Chapter 12 - The Baroque Age and the 17th Century

Identify the term that does NOT apply to the fugue.

figured bass (exposition, subject, episode, pedal point)

Which Baroque genre opens with a section called the "exposition"?

fugue

Identify the statement that does NOT apply to the late Baroque church cantata.

since it was a liturgical drama, the singers wore elaborate costumes, but the scenery was minimal due to its church setting (typically provided a commentary on the Gospel text, allowing the congregation to meditate on the Word of the Lord, a multimovement sacred work, including arias, ariosos, and recitatives, became the musical core of the Sunday service of the Lutheran church, performed by vocal soloists, chorus, and a small accompanying orchestra)

Which term best describes the texture of the listening example?

imitative counterpoint

Which genre uses ritornello form?

solo concerto

What is a "figured bass"?

in musical notation, a numerical shorthand that tells the player which unwritten notes to fill in above the written bass note.

What term describes this musical example?

melodic sequence

Which term best describes the melodic style of the listening example?

melodic sequence

Identify the correct definition of "melodic sequence."

the repetition of a musical motive at successively higher or lower degrees of the scale

What does the term "terraced dynamics" describe?

the sharp, abrupt dynamic contrasts found in the music of the Baroque era

What does the term "simple recitative" indicate?

the soloist is accompanied by the basso continuo alone

The solo concerto and concerto grosso are virtually identical genres, with the exception that the concerto grosso features multiple soloists while the solo concerto has only one.

true

Identify the musical term that describes what the bass line is playing in the listening example.

pedal point

What is an introductory, improvisatory-like movement that gives the performer a chance to warm up and sets the stage for a more substantive subsequent movement?

prelude

Which statement best applies to opera?

All of the above apply equally well

Which statement regarding Bach's Organ Fugue in G minor is CORRECT?

Bach composed it while working as organist for the Duke of Weimar.

Identify the statement that does NOT apply to Bach's time in Weimar.

Bach wrote music for university ceremonies and directed the Collegium Musicum. (After hearing that Bach wanted to take a different job, the Duke of Weimar had his ungrateful employee thrown in jail. Bach composed the Organ Fugue in G minor. Bach served as organist for the Duke of Weimar. After leaving Weimar, Bach went on to the court at Cöthen.)

Which composition includes an elaborate cadenza for solo harpsichord?

Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5

Identify the true statement about Handel's Messiah.

Handel's Messiah was composed in the space of three and a half weeks.

Which work is NOT an expression of the Baroque artistic spirit?

Leonardo's Mona Lisa (Gentileschi's Judith Beheading Holofernes, The Horrors of War by Rubens, the Palace of Versailles, Bernini's baldachin [a canopy over the high alter] in Saint Peter's basilica)

Which monarch came to epitomize the grandeur and glory of the Baroque era, building a palace so monumental that it was virtually a small, independent city?

Louis XIV of France

Which answer applies to Handel's posthumous reputation?

Many consider Handel to be the finest composer of choral music who ever lived.

__________ was a prominent genre during the early Baroque. It features a vocal soloist singing a highly charged, emotional text with an accompaniment consisting of a few instruments.

Monody

Identify the INCORRECT statement regarding Handel's oratorios.

Performances were staged with costumes and scenery. (Handel's oratorios were basically operas with a religious subject. The chorus serves a dual function, sometimes serving as narrator and other times providing moralizing commentary. Handel's oratorios appealed to a large number of religious groups. Handel's oratorios use the operatic forms of recitative and aria.)

The lament, "When I am laid in earth," is a ground bass aria from

Purcell's Dido and Aeneas.

Identify the correct definition of "subject."

a term for the principal theme in a fugue

Identify the correct definition for the term "concerto grosso."

a three-movement composition that pits the sound of a small group of soloists against that of the full orchestra

What is the standard musical form of Baroque period dance movements?

binary

What is an "ostinato"?

a musical figure, motive, melody, harmony, or rhythm that is repeated again and again

The term "pedal point" describes

a note, usually in the bass, sustained or continually repeated for a period of time while the harmonies change around it.

Which response best describes the meaning of "episode"?

a passage of free, nonimitative counterpoint found in a fugue

Which response is the correct definition of "cadenza"?

a showy passage for the soloist in a concerto that usually incorporates rapid runs, arpeggios, and snippets of previously heard themes into a fantasy-like improvisation

What is the definition of basso continuo?

a small ensemble of at least two instrumentalists that provides a foundation for the melody above, heard almost exclusively in Baroque music

What is the most distinctive feature of the concerto grosso?

the contrast in sound between the tutti and concertino

This listening excerpt (from Handel's Messiah) is most like which section from another musical genre?

the exposition of a fugue

What is meant by the term "tutti"?

the full orchestra or full performing force

What is a "concertino"?

the group of instruments that function as soloists in a concerto grosso

Identify the correct definition of "exposition" in the context of a fugue.

the opening section, in which each voice in turn has the opportunity to present the subject

Identify the INCORRECT statement regarding Handel's efforts in opera while he was residing in London.

Handel's operas continued the English style that had been established by Henry Purcell. (Handel hired the singers, composed the music, led the rehearsals, and conducted the performances with the harpsichord. Handel's operas were successful for a time, nearly twenty years, in fact. After the Royal Academy of Music went bankrupt, Handel gradually turned from composing operas to writing oratorios. Contracts guaranteed that Handel would receive a healthy share of the financial profits of his operas.)

All of the statements below apply to Bach's career in Cöthen EXCEPT which one?

He wrote operas for the prince of Cöthen's private theater. (He conducted an "all-star" orchestra. He composed more than a dozen solo concertos as well as other works for orchestra. He completed work on the Brandenburg Concertos. He began work on The Well-Tempered Clavier.)

Identify the one statement about Henry Purcell that is INCORRECT.

His concertos and trio sonatas were widely admired throughout Europe.

Why is Orfeo important?

It was the first major opera in the history of Western music

Which statement about Antonio Vivaldi is INCORRECT?

Since his father disapproved of music, he quietly practiced the violin in the attic in order to avoid discovery. (He was an ordained priest as well as a teacher, composer, and virtuoso performer. Because of a relationship with a French soprano, the pope banned performances of Vivaldi's music, an action that devastated his income and affected his creativity. Although primarily famous for his instrumental music, he also composed and produced nearly fifty operas. He was the most influential and prolific composer in the creation of the Baroque concerto.)

Identify the statement that does NOT apply to Brandenburg Concerto No. 5.

The Margrave of Brandenburg commissioned the work to be played during a fireworks display celebrating the birthday of his half-brother, the king of Prussia. (It features a dazzling cadenza for the harpsichord soloist. Bach completed this concerto while working for the Prince of Cöthen. It can be considered the first keyboard concerto. The concertino consists of a solo violin, flute, and, most important, harpsichord.)

Which of the following means Well Tuned Keyboard?

The Well-Tempered Clavier

Identify the one statement about Vivaldi's Violin Concerto in E major (the "Spring") that is NOT correct.

The first movement is in binary form and prominently features the oboes and bassoon in the tutti section. (The concerto represents the feelings, sound, and sights of the season. The concerto features a violin as the solo instrument. The composer wrote an illustrative poem to accompany the concerto. It is the first composition in a collection of twelve concertos.)

Identify the INCORRECT statement about Handel's oratorio, Messiah.

The nineteen choruses are exclusively simple, homophonic settings of chorales. (The "Hallelujah" Chorus concludes the second part of the oratorio. "O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion" is an example of an aria. The libretto is drawn directly from the Old and New Testaments. Divided into three parts, Handel's Messiah tells the story of the life of Christ in a general way.)

Which composition is an example of a solo concerto?

Vivaldi's "The Spring" Concerto from The Four Seasons

Which composition is an example of the late Baroque church cantata?

Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme by Bach

Identify the INCORRECT statement about Water Music.

Water Music is an example of a concerto grosso. (The king enjoyed the music so much that it was played three times on the night of its premiere. Water Music was an immediate success and has become one of Handel's most beloved compositions. Water Music was commissioned as part of a public relations move to counter England's growing disaffection with the royal family. Individual movements were not intended to accompany dancing but to serve as concert music.)

The "oratorio" is

a large-scale genre of sacred music involving an overture, arias, recitatives, and choruses, but performed, whether in a theater or a church, without costumes or scenery.

Identify the answer that best applies to "fugue."

all of the above - a polyphonic composition for two, three, four, or five parts - can be played by one or more instruments or sung by voices - begins with a presentation of a subject in imitation in each part - passages of free counterpoint alternate with appearances of the subject

Identify the phrase that best applies to "aria."

all of the above. - a vocal line generally accompanied by the orchestra - an elaborate lyrical song for solo voice - intended to convey emotion rather than plot description - characterized by a melismatic and virtuosic vocal line

What is a "toccata"?

an instrumental showpiece, originally for solo keyboard but later for instrumental ensemble as well

When and where did Baroque music first appear?

around 1600, in northern Italy

Which characteristic does NOT apply to the art and music of the Baroque period?

calm, symmetrical organization of events (dramatic contrasts of color, intense expression of emotions, decorative details and ornaments, grandiose and expansive)

The three movements for chorus from Bach's cantata Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme are based on the text and melody of a sixteenth-century

chorale

What is the meaning of "idiomatic writing"?

exploiting the strengths, special abilities, and color of a particular instrument or voice while avoiding its weaknesses

Identify the phrase that applies to harmony during the early Baroque era.

stable, diatonic chords played by basso continuo support melody; clearly defined chord progressions begin to develop; tonality reduced to major and minor keys

"Opera seria" is best defined as a(n)

stage work making use of a serious historical or mythological subject, usually in three acts.

The musical form of Monteverdi's Prologue from Orfeo is

strophic variation.

During the Baroque era, musicians used three distinct techniques to heighten musical contrast: clear alternations between major and minor keys, abrupt changes in orchestration, and

terraced dynamics.

What is a chorale?

the German word for the hymn of the Lutheran church; hence, a simple religious melody to be sung by the congregation

Which activity was NOT a part of Bach's duties as cantor of St. Thomas Church?

writing concertos for weekly concerts by the school's orchestra, highlighting the skills of his most talented pupils. (playing the organ for all funerals, teaching Latin grammar to the choirboys, providing new music for each Sunday and religious holiday, composing music for ceremonies at the university)