Baroque Music History

Caririssimi called his oratorios “concertato motets”

Florentine Camerata invented it – monody style (“Daphne” or “Orfeo”

mythical stories set to music, love stories, historical, staged

sung throughout with instrumental interludes called “sinfonias”

Secular subject (except Bach’s were religious)

tells a story in strophic form

early: use poetry or story
for solo voice and basso continuo, short (3-10 min) and not heavily ornamented

after 1700, later:
pattern is recit-aria (alternating)
through composed, no clear sections

Caccini and Monteverdi (“Orfeo” is an example
c. 1600 -opposite of Renaissance polyphony

met in home of Count Bardi

Galileo’s father was a lute player and a member

started opera

A. Scarlatti invented and put them in cantatas and operas

tutti sandwiching an ensemble of soloists

alternating sections (ritornello) by orchestra and solo group.

Bach’s Brandenberg Concertos Corelli Christmas Concerto Form:

-ORCHESTRA –

-SOLO GROUP-

– ORCHESTRA-

– SOLO GROUP-

– ORCHESTRA-

(can have as many sections as composer wants but must start and end with orchestra Orchestra: ritornellos (same thing each time, though sometimes slightly different…more about motives than a large theme)

Crab: two players, one reads from each end and play in opposite directions

Vivaldi influenced Telemann and Bach & his sons in terms of concerto genre which later influenced concertos of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven.

early Baroque

literally “to search out”

serve a preludial function to search out a key or motif

usually in binary form: ABAB

first referred to instrumental music as opposed to the word “cantata”

trio sonata is 2 violins and basso continuo

slow-fast-slow-fast

“suite de dances” ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment Froberger founder of suite form: four DANCE movements, usually: Allemande

Courante

Sarabande

Gigue

Well tempered-all keys can be used but some are more in tune than others

Even tempered- what we use modernly

1660-1725
ROME

spent time in Spain

wrote 600 cantatas
most involve one amateur singer as soloist

wrote 100 operas

good harpsichord player-but not as good as nephew Dominico…

credited with invented Da Capo Aria

polyphonic

a capella

small groups (4-8 voices)

rigid dissonance rules

text not as important, harder to understand

text most important

MONODY

doctrine of affections-idea of the music serving an assigned emotion

Caccini’s Nuove Musiche-outlined Florentine Camerata’s ideals for the segunda prattica, and the music they thought was performed by the ancient Greeks

Paris, France

worked for Louis XIV

directed 24 Violins of the King

originally for Italy…the most French Italian man ever. Changed name from Lulli to Lully when in 1661 he became a French citizen

Dancer, violinist, played guitar

collaborated with Moliere, they did “comic ballet”

Was given royal privilege for opera, but bought out the one for theater. In charge of all productions until his death.

Kept time by pounding stick on the ground—hit his foot and got gangrene causing his death.

Wrote an opera year for 10 yrs.

Works:
Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, comic opera
Armide
Phaeton

defined the French style first

daughter of a poet and a courtesan (love child)

father took her with him to his Accademia where she performed her music

published 9 volumes of music in Venice using text from the poets at the Accademia

her writings are for solo singer and basso continuo

1685-1759

born Halle, Germany, lived in London

Italian style

Bach

(basics)

1685-1750 WEIMAR 1708-1717

(keyboard music) COTHEN 1717-1723

(instrumental music) LEIPZIG 1723-1750

(vocal music) from a family of musicians educated in church schools- studying Latin, religion, and practical music Lutheran! walks to Lubeck to hear Buxteheude and stays for 3-6 months known as an amazing SIGHTREADER and KEYBOARD PLAYER, even as a teenager good at IMPROVISING!

WEIMAR: THE KEYBOARD PERIOD
(1708-1717)
job: ORGANIST
wrote lots of organ music and and studies lots of Vivaldi. Lots of keyboard transcriptions for harpsichord and orchestra. (Lots of keyboard concerti.) Also studied Corelli and made it into FUGUE subjects.
Unhappy, jailed for breach of contact, left

COTHEN: THE INSTRUMENTAL PERIOD (1717-1723)
job: music director
Notebooks for Wilhelm Freidman, Anna Magdalena, Well-Tempered Clavier, Cello Suites, and Brandenburg Concertos written during this time.
1720-wife dies and is buried while on tour
1721-Marries Anna Magdalena

1723-Prince’s new wife not a music fan, Bach gets bored and goes to Leipzig.

Prince of Cothen’s funeral

100 Cantatas

only ENGLISH composer that was native!

early Baroque

did both Italian and French styles but in the English language

Dido and Aenas

SEGUNDA PRATTICA style

PARIS, FRANCE

late Baroque

historical pastoral dramas

organist, harpsichordist, SECULAR MUSIC first, then SACRED MUSIC later

Wrote the “Treatise on Harmony” which sets out the ideas of major and minor keys, tonic and dominant, chord inversions, and basically what we now call music theory.

He was friends with La Pouplinier (The Sultan) who had a fancy house and hired Rameau and other musicians, poets, artists and wierdos to come party at his house called “The Menagerie.” He was the early patron of RAMEAU!

EARLY (1583-1643)

Italian KEYBOARD composer

born in Ferrara

worked as an organist at St. Peter’s in ROME

Wrote ricercars and fantasias.

1637-1707
Lubeck, GERMANY

had to marry predecessor’s daughter to get the job and IMPROVISE at the organ
(Handel and Bach passed on the job after meeting the daughter)

until the 1800s keyboard player’s job was to improvise, he was good at it

started “ABENDMUSIK” concert series! Bach went to see one and didn’t go home for 3-6 months. They were Sunday nights at Sunset – similar to Vespers but NOT a church service – attend like a public concert – new thing- music based on chorale tunes -touristy

Telemann and Bach later took these on.

wrote: “Pieces de Clavecin” – 4 books AND “ordres” (suite) dance movements

FRENCH but wrote in the ITALIAN style

published Italian trio sonatas under a pseudonym

royal privilidge to “self-publish” (usually hand written)
later “engraved” after he became famous

appointed organist to the King, bought into the lower levels of nobility, had a coat of arms

BRAHMS did a complete edition of Couperin.

Rickard Strauss, Debussy & Ravel – influenced by Couperin

POLISH

reintroduced the harpsichord…but a bad version of it! HAD A SUSTAIN PEDAL!

1644-1704

SALTZBURG, GER

worked for the Archbishop of Saltzburg

Pieces: Mystery Sonatas and Harmonie

Genres: Masses Requiums Motets
first to write solos for violin…

invented the 6th and 7th positions on the violin

employed multiple stops in polyphonic passages

1594-1663
Place:Italy (Brescia/Venice) with time in Brussels and Dusseldorf

Major work:sinfonias La Ponte and La Gardana, and the sonata La Orlandina, all for one violin with continuo

c.1590-c.1658

Venice (worked & published)

St. Mark’s: worked under under Monteverdi

Pieces: SONATE CONCERTATO IN STILE MODERNO

tranformed canzona to sonata

1653-1713

born Italy, first success in Paris, then he went to Germany, then to Rome

worked for Electoral Prince of Bavaria

MOSTLY: ROME, Italy

genres: sonatas, trio sonatas, concerti grossi, and composes almost solely for violin

1678-1741
Place: Venice -St. Marks
“red priest”
was a priest

Major works: Four Seasons, Armida, lots of masses, Requiem

laid foundations of the modern concerto
famous for: violin technique and orchestration

In the Baroque period, Giovanni Gabrielli was the first to use the word to title a piece, originally just meant instrumental music as opposed to sung.

Trio sonata is for two violins and basso continuo.

Sonata da chiesa is for the church, and sonata da camera is for the chamber or home.

polyphony – treble dominant

multisection works – multi-mvt works

simple melody – constant melodic material to be ornamented

church vs chamber – all the same

more specific instruments, idiomatic, more specific instructions in print

violin dominates and becomes a solo instrument

more keyboard sonatas

Bach-wrote in all 3 genres, never left Germany, counterpoint, no opera (a teacher)

Handel-born in Germany, lived in Italy, then worked in England, wrote vocal, instrumental and keyboard works.  Vivaldi-lived in Italy, was a priest, wrote for every genre, worked in St. Mark’s, theatre, sold concerti grossi, and worked in the ospedale (a teacher) Telemann-lived mostly in Germany, published his own works, wrote extensively (lots of cantatas) and instrumental music, but not much keyboard music. Started public music concerts and supported himself with his music.