c.1600-1750
Portuguese for Pearl…
 Referring to the ornate architecture, art, melodies.
 This period saw many new ideas and innovations
Characteristics of Baroque Music
 Unity of Mood: a piece usually expresses one mood or
affection
 Rhythm:
 patterns are repeated through out
 the beat is emphasized
 Melody: repeated, ornamented
 Use of Diatonic chords of I,IV,V,II,VI
Characteristics of Baroque Music
continued
 Terraced Dynamics:
 alternation between loud and soft dynamics
 organ and harpsichord could not crescendo
Musical textures
 Monophonic
 Homophonic
 Polyphonic
Ornaments
 Trill
 Turn
 Mordent
 Acciaccatura/Appoggiatura
 Grace note
Basso Continuo
 Common type of accompaniment
 Bass line with improvised chords
 cello or bassoon on bass
 harpsichord or organ on harmony
Basso continuo
The Baroque Orchestra
 small (10 to 40 players)
 basso continuo and violin family strings
 brass, woodwinds and percussion used occasionally, but
vary from piece to piece.
 tone color was subordinate to the melody, rhythm or
harmony
Music in Baroque Society
 Music written to order: demand for new music.
 Main source of diversion in the courts of the aristocracy.
 Music Director’s job
 Pay and prestige were high
 compositions were performed
 Still a servant of the patron
Music in Baroque Society
 Church musicians
 earned less than the court and lower status
 supplemented with weddings and funerals
 Town musicians
 Opera houses
Important composers
 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
 George Frederick Handel (1685-1759)
 Henry Purcell (c.1659-1695)
 Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
George Friderick Handel
George
Frideric
Handel
 b. Halle, Germany (one month before Bach) in 1685
 Devoted his life to music from age 18
 First Opera –Rodrigo- was performed in 1710
 Appointed Kapellmeister to Elector Georg Ludwig of
Hanover (Later becoming George I of England)
 Promoted with George I to Royal Composer
Handel in London
 Favorite of Queen Anne
 Wrote ‘Water Music’ in 1717
 English Oratorios after failure of Italian Opera
 Blind - from cataracts
 Died in 1759 and Buried in Westminster Abbey
Handel - Music
 Instrumental
 suites
 organ concerti
 concerti grossi
 Vocal Music
 39 Italian operas
 Oratorios (mostly in English)
The Oratorio
 a large-scale composition for chorus,
vocal soloists, and orchestra
 uses choruses, arias, duets, recitatives, and orchestral
interludes
 chorus acts as commentary
 last approximately 2 hours
The Oratorio
 Set to a narrative text
 No acting or scenery
 Based on the Bible
 Originally performed in prayer halls called oratorios
Handel - Oratorios
 generally Old Testament
 for the paying public, not church
 have plots, but no scenery or acting
 chorus is the focus
Listening: Messiah
 lasts 2 1/2 hours
 composed in 24 days
 Premiered in Dublin, Ireland in 1742 as a benefit for
people in debtor's prison
 later tradition as London orphanage benefit concert
 Only one to use New Testament verses
Messiah - Three Acts
 Part 1
 Prophesies telling of the coming of Christ
 His Birth
Easter
 Part 2
 The Passion of Christ
 Set mainly to words from the Old Testament
Pentecost
 Part 3
 The Resurrection
Pentecost
 Part 3
 The Resurrection
Structure of an Oratorio
 Recitative
 Aria
 Chorus
And the Glory of the Lord
 Idea 1
And the Glory of the Lord
 Idea 2
And the glory of the Lord
 Idea 3
And the glory of the Lord
 Idea 4
 The whole movement is in A major
 Modulates to the dominant (Emaj) and the Dominant
– Dominant (Bmaj)
 No minor keys to kepp one ‘affection’
Introduction
 Lively ¾ - Feels like one-in-a-bar
 Orchestral introduction
 Hemiola at the end of the introduction
 Descending sequences (bars 5-6 and 7-8)
 Instruments double voice parts throughout
Analysis: Bar 1-11
 Orchestral introduction
 States ideas 1 and 2
 Example of descending sequence (bar 5-6 and 7-8)
 Hemiola rhythm in bar 9-10. Very common as a
cadence approach in Baroque music
 Ends with a perfect cadence, (V-I)
 Orchestra always doubles the voices
 Music is driven by the regular on-beat crotchet rhythms
(look at the bass part)
Analysis: Bar 11-14
 Alto entry with motif 1
 mf = Mezzo Forte (Quite loud)
 Syllabic setting of the text
 Perfect cadence in bar 13-14
Analysis: Bar 14-17
 f chordal respone by
soprano, tenor and bass
 Homophonic texture
 The bass often has the
melody if the texture is
homophonic
 Perfect cadence in bar 16-17
(Vb-I)
Analysis: Bars 17-22
 Imitative entries of motif 2, by tenor, bass, then
soprano.
 Built up on the 2 one-bar descending sequence on
‘revealed’
 Modulating from A major to E major, using the
chords Vb-I
Analysis: Bar 22-33
 In E major, the dominant key
 First time that motif 1 and 2 are combined
 Tenor and Soprano have motif 1 (an octave apart)
 Alto and bass have motif 2
 The result = 2 part counterpoint (tune vs tune)
 Contrast of texture is created so we have variety,
keeping the listener interested. It is a major feature
of the whole movement!
 Bass and tenor = low (bars 22-25)
 Soprano and alto = high (bars 25-28)
 Alto and tenor = middle (bars 28-31)
Analysis: Bar 33-38
 Strong, 4-part homophonic texture of motif 1 in E
major
 Melody is in the bass with ‘shall be revealed’ tagged
onto the end
Analysis: Bar 38-43
 Orchestral link using motif 2
 Use of sequences (bar 38-39)
 Use of hemiola rhythms (bar
41-42)
 Use of a suspension (bar 42)
 These features are all found
in the introduction
Analysis: Bars 43-50
 Alto makes the first statement of motif 3.
 Tenor follows in bar47-50.
 Contrast in texture – Thin with one line at a time
contrasting with the 4-part homophonic sections.
 Modulate back to A major (tonic/I)
 Note strong crotchet bass line (E-C#-A)
 A major is confirmed by a perfect cadence in bars 4647
Analysis: Bars 51-57
 Tenor and bass introduce motif 4. Adds weight and
gravitas to the statement by being low and dotted
minims.
 Repeated notes in the motif act as a pedal (in this case
a tonic pedal)
 This 2-part texture becomes a 4-part texture in bars
53-57 with sopranos and altos singing motif 3 (in
sixths)
 Perfect cadence ends the section (V7c-I)
 Suspension in bar 56 (7-6 suspension between alto and
bass)
Analysis: Bars 58-73
 Sopranos sing motif 4 on a dominant pedal (an
inverted pedal at the top of the texture)
 Alto, tenor, bass sing motif 3 and ends with a plagal
cadence. (IV-I)
 Imitative entries in these parts as we modulate to E
major.
 Bar 68-73 = Tenor/Bass on motif 4 and soprano/alto
with idea 3 one bar later. Ends with a perfect cadence
in B major (Dominant-Dominant)
Bars 74-83
 Short orchestral link based on motif 1
 Leads to 4-part homophonic rendition of motif 1 in B
major
 Note original melody is in the bass.
 This then leads to motif 3, arranged in a new texture.
 All parts return for a homophonic ‘Together’ on chord
I-V (imperfect cadence).
 Momentum is carried on immediately by the sopranos.
Bar 83-102
 Dovetails with last section with sopranos singing motif
4 on an F# - NB every time we hear this motif it is
higher in pitch. (A-E-F#).
 Over the next dozen bars, all 4 motifs come together
 Bar 84 = Altos sing motifs 1 and 2
 Decending pitch as alto-tenor-bass sing short
melodies
 Bar 89-92 – Motif 3 is shortened by one bar
 Breakdown of texture is short lived as Handel brings in
all voices at 93-94.
Bar 83-102 continued...
 Bars 93-102: Handel uses motif 1, 2 and 4 in different
parts.
 Music modulates back to E major in this section.
 This section ends with a perfect cadence in E major (VI)
 Modulate straight away back to A major (Tonic key)
Bars 102-124
 Altos sing motif 3, fragmented to one bar echoes in the
tenor and bass.
 This reduces the texture to a minimum beofre the final
section.
 Parts added quickly in bars 105/6, reaffirming words
‘see it together’.
 Climax of movement = Sopranos singing motif 1
ending on a top A
 This is answered by the other 3 parts, with the tune in
the bass.
Bars 102-124
 Imitative entries follow
 Bar 118 = Alto, Bar 119 = soprano and tenor = motif 3
 This is underpinned by basses singing motif 4 on a E
(Dominant pedal).
 Section ends on an imperfect cadence (I-V) at bars 123124.
Bars 124-134
 Sopranos begin the final section by taking over idea 4
from the basses.
 All other parts answer with motif 4
 Firmly stated on the tonic, A.
 Bar 129-134 is heard at 51-55. This time soprano/altos
and tenor/bass have swapped parts = Invertible
Counterpoint.
 3 parts start with motif 4 before coming to a dramatic
halt at bar 133 (Handel does this quite often at the end
of a chorus e.g Hallelujah Chorus)
Bars 134-138
 A dramatic 3 beat rest in all voices and instruments
 Tempo changes to Adagio for the final plagal cadence
in A major.
 In 4-part homophony adding emphasis to the final
words ‘Hath Spoken it’.
Summary of choral styles used
Choral Style
Example
Monophonic writing (Single line)
Bars 11-13
Homophonic writing (4-part choir)
Bars 33-38
Simple imitation
Bars 17 onwards
2 part counterpoint (Tune v Tune)
Bars 110-113
Doubling of parts
Bars 51 onwards ‘for the mouth’
Key words (The bare minimum – You can, and
must, add to this!)
 Cadence
 Pedal
 Harmonic rhythm
 Perfect cadence
 Hemiola
 Plagal cadence
 Homophonic
 Imperfect cadence
 Monophonic
 Pitch
 Polyphonic
 Tonic
 Counterpoint
 Chord Vb
 Imitative
 Chord V7
 Modulation
 Mellisma
 Syllabic
Section A Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
How is the joyful mood/affection achieved in this piece (1)
Name 3 textures used in this piece (3)
Name the 4 voice parts used in this piece (4)
What instruments accompany the singers (4)
How many melodies (motifs) are used in the chorus? (1)
Identify 2 ways in which the last 3 bars are dramatic (2)
Give bar numbers where you can hear the following
1.
One voice part
2.
2 voice part
3.
3 voice part
4.
All 4 voices together
(4)
In general, how are the words set to the music? (1)
How is the word ‘revealed’ treated throughout the piece? (1)
Section B Question
a) In which year did Handel write the Messiah? (1)
b) Which type of vocal work is the Chorus taken from?
(1)
c) Describe this set work using the following headings
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Form/Type of Composition
Melody
Texture
Dynamics
Rhythm
(10 Marks)