The Baroque Period

Concerto grosso

"large concerto", the earliest true concerto, had one of its earliest developers in Corelli. A small group of performers in front of a much larger ensemble

Brandenburg Concerto (1721)

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Stradavari

A family that makes very expensive violins.

Monody

A simple declamatory vocal line with chordal accompaniment. Monteverdi called this style seconda prattica.

Antonio Vivaldi

A violinist. Wrote concertos for every instrument that existed (also wrote sacred and religious music), but famous for his baroque concertos.

English Opera

Best known composer - George Frederic Händel (1685-1759); wrote oratorias popular in England, wrote 36 operas (Julius Ceasar)

Arcangelo Corelli (1653 - 1713) of Bologna

Brought the instrumental sonata form to perfection. Achieved great fame as a violin virtuoso. One of the most successful early composers of the concerto genre.

Soloist

Concertino

French Opera

Created by Jean Baptiste Lully, dignity, and refinement, lots of dance.

Ornamentation

Elaborate melodic embellishments.

Baroque Vocal Music

Genre: Opera: focus on the ability of the singer. three large genre for the chorus, orchestra, and soloists. Comprised of smaller genres: aria and recitative. Alessandra Scarlotti (1660- 1725) is founder of opera seria

Baroque Orchestral Suites

Genre: a collection of dance and dance like movements for full orchestra; usually has many more dancers.

Baroque Chorus

Genre: a four part piece for chorus and orchestra. Bach is the master of Choral Music, contains soprano, tenor, bass, and alto.

Oratorio

Genre: a large work for an orchestra, chorus, and soloist. Mostly secular, Example: Händel's Messiah (1741) contains arias, duets, story-based.

Contata

Genre: a smaller work for orchestra, chorus, and soloist. Mostly sacred.

Fugue

Genre: a type of composition based on initial presentation of melody (subject), the repeated in imitation throughout the piece; highest form of imitative counterpoint, most often written for keyboard.

Baroque Aria

Genre: for soloist with orchestral accompaniment; more ornate than chorus. emotional.

Sonata

Genre: includes a bass player and a harpsichord player. These two make up a continuo. A sonata is a collection of dance or dance like movements for solo instruments or small group of instruments. All sonatas are either "sonata da chiesa" (for church) or "sonata da camera" (for drawing rooms)

Baroque Recitative

Genre: sung by one person; either accompanied by a continuo or orchestra. words further plot or narrative. A recitative with just a conitinuo is called secco (free rhythm) One orchestra is called accompagnato (strict rhythm, more emotional)

Baroque Concerto

Genre: type of composition based on alternation and contrast between soloist and orchestra (also called grosso); major quality of Baroque music is contrast. Always in three movements: 1st movement ritornello form: orchestra - solo - orchestra - solo - orchestra.

J.S. Bach (1685 - 1750)

German, born in Eisenach to a very musical family. Lived in Germany his whole life; violinist, organist, and music director; worked in Lutheran churches, wrote a lot of choral music and EVERYTHING else, married twice-20 children- 10 lived -> 3 became composers. 1723 became the director at St. Thomas church; best at improv. Mendelsohn (in romantic period) organized Bach's music to concerts; never wrote opera; wrote well-tempered avier: all fugues in major/minor keys.

Concerto

Homophonic. The combination of several short sections in a single composition.

Opera Buffa

Humorous opera, plots with everyday people, low class, Italian

Ripieno

In a concerto grosso, a large "full" group made up of a basso continuo, an additional string instruments and an occasional wind instrument.

Concertino

In a concerto grosso, a small group made up of two violins and a continuo.

Orchestra

Includes continuo = ripieno

Florentine Camerata:

Interested in the revival of ancient greek dramas, sung and spoke words, less elaborate order to understand words. So he came up with stile representative (basis for baroque opera)

Giuseppe Torelli (1658 -1709) of Bologna

More important than Corelli in the development if the concerto's compositional forms. Published orchestral works of several movements with occasional solo passages for violin. Developed the solo concerto with this.

Da Camera:

Music "of the chamber:" Originally, any music written neither for the church nor stage. A small group.

Trill

Rapid alternation between two notes

Sequence

Same melodic motive repeated at different pitches going up.

The Four Seasons: Opus 8 #1-4

Spring, Winter, Summer, Fall Concertos

Solo Sonata

SubGenre: Written for one melody instrument and basso continuo.

Unaccompanied Solo Sonata

SubGenre: one soloists (one person on stage)

Solo Sonata

SubGenre: soloist + continuo (3 people on stage)

Trio Sonata

SubGenre: two soloists + continuo (four people on stage)

Trio Sonata

SubGenre:Used by virtually every Italian composer of the late Baroque - Spread to France, England, and Germany. With the new monodic style came a preference for a canzone with fewer parts and more emphasis on the top one. Made up of four instruments: two melody instruments playing over a basso continuo performed by two instruments - a string instrument to play the bass line and a chord-playing instrument.

Instrumental Music

Technical improvements in tone and pitch; specified instruments for groups. Vivaldi and Coretti were violinists and music composers. Violins are the best with the purest sound. The organ, oboe, bassoon, flute, trumpet were invented. Generally homophonic and terraced dynamics. Concerto: alternating between small and large groups (b/w solos and groups).

Ritornello Principle

The distinction between the music for the orchestra and the music for the solo parts for both solo concertos and concerti grossi. (look at page 170)

Doctrine of Affections

The theory that states emotions (rage, anger, etc.) were caused by an imbalance of fluids in the body. The balance is affected by external surroundings. Words and music evoke specific responses.

Turn

Three note trill. Each note played at once.

Domenico Scarlatti (1685 - 1733)

Undoubtably, he most prolific writer of sonatas for solo instrument. Wrote of 600 sonatas with harpsichord. Helped lay the foundation for modern keyboard technique

Tutti

Used to refer to "all" of the instruments in the two ensembles combined in a concerto grosso.

George Frederic Handel

Wrote lots of his music for court life; water music for coronation, bourrée -> a dance, background = fireworks.

Solo Concerto

a single instrument, rather than a small group of instruments, is set against the ripieno.

Chorus

accompaniment.

Symphony

developed in the 1700's: born from sonatas.