Viennese School

Vienna, the capital of Austria, was a leading cosmopolitan center in the late 18th century.
This vibrant city stood at the crossorads between Europe and the East, and attracted theleading artists, architects, writers and musicians of the day.
The music of the Classical era is best represented by the work of three great composers, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. All three weree associated with the city of Vienna.

• in 18th century Vienna, Austria emerged as a musical center
• principal composers include Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, leaders in the forging of the Classical style

Schubert's piano quintet in A major, D 667

Based on the strophic poem Die Forelle by German poet Christians Schubart.

PIano makes its entrance in 1st variation.
6 variations total.
In variation 4, minor mode, indicating the stress of the little trout.

Pathetique sonata

Tremolo accompaniment in left hand in first theme is idiomatic writing as the agitated sound cannot be made with pedal due to the staccatos in the right hand.

Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 17 in G Major, K 453

Written for student, Barbara von Ployer.
Completed in 1784
1st movement:
Opens like a quiet march with a dotted rhythm, reminiscent of Mozart's opera music.
Wind instruments! (principal thematic material)
Double exposition (D Major, dominant key, for piano's exposition)
Cadenza towards end of movement: explored themes already heard; Mozart wrote out cadenza himself, a practice not fully established until Romantic era.
Alternate piano and orchestra

2nd movement:
Andante
3'4
C major
combination of rondo and theme and variation form
Like an extended aria (phrases paired in questions and answers)

Operatic characteristics

• Monody- type of music written for solo voice and continuo that imitated the natural rhythms of improvised speech.

This was a revolutionary concept after the polyphonic vocal compositions of the Renaissance.

Recitative was an equally important part of early opera, and indeed in operas until the late 18th century.

Recitative: a type of speech-like singing used in large-scale vocal genres, particularly operas and oratorios.

• It serves for dialogue or narrative and is clearly different from the arias.
• 2 basic types:
• recitative secco, meaning "dry" reciting, where the notes and meter of the singing follow the verbal accents, accompanied only by the occasional harpsichord chords.
• recitative accompagnato, a type of recitative with accompaniment introduced in 1663 in which the voice is accompanied by instruments.

Aria- Important musical piece in an opera

• From the Italian word "air" or "tune," an aria is an elaborate accompanied song for solo voice in a cantata, opera, or oratorio.
• da capo aria form became extremely popular and refers to th emusical form which is A-B-A: repeat from the beginning until you come to the word fine (end.) Thus, a da capo aria is on e in which the first part is repeated and the singer is expected to add ornamentation in the repeated section.

The role of the instruments also gained importance as operas developed as a commentator on the action.

• Ground bass was an important instrumental device.
• It is a short phrase which was repeated over and over in the lower instrumental voice(s) while the upper voices remain independent. The ground bass was a type of ostinato and a chromatic ground bass portrayed sorrow and grief.

By Monteverdi's time (1567-1643), the instruments were featured alone in ritornellos (repeated passages during a scene) and sinfonias (sightly longer passages for orchestra meant to be performed between scenes or acts).

Indeed, the origins of the Classical symphony can be partially traced back to the role of the sinfonia in late Baroque operas.

Finally, most operas opened with an instrumental section to set the mood, and this eventually developed into the overture.

Origins and Development of Opera (1550-1800)

In beginning: opera was an art for the court for a relatively limited public

1637- In Venice, 1st public opera house opened; more available to non-artistic people; opera began to free itself from the aristocratic and humanistic world from which it originated.

opus (sing.)- work (opera, pl.)

Flourished across Europe

-opera houses were built across Europe during 1700's

Opera formed in late 16th century with the rise of 2 music and literary devices:

-pastorale (form of poetry)

-monody (form of speech-like song taken from Greeks (meaning "1 voice"))

Florentine Camerata (camerata meaning "circle"):

• united these 2 concepts in an attempt to return to the aesthetic ideals of the Greeks
• group of Italian artists, writers, and musicians who sought to revive Greek drama (to discover the power and expressiveness in Greek music)
• This group met between approximately 1580 and 1600 at a time when the term "camerata" was in style.
• They rebelled against Renaissance ideas, madrigals (fashionable), and polyphony, and developed new ideas
• They couldn't find any Greek music, so they had to reinvent it.
• At most 2 people sung at 1 time (unnatural for more)
• Words- set for audience ot understand and be moved by expressiveness of text and music
• Style-> recitative ("speech-s0ng")
• In 16th century, a dramatic recitative style had developed, known as stile rappresentativo, or "theatrical style" in Italian. The melody moved freely over a foundation of simple chords. This style of music was refined and developed by the Camerata and became known as recitative or "speech-song." QUESTION????
• Camerata group included Giulio Caccini, Jacopo Peri, Giovanni de'Bardi (founder) and Vencernzo Galilei.
• Helped to create recitative, monody, and opera.
• Le nuove musiche ("new music")- musical collection written by Giulio Caccini in 1602; it contained also songs using monody, a style which featured a single voice supported by only simple accompaniment
• Caccini- Italian composer and singer who lived mainly at Medici family's court in Florence, Italy.

Monody- reaction to polyphonic music of Ren. (1450-1600)

Eventually, da capo ario format became popular.

da capo ("from the head")- form of music which is A-B-A: repeat from the beginning until you come to the word fine (end). Singer was expected to add ornamentation in the repeated A section.

Another name: ternary where, again, the music in 3 parts or sections, with the 3rd section being an exact or ear-exact repetition of the 1st part, with the middle section providing the contrast

-became widely used by the Romantic Era

Early Examples of Operas:

The premiere of L'Euridice in 1600 by Jacopo Peri and Giulio Caccin is considered the beginning of modern opera.

First true opera composer: Monteverdi

• his first opera, L'Orfeo, was performed in 1607.
• introduced the concept of a musical line in to his operas, and from this point forward, monody was used to move the plot forward in the form of recitative, or "speech-song."

Composers did not usually write their own librettos (translates to "little book" and is the text of a vocal work.) In Baroque operas, poets and authors most often wrote the words.

Development of Pianoforte

1709- Italian harpsichord maker Christofori combined aspects of 3 instruments plus an invention of his own to make the first pianoforte.

• From the dulcimer, he took the leather-covered hammer
• From the clavichord, the action of the struck string
• from the harpsichord, a system of dampers attached to the jacks for the damping action
• His own invention, the "escapment" allowed the hammer to fall away from the strings after striking them.

His piano had a compass of 4 1/2 octaves. There were two strings to each note key and each key was also provided with an individual damper.

1740- Silbermann, a German piano builder, invented the prell mechanism which solved the problem of rapid repetition of the hammers.

1770- Stein perfected the Prell mechanism and added an escapment (with an "e" or not?) device. His new action was famous throughout Europe as the Viennese action.

1783- Broadwood of London invented the damper pedal action

1793- Broadwood invented the una corde pedal

1777-Erard brothers of France produced his first piano which brought them much fame. After moving to England, they worked for the Broadwood Company where they combined the rapid action of the German pianos with the powerful sonority of the English pianos.

1818- Erard brothers invented the "double escapement" key action. This action keeps the hammers consistently in touch with the key, allowing repetition of a note without waiting for the hammer to return to its bed. The unheard-of force exerted by Liszt and his pupils caused the instrument makers to screw both ends of the strings in to iron plates to ensure the tuning. Also, the strings were made of the toughest available material, cast steel.

Period from 1800 to 1830- when the piano had more changes than any other standard Western instrument, and its central role in the home was confirmed. The piano's range increased from 6 1/2 to 7 octaves and later to 7 1/3 octaves. Improvements were also made in stringing and tension bracing. By the 1830's, the piano closely resembled the modern piano.

Thus, the history of the piano after the perfection of the double escapemet action is largely concerned with the development of metal bracing that could withstand the ever-increasing tension imposed by the thicker strings required for increased loudness and brilliance.

The greatest single advance was the invention in 1825 of the one piece cast-iron frame by Babcock in Boston, USA, which also allowed for a more accurate tuning. Babcock was also the first to conceive of cross-stringing, an arrangement in which the strings of treble and middle register fan out over most of the soundboard while the bass strings cross over them, forming a separate fan at a higher level. More strings were therefore over the highly resonant central portion of the soundboard. These two features were in the grand piano exhibited in 15 by Steinway and Sons of New York.

Notes in the highest register could now be triple strung for a richer sound, while bass strings were improved by the use of wound steel. The modern piano frame supports a total pull of 20 tons!!! The length of the strings should double every octave and to compensate, the string diameter and weight are gradually increased so that all the strings will be at their proper pitches at the same tension. Loss of tone in the bass is therefore evident on a spinet versus a grand- the lowest bass string on a grand piano, unwound, is 22 feet long.

1874- Steinway developed and added the sostenuto (or middle) pedal to their pianos (it was first used in France in 1860). By 1860, the modern piano as we now have it today had evolved to 88 keys with a total range of 7 1/4 octaves. A nine foot grand's lowest note has a seven foot long string.

Solo keyboard genres

Baroque era saw the rise of the solo keyboard sonata, with Scarlatti writing over 600 single-movement sonatas.

Other keyboard genres include: Chorale prelude, fantasia, fugue, passacaglia, prelude, and toccata.

Concerto

• Popular, developed during Baroque
• Word concerto comes from the Italian "concert." The word also has roots in the Latin words concertare, meaning "to fight or vie with," and conserere meaning "join together or unite." Thus, a concerto is either a rivalry between the viruosity of the soloist(s) and orchestra, or else the two groups together.
• Two basic types of Baroque concertos:

1. Solo concerto- for solo instrument and an accompanying instrumental group. It became an important medium for experimentation of virtuosity.
2. Concerto Grosso- based on the opposition between a small group of instruments and a larger group. The small group of instruments: concertino . Larger group: tutti (Italian for "all"), or the ripieno.

• Ritornello (Italian for "little return")- a passage for full orchestra in a concerto or aria that is repeated between stanzas of poetry, ideas in music that support the poetry, or between instrumental solos. E.g.: Vivaldi's "Spring" (1st mvmt.) from The Four Seasons.
• Instrumental music was comparable to vocal music for the first time in history as virtuosity grew and instruments were improved.
• Baroque era, Concerto grosso became very popular-- Corelli, Handel, Bach, and Vivaldi wrote hundreds.
• Most important instrument for concertos in the Baroque era was the violin. The form usually consisted of 3 movements- fast, slow, fast.
• Famous set of concerto grossos: The Four Seasons and Bach's Brandenburg Concertos (set of 6 concertos featuring the trumpet.)
• By the end of the Baroque era, the concerto grosso form was abandoned in favor of the Classical style form which employed a professional soloist and orchestra. The solo parts were intentionally made difficult to display the superior technique of the virtuoso player.

Optional dances (in the intermezzi section)

Intermezzi dances

• (usually 2 to 4)
• occur between the sarabande and gigue
• Optional dances: Minuet (or Menuet), Gavotte, Passpied, Bouree, Musette, and Rigaudon.
• The various movements were usually based on 1 key and nearly all the movements were in binary form (standard form for Baroque suites, with no strong contrast between the sections; 2 parts, A and B, with a cadence to conclude the end of part B, end of part A modulates to dominant key and by the end of part B the music has returned to the home, or tonic, key so that there is a sense of completion).

Dance Suites

• Dance forms developed during Renaissance.
• Baroque composers used these forms to create the popular dance suite (or "suite de danses") in 17th century.
• Suite: an instrumental genre consisting of several movements in the same key, some or all of them based on the forms and styles of dance music. Most often to be performed as a single work.
• Form was strongly established by Baroque era, with a set of 4 standard dances, optional dances, and an optional Prelude or Overture for the beginning. Dances that were used were standardized by the early Baroque era.
• Other terms for the Baroque groups of dances include: Partita, Overture, Ordre, and Sonata da camera.
• Baroque solo suite- most typical of the arrangement that have a set pattern of movements.

Baroque suite

• Dance types from different nations, with some dances that were standard to every suite, and some optional and chosen by the composer.
• The dances had once been popular and actually danced to, but they had become abstract types of art music by the Baroque era.
• Unifying factor in a suite: Key or some thematic connection and overall sense of form.
• Composers began to write music specifically for a particular medium, such as the violin or solo voice, rather than music that might be either sung or played by almost any combination of voices and instruments (like in the Ren.)
• Rise of more idiomatic writing for instruments (music that suited the characteristics of a particular instrument.)

Forms

• Binary form was the standard and most popular form for pieces in a Baroque suite, with no strong contrast between the sections. Phrases: usually 4 or 8 bars in length in order to match the set steps of the dance. Two parts: A and B, with a cadence to conclude the end of part B. The end of part A modulates to the dominant key and by the end of part B the music has returned to the home, or tonic, key so that there is a sense of completion.
• Dance music lends itself to symmetrical phrasing, with a clear-cut structure based on phrases of 4 or 8 measures. 1st phrase ends with an open cadence, and the 2nd phrase with a closed cadence. This leads to a call and response in the music and a consistent harmonic structure.
• After 1750, the sonata, symphony, and concerto began to take over the suite's functions so that the dance suite became obsolete.

Standard dances: Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gigue. (all in binary form)

Marriage of Figaro

Opera buffa by Mozart
Premiere in 1786 at Imperial Court Theatre in Vienna

Wolfgang Amadaeus Mozart

1756-1791
Born in Salzburg, Austria (died in Vienna)
Famous: His spontaneity when writing his music, beautiful melodies especially in operas
Family- musically talented
Toured around Europe at an early age by his father... no childhood?
Child Prodigy!
Taught music by his father
Worked for the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg; did not like his treatment as a servant
Married and lived in Vienna

• No dowry
• Mozart- average pay
• Extravagant spender->financial hardships

Teacher

Tidy scores

Climax of career- Opera The Marriage of Figaro

Freemason

Clemency of Titus opera did not impress people in Prague

The Magic Flute and Requiem written in his last year.

Majority of works composed for a certain occasion or purpose.

Works organized by: K.

Symphonies: Haffner (no. 35)

• Haffner (no. 35)
• The Linz (no. 36)
• Jupiter (no . 41)
• Choral works: Requiem, Grabmusik, and Davidde Penitente
• Operas: Idomeneo, Cosi fan tutte, Don Giovanni, Magic Flute, Marriage of Figaro
• Chamber music: Ein kleine nachtmusik- double string quartet
• Keyboard: Fantasia in C Minor, piano sonatas

Operas: singspiel, buffa, and seria. Librettist: Lorenzo da Ponte (MOF, DG, CFT)

Great relationship between content and form as one relies upon the other.

Chromatic harmony->Beethoven

Franz Joseph Haydn

1732-1809
Austrian
Famous for his string quartets and symphonies (developed it)- most well known Classical composer during his life
Employed by Hungarian Esterhazy family as Kapellmeister ("music director") and stayed with them for almost 30 years.
Symphonies: Surprise, Military, Clock, Farewell, London.
14 masses (Lord Nelson Mass, Coronation Mass)
Oratorios: Creation, The Seasons
Operas: Armida
Keyboard sonatas
Secular choral music
Chamber music: "Russian" string quartet op. 33 no. 1
"The Joke" No. 2,
Piano trios and divertimentos
Haydn's sense of humor (Surprise symphony)
Tost Quartets
English sonata in C Major
Sturm und Drang
Keyboard Concerto in D Major
Some of his symphonies: Monothematicism- 1 theme lasting for the whole movement
Easily recognizable themes
Melody after human voice

The Creation

By Joseph Haydn
Oratorio
Instrumentation
Soprano, tenor, bass soloists and SATB chorus
Unknown librettist; Baron von Swieten translated the English libretto into German so that Haydn could use it.
Genesis chapter 1
Additional text: Milton's Paradise Lost epic poem (7th and 8th books)
Work originally written: 1798
Massive work!!!!!!!
Popular in its time!
3 angels describe 6 days of creation in recitative
*Praises God and portrays Haydn's optimism regarding Christianity!!!
Grand chorus of praise concludes each day.

Overture: Representation of Chaos-

• Starts with resounding C chord with the absence of a third
• We are clued in to C Minor, then A flat major
• CHAOS- no recognizable key!

Part 1, scene 3:
Uriel's Recitative (no. 12)- "Let there be light"
recitativo secco, C Major
free rhythm to reflect words
Jubilant C Major!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4/4, Andante

Uriel's Recitative (no. 13)- "In splendour bright"
2/2, Andante, D Major, recitativo accompagnato

Chorus and Trio no. 14- "The Heavens are Telling"
C Major
Begins with chorus and full orchestra in a firm C Major opening. Half note at start of each bar- unity
Chordal
Homorhythmic- all voices are in motion simultaneously
First time trio sings- minor key
Chorus- major!
imitation, polyphonic
Clues listener into minor before end
Men and women separate in singing

Ludwig van Beethoven

1770-1827

Born in Bonn, Germany

Famous for his passion in his symphonies and music

Ludwig's father, Johann, a singer in the Court of the Archbishop of Cologne, drove his son fairly hard in his musical talents to become like Mozart, a child prodigy, but Ludwig's gifts needed a longer time to develop.

Sad childhood- cruel, alcoholic father who died when Beethoven was 18

Supported his family

Pupil of Haydn and accompanied him to Vienna, tired of being a "pupil of Haydn"

Stayed in Vienna rest of life, but also traveled

Impressed Mozart by playing

Respected throughout Europe, but strange and intense

Upon losing hearing and having a hard time with it at a retreat in Heiligenstadt in 1802, he resolved to still compose music and make it his happiness and salvation.

Aristocrat, noble admirers

Big funeral

Works organized by: opus numbers and WoO

Works:

9 symphonies (no. 3 Eroica and No. 9 Choral)

32 piano sonatas (Pathetique and Moonlight)

1 opera (Fidelio)

Overtures (Egmont, Leonore)

5 piano concertos (no. 5 Emperor)

Song cylce- An die ferne Geliebte ("To the distand beloved")

Choral music, (Missa Solemnis)

Wrote for himself

Displayed the artist's life as becoming property to mankind and a hero.

His music differed from the technical style of the Baroque period in some ways in relation to his regard for feeling in his music.

Transition from Classical to Romantic- more daring

Works:

Early Period until 1892-

generally within the boundaries of Classical customs set up by Mozart and Haydn.

Moonlight piano sonata, op. 27

Spring violin sonata, op. 24

Middle Period- 1802-1812

Experiments with new forms

Works on a huge scale

expanded customary forms

Apassionata Piano Sonata, op. 57

lyrical "Emperor" piano concerto, no. 5, op. 73

"Pastoral" Symphony no. 6, op. 68

Late Period0 1813-1827

Hearing failing

No interest of pleasing audience

Inward anguish, despair->hope

"Hammerklavier" Piano sonata, op. 106- MIGHTY

Choral Symphony no. 9, op. 125

Piano sonatas- New Testament

Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier- Old Testament

Beethoven wrote out cadenzas in "Emperor" concerto and that became a standard custom for composers.

Revolutionized string quartets-

first ones- traditional

later- revolutionized genres

1 opera- Fidelio

way to prove oneself to receive royal favor

Fidelio was initially criticizd as too bold and shrill

Revolutionized symphony form

-full orchestra, soloists, and chorus

Symphonies lasted for a long time!

Expanded coda- dramatic ending, not formal

Substituted graceful Minuet and Trio with the boyant and joyous Scherzo and Trio

Piano sonatas and string quartets- length increased

Wrote out cadenzas- leaving his own mark on places that were normally conducted by the performer

Frequently dedicated works to patrons on whom he leaned for commission for his works... BUT exterior powers did not control his ingenuity.

Sonata in d minor- L 413, K 9

By Domenico Scarlatti

Rounded binary (A-B+A)

6/8, Allegro

Begins in d minor, modulates to F Major (2nd theme and codetta with open cadence)

B- F major, LH arpeggiated chords played in a sequence that brings the music back to d minor (d minor until end)

Bridge and 2nd theme again

Coda- series of D octaves in LH for last 3 bars and a matching RH D that is trilled appropriately.

Domenico Scarlatti

1685-1757

Famous for keyboard sonatas- many composed for Queen of Spain, his employer

Italian

Keyboard writing- idiomatic, not singing style

Keyboard sonatas- rounded binary form

Dido and Aeneas

English opera in 3 acts (tragic opera style)

Basis in Aeneid, poem by ancient Roman poet Virgil

Librettist: Nahum Tate

Characters: Dido, Aeneas, Belinda, and Sorceress

Summary: Aeneas, Trojan prince, and Dido, widowed queen of Carthage, fall in love, but Aeneas is tricked by a sorceress and witches who compel Aeneas to leave Dido and sail to Italy. He leaves her and Dido commits suicide upon his departure and her death is grieved by a chorus of sorrowful cupids.

Act III, final scene

through composed, c minor, 4/4, Largo, sung by Dido

recitative secco, word painting, no metrical pulse, no repitition of text (LAMENT)

Aria: When I am laid on earth

Passacaglia: continuous variation with the basis on the ground bass (5 measures)

g minor, 3/2, Largo, sung by Dido, (LAMENT, before she kills herself)

Descending chromatic ground bass- Venetian

4-part string accompaniment

Scottish snap- (short-long)- English

Tension between Dido's melodic line and the rigid bass.

Chorus: With Drooping wings

Through composed, G minor, 4/4, Andante, Mixed Chorus, sung by cupids (comment on action)

Colla Parte- strings double the voice part (Baroque)

Henry Purcell

1659-1695 English

Worked for the Royal Family of England to his death.

5 semi-operas (masques): King Arthur, Dioclesian, The Fairy Queen, The Tempest, and The Indian Queen.

True opera (with music throughout it): Dido and Aeneas

Claudio Monteverdi

1567-1643

Italian

Famous for his innovative madrigals and operas.

Operas- first to use human figures instead of mythological/symbolic figures.

Wrote in two styles: prima prattica ("old style") and helped to invent a new style, seconda prattica ("modern style"),where the text took precedence over the music with its basis on recitative and basso continuo.

Water Music

By George Frederic Handel

"Consort of Musick"

French Orchestral dance suite (3 suites in all)

Full overture in two parts preceding a series of dances.

3 suites altogether have approximately 22 movements- F Major, D Major, G Major

International European spirit- a mixture of different European nationalities

Instrumentation: Trumpets, horns, bassoons, oboes, recorder, flute, and strings

Composed to accompany a royal barge voyage up the Thames to Chelsea (in London) with King George I.

May have been originally composed for in two independent concertos or orchestral suites for merely strings and woodwinds. Then Handel may have put these two pieces together and added the movements containing trumpets and horns to make it more fitting for an outdoor environment.

3rd suite- indoor

Suite no. 2 in D Major:

Allegro, Suite in D Major

Rounded Binary- A-B+A, 4/4

Opening theme in sec. A- Rising triads in trumpets followed by strings playing fast scales- D Major strongly established.

Sec. B- Brass and strings, same key,

Sec. A returns even grander

Seemingly Ending- 4 decisive chords, concluding in D Major

REAL ending- contrast with minor key, slower tempo, strings.

Continuo- modern recordings

Last chord on dominant- suspenseful

2nd movement: Hornpipe

Ternary (A-B-A), D Major, 3/2, Allegro

Opening Theme: Strings, trumpets repeat it

Syncopation and repeated notes, ornamentation,Call and Response

Sec. B- b minor, no brass, but strings, rhythmic motive from beginning

Sec. A- concludes with theme played tutti

Coronation of Poppaea

By Monteverdi

Opera Seria

Soprano, alto, castrato, chorus for tenors and basses

Librettist: Giovanni Busenello

Characters:

Nero- Roman emperor, soprano (sometimes counter-tenor)

Poppaea- Nero's lover, soprano

Seneca- tutor and friend to Nero, philosopher, Bass

Ottavia- Nero's wife, Roman empress, soprano

Ottone (Otho)- Poppaea's husband, male alto

Drusilla- a lady of the court, soprano

Story has its basis in history instead of mythology.

Ritornello

Text- MOST IMPORTANT! drama and emotion

Montiverdi's style- freedom

Act III- scene 7

F Major modulates and ends in Bb major

4/4

Consuls and Tribunes singing during the crowning of Poppaea

Duet: Pur ti miro (I adore you)

A-B-B-A- lays foundation for A-B-A

G Major

12/8

Adagio

Nero and Poppaea

Imitation style

Word Painting

Eroticism

Words from Handel

"My Lord, I should be sorry if I only entertained them; I wished to make them better."

-Handel remarked after a performance of the Messiah

George Frederic Handel

(1685-1759)

Famous for oratorios

Seems to have originated English oratorio (choruses)

Judas Maccabeus

Israel in Egypt

Saul

Samson

Oratorio: Messiah

Orchestral suites: Water Music

Royal Fireworks Music

Composed over 100 cantatas

Instrumental music: organ concertos, one of earliest concertos that highlighted keyboard as solo instrument

Late Baroque Opera Seria:

Radamisto, Giulio Cesare, Rodelinda

Operas: From customary schemes to handling aria, chorus, arioso, and recitative in a more dramatic, flexible way.

Brandenburg Concerto no. 2 in F Major- BWV 1047

Italian concerto grosso form

Concertino: Trumpet, recorder (or flute), oboe, violin

Despite the absence of a text, the instruments likely represent figures or symbols.

3 movements

First movement:

Allegro, Ritornello form, F Major

Rhythmic motive (JOYFUL!)

4 instruments of very different color and tone

Begins tutti

Trumpet's ritornello- unusual for unequal parts between instruments

Independence between parts

Second movement:

Andante, 3/4, d minor

Chamber movement

No trumpet, no tutti

Tierce de Picardie

Continuo

Third Movement:

Allegro assai, fugue, F Major

Solo trumpet accompanied merely by continuo cello

Fugal opening with long subjects for concertino

Tonic pedal at end

Independence of parts

Johann Sebastian Bach

(1685-1750)

Famous for composing fugues and embracing the equal temperament system

Harmonic architectures

A variety of elements in music from around Europe was reflected in Bach's music

Composed over 240 cantatas for church services

Cantata no. 80

By J. S. Bach

Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott

Sacred cantata

Instrumentation and 4 voices in addition to 4-part chorus

Psalm 46:1

Original chorale: By Martin Luther; melody (9 phrases long) used in half the mvmts.

8 movements

First movement: Chorale Fugue

Moderato, 4/4, D Major, Mixed Chorus with orchestration

Chorale motet

Combines cantus firmus technique with fugue forms, invention, and canon.

Second movement: Duet for soprano and bass

Allegretto, 4/4, D Major, oboe, violins (in unison), continuo

Duet for soprano (sings chorale melody) and bass

Polyphonic

Fifth movement: Chorale for unison chorus

Allegro, 6/8, D Major, orchestration (including taille- a tenor oboe)

Eighth movement: Chorale

Homophonic

4/4, D Major, Full Orchestration

Opening of original orchestration

A Beautiful Piece Played on 90.9

Luigi Boccherini
Symphony in D
German Chamber Academy
Conductor: Johannes Goritzki
Key: D
Opus #45
CPO #999178

Fair Phyllis I Saw Sitting All Alone

By John Farmer
English madrigal
Polyphonic
Paraphrase of Psalm 101
Word Painting

John Farmer

ca. 1570-1605
English
Diver and Sundry Waies of Two Parts in One- features cantus firmus and two-part canon
Faire Nymphs I heard one telling

Moro lasso, al mio duolo

"I am dying from my grief"
Italian madrigal
polyphonic
Countertenor (in modern times soprano): high male singing voice
Chromatic
Word painting-the musical picture of words in text as the music attempts to reflect the emotion in the text

Don Carlo Gesualdo

ca. 1566-1613
Italian Madrigals
Emotional music, unique chords and changes of tonality and harmony
Tetrachord- 4 descending notes with separations of tone, tone, semitone

Mass for Pope Marcellus

By Palestrina
"Gloria"
Through-composed
Soprano, alto, 2 tenors, 2 basses
Begins with a monophonic intonation, then the rest of the piece is polyphonic.
Music and text- equally important
Palestrina: "savior of Catholic music"

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

ca. 1525-1594
Italian

• Masses: Mass for Pope Marcellus
• Improperia
• Motets, sacred madrigals, psalms, hymns
• Prima Prattica: style with multiple equal vocal lines independent of one another in the absence of instrumental accompaniment.

Pavane "Mille Regretz" (From Danseyre)

Original composition by Josquin des Prez ("Thousand regrets")
SATB recorders (consort of recorders)
Musica ficta- an unwritten accidental (like Tierce Picardie)

Tylman Susato

Danseyre- Collection of popular dances, others' works modified by him (Mille Regretz)

Wrote chansons, motets, and masses

Created the first music printing company in the Low Countries in 1541

Ave Maria... Virgo Serena

By Josquin des Prez
Renaissance motet
Imitation
Opening and closing couplets with 5 quatrian stanzas
Contrast in musical texture

Question

Could you help me find a recording of the Royal Estampie no. 4?

Josquin des Prez

ca. 11440-1521

Wrote masses, motets, and secular songs in French and Italian

• Missa Pange Lingua (cantus firmus)
• Renaissance Motet: Chordal Declamation
• French chansons: e.g. Milles Regretz

Developed imitaion

Expressive character in his music, duet writing, subtlety which is a feature of Franco-Flemish school

Puis qu'en oubli ("Let me not forget")

By Guillame de Machaut

Rondeau (a 14th century chanson)

Voice types: Tenor, counter-tenor, duplum

Polyphonic

Form:A-B-a-A-a-b-A-B

Text settings: syllabic, neumatic, and melismatic (depending on the voice)

Meter: 3/2 in modern transcription

Ars Nova: God's will and romantic love

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.554770-71

Guillaume de Machaut

ca. 1300-1377

Medieval, French

Secular and sacred music

French Ars Nova, strophic motet form

42 balladesDame, de qui toute ma joie vient ("Lady, from whom all my joy comes"

isorthymic developments

Messe de Nostre Dame- polyphonic setting of ordinary mass

Poem: Remede de Fortune

Royal Estampie no. 4 (from Chansonnier du Roy, Songbook of the King)

Anonymous composer

Date of composition: Late 13th century

Middle Ages instrumental music

7 sections (called punctas)

Instrumentation: drum, shawms, pipe, rebec, vielles

Meter: 3/4

Tempo: Moderato

monophonic

Two endings in each section: open and closed.

Narrow melodic range

Chansonnier du Roy was a late 13th century compilation of troubadour and trouvere dances.

Moniot d'Arras

ca. 1213-1239

monk at the Abby of Arras located in France

Secular and sacred monophonic songs:

• common with trouveres and troubadors, jeu parti highlighting dialogue between two poets (with alternating stanzas) on a part of courtly love
• 15 monophonic chansons and 2 religious songs with their foundation on previous chansons
• Example: Qui bien aime, a tart oublie

Ce fut en mai (In early May)

By Moniot d'Arras

Trouvere chanson

Strophic form, (A-A-B-B for every one of the 5 stanzas)

Tenor voice

Monophonic (with improvised accompanimen)

Syllabic

Probably a dulcimer, psaltery, and vielle, or a harp

Rhyme scheme: a-a-b a-a-b c-c-b c-c-b ( for each stanza)

6/8 time in modern transcriptions

Story: A destitute lover secretly watches a knight and his lady "in a loving encounter." Upon discovery, he narrates his sad story and receives consolation and a prayer for his happiness from the couple.

Marginal relationship between the music and the text, ordinary for chansons.

Instrumental accompaniment improvised interludes between the voices, doubled the voice, or supplied drones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixV1ktrbH0o

Hildegard von Bingen

(ca. 1098-1179)

Born in Rheinhesse

Exceeding most women and some men of her time

Served as a prioress (leader of nuns) under the jurisdiction of the abbot of St. Disibod

Wrote Scivias, writings of 26 visions

Compositions:

• 77 chants, including Columba aspexit ("The dove looked in")
• hymns
• Ordo Virtutum, first musical play ever
• Songs: Symphony of the harmony of heavenly revelation
• "antiphons: one-line pieces (sometimes longer) made of freely composed text with melody sung before and after a psalm" (Linda Sheppard, Early Music, ca. 600-1825).

O mitissima/Virgo/haec dies (3 texts used)

Anonymous composer
13th century motet
polytextual setting
three voices
Latin
no instrumentation
polyphonic
melismatic
discant style- Gregorian chant with only melody notated and improvised polyphony implied
ostinato in tenor- brief, repeated pattern designed to be performed in conjunction with a melody
repetition of rhythmic patterns

Questions

Are my notes concise and what you're looking for?
Also, should I know dates of most of the composers?
Could you help me find a recording of Haec Dies Organum from the Notre Dame school?

Leonin, Perotin, and Notre Dame Cathedral

Notre Dame de Paris- first Gothic cathedral, 12th and 13th centuries: great intellectual centre for Europe.

Leonin- (~1135-1201), born in Paris, student and priest at Notre Dame, collection of organum with two-part, polyphonic settings of parts (responsorial chants) of mass (Magnus Liber Organi); precise time values in music

Perotin- Leonin's student, revised Magnus Liberi Organi, polyphony: added third and fourth vocal parts, two settings of Graduals for St. Stephen and Christmas in four parts

Haec Dies Organum- attributed to Notre Dame school, ~1200; polyphonic, melismatic, organum with two parts, organal style of writing, upper voice free, chant melody bottom

Haec Dies Chant

A responsorial, monophonic, melismatic chant from the Missa in Dominica Resurrectionis, for solo male voice and men's chorus in the Gradual section of the Mass Proper, sung at EAster Sunday service. Narrow range of melody, modal melody, unmeasured rhythm (free-verse rhythm)

Composers

Baroque-

Francesca Caccini (1587-c. 1640)- gifted in many different ways; composed monody, primary composer in northern Italy at the court of Tuscany. (Jeremy Yudkin)

Giovanni Bardi- effective in the development of opera; founder of Florentine Camerata in around 1573; a clan of people endeavoring to bring about the return of Greek drama and music of ancient times.

Guilio Caccini- member of Florentine Camerata

Jacopo Peri- "Italian composer noted for his contribution to the development of dramatic vocal style in early Baroque opera." (Britannica Online Encyclopedia)

Domenico Scarlatti- Italian composer, known for his 555 keyboard sonatas, that considerably extended the musical and technical potentialities of the harpsichord.

Alessandro Scarlatti- Italian composer of religious compositions and operas

List of Exam Terms

Terms from the exam:

Monody-a kind of music written for secular and sacred texts, meant for solo voice and basso continuo mimicking passionate talking with its natural rhythms. The freeness of the solo voice's range is one characteristic of monody.

Ground bass- Basso ostinato, a repeated pattern in the bass line serving as the accompaniment of the independent voices above it (lit. "persistent bass")

*Melismatic- a style of text setting in which a series of notes are set to only one syllable of text, often used in chants

Neumatic- a style of text setting in which two to four notes are set to a single syllable

Syllabic- a style of text setting in which each note is set to a single syllable of text

Cadenza- "a virtuosic solo passage in improvisatory style, found in concertos and arias" (Teh Frederick Harris Music Co., Limited; RCM Examinations, December 2008)

Musica Transalpina-"a collection of Italian madrigals published in England in 1588 with new English texts" (Frederick Harris)

*Cantus Firmus- "fixed melody"; "a fragment of pre-existing melody used as the structural basis for a polyphonic composition"; slow-moving basis with upper, faster melodies in counterpoint against it, often used in the time period from the 1300's and 1600's. (Dolmetsch online)

shawm- a Medieval wind instrument, an ancestor of the oboe

Polytextuality-"a Medieval practice in which two or more texts are sung simultaneously" (Frederick Harris)

Gloria- "second section of the Mass Ordinary" (Frederick Harris)

Ronde- "lively Renaissance 'round dance', associated with the outdoors" (Frederick Harris)

Rondeau- a fixed, brief poem having only two rhymes and containg ten, thirteen, or fifteen lines, ending each section with an abbreviated line acting as a refraincontaining ten, thirteen, or fifteen lines having merely two rhymes; in 13th century lasting at least to the 15th century. (Dolmetsch online)

Vielle-"a Medieval bowed-string instrument; the ancestor of the violin" (Frederick Harris)

Clausula- a brief composition in descant style from the medieval era; the clausula evolved into the thirteenth-century motetthe text contained one syllable or one or two words based on a fragment of Gregorian chant

Ars Nova- lit. "new art,"; French polyphonic composition in the 1300's (Frederick Harris)

Sturm und Drang- "'storm and stress''; an emotional, mighty movement in German literature of the late 1700's

Sackbut- "an early English brass instrument, and the forerunner to the trombone, featuring a slide" (Linda Sheppard, Early Music ca. 600-1825)

Ritornello-

Italian for a thing that returns; in a concerto, an orchestral passage that perpetually returns; "the solo instrument plays passages of contrasting material," called episodes, during the time between the displays of ritornello (Jeremy Yudkin, Understanding Music)

Ritornello form was employed in the first and third movements of a Baroque concerto and showed a contrast between the orchestra and the solo instrument(s) in a greatly organized fashion

Gradual- a section of the Mass Proper??

Musica enchiriadis- "an anonymous 9th century treatise containing the earliest recorded examples of polyphony" (Frederick Harris)

Chorale-"a hymn tune associated with German Protestantism" (Frederick Harris)

Estampie- "a poetic and musical genre, from the time of the troubadour, related to the sequence, it is sometimes found without words and is believed to have been danced. Eight examples of this form survive, all in a triple meter. An estampie consists of between 4 and 7 verses (calledpuncta); each verse is repeated, and all share the same alternate endings." (Dolmetsch online), a dance of courtly manner most likely with pairs dancing to the music of vielles

Bouree- "a French dance similar to the gavotte but beginning on the fourth beat (of four) rather than the third (of four) as in the gavotte" (Dolmetsch online)

Allemande- "a dance of German origin , performed by couples, with 4 moderate beats to the bar, although sometimes written as two longer beats in a bar, often the first movement in a suite of dances. The allemande is sometimes followed by an afterdance in triple time known as the tripla, proportz or in the seventeenth century, by the courante" (Dolmetsch online)

Minuet- "a graceful French dance in simple triple time often appearing as a section of extended works (e.g. dance suites) of the 17th- and 18th-centuries. Later minuets are generally quicker than the earlier form"

Alleluia- "a highly melismatic responsoral chant from the mass, traditionally the third element in the Proper of the Roman Catholic Mass" (Dolmetsch online)

Regal- Fitted with flue pipes in its later development, it began as a portable, small reed-organ; also "in the organ, a reed stop with short resonators" (Dolmetsch online)

Tabor- a small drum associated with the outdoors and still used today; used with the pipe as a set performed by one person as accompaniment for dancing.

Virginal- a plucked stringed keyboard instrument of the 16th and 17th centuries, often called 'virginals' or 'a pair of virginals' in England. The virginal is rectangular or polygonal in shape and is distinguished from the harpsichord by its strings being set at right angles to the keys, rather than parallel with them." (Dolmetsch online)

Harpsichord- "a large family of keyboard instruments, in which the strings are plucked by plectra, including also spinets and virginals" (Dolmetsch online)

Chordal Declamation-????

EXPLAIN!! Homophony- "a musical composition for 2 or more parts with a single melody line, all other parts serving as accompaniments with matching rhythm, i.e. homorhythmic" (Dolmetsch online)

Polyphony- the texture of music when two or more tones sound at the same time; polyphony is most often thought of with counterpoint, the juxtaposition of independent melodic lines. "In polyphonic music, two or more simultaneous melodic lines are perceived as independent even though they are related. In Western music polyphony typically includes a contrapuntal separation of melody and bass." (Britannica Online Encyclopedia, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/469009/polyphony)

Monophony- a musical texture with a single melodic line without accompaniment

Poppea- Coronation of Poppea, opera by Claudio Montiverdi; Poppea has its origin in Nero, the Roman emperor, and his love of the gorgeous courtier, Poppea. He eventually crowns Poppea as empress as he deposes the legal Roman empress, Ottavia, his wife; soprano character in opera, lover of Nero

Marcellina- a character in Mozart's opera buffa, The Marriage of Figaro; a housekeeper for the countess, with a soprano voice.

Cherubino- a character in Mozart's opera buffa, The Marriage of Figaro; the page who loves the Countess, with soprano voice

Susanna- ????

Cantata no. 80- Ein Feste Burg ist unser Gott

Isorhythm- "'of equal rhythm,' and refers to a technique from late Middle Ages in which the main theme (cantus firmus) is repeated many times in the same rhythm, but with varying pitch" (Early Music), Often found in 14th century motets.

Duplum-????

Chordal Declamation-????

A fantastic piece!

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Symphony no. 40 in G Major

Hosanna- Soweto Gospel Choir

What a touching, worshipful piece of music! Please listen to this African song!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2P70a7S4ks

Beethoven Pathetique Sonata

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=CA15628

Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 17 in G Major, K 453

This fine three-movement concerto features a gorgeous piano cadenza in the second movement as well as Mozart's addition of a finale at the end of five variations in the third movement. Normally, a slow ornamental variation would be expected after the five variations, but Mozart rather chooses to compose a presto finale to conclude the movement.

Mozart's Symphony no. 40 in g minor

The harmonic style employed in this popular symphony seems to project forward to the following centuries, especially to Beethoven's compositions. Drama and elegance are joined together in this creative classical work.

1st movement:

In sonata-allegro form, this movement in g minor has its foundation on certain motif, i.e. two descending eighth notes preceding a single quarter note.

2nd movement:

The character of this slow Andante movement, in modified sonata-allegro form, is held together by Mozart's handling of both emotion and texture in a holistic manner.

3rd movement:

This dramatic Minuet and Trio in g minor presents the two-measure syncopation in the minuet. The boisterous trio shifts the downbeat, thus also changing the meter.

4th movement:

Though the texture is light, this finale moves forward with a dramatic push, beginning with a rocket theme in the violin section. The aspect of Mozart looking towards the future in his music is featured in the development section as its material seems close to modern music.

Listen to this piece at:

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.110996

Schubert's Trout Quintet

Piano Quintet in A Major "Trout" (4th movement)

This delightful quintet portrays word painting as the music depicts a trout caught by a fisherman in addition to exquisitely conveying the babbling stream. Schubert also adds the rare use of a double bass, an effective instrument to point to the lower range.

Listen to this piece at:

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.550658

Mozart's Prague Symphony

Symphony No. 38 in D Major, K 504

Although this symphony has much in common to Mozart's other symphonies, it includes a few unique attributes, such as a slow-moving, subtle opening in the first movement. The harmony in the second movement is generally unstable and turns to a minor key, featuring different moods.

Listen to this symphony at:

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.660102-04

Mozart's Marriage of Figaro

Having quite a crazy plot featuring a clever and passionate love story, this opera buffa demonstrates Mozart's musical style known for its numerous melodies. The text and orchestration fit together elegantly and provide an intriguing piece of music for the audience.

Listen to this opera at:

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.660102-04

Mozart's "Magic Flute"

Mozart's dramatic singspiel opera portrays the journey of two lovers by skillfully dramatizing the realistic emotions and circumstances they faced, in addition to adding humor to the composition. This work of art also demonstrates Mozart's superb abililty to model the vocal parts after the human voice.

Listen to this opera at:

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=C67157

Haydn's Surprise Symphony

Haydn often employed humor in his compositions, such as in the Surprise Symphony. In the second movement in variation-form, he shocked the audience by an abrupt fortissimo chord following a piano theme with the intention of providing something new in competition with a performing student of his.

Listen to this symphony at:

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=7081

Quote from Beethoven

Beethoven highly valued a strong internal ear for music, as is evident by a remark he told his pupil,

"Never use the piano while composing."

Haydn's Creation Oratorio

The engaging Creation Oratorio is full of richness especially with regard to "tone-painting" (similar or identical to word painting) where the music either complements and describes the text or even imitates it. Haydn also meant much (if not all) of this oratorio to be a proclamation of his optimism and praise to God, which can clearly be deciphered through the joyous music it contains.

Listen to this oratorio at:

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.557380-81

Music History sites

1) http://www2.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

2) It is called Werner Icking. This link is the one to the composer pages.

http://icking-music-archive.org/ByComposer.php

http://www.8notes.com/scores/10030.asp

m40.pdf, sheet music

http://www.scribd.com/doc/5556094/Beethoven-Sonata-No-8-Pathetique-1st-movement

http://www.all-about-beethoven.com/beethovenmusicsheet.html

Care to Detail

The note ties and overlaps in addition the counterpoint demonstrate Bach's care to detail.
Bach's Fantasia and Fugue in c minor: http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.553150

Dance suite

Bach's French suite: http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.550710

Organ music

Bach's organ toccata: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTVraVgzC9U

Scarlatti Keyboard Sonatats

Vol. 9, especially d minor: http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.570368

Excerpt from Monteverdi's Opera Seria

The Coronation of Poppaea- Pur ti miro, pur ti godo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTFKRab7p60

Excerpts from Handel's Messiah

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.556787

Handel's Keyboard work

Harmonious Blacksmith: http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.552109-10

Handel's Opera Seria

Largo from Xerxes:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMlxM69ZJFA
Excerpt from Giulio Cesare: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvNhERAoDmM

Handel's Orchestral Suites

Water Music: http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.557764Royal Fireworks Music: http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.557764

Handel's Oratorios

Israel in Egypt: http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.570966-67
Saul: http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.554361-63
Solomon: http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.557574-75

Bach's Chromatic Fantasie and Fugue

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=BIS-CD-1037

Bach partita

Partitas nos. 4 and 6, BWV 828 and 830
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=BIS-CD-1330

Bach English Suites 1-3

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.553012

Bach English Suites 1-3

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.553012

Bach's Goldberg Variations

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.557268

Bach's Cantata no. 80

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=FD93760FAFB46068&search_query=bach+cantata+80&rclk=pti

Bach's Mass in b minor

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.557448-49

Bach's Magnificat

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.503071

St. John Passion

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.550664-65

Bach's St. Matthew Passion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl9lL_ou8c4

Mozart's Magic Flute

Example of singspiel
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.570027

Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito

Opera seria... is that right?
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=C67159

Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Euridice

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.660064

GLUCK, C.W.: Iphigenia auf Tauris (Opera)

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=C5005

Gluck's Opera Alceste

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.660066-68

Le Nuove Musiche

Guilio Caccini's Le nuove musiche. Composition: "Amor ch'attendi"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tjOmSADBX0

Early Opera

Excerpt from L'Euridice by Jacopo Peri and Guilio Caccini
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHMJgGE5Doc&feature=PlayList&p=A57AAEBAF59FB428&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=2

Bach's Brandenburg Concertos

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.557755-56

Vivaldi's Four Seasons

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.554582

Excerpts from Montiverdi's opera L'Orfeo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxBT1pfVAKQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ2RvVMhGTg

Main Baroque composers' works can be found in my text book on page 62.

Secular Oratorio

Bach's Christmas Oratorio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrpL9lCNs5o

Secular Opera

Henry Purcell: Dido and Aeneas
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.553108

Secular Madrigal

Montiverdi, C. Madrigals book 6, Lamento d'Arianna (a 5) (Ariadne's Lament)

Secular Cantata

Bach's Coffee Cantata BWV 211
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=BIS-CD-1411

Catholic (?) motet

Vivaldi: Motet: In furore iustissimae irae
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.550662-63

Vespers

Montiverdi: Vespers of the Blessed Virgin
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.550662-63

Mass

Palestrina: Missa Papae MaMarcelli, Kyrie
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.550779

Chorale

Bach's St. Matthew Passion, part 1, Chorale
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=C51075

Motet

Bach's motet- Jesu Meine Freude, BWV 227
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=C49432

Psalm

Montiverdi- Psalm 109 Dixit Dominus
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.550662-63

Passion

Bach's St. John Passion
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.550664-65

Oratorio

Handel's Messiah
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=handel%27s+messiah&search_type=&aq=f

Cantata

Bach's Cantata, BWV 80
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.550642

Variety of Articulation Example

Bach's French Suite no. 5 BWV 816- Gigue
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.554041

Improvisers of the Baroque Era

Music in the Baroque period was meant to sound much different in performance compared to the actual written score, so players and singers in the Baroque period had to embellish the music by themselves. Figured bass implied that the performer had to use their fingers as thinking machines in addition to adding ornamentation fitting to the melody. Bach and Handel are esteemed as some of the greatest improvisers. Frequently Baroque music merely contains notation without much instruction at all for tempo, ornamentation, or dynamics. The performer was expected to embellish the music, which created emotion, adornment, and interest in the composition.

Major-Minor Tonality and Equal Temperament Example

The Well-Tempered Clavier shows how Bach knew the idea of major-minor tonality and equal temperament as he wrote in all the keys.
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.557625-26

Great Improvisers

Usually, the recapitulation of movements would be left to the improvisation of the performer to add ornaments or change the music a little bit. Ornaments were also often left to the performer.

Idiomatic writing example

Scarlatti's Keyboard Sonata in F major, K.483/L.472/P.407: Presto
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.554842

Terraced Dynamics example

Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major- BWV 1047, 1st movement
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.550047

Ornamention example

Bach's French Suite NO. 5 BWV 816 in G Major
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.550710

Figured bass example

Bach: Sinfonia from Cantata "Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir" - BWV 29 - GPO4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH-fcO9Dkik

Example of virtuoso of trumpet

Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major, BWV 1046
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.550047

Fascinating Fugue!

Prelude and Fugue in D Major BWV 850 (1st book)
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.554160

Polarity example

Handel's Messiah- Alleluia Chorus
://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.570175-76

Basso continuo example

Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott- Cantata no. 80 (BWV 302)
Continuos- cellos, basses, organ
First movement: Choral Fugue sung by a mixed chorus
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.558198-99

Harmony example

Bach's Prelude in C Major (Book 1) demonstrates the music's progression merely through changing harmonies.
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.557625-26

Mr. V, could you please clarify what you mean by finding pieces on my listening list? Which list are you referring to? I am having trouble finding an example of counterpoint subject to polarity. Could you please help me? What is idiomatic writing? What is an example of figured bass? Is Bach's sinfonia a good example? What's the difference between figured bass and regular basso continuo? What piece is a good example of improvisation? Could you give me an musical example of a piece using The Affections? And major-minor tonality? Should I have an example of both a Protestant psalm and motet and Catholic psalm and motet? Could you help me find a better recording L'Euridice by Jacopo Peri and Guilio Caccinni? Is Gluck's Iphigenia in Aylos the same thing as Iphigenie en Aulide?
Could you help me find a good recording of Handel's Giulio Cesare opera?

Baroque Era
Instrumental works:

Solo:

Partita

Fantasia

Tocotta

Chorale Prelude

A couple questions

What is the definition of a psalm in the Protestant service? What does it mean for Agnus Dei to be remembered as going back to reality?

I still need to find the recordings you assigned. I will do that as soon as I can.

Baroque Era Outline

Baroque Era (1600-1750)

I. Musical characteristics:

• Moved closer to tonality- tonality is the relationship of chords to the tonic key, not yet to a different key, but a key like D Major or e minor, etc.
• Polarity- common technique where the composer pays more attention to the highest and lowest voices, compared to the Renaissance, with little bass; still carries over to today
• More harmony compared to the Renaissance
• Care to detail
• Basso continuo -different bass instrument(s) (like double bass) play the same note as they gather around a keyboard instrument
• Counterpoint- subject to polarity
• Terraced dynamics
• Virtuoso works
• Idiomatic compositions- the structure of the music was intended for the specific instrument, not as a mimicking of the voice
• Figured bass
• Ornamentation
• Great improvisers
• "Theory of Affections"- the given characteristics of individual keys (e.g.: D Major might be bright and happy.)
• Major-minor tonality
• Equal temperament- a system of tuning keyboard instruments where each semitone (half-step) is spanned equally apart, so that it would be possible for music to be composed in any key.
• Frescobaldi- made a treaty, saying that there were one hundred different types of articulation between absolute legato to absolute staccato;
• Ornaments consisted of about 250 in all

II. Popular Musical Instruments

• Oboes
• Variety of keyboard instruments
• Strings (viol family was first in the lead, but was then dominated by violin family which included violin and bass viol, also known as contrabass or double bass)
• Bassoon

III. Vocal Genres

A. Protestant vocal genres:

*Cantata- short 10-400 minute work; focused around a short, Biblical story or text; matched the liturgical calendar and was strong through the evangelical movement; Bach composed a different one for each Sunday.
*Oratorio- a non-staged, lengthy work; mostly sacred (e.g. Handel's Messiah), dramatic composition; chorus, orchestra, and soloists are the performers.
*Passion-similar to Oratorio; gospel story of Jesus' last days on earth make up the subject material; Latin word passio, which means "suffering," is the root of the word Passion. Dramatic re-enactments of the Passion have been performed by the church beginning at the Medieval Era. Passion- important to Germans who elevated death.

Psalms- psalms sung aloud...
Motet- shorter, often containing serious, religious matter, countless combinations of voices and musical instruments were employed as a means of exhibiting whatever religious text the composer was setting; Bach's motets were usually sung at funerals; example, "Jesu meine Freude"

Chorale-predecessor of hymns, crucial to the development of tonality, can change harmony on every single chord, Bach's chorales were written in Germany

B. Catholic vocal genres:

Mass- core ceremony in Roman Catholic Church, Latin Missa is its root, meaning "congregation"; incorporates chants; ca. 600 was the date of the establishment of the formal organization of the Mass; can be spoken "Low Mass," or sung, "High Mass."

Consisted of five main sections:

Kyrie- Genesis- Lord have mercy.

Gloria- Christ as baby

Credo- Church age (letters of Paul)

Sanctus- everlasting song, Revelation in Bible (angels singing), vision, Isaiah and John

Agnus Dei- revelation, lamb, go back to reality... what does that mean?, during communion as a remembrance

Vespers- service of worship held in the evening... any more information needed?

Psalms- psalms sung aloud...

Motet- defined above

C. Secular vocal genres:

Cantata- defined above
Madrigal- secular vocal piece written to express feelings or thoughts common to the people living in the Renaissance; composed towards beginning of Baroque era and in the Renaissance era; for most of the madrigal's history, its texture was polyphonic and consisted of normally three to six voices a cappella.

*Opera- secular, not sacred, work where instrumentalists and singers dramatically perform as the musical score and text (i.e. libretto) are put together
Oratorio- defined above

*A cantata, opera, oratorio, and passion shared the following characteristics: chorus, recitative, arias, and libretto.

IV. Instrumental Genres:

• Dance suite
• Standard Dances: Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gigue
• Concerto: Solo concerto or concerto grosso; keyboard and violin were the most important solo instruments of the time; sometimes during a concerto, the piano will double the orchestra
• Solo keyboard genres: Chorale prelude, Chorale variations, Fantasia, Passacaglia, Prelude, Sonata, and Toccata

V. Keyboard Instruments

• Keyboards: clavichord, harpsichord (cembalo), and virginal
• Organs: portative, positive, and regal

VI. Development of the Pianoforte

• Christofori created the first pianoforte.
• More developments, the primary final one being Steinway and Sons

VII. Opera

• Florentine Camerata

VIII. Composers

• Christoph Gluck- opera reforms
• Johann Sebastian Bach- most famous for composing fugues and incorporating greatly the equal temperament system
• George Friederic Handel- most famous for his oratorios
• Claudio Montiverdi- most famous for his inventive madrigals and operas
• Henry Purcell- wrote opera Dido and Aeneas
• Domenico Scarlatti- most famous for his keyboard sonatas