MUS-223 Part IV
Why did Purcell add dances to his opera Dido and Aeneas?
Because the principal of the school where it was performed was a dancer and wanted to display his student's talents.
All the ways Monteverdi made his music more expressive and intense
He employed new orchestral effects. He used dissonance extensively. He blended music and drama
What did Handel do after the failure of the Royal Academy of Music opera company, where Handel was the musical director?
He formed a new company to produce his works
Bach based his Cantata No. 140 on a chorale (hymn tune) with what feature
It was more than a hundred years old.
Bach based his Cantata No. 140 on a chorale (hymn tune) with what feature?
It was more than a hundred years old.
Musical resources which J.S. Bach's personal composing style was based.
Italian concertos; German church music; French dance pieces
When and where did the opera originate?
Italy around 1600
Arcangelo Corelli is mostly known for being a Baroque composer of which genre?
String works
Which voice is featured in the fourth movement of Bach's Cantata No. 140 singing the chorale tune?
Tenor
What is the contrast between two sections in the first movement of Bach's Suite No. 3 in D Major?
The first section is slow and triumphant, and the second section is fast and energetic
What is the overall form of the third movement of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, and how do the sections contrast with each other?
The form is ABA; A is in a major key and B is in a minor key.
True or False: In a baroque fugue, the subject is first presented in a single, unaccompanied voice.
True
True or false: The movements of a baroque suite usually have two sections which repeat.
True
The ritornello is always played by the ________.
Tutti
Which instruments play the top voices of Corelli's Trio in A minor?
Two violins
Usually used in cantatas for German Lutheran services in the early 1700s.
Vocal soloists; chorus; organ
Ways that the second movement of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major contrasts with the first movement.
It is in a minor key It has a slow tempo and quiet feeling It includes the cello It uses only solo instruments
Characteristics of the second movement of Vivaldi's La Primavera (Spring)
It is in a minor key, providing a strong contrast to the bright first movement There are fewer instruments than in the first movement The overall sound is peaceful and slow.
All the characteristics that are present in the second movement, Air, of Bach's Suite No. 3 in D Major.
It is peaceful and lyrical It was written in the style of an Italian aria It is unrelated to a dance genre
Each pair of preludes and fugues are written in a __________ key to demonstrate the breadth and thoroughness of keyboard composition.
major and minor
late baroque music
music with polyphonic texture gained importance.
During the baroque era there was an increasing demand for ________ music for a variety of venues and occasions.
new
Messiah by G.F. Handel is one of the most highly regarded _________ of the baroque period.
oratorios
Musical genres G.F. Handel composed
oratorios; operas; keyboard works; concertos
A concerto grosso usually uses ________ and ________ additional musicians.
two to four soloists; about eight to twenty
What is another term for ground bass?
Basso ostinato
two composers considered the greatest composers of the baroque period
George Frederic Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach.
A(n) __________ is a melodic recitative that is accompanied by instruments.
arioso
The baroque orchestra generally used approximately _________ musicians.
10 to 35
How many movements does Vivaldi's Spring concerto have?
3
On what is Dido and Aeneas based?
A Roman epic poem
What is the clavichord?
A baroque keyboard instrument.
What is a movement in musical composition?
A piece that sounds fairly complete and independent and is part of a larger composition
What does the opening section of Sinfonia for Strings and Continuo from Handel's Messiah start with?
A slow opening section featuring dotted rhythms (uneven rhythms)
Characteristics of an aria
A solo voice with orchestral accompaniment An outpouring of melody that expresses an emotional state
A "da capo" aria follows _______ form
ABA
The elements on which the second movement of Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major is based
Alternating main theme and episodes; Alternating major and minor keys
Where did Vivaldi work most of his life as a teacher, composer, and conductor?
At a school for orphaned girls
Statements that describe the work of J.S. Bach.
Bach composed cantatas and liturgical compositions Bach wrote the Well-Tempered Clavier, a collection of forty-eight preludes and fugues Bach composed works for solo organ, harpsichord, clavichord, violin, and cello Bach would rearrange secular works into sacred ones
Who were the best paid singers who had the main roles in early operas?
Castratos
Statements that describe chorales in the baroque period.
Chorales had a steady rhythm Chorales were easy to sing and remember Chorales were commonly adopted from Catholic hymns and folk songs
Which types of works were composed by Henry Purcell?
Church and secular music, instrumental works, songs, and operas
Purcell's Dido and Aeneas is important because it is one of the greatest operas to treat the _________ in an unparalleled way.
English language
Elements that appear in opera in the early baroque period but did not appear in oratorios.
Costumes, Scenery, Acting
True statements about the opera Giullo Cesare
Each aria in this opera explores a different aspect of the character It contains three acts and thirty-two arias It was based on an ancient story
When and where did oratorios first appear?
Early seventeenth century in Italian prayer halls.
True or False: Dido and Aeneas was a lavish and complex production with virtuoso singers and a large orchestra that demanded the best musicians of the time.
False
True or False: Monteverdi's only attempt at writing opera, Orfeo failed because it was written ahead of its time.
False
True or false: In his Cantata No. 140, Bach uses different chorales in each movement.
False
True or false: Early operas were poorly produced with little staging, costumes, or special effects.
False (From the beginning, operas were a massive production supported by wealthy patrons)
True or false: Vivaldi's music, which was popular in his lifetime, had a continuous, unbroken influence on future generations.
False (like many Baroque composers his work went unnoticed for a large stretch until the Baroque revival)
True or False: Bach had to compose strict religious music for the church and secular music for other purposes in very different forms.
False( By Bach's time, there was little division between the forms used in religious and secular music. )
The tempos of the three contrasting movements of a concerto grosso are usually what?
Fast, slow, fast
Corelli's Trio Sonata in A minor consists of _______ movements.
Four
The chorales in the Lutheran church in Bach's time were sung in _________.
German
Three countries whose cultures most influenced Bach's musical style.
Germany, France, Italy
On what was the new vocal style of opera modeled?
Greek Dramas
What is the technique of repeating a musical line in the bass several times while the melody changes above it?
Ground bass
Statements about Handel's life.
Handel achieved early success with the operas he wrote. Handel studied organ and began to compose music before he was a teenager.
Which statement best describes Handel's treatment of the music in For Unto Us a Child is Born?
Handel alternates polyphonic and homophonic textures and makes changes in dynamics
Besides being a great organist and composer, Bach was a renowned _____________.
Improviser
What conclusion can be drawn from the amount of instrumental music written by Bach?
Instrumental music became more important during the baroque period.
Ways an oratorio is like an opera.
It generally follows a narrative text. It is a large-scale composition for chorus, vocal soloists, and orchestra.
Why was the opening of the first public opera house significant?
It helped spread opera beyond the walls of royal courts Audience members did not have to be members of nobility Anybody who could pay admission was able to attend
What are true statements about Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier?
It is a collection of preludes and fugues. The collection is in the basic repertoire of classical keyboard players. The pieces utilize all twenty-four keys. The volumes are organized in pears of fugues and preludes.
Statement that describes the structure of a church cantata
It is a multi-movement work for orchestra, chorus, and singers sung in German
How does Handel's Messiah differ from his previous oratorios?
It is based mainly on the New Testament rather than using a story from the Old Testament
Handel is known for his English oratorios, his most famous one being ____________.
Messiah
Which characteristics are typical of any baroque suite?
Most of the movements are related to dances The movements are some form of binary
Two most common types of sonatas during the Baroque era.
Sonata da chisea (church sonata); Sonata de camera (chamber sonata)
Characteristics of musicians in baroque society.
Musicians commonly taught their art to their sons. Italian music schools were connected with orphanages. Towns employed musicians to play in churches and for such events as processions.
True or false: The melodic ideas from For Unto Us a Child is Born inspired Handel to write an Italian duet with secular words.
No
Which instruments appear in the second movement of Bach's Suite No. 3 in D Major?
Only strings and basso continuo
Musical discussions by a group called the Camerata in Florence around 1575 led to the creation of a vocal style called recitative, which in turn led to the development of a type of performance called ______________.
Opera
Early Italian baroque composers created_______ which is a drama sung to orchestral accompaniment.
Opera.
Features of opera
Operas can be serious and comic. Spoken dialogue in opera occurs mainly in comic operas.
keyboard instruments that had characteristics well suited for continuity of dynamics.
Organ and Harpsichord.
Three principal ways of varying the subject of a fugue.
Presenting the subject in diminution Presenting the subject in retrograde Presenting the subject in inversion
In a recitative, how are words sung?
Quickly and clearly, often on repeated notes
What term describes a vocal line that imitates the rhythm and pitch fluctuations of speech?
Reciative
What term describes a vocal line that imitates speech and moves the action forward?
Recitative
Statements that are true regarding oratorios in the baroque period.
Recitatives are used to connect the parts of an oratorio Most oratorios are based on stories from the Bible.
What does a suite composition feature?
Several movements based on dances
Ensembles for which baroque suites were written
Solo instruments Small groups of instruments Orchestra
The main characteristics of Bach's individual works of music.
Some demonstrate the capabilities of a musical form or instrument Generally polyphonic Include rich harmonies Can be secular or religious
Basso continuo
The keyboard player improvises chords following written numbers (figures) above the bass part The basso continuo has the effect of emphasizing the bass part The basso continuo is usually played with a keyboard instrument and an instrument such as a cello or bassoon.
Characteristics of melody that are typical in baroque music.
The melody creates a feeling of continuity. The opening melody is heard again and again. The melody has a constant character, even with varied form.
Why is the accompaniment played by the harpsichord called a figured bass?
The notation for the bass part uses numbers to indicate the basic chords that should form part of the accompaniment.
Statements true about the orchestra in an opera performance
The orchestra conductor sets the tempo and cues singers The music played by the orchestra sets the atmosphere and mood for the story
Features that create a sense of directed motion for melody in baroque music.
The successive repetition of a musical idea at higher or lower pitches. The continuous unwinding of a melody.
Generally, how are rhythmic patterns used in a baroque piece?
They start the piece and are repeated throughout.
For what is a recitative used?
To carry the action forward
In general, why did baroque musicians write music?
To fit specific needs of their employers.
Music of the late baroque is predominantly ____________ in texture.
polyphonic.
Another word for ritornello, or main theme that returns, is ___________.
refrain
The term cantata originally referred to a piece of music that was _______. In contrast to a sonata, which was ________.
sung; played
Ev'ry Valley Shall Be Exalted from Handel's Messiah is sung by a(n) _____________.
tenor
The technique of using the music to depict the text as when the music rises in the word exalted or when it is sustained with long notes in the word plain is called ___________ ___________.
word painting