythm and Meter

• Strong beat and regular meter• Consistent repetition of patterns• Different patterns for different

emotions• Range between two extremes

– Recitative– Dance music

Texture: Basso Continuo

• Consistent feature of Baroque music– Strong, reinforced bass line– Strong harmonic foundation

• Played by– Bass melody instruments (cello, bass)– Chording instruments (keyboard, lute)

Texture: Ground Bass

• Ground bass = Basso ostinato, repeating bass line

• Ostinato is a nearly universal practice

Functional Harmony

• Relies on major and minor scales– Sense of stability– Disorientation of dissonance or modulation

• More focus on chord progressions over strong bass line

• More predictable, purposeful—more modern!

Opera

• Most characteristic Baroque art form

• Ideal vehicle for individual emotionalism

• Ideal example of extravagance and control– Lavish mix of many art forms

– Rigid schemes (recitative and aria)

Recitative vs. Aria

Recitative• Free, speechlike rhythms• Pitches follow speech

patterns• Continuo accompaniment• Prose text (words stated

once)• Advances the action

(movement)• Dialogue (free interaction)

Aria• Clear beat, consistent meter• Pitches form melodic

patterns and phrases• Orchestral accompaniment• Poetic text (phrases often

repeated)• Freezes the action

(reflection)• Soliloquy (expresses one

emotion)

Claudio Monteverdi(1567–1643)

• Leading figure in music c. 1600• “The last great madrigalist and the

first great opera composer”• Mantua court (1589–1612)

– Orfeo, opera’s first masterpiece

• St. Mark’s, Venice (1612–1643)– The Coronation of Poppea

Monteverdi,The Coronation of Poppea

• Poppea is mistress to Emperor Nero

• Their love triumphs after– Poppea’s former lover is banished– The Empress is set to sea– Nero’s adviser is forced to commit suicide

• Poppea is crowned Empress of Rome

The Coronation of Poppea

Act I:• Nero’s guards grumble outside

Poppea’s house• Poppea’s former lover shows up• Poppea and Nero sing a lingering

farewell (recitative)• Poppea sings of her hopes and her

ambition to become empress (aria)

The Coronation of PoppeaFrom Act I, Recitative

• Rhythm dictated by words and dialogue– Speeds up and slows down freely

• Short arioso (songlike) passages– Support Nero’s flattery of Poppea

The Coronation of PoppeaFrom Act I, Aria

• A kind of victory dance in three sections

• Recitative indicates moment of uncertainty

• Energetic rhythms depict section 3’s battle

Henry Purcell(1659–1695)

• Greatest English Baroque composer

• Member of Chapel Royal and organist at Westminster Abbey

• Sacred, instrumental, and theater music

• Influenced by French and Italian music

• Wrote the first real English opera, Dido and Aeneas

Purcell, Dido and Aeneas

• Story from Virgil’s epic poem, The Aeneid• After escaping from Troy, Aeneas falls in love

with Queen Dido of Carthage• Malicious witches make Aeneas believe that

Jove has ordered him to continue his journey • Furious at his rejection, Dido spurns him • Dido commits suicide in the final scene

Dido and AeneasAct III, final scene

• Recitative– Dark, somber tone– Mostly minor mode with chromaticism

• Aria– Descending bass line– Repeated phrases

• Chorus– Alternates imitation and homophony– Uses word painting

Dido and AeneasAct III, final scene, Aria

The Rise of Instrumental Music

• Vocal music was Renaissance ideal

• New instrumental genres emerged in Baroque era

• Three main sources– Dance– Virtuosity– Vocal music

Dance

• Opera firmly linked to ballet

• Dance suites for orchestra

• Stylized dances and suites for harpsichord

• Dance rhythms in all genres

Virtuosity

• Instrumental music was now written down

• Virtuoso performers used written music as a guide for improvisation

Vocal Music

• Baroque favored solo singers

• Imitative polyphony moved to instruments– Development of fugue

– Sets of variations on vocal tunes

Girolamo Frescobaldi(1583–1643)

• Leading organ virtuoso

• Famous performer, composer, and teacher

• Worked in Florence and Rome

• Known for expressiveness and extravagance

Instrumental Genres

• Toccatas– Free-form works; capture spirit of improvisation

• Canzonas– Rigorously organized; emphasize imitative

textures

• Stylized dances– Short, binary form, often in suites

• Sets of variations– Based on vocal melodies or harmonic patterns

Frescobaldi,Suite, Canzona

• First section uses single motive imitatively

• Contrasting section introduces new motive for imitation

• Tend to end with strong cadences

Frescobaldi,Suite, Balletto and Corrente

• Common pairing of slower and faster dances

• Inner vs. outer form– Both binary form, homophonic, same key,

similar bass lines– Balletto: duple meter, slow tempo– Corrente: triple meter, faster tempo

Passacaglia

• A set of variations on a brief series of chords and their bass line

• Similar to ground bass works, but bass line repeated less strictly

Frescobaldi,Suite, Passacaglia

• 18 variations of a simple pattern– Four-measure harmonic pattern– Inconclusive ending on dominant

• Frescobaldi creates endless variety– Inverts or omits the ground bass– Changes rhythms and chromaticism– Switches last five variations to minor mode