Creative Listening 1306
Study Guide III
Baroque Period (1600-1750)
"Age of Discovery"-Baroque; meaning distorted or irregular term applied by 18th
century artist Classicist to the art of the period. Johann Sebastian Bach was the
consummate composer of this era.
Terminology:
Concertato Principle The principle of contrasting the sonorities of different
performing ensembles.
Sonata In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, an instrumental composition to
be "sounded" upon instruments rather than sung.
Florentine Camerata A group of scholars and intellectuals in Florence around
the turn of the seventeenth century who promoted changes in the prevailing
style of art.
Monody Music for one voice with a simple accompaniment, introduce by the
Florentine Camerata.
Recitative Refers both to a particular style of singing and to a particular piece of
music. A stylized kind of solo vocal writing that aims at imitating the inflections
and rhythms of speech; found in opera and oratorio.
recitative secco dry sounding accompaniment by keyboard playing chords.
accompanied recitative expressive, accompanied by the orchestra.
Aria An aria is more closely related to musical that textual concerns. It often
corresponds to a dramatic soliloquy, providing the opportunity for reflection
upon, and emotional reaction to, events that have occurred in the drama.
Bel Canto Italian for "beautiful singing", as exemplified in Italian vocal music
and vocal technique of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Libretto The text (or book) of an opera or oratorio.
Overture An introductory instrumental movement played at the beginning of
an opera, stage play, oratorio, or suite.
Major Genres
Opera Opera is sung drama. Normally structured in several acts, it employs
soloists, chorus (usually), ballet (sometimes), and orchestra in a musical
representation of a dramatic story, as set forth in the libretto. It was performed in
a theater or opera house.
Oratorio A dramatic vocal work on a religious subject performed in a concert
setting. The master of this genre during the Baroque was George Frederick
Handel.
Fugue An imitative polyphonic composition with the theme being called the
subject. J.S. Bach was the master composer of the fugue.
Suite A collection of stylized dances.
Concerto Grosso A multi-movement composition for a small group of soloists
and orchestra. Antonio Vivaldi was the master composer of this genre.
The Classical Period (1750-1820)
The classical period was known as the "Age of Revolution". During this time, the
peoples of America and Europe were struggling with the ideas of democracy,
republics and self-determination. This period was also known as the "Age of
Enlightenment". French scholars such as Voltaire and Diderot wrote essays on
secular and antiestablishment trends. Their intellectual movement advocated
reliance on reason and the humanities natural goodness to improve the quality of
life and conditions of life.
Voltaire wrote essays attacking French politics, society, and religion. Thomas
Jefferson was the prototype of the classical man in America. He was intelligent,
well educated; he was a linguist, scientist, mathematician, architect, musician,
and statesman.
Musical Characteristics of the Classical Period
Form: Classicist found beauty in order and symmetry of design, clearly
organized music according to strict musical form.
Texture: Homophony was the predominant texture.
Dynamics: The dynamic range increased; crescendi were longer and became
more expressive.
Color: Instrumental music dominated with orchestral music leading the way.
The piano replaced the harpsichord as the primary keyboard instrument.
Major Genres
Symphony The earliest multimovement orchestral works called symphonies
were quite short pieces written for a small number of instruments. Using as a
model the Italian opera overture, consisting of three sections in the order of fastslow-fast, Classical composers expanded the section and generally added a
fourth movement, organizing each movement according to the principles of a
chosen instrumental form. The standard classic layout of the symphony is:
I. fast–sonata allegro form (first movement form)
II. slow–song like form
III. dance-like (minuet & trio)
IV. fast–either rondo form or sonata allegro form.
Solo Concerto after the Baroque, the concerto grosso declined in importance,
becoming virtually obsolete by the time of Haydn and Mozart, By then solo
concertos were in great favor, and many were composed for a wide variety of
solo instruments. The solo concerto was a three movement work for soloist
(instrumental) and orchestra:
I. fast
II. slow
III. fast-often a cadenza (improvised solo)
String Quartet The term string quartet is used both for a particular ensemble of
string instruments and for the compositions that they play. The ensemble
consists of two violins, a viola, and a cello. The first violinist serves as the leader
of the group, indicating when to start and stop playing with a nod of the head,
and keeping the ensemble together through expressive passages by subtle body
movements and facial expressions. The compositions that they play are also
called string quartets. They are multi-movement works, usually consisting of four
movements.
Sonata Another multimovement composition of the Classical period was the
sonata. The sonata was a composition of three of four movements performed by
one or two soloists unaccompanied by other instruments. More sonatas have
been written for the piano than any other instrument. A sonata for two solo
instruments, such as a violin and a piano, is an instrumental duet in which each
instrument performs some soloistic or virtuosic passages.
Major Composers
Franz Joseph Haydn (Austrian 1732-1809)
1. Haydn was the major contributor to the evolution of classical style, perhaps his
most important contribution was the advancement of the symphony. He is
known as the "Father of the Symphony and the String Quartet".
2. He was the greatest classical composer of the Mass and the oratorio.
Symphonies: 104 (93-104 are known as the London symphonies)
String quartets: c. 80
Operas: c. 20
Sacred works: many, including 14 masses, several oratorios.
Haydn's style is noteworthy for it originality, diversity, craftsmanship, melodic
simplicity, and humor. from the beginning the composer was a master of
surprise and unusual phrasing. The London symphonies, composed from 1790 to
1795, represent the height of his instrumental art, after which he raised both the
mass and the oratorio to that same level.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Austrian 1756-1791)
1. Perhaps the most universal genius among all composer, Mozart mastered all
the genres of his time.
2. One of the greatest of opera composers, Mozart is noteworthy for his ability to
delineate character, for his master of the ensemble and the finale.
3. He established the form and character of the Classical concerto, particularly
that for piano.
Operatic works: 22 (1 unfinished)
Concerti: 21 for solo piano, 6 for violin, 4 for horn, among others.
Chamber music: 33 violin sonatas, 23 string quartets, 8 piano trios.
Symphonies: 41
Mozart was greatly influenced as a youth by his international travels and later by
knowledge of the music of Haydn and J.S. Bach. He effected a synthesis of Italian
and German styles that was unique in its mastery of proportion and its balance
of expressive intensity with Classical restraint. Mozart showed little interest in
innovation or originality for its own sake, preferring to bring technical perfection
and expressive intensity to existing genres. In telling Mozart's father that his son
was the "greatest composer known to me either n person or by name,"Haydn
attributed to Wolfgang "taste and, what is more, the most profound knowledge
of composition."
Listening Examples:
CD Disc 1 (track 29)–Tu se morta–Monteverdi
CD Disc 1 (track 30)–And the Glory of the Lord–Handel
CD Disc 1 (track 35)–Fugue in G minor–J. S. Bach
CD Disc 1 (track 42)–Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 –J. S. Bach
CD Disc 2 (track 1)–String Quartet in C Major, II–Haydn
CD Disc 2 (track 7)–The Marriage of Figaro–Mozart
CD Disc 1 (track 56)–Symphony No. 40 in G minor–Mozart
CD Disc 1 (track 70)–Trumpet Concerto, III–Haydn