Chapter 10
Baroque Vocal
Music
Opera
Key Terms
“Affects”
Coloratura
Opera seria
Libretto
Librettist
Recitative
Secco recitative
Accompanied
recitative
Castrato
Aria
Da capo (ABA) form
Baroque Vocal Music
Largest part of a Baroque composer’s
output was vocal music
• For solo voices, chorus, or both
• In demand for church, court, & theater
Close connection between words & music
• “Affect” especially important in vocal music
“Vocabulary of the emotions”
• “Victory” expressed with trumpets, drums,
lively march rhythms, & major key
• “Sorrow” expressed with soft dynamics, slow
rhythms, dissonances, & minor key
Opera
Reflected Baroque fascination with theater
Flourished throughout Europe after 1600
The most spectacular, adventurous,
glamorous, & influential Baroque genre
• Combined music, vocal virtuosity, poetry,
drama, dance, scenic splendor, & more
• Elaborate stage machinery for rapid scene
changes, deities in clouds or flying chariots,
fire-breathing dragons, etc.
• Intense expression of emotion foremost!
Opera & Emotional Expression
Opera allowed solo singers to express
feelings in the most direct, powerful way
Opera plots put characters in situations
where intense emotion was natural
Emotions intensified by music
Also intensified by vocal virtuosity
• Coloratura singing–fast brilliant runs, scales,
high notes, vocal cadenzas, etc.
• Great singers moved audiences by singing
more beautifully, delicately, & emotionally
Italian Opera Seria (1)
Principal type of Italian Baroque opera was
opera seria (serious opera)
Plots often used tragic heroes, stories
from ancient history & mythology
Designed to stir powerful emotions
• Passion, rage, grief, triumph, etc.
• Many opportunities for singers to express
these emotions one at a time
• Needed more plot twists than a soap opera to
make so many emotions believable
Italian Opera Seria (2)
Almost entirely solo singing
• Featured sopranos & mezzo-sopranos
(including castrati)
• Tenors & basses played subordinate roles
• Very few duets or choruses
Libretto = the text of an opera
•
•
•
•
Italian for “little book”
Author of the text was the librettist
Librettist shaped the drama
Libretto alternated between prose texts (for
recitative) & poetic texts (for arias)
Recitative
Musical declamation of words in a
heightened, theatrical manner
• Always with instrumental accompaniment
Uses free rhythm of emotional speech
Mirrors natural ups and downs of speech
• As in angry outbursts, asides, questioning
Words not repeated, as in speech
Used in scenes that call for—
• Action or dialogue
• Special emphasis on the words
Recitative Types
Secco Recitative
• Italian secco = dry
• Simple continuo accompaniment only
• Offers maximum flexibility for singer
Accompanied Recitative
• Accompanied by orchestra & continuo
• Provides greater weight & emphasis
• Reserved for the most excited, emotion-filled
moments
Aria
A set piece for solo singer & orchestra
Much more musical elaboration &
coherence than recitative
• Vocal part more melodic
• Clear beat, rhythm, & meter
• Orchestral accompaniment
Singer-actor mulls over emotions at length
• Plot action stops during aria
• Frequent repetition of words & phrases
Da Capo Form
Standard Italian Baroque opera aria form
Ternary form – A B A
Based on poem in two stanzas
• A section sets 1st stanza to music
• Contrasting B section sets 2nd stanza
Written instruction at end of B says—
• Da capo (“from the head”)
• Tells performers to go back to the beginning
• Performers repeat entire A section
Ornamentation &
Da Capo Form
Customary for solo singer to add
ornamentation during repeat of A
• Improvised runs, cadenzas, etc.
• The slower the tempo, the more elaborate the
ornaments
• Permitted singer to show off vocal skill,
virtuosity, & expressiveness
• Greatly appreciated by Baroque audiences
Recitative vs. Aria
Free, speechlike
rhythms
Pitches follow
speech patterns
Continuo
accompaniment
Prose text (words
stated once)
Advances the action
(movement)
Dialogue–freely
interactive
Clear beat,
consistent meter
Pitches form melodic
patterns & phrases
Orchestral
accompaniment
Poetic text (phrases
often repeated)
Freezes the action
(reflection)
Soliloquy–expresses
one emotion
Castrato
Castrati were biggest stars in Italian opera
• Boys with beautiful voices who were castrated
and never went through puberty
• Their voices remained in soprano/alto range
• Years of intensive vocal training made them
virtuoso singers
• Castrato voice highly prized—more powerful &
brilliant than a woman’s voice
Castrati sang most important male roles
• Heroes, romantic leads, & supporting roles
George Frideric Handel
(1685-1759)
Born in Halle, near Leipzig
Played in Hamburg opera orchestra
Successful journey to Italy
• Wrote operas for Venice, Florence, & Rome
Court musician to Elector of Hanover, who
soon became England’s King George I
Handel pursued a career in London
• Opera impresario–composer, producer, etc.
• Turned to oratorio as opera audiences
dwindled
Handel, Julius Caesar
One of nearly 40 Italian operas for London
Story from Roman history
• Takes up events surrounding Egyptian Queen
Cleopatra’s seduction of Roman emperor
Julius Caesar
• Cleopatra’s brother Ptolemy has murdered
Pompey (Caesar’s foe) & put Cornelia
(Pompey’s widow) in his own harem
• Sextus (Cornelia’s son) seeks revenge on
Ptolemy (& eventually kills him)
Handel, “La giustizia” (1)
Sextus promises revenge on Ptolemy
Typical da capo aria–strict A B A form
Aria begins with string orchestra ritornello
• Sets the mood, or “affect,” right away
• Sextus starts with the same music a bit later
Handel, “La giustizia” (2)
The “affect” expressed here is anger
• Vigorous, strenuous music
• Minor key
• Loud explosions & coloratura on key words–
 “vendetta” (vengeance)
 “traditor” (traitor)
 “punire” (punish)
• Dramatic pause near end of A
Handel, “La giustizia” (3)
B section provides subtle contrast
• Visits new keys
• More subdued mood
• Orchestra drops out–only continuo used
Return of A uses many ornaments
• Flourishes added to high notes on “punire” &
long note on “traditor”
• Dramatic pause near end filled with virtuoso
cadenza
• Ornamented final cadence sweeps us away
Aria “La giustizia”
La giustizia ha già sull’
arco
Pronto strale alla
vendetta
Per punire un traditor.
Quanto è tarda la
saetta
Tanto più crudele
aspetta
La sua pena un empio
cor.
Justice now has in its
bow
The arrow primed for
vengeance
To castigate a traitor!
The later the arrow is
shot
The crueler is the pain
suffered
By a dastardly heart!