Giovanni Gabrieli
wrote O mangnum mysterium the men’s choir one. It’s awesome.
Monteverdi
wrote The coronation of Poppea, the weird lady one had arias in it and recitative
Purcell
wrote Dido and Aeneas the depressing one
Frescobaldi
wrote Suite (Canzona, Balletto, Corrente and Passacaglia)
J. S. Bach
wrote Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 and Art of Fugue
Handel
wrote the Messiah “Hallelujah Chorus” and “Ceaser”
Opera
drama presented in music, with the characters singing instead of speaking
Cantata
A composition in several movements for solo voices, instruments and perhaps also chorus. Depending on the text cantatas are categorized as secular or church cantatas
oratorio
Long semi-dramatic piece on a religious subject for soloists, chorus and orchestra
dance suite
groups of dances put together
trio sonata
A Baroque sonata for three main instruments plus the continuo chord instrument
concerto grosso
The main early Baroque type of concerto, for a group of solo instruments and a small orchestra
fugue
A composition written systematically in imitative polyphony, usually with a single main theme, the fugue subject
chorale prelude
An organ composition based on a chorale tune
ground bass
An ostinato( or A motive, phrase or theme repeated over and over again) in the bass
da capo aria
An aria in ABA form on in which that A section is sung da capo at the end
passacaglia
a set of variations on a short theme in the bass
binary dance form
A musical form having two different section A B that are repeated twice.
ritornello form
The orchestral material at the beginning of a concerto grosso, etc which always returns later in the piece; ritornello form focuses on the contrast between two musical ideas
Venice
City of art and colorful music
St. Mark’s Cathedral
Where O magnum mysterium was written. The Gabrielis’ used these acoustics to astound their audiences
baroque absolutism
the kings had the divine right to be on the throne. What they did was acceptable because they were chosen by God.
Versailles
home of King Louis XIV who was a great advocate for music.
basso continuo
the bass line that is usually played by an organ, harpsichord or other chord instrument
figured bass
A system of notating the continuo chords in baroque music, by means of figures; sometimes also used to mean continuo
functional harmony
From the baroque period on the system whereby all chords have a specific interrelation and function in relation to the tonic
recitative
A half singing half-reciting style of presenting words in opera, cantata, oratorio, etc following speech accents and speech rhythms closely. Secco recitative is accompanied only by continuo accompanied recitative is accompanied by orchestra
aria
A vocal number for solo singer and orchestra generally in an opera, cantata, or oratorio
libretto
the complete book of words for an opera, oratorio, cantata, etc
minuet
A popular 17th and 18th century dance in moderate triple meter; also a movement in a sonata, symphony, etc, based on this dance
gavotte
A baroque dance in duple meter
bourree
a baroque dance in fast duple meter
ritornello
The orchestral material at the beginning of a concerto grosso, etc which always returns later in the peice
episode
In a fugue, a passage that does not contain any complete appearances of the fugue subject.
Subject
the term for the principal theme of a fugue
Countersubject
In a fugue, a subsidiary melodic line that appears regularly in counterpoint with the subject.
chorale tunes
the melody of a baroque hymn
St. Thomas’s Church in Leipzig
the church in which Bach was the cantor or music director.
Semichoirs
sections of the voices in the choir singing a different portion of the peice
Florentine Camerata
group of humanists, musicians, poets and intellectuals in late Renaissance Florence who gathered under the patronage of Count Giovanni de’ Bardi
Monody
music for one melodic voice with accompaniment, characteristic of the early 17th century, especially in Italy
fugal exposition
the development section of the fuge