The Baroque Period

The Baroque Period

1600 - 1750

Music

Monteverdi , Orfeo (1607)

Monteverdi , Coronation of Poppea

(1642)

Purcell , Dido & Aeneas (1689)

Correlli , Trio Sonata in A minor Op. 3,

No. 10 (1689)

Bach , Organ Fugue in g minor (Little

Fugue) (c.1709)

Bach , Brandenburg Concerto, No. 5 in D

Major (c.1721)

Vivaldi (La Primavera)

Spring

Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 8,

No.1 (1725)

Bach, Cantata No. 140 Wachet auf, ruft uins die stimme (1731)

Handel, Messiah (1741)

Arts & Letters

Shakespeare, Hamlet

(1600)

Cervantes, Don Quixote

(1605)

Bernini, David Slaying

Goliath (1623)

Rubens , Adoration of the

Magi (1634)

R embrandt, Aristotle with the bust of Homer

(1653)

Milton, Paradise Lost

(1667)

Locke, Essay Concerning

Human Understanding

(1689)

Dufoe , Robinson Crusoe

(1719)

Swift, Gullivers Travels

(1726)

Historical &

Cultural Events

Jamestown founded

(1607)

King James Bible

(1611)

Galileo confirms that the earth revolves around the sun (1610)

Thirty Years War 1618-

1648)

Louis XIV reigns in

France (1643-1715)

Newton’s Principa

Mathematica (1687)

Witchcraft trials in

Salem, Massachussetts

(1692)

Louis XV reigns in

France (1715-1774)

Frederick the Great

Reigns in Prussia

(1740-1786)

Claudio Monteverdi Antonio Vivaldi George Fredrick Handel

Henry Purcell Arcangelo Corelli Johann Sebastian Bach

Important Composers of the

Baroque Composers

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Concerto Grosso & Ritornello Form

The Fugue

Opera

Baroque Sonata

Baroque Suite

Chorale & Church Cantata

Oratorio

Important form developments of the Baroque Period

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The Baroque (Baroque literally meaning an odd-shaped pearl) refers to artistic developments and can be aptly described as

“filling space” –canvas, stone or sound.

The Baroque Style (1600-1750)

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Painters, sculptors and architects became interested in forming a total illusion, like a stage setting

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Artists such as Bernini,

Rubens, and Rembrandt exploited their materials to expand the dramatic potential of color, depth, and contrasts of light and dark; they wanted to create totally structured worlds


 This concept of style was very well suited to the wishes of the aristocracy, who also thought in terms of completely integrated structures.


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In France for example, Louis XIV held court in the palace of Versailles, a magnificent setting that fused baroque painting, sculpture, architecture, and garden design into a symbol of wealth and power.


 The Aristocracy was extremely rich and powerful in the 17 th

Centuries and 18 th

 While most of the population barely managed to survive, Europeans rulers surrounded themselves with luxury.

 There were many such rulers in Germany, for example, which was divided into about 300 territories, each governed separately.

 Kings and princes proclaimed their greatness by means of splendid palaces and magnificent court entertainments like balls, banquets, ballets, operas and plays; entertainment was a necessity; most courtiers did no real work and tried to avoid boredom as much as possible


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The Baroque period was also known as the “absolutism” because many rulers exercised absolute power over their subjects

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Along with the Aristocracy, religious institutions powerfully shaped the baroque style.

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Churches used the emotional and theatrical qualities of art to make worship more appealing.

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During the Baroque Period, Europe was divided into

Catholic and Protestant Areas: France, Spain, Italy and the

Austrian Empire were primarily Catholic; England, Holland,

Denmark, Sweden, and parts of Germany were Protestant.


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The middle class, too, influenced the development of the Baroque style

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In the Netherlands, for example, prosperous merchants and doctors commissioned realistic landscapes and scenes from everyday life.

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It is also helpful to think of baroque style against the backdrop of scientific discoveries during the 17 th and 18 th centuries

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Galileo (1564-1642) and Isaac Newton (1642-1727) represented a new approach to science based on mathematics and experiment; they discovered mathematical laws governing bodies in motion. Such scientific advances led to new inventions and the gradual improvement in medicine, mining, navigation, and industry during the baroque era.


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The two giants of the Baroque period were:

BACH

HANDEL

Bach’s death in 1750 marks the end of the Baroque

Period, the first clear delineation of a period of musical style

Baroque Music (1600-1750)

Claudio Monteverdi Henry Purcell Arcangelo Corelli Antonio Vivaldi

These composers were largely forgotten until the 20 th century. But the appearance of long playing records in the late 1940’s spurred “baroque revival” that made these musicians familiar to many music lovers


The Baroque Period can be divided into three main phases:

Early (1600-1640)

• Drama and extreme emotion conveyed

• Still favored homophonic over polyphonic music as in the late Renaissance

• Words could be projected more clearly by just one main melody with chordal accompaniment

Middle (1640-1680)

• The most important feature of the Middle phase was the new importance of instrumental music, the violin became extremely popular

• Old Church modes gave way to Major and Minor Modes

• By 1680 Major and minor modes were the basis of most compositions

Late (1680-1750)

• Many aspects of harmony – including emphasis on the attraction of the dominant chord to tonic arose in this period

• During the late Baroque period instrumental music became just as important as choral music for the first time

• Late Baroque composers glorified the use of polyphony


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Unity of Mood

Rhythm

Melody

Dynamics

Texture

Chords and Basso Continuo

Words and Music

Characteristics of Baroque Music

UNITY OF MOOD

• Baroque music usually expresses one basic mood

• Doctrine of Affections

• Composers molded a musical language to depict the affections; specific rhythms and melodic patterns were associated with specific moods

RHYTHM

• Unity of mood baroque music is conveyed first of all, by continuity of rhythm

• Rhythmic patterns heard at the beginning of a piece are heard throughout it.

• The beat, for example, is emphasized far more in baroque music than in renaissance music

Melody

• Baroque melody also creates a feeling of continuity. An opening melody will be heard again and again in the course of a baroque piece

• Even when a melody is presented in varied form, its character tends to remain constant

• A baroque melody give an impression of dynamic expansion rather than of balance and symmetry


DYNAMICS

•Volume stays rather constant for long periods of time

•When volume does change it is usually in abrupt steps, known as terraced dynamics

(alternation between soft and loud)

•Gradual changes through crescendo and decrescendo are NOT prominent features of baroque music

•Keyboard instruments were not capable of sustaining dynamic changes like the piano

TEXTURE

•Baroque music was largely polyphonic in texture; two or more melodic lines compete for the listeners attention

•Soprano and Bass lines are the most important

•Imitation between the various lines or “voices” of the texture is very common

CHORDS AND BASSO CONTINUO

•Chords became increasingly important during the baroque period

•During this period composers would write a melodic line to fit a specific chord progression for the first time.

•The interest in chords gave new prominence to the bass part which served as the function of the harmony

•The whole music structure rested on the bass part (basso continuo – Italian for continued bass)

•Numbers for chord were written in for the keyboardist called figured bass.


The principle is very much like the shorthand system used today for chord indications found in modern song sheets from which jazz musicians improvise or fake books that are used by guitarists and singers

Example of Figured Bass

WORDS AND MUSIC

• Like their predecessors in the renaissance, baroque composers used music to depict the meaning of specific words

• Heaven might be set to high tone and hell might be set to a low tone

• Rising scales depicted upward motion, descending the opposite

• Chromatic Scales were associated with pain and grief

• The descriptive musical language was quite standardized: The lament for a lost love could be the same descending chromatic scale used to depict the suffering in the Crucifixus fo the mass


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The concerto grosso (Italian for big concert(o) , plural concerti grossi ) is a form of baroque music in which the musical material is passed between a small group of soloists

(the concertino ) and full orchestra (the ripieno ).

A concerto grosso consists of several movements that contrast in tempo and character.

Most often the movements are (1)fast (2) slow (3)fast

The Concerto Grosso

First movement

• Vigorous and determined

• Clearly shows contrast between soloist and orchestra

Second Movement

• Slower than the first

• Lyrical and intimate in nature

Third Movement

• Lively; carefree

• Dancelike

The first and last movements are usually in rittornello form which is based on the alternation between tutti and solo sections

The Concerto Grosso

The tutti opens with a theme called ritornello (refrain)

• The theme is always played by the tutti

• Returns throughout the movement in different keys

• It returns in fragments, not complete

• Usually not until the end does the ritornello return in the home key

Ritornello form

Although the number of times the ritornello returns varies from piece to piece, a typical concerto grosso movement might be outlined as follows:

1. a. Tutti (f) ritornello in home key b. solo

2. a. Tutti (f) ritornello fragment b. solo

3. a. Tutti (f) ritornello fragment b. solo

4. Tutti (f), ritornello in home key

Ritornello form

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The Brandenburg concertos by Johann

Sebastian Bach are a collection of six instrumental works presented by Bach to

Christian Ludwig, margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, in

1721 (though probably composed earlier). They are widely regarded as among the finest musical compositions of the Baroque era

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Brandenberg Concerti

Movements:

Allegro

Affettuoso

Allegro

Concertino: harpsichord, violin, flute

Ripieno: violin, viola, cello, violone, (harpsichord).

The harpsichord is both a concertino and a ripieno instrument: in the concertino passages the part is obbligato; in the ripieno passages it has a figured bass part and plays continuo.

This concerto makes use of a popular chamber music ensemble of the time (flute, violin, and harpsichord), which Bach used on their own for the middle movement.

It is believed that it was written in 1719, to show off a new harpsichord by Michael

Mietke which Bach had brought back from Berlin for the Cöthen court.

It is also thought that Bach wrote it for a competition at Dresden with the French composer and organist Louis Marchand; in the central movement, Bach uses one of

Marchand's themes. Marchand fled before the competition could take place, apparently scared off in the face of Bach's great reputation of virtuosity and improvisation.

Brandenberg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, BWV 1050

Die Kunst der Fuge , BWV 1080, is an incomplete masterpiece by Johann

Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). The work was most likely started at the beginning of the 1740s, if not earlier. The first known surviving version, which contained 12 fugues and 2 canons, was copied by the composer in 1745. This manuscript has a slightly different title, added afterwards by his son-in-law Johann Christoph Altnickol:

Die Kunst der Fuga . Bach's second version was published in 1751 after his death. It contains 14 fugues and 4 canons.

"The governing idea of the work is an exploration in depth of the contrapuntal possibilities inherent in a single musical subject." [

The Art of the Fugue

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Fugue Facts…………….

A fugue is a polyphonic composition based on one main theme, called a subject .

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Throughout the fugue, different melodic lines, called voices , imitate the subject

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The top line whether sung or played is called the soprano voice; the bottom called the bass.

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The texture of the fugue usually includes three, four, or five voices

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Though the subject remains fairly constant throughout, it takes on new meanings when shifted to different keys or combined with different melodic and rhythmic ideas

The Fugue –

Cornerstone of Baroque Music

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The form of the fugue is extremely flexible

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The only constant feature is how they begin –the subject is always presented in a single, unaccompanied voice

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By highlighting the subject, the composer tells us what to remember and listen for

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In getting to know the fugue, try to follow its subject through the different levels of texture

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After its first presentation, the subject is imitated in turn by all the remaining voices

The Fugue –



The opening of a fugue in 4 voices may be represented as follows:

Soprano Subject…………………………………………….. Etc.

Alto Subject……………………………………….. Etc.

Tenor

Bass

Subject…………………….

Etc.

Subject…. Etc.

In this case the top voice announces the subject and then the lower voices imitate it. However the subject may be announced by any voice - top, bottom, or middle – and the order in which the other voices imitate is also flexible

The Fugue –



• The fugue is similar to a round that you might have experienced in grade school “Row, Row, Row, your boat”, which is an exact imitation of the subject. In a fugue the imitation can be presented in different tonal levels

• In many fugues the subject in one voice is constantly accompanied in another voice by a different melodic idea called a countersubject .

• A constant companion, the countersubject always appears with the subject, sometimes below it, sometimes above it.

• During presentations of the subject their can be transposition sections from one subject presentation to another called episodes which offer either new material or fragments of the subject or counter subject.

• Episodes do not present the subject completely but offers variety to make the subject sound fresh.

The Fugue –



• Several musical procedures commonly appear in fugues.

• Stretto – the subject is imitated before it is completed; one voice tries to catch the other

• Pedal Point (or Organ Point) – in which a single tone, usually in the bass, is held while the other voices produce a series of changing harmonies against it.

The Fugue –


A fugue can be varied in four principle ways:

INVERSION

Subject is turned upside down

RETROGRADE

Subject is presented backwards

AUGUMENTATION

The original values are lengthened

DIMINUTION

Subject values are shortened

The Fugue – Cornerstone of Baroque Music

Fugue is quadruple meter, g minor

1. a. Subject, soprano alone, minor key

Bach – Little Organ Fugue in g minor

Fugue is quadruple meter, g minor b. Subject in alto, countersubject in running notes in soprano.


c. Subject in tenor, , countersubject above it.

d. Subject in bass (pedals) counter subject in tenor.

e. Brief episode, downward sequence.

2. a. Subject begins in the tenor, continues in soprano, accompanied by sustained tone in bass; subject leads to b. Brief episode, running notes in a downward sequence

3. a. Subject in alto, major key; countersubject in soprano; subject leads to b. Episode in major, upward leaps and running notes c. Subject in bass (pedals), major key, countersubject and long trill above it.

d. Longer episode, downward sequence; begins in major, ends in minor

4. a. Subject in soprano, minor key, countersubject below it.

b. Most extended episode, running notes in a downward sequence; upward sequences lead to sustained high tones which usher in c. Subject in bass (pedals), countersubject in soprano. Fugue ends with major chord


The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. Founded in 1778, La Scala is one of the world's most famous opera houses.

The Baroque Period - Opera

From Bach to Beethoven MU-103EW

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Opera was given birth at the beginning of the Baroque Era with Monteverdi. Opera, a spectacular art form combining music, action and words, where the drama or comedy is enhanced by the words, sung in the original or other language. Instrumental works draw great attention and delight from the sound of the music alone but opera has a triple edge advantage:

Music, action and words sung by the human voice, the supreme instrument.



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Opera Facts: The Story - Libretto

Opera in the Baroque was based mostly on Greek Mythology In later opera the librettist became almost as famous as the composer himself.

A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, sacred or secular oratorio and cantata, musical, and ballet. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass and requiem.

Libretto (pl. libretti) is an Italian word which translates literally as

"little book." It is distinct from a synopsis or scenario of the plot.

The relationship of the librettist (that is, the writer of a libretto) to the composer in the creation of a musical work has varied over the centuries, as have the sources and the writing techniques employed.


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Vocal Ranges as represented by the keyboard



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Soprano

In four part chorale style harmony the soprano takes the highest part which usually encompasses the melody.

The term "soprano" refers to a female singer. Male singers whose voices have not yet changed are known either as

"boy sopranos" or in church traditions as trebles, whilst adult male sopranos are known as countertenors or sopranists.

Soprano Voice

Range

Historically women were not allowed to sing in the Church so the soprano roles were given to young boys and later to castrati - men whose larynxes had been fixed in a pre-adolescent state through the process of castration.

Mezzo Soprano

Voice Range



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Castrati: The Lost Tradition

Castrati were young boys who were castrated (had their testicles removed) before they hit puberty, to ensure that their voices would not “break”. The result of the operation was that the boy would grow up being able to sing with the same voice as a boy soprano, but with the strength of a man. As the castrato’s body grew, his lack of testosterone meant that his epiphyses

(bone-joints) did not harden in the normal manner. Thus the limbs of the castrati often grew unusually long, as did the bones of their ribs. This, combined with intensive training, gave them unrivalled lung-power and breath capacity. The boys were often fed opium to make them unaware of the operation. In the image to the right we see the instrument used to castrate the boys.



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Once castrated, the young boys were sent to conservatories. At the

“Conservatorio di Sant’ Onofrio” in Napoli, during the 1780s, the work schedule was as follows: In the morning, one hour of singing difficult passages, one hour of literature and one hour of solfeggi in front of mirrors. In the afternoon, one half hour of music theory, one half hour of counterpoint on improvisation and one hour of literature.

The first castrati were reported in Spain around 1550 and their presence in the Rome Sistine Chapel Choir was reported to have started around 1565. The Spanish falsettisti ruled the Sistine

Chapel. The falsettisti’s voices were more agile and had a richer sound. It has been debated that some of the Spanish falsettisti were castrati. The change from falsettisti to castrati came about because the castrato’s voice sounded more natural.



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The earliest castrati known were

Jacomo Spagnoletti (probably a

Spaniard) and Martino, both of whom were admitted to the Sistine Chapel

Choir in 1588. Other two good castrati were mentioned in the archives of

1599, the Italians Pietro Folignani and

Girolamo Rosini. By 1640, castrati were used throughout Italy despite much theological debate, the music need of the church always prevailing over anti-mutilation surgery. They were formally banned from the papal chapel by Pius X in 1903.

An image of Marchesi, a famous Italian Castrato



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Many things are known about castrati. For example, they were not allowed to marry in church and sing in Lutheran churches. In France ,

Italian singers and castrati were not welcomed because of their excessive ornamentation and decadent life style. In the 17th and 18th century

Italy , castrati were considered to be natural sopranos, whereas falsettisti, which would still possess all tokens of masculinity, were considered to have artificial voices. They were so treasured that, in 1625, all sopranos in the choir of the

Sistine Chapel were castrati. In Bach’s time, there was already heavy competition between the clerical courts of Venice and Rome, so that the local opera theatres were ordered to engage the best castrati. At the peak of time, there were

4000 boys between the age of 7 and 9 castrated per year.

Sistine Chapel



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Other Voices: Alto, Contralto

An alto or contralto is a singer with a vocal range somewhere between a tenor and a mezzo-soprano. The term is used to refer to the lowest female singing voice, or to a kind of male singing voice utilizing falsetto called a countertenor. Like all singers, their vocal type is defined mostly by their "vocal center" and not by their range (a soprano for instance could technically possess the lower range of an alto, but would not be comfortable singing it). In four part choral harmony, the alto is the second highest voice. Alto pieces were originally written in the alto clef, but now use the treble clef.

Alto Range



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Other Voices: Alto, Contralto

Although both men and women may have voices in the alto range, the word is usually used to mean a female singer. The word "contralto" can be used to refer specifically to a female alto singer, versus alto male singers or instruments or clefs. However, choirs singing early music frequently include adult male altos, also called countertenors. If a singer is a man and a natural tenor, if they choose to sing using falsetto they are referred to as a countertenor, whereas a male alto's true vocal weight usually is that of a baritone or bass.



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Other Voices: Tenor & Bass

A tenor is a singer with a voice is the highest male voice in Opera and the third highest voice in Choral Music. The tenor took the place of the importance of the Castrati as the heroes in Opera by the end of the Baroque Period.

Tenor Range

A bass (or basso in Italian) is a male singer who sings in the deepest vocal range of the human voice and is the lowest voice in Choral Music. Another voice type between the bass and tenor is the baritone

Bass Range



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Terms: Aria

An aria (Italian for Air) The term is used to describe a selfcontained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment. Perhaps the most common context for arias is opera, although there are many arias that form movements of oratorios and cantatas. Composers also wrote

'concert arias', which are not part of any larger work, such as

"Ah Perfido" by Beethoven, and a number of concert arias by

Mozart.



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Terms: Recitative

Recitative (also known by its Italian name "recitativo" is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms of ordinary speech. The action of the Opera occurs in the recitative portions of the Opera, while the Arias are usually a reflection on the action of the opera. Two types of recitative employed in the Baroque period were:

• recitativo secco ("dry", accompanied only by continuo)

• recitativo accompagnato (using orchestra),



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Terms: Overture

Overture in music is the instrumental introduction to a dramatic, choral or, occasionally, instrumental composition.

The notion of an overture was formulated during the 17th century.

Monteverdi’s Orfeo constituted the first valid representation of an Overture in his opera Orfeo.



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Beginnings of Opera: Camerata

Opera was born in Italy. Its way was prepared by musical discussion among a small group of nobles, poets, and composers who began to meet regularly in Florence in

1575. This group was known as the Camerata (Italian for fellowship or society) and included the composer Vincenzo Galilei, father of the astronomer Galileo.

The members of the Camerata considered that the "chorus" parts of Greek dramas were originally sung, and possibly even the entire text of all roles; opera was thus conceived as a way of "restoring" this situation.



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Claudio Monteverdi (baptized May

15, 1567 – d. November 29, 1643) was an Italian composer, gambist, and singer.

His work marks the transition from

Renaissance to Baroque music, and during his long life he produced works that may be classified in both categories. Monteverdi has been regarded as a revolutionary who brought about a change in musical styles.

PART IV – The Baroque Period

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Monteverdi’s L'Orfeo is marked by its dramatic power and lively orchestration. Indeed, this piece is arguably the first example of a composer assigning specific instruments to parts, and it is also one of the first large compositions in which the exact instrumentation of the premiere has come down to us.

It is the first opera still to be regularly performed since its composition for the court of Mantua in 1607.



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Music Example:

Act II: Tu se’’ morta (You are dead)

• This selection is an example of the recitative form.

• The singing style is simple and designed to provide the singer with a vehicle for a dramatic delivery of the text rather than just a chance to show off his beautiful voice. This is the opposite of the aria, in which the beautiful melodic contour takes precedence over the text.

• In the recitative there is usually one syl-lable or word per note with very little melodic embellishment.

• Note the simple, chordal accompaniment, in this case provided by organ and lute.

• Several striking examples of word painting occur in this recitative.

• The words "abysses," "death," and "farewell" are sung on low notes. The words "stars," "sky," and "sun" are sung on high notes.

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Music Example:


This recitative is from Claudio

Monteverdi's opera Orfeo. It is an important for several reasons:

Orfeo is considered by many to be the first great Italian opera. It dates from the early 1600s and is one of the works used to mark the beginning of the

Baroque era. It builds on the ideas of the earlier Florentine Camarata concerning the use of the recitative, and the homophonic texture in preference to polyphony.

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Music Example:


Tu se’ morta, se’ morta mia vita,

You are dead, you are dead, my dearest

Ed io respiro; tu se’ da me partita,

And I breathe; you have left me.

Se’ da me partita per mai piu,

You have left me forever more,

Mai piu non tornare, ed io rimango

Never to return, and I remain-

No, no, che se I versi alcuna cosa porno

No, no, if my verses have any power,

N’andro sicuro a piu profondi abissi,

I will go confidently to the deepest abysses,

E, intenerito il cor del re de l’ombre

And, having melted the heart of the king of shadows

Mecco trarotti a riverder le stelle,

Will bring you back to me to see the stars again ,

O se cio negherammi empio destino

Or, if pitiless fate denies me this,

Rimarro teco in compagnia di morte,

I will remain with you in the company of death.

Addio terra, addio cielo. E sole, addio.

Farewell earth, farewell sky, and sun, farewell .

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Henry Purcell

In 1680, Blow, who had been appointed organist of Westminster Abbey in 1669, resigned his office in favour of his pupil, who was still only twenty-two. Purcell now devoted himself almost entirely to the composition of sacred music, and for six years severed his connection with the theatre. However, during the early part of the year, probably before taking up his new office, he had produced two important works for the stage, the music for

Nathaniel Lee's Theodosius , and Thomas

D'Urfey's Virtuous Wife .



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Henry Purcell

The composition of his opera Dido and

Aeneas , which forms a very important landmark in the history of English dramatic music, has been attributed to this period, though its earliest production has been shown by W. Barclay Squire to have been between

1688 and 1690. It was written to a libretto furnished by Nahum Tate, at the request of

Josiah Priest, a professor of dancing, who also kept a boarding school for young gentlewomen, first in Leicester Fields and afterwards at Chelsea, where it is thought the opera was first performed.

The Baroque Period- Opera


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Music Example:

Act III: Dido’s Lament

1. Low strings introduce chromatically descending ground bass

2. Upper Strings join with the beginning of the soprano

3. Orchestral Conclusion, violin melody descends chromatically

The Baroque Period – Basso ostinato


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The Baroque applied the term sonata to a variety of works, including works for solo instrument such as keyboard or violin, and for groups of instruments. In the transition from the Baroque to the Classical period, the term sonata undergoes a change in usage, from being applied to many different kinds of small instrumental work to being more specifically applied to chamber music genres with either a solo instrument, or a solo instrument with piano.

The Baroque Period - Sonata


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Sonata (From Latin and Italian sonare , "to sound"), in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to cantata (Latin and

Italian cantare , to sing), a piece sung . The term, being vague, naturally evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms prior to the Classical era.

The term would take on increasing importance in the Classical period, and by the early 19th century the word came to be used for a principle of composing large scale works, and be applied to most instrumental genres, regarded alongside the fugue as one of two fundamental methods of organizing, interpreting and analyzing concert music. In the 20th century the term continued to be applied to instrumental works, but the formal principles enunciated and taught through the 19th century were weakened or loosened.



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Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) was the most prominent Italian violinist and composer of string music

He was born at Fusignano , Italy, in the current-day province of Ravenna.

Little is known about his early life.

His master on the violin was Giovanni

Battista Bassani. Matteo Simonelli, the well-known singer of the pope’s chapel, taught him composition.

He was one of the first to write double stops and cords for the violin and he was unique among Italian composers at this time because he wrote only instrumental music.



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Musical Example:Trio Sonata in a

Op. 3, No 10 (1689)

1. Written for two violins and basso continuo

2. The violins play the two upper lines in the same high register and are the center of attention; they seem as rivals, taking turns at the melodic ideas, intertwining and sometimes rising above each otherin pitch.

3. The Bass Continuo is for Organ and cello or theorbo (Bass lute)

4. Though the bass line is subordinate to the two upper voices it is not merely an accompaniment. They imitate melodic ideas presented by the two violins

5. The sonata consists of four short movements: (1) Fast, (2)Fast,

(3)Slow, ((4) Fast

6. First movement is in quadruple meter and features dotted rhythms

7. Second movement is fugue like and is also in quadruple meter.

Fugal second movements were typical

8. Third movement is song-like and soulful

9. Fourth Movement is the longest and most brilliant movement. Two

Part form with each part repeated.


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Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), Italian musician, the most influential composer and violinist of his age. A prolific composer, he wrote nearly 500 concertos and established the concerto form for the baroque period. Vivaldi’s bestknown concertos are The Four Seasons (1725).

Vivaldi was born in Venice and trained by his father, a violinist at Saint Mark’s Cathedral. Ordained a priest in 1703,

Vivaldi began teaching that year at the Ospedale della Pietà, a conservatory that trained musically talented orphaned girls. He remained associated with the Pietà until 1740, at first as a teacher of violin and composition and from 1716 on as music director, although he traveled widely and was often absent. In addition to training the students, he composed concertos and oratorios for weekly concerts, and established an international reputation. From 1713 on, Vivaldi was active as an opera composer and producer in Venice and traveled to Rome, Mantua, and elsewhere to oversee performances of his operas. In 1740 he traveled to Vienna,

Austria. He died in poverty in Vienna the following year.



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Concerto for Violin & String Orchestra

Op. 8, No. 1 from the Four Seasons

Music Example: La Primavera “Spring”


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Music Example:

La Primavera (Spring

)



Like most of Vivaldi’s concertos, Spring has three movements: (1)Fast, (2)Slow, (3)Fast. Both the first and last movements are in ritornello from.

First Movement Allegro:

Spring has come, and joyfully

The birds greet if with happy song.

And the streams, fanned by gentle breezes,

Flow along with a sweet murmur.

Covering the sky with a black cloak,

Thunder and lightening come to announce the seaon.

When these have quieted down, the little birds

Return chanting their song.



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Music Example:

La Primavera (Spring

)



1. Spring as come

2. Songs of the birds

3. Murmuring streams

4. Thunder and Lightening

5. Songs of the birds

Second Movement

And then, on a pleasant meadow covered with flowers,

Lulled by the soft murmuring of leaves and branches,

The goatherd sleeps, his faithful dog at his side.



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Third Movement

To the festive sounds of country bagpipes,

Dance nymphs and shepherds in their beloved fields,

When spring appears in all its brilliance.

The following outline will clarify the movements ritornello form

1.

•a. Tutti, ritornello, lilting melody in major.

•b. Solo violin accompanied by basso continuo

2.

•a. Tutti, varied ritornello in a minor

•b. Solo violin joined by violin from orchestra, major

•c. Solo violin, staccato, accompanied by violins, faster rhythms

3.

•a. Tutti, ritornello, major, varied in minor

•Solo violin accompanied by sustained tone in cellos and basses, minor.

4.

•Tutti, ritornello in major



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Johann Sebastian Bach & George Frederic Handel

These two composers have influenced the world of music in many ways.

They each have many similarities and differences and are definitely two of the most well known composers in the history of music.

Comparison of Bach & Handel

George Frederic Handel was born in 1685 in Halle, Germany. His parents did not want him to be a composer, but because his musical talent was so developed in his early years, his parents consented for him to study with another composer. When he was seventeen, he entered law school in Halle, but soon dropped out and moved to

Hamburg where he became a violinist and harpsichordist in the orchestra. He wrote an opera and when he was twenty it was produced successfully. When he was twentyone he moved to Italy and continued to write operas. All of his operatic endeavors became highly successful which led to his international fame. He soon moved to

London, where he flourished as a composer.

He became a favorite of Queen Anne, who paid him ₤200 a year.


Handel wrote many works, his most famous being Messiah. It is a piece that lasts 2½ hours, yet it was written in only twenty-four days. Because of the nature of Handel’s instrumental writing he was able to lift instrumental music that he had written and just added text. The Oratorio based on passages from the King James Bible is the tale of the Messiah and his coming and is composed of three parts. The first part consists of the telling of the coming Messiah and rejoicing that he is coming. The second part is the story of the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross to forgive all mankind of their sins. The third part expresses the faith that Christ is the redeemer forever.


George Frederick Handel can be described as a completely international composer. His main output was opera/oratorio for international public. His music has immediate appeal and more accessible than

Bach's. He is a master of grandiose effects and drama. Pictorial and effective musical symbolism is one of the main features of

Handel's choral writing (word-painting, descriptive music, use of certain keys in certain contexts). He uses choral counterpoint to express a conflict of dramatic principle. Double and inverted counterpoint is frequent. He has a wonderful melodic gift. Expansive, tuneful, seemingly effortless music that makes no demands from the listener is typical of

Handel. Most of his tunes have a serene lyricism


In 1719, Handel became the music director of the Royal Academy of Music, which was a commercial opera company in London. Soon the company collapsed, and Handel started his own company.

However, he had competition from another opera company, and due to this competition, both companies went bankrupt. He returned to Germany to recover from his losses, and soon returned to London. In 1741, Handel stopped writing operas entirely, instead concentrating on oratorios. He received a lot of heat for doing this, but he became very successful. When he died in 1759, there were many mourners that attended his funeral. He was very successful, very spontaneous, and he was a great composer.


Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach the same year as Handel and 30 miles apart in

1685. He came from a long line of musicians.

Bach was trained to be a musician from the time he was a young child. He was first taught by his father and his cousin, but when his parents died Bach moved in with his oldest brother, who was also a musician. At fifteen he left his brother's home and moved to another town, where he played the violin and organ to support himself in school. When he was eighteen, he became the organist for a church not far outside of his hometown. He left this church at twenty-three and married his cousin

Barbara. In 1708, Bach became a court organist in Weimar. He stayed for nine years, but left when he was passed over for promotion. Bach obviously had annoyed the duke of Weimar, so he was put in jail for a month.


Bach soon became the court conductor for the prince of Cothen. He had a great salary here, and this was also the first time in his life that he was not involved with church or organ music. From 1717 to 1723, Bach continued to compose music for this small orchestra.

In 1720, his wife Barbara died, leaving Bach with four children. He was thirty-six years old at this time, and in the next year he married a twenty-one year old singer from Cothen. In 1723, Bach became the director of music for St. Thomas Church in Leipzig.

Bach remained here for the rest of his life. This position did not carry the salary or fame that he had in Cothen, but it is believed that Bach stayed here to get a good education for his children. In 1750 by the time of his death he was blind. He was not very well known throughout the world at the time, but he is now recognized as one of the most influential musicians in the world.


Bach soon became the court conductor for the prince of Cothen. He had a great salary here, and this was also the first time in his life that he was not involved with church or organ music. From 1717 to 1723, Bach continued to compose music for this small orchestra.

In 1720, his wife Barbara died, leaving Bach with four children. He was thirty-six years old at this time, and in the next year he married a twenty-one year old singer from Cothen. In 1723, Bach became the director of music for St. Thomas Church in Leipzig.

Bach remained here for the rest of his life. This position did not carry the salary or fame that he had in Cothen, but it is believed that Bach stayed here to get a good education for his children. In 1750 by the time of his death he was blind. He was not very well known throughout the world at the time, but he is now recognized as one of the most influential musicians in the world.


Bach wrote composed many prestigious works in his time. Two of his most well known works were The Brandenburg

Concertos and Mass in B Minor.

Mass in B Minor was originally written as an "audition" to become the court composer for a Catholic monarch. It is a very complicated piece, with specific orchestra accompaniments for the voices as well as many arias, duets, and choruses. It is a very long work, and is divided into many subsections.

Both of these works are very well known and are still played throughout the world today.


Handel

Melody and Style

Extensive melodies

Broad and majestic motives

Achieves expressiveness through simple means

Extensive quality of melody lends itself to amplification of massed ensemble


Bach


Intensive melodies

Dense Contrapuntal Textures

& Chromatic Harmonies

Melodies are more abstract

Larger forces would obscure the transparency of the contrapuntal process


Handel


Free-voiced choral polyphony

Flow of ideas more important than elaboration

Counterpoint was only a means to a dramatic end

Quickly changing textures between monophony, homophony and polyphony


Handel


Counterpoint reaches its greatest heights in the vocal medium

Even his keyboard fugues seem to call for text and seem to acquire their final impetuous in the vocal form

For this reason is why Handel was so successful in transferring his ides from instrumental to vocal

Handel’s main concern was the human voice

Handel surpasses Bach in the flexibility of his choral idiom


Handel

Instrumental Style

Handel shares Italian conservatism and never goes beyond Corelli as far as form is concerned

The simplicity of his instrumental melodies points towards innovations in the classical period

The medium of harpsichord influence his writings for the Organ


Bach

Instrumental

Bach is conservative in his adherence to polyphonic texture, but progress in his choice of modern forms such as the concerto form of Vivaldi

The idiom of Organ influenced Bach’s

Harpsichord writing


Bach

Psychological

Bach was an introvert

Bach assimilated the influences into his own personal style and arrive at a fusion of international styles in which the single elements are inseparable

Bach’s work centers around his cantatas written for local churches, and his passions, the monuments of his liturgical severity

Bach, unconcerned about worldly success, began and ended his career within the narrowness of the central part of Germany


Handel

Psychological

Handel was an extrovert

Handel assimilated national styles and they became second nature to him, and mastered each one equally well

Handel’s work centered around his Operas and Oratorios written for world-wide perspective for an international public

Handel always bent on success passed through the international centers of music


Prelude & Fugue in C Minor from

The Well-Tempered Clavier ,

Book I

(about 1722)

Means literally: The Well-Tuned

Keyboard Instrument

Bach explored with unprecedented thoroughness systems of tuning instruments that enabled a composer to write in all twenty-four keys, even keys with many sharps and flats. The collection is in two volumes (1722 and

1738-1742), each with twenty-four pairs of preludes – introductory pieces – fugues, one pair in every major and minor key.

Musical Examples: Bach



Brandenberg Concerto No. 5 in D

Major Second Movement

Affetuoso (affectionately, tenderly)

Mass in B minor

“Crucifixus & Et resurrexit”

Suite No. 3 in D Major (1729-1731)

Air

Bouree

Gique

Cantata 140: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme

(Awake, a Voice Is Calling Us)


Brandenberg Concerto No. 5 in D

Major Second Movement

Affetuoso (affectionately, tenderly)

Mass in B minor

“Crucifixus & Et resurrexit”

Suite No. 3 in D Major (1729-1731)

Air

Bouree

Gique

Cantata 140: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme

(Awake, a Voice Is Calling Us)


Messiah (1741)

Sinfonia

Arioso: Comfort Ye

Air: Every Valley

Choruses :

For unto Us a Child is Born

Hallelujah Chorus
