Blow A Trumpet in the New Moon by Giovanni Gabrieli
This is a polychoral motet from the Early Baroque Period. In this piece, four choirs sing: one choir with four singers and an organ, and three choirs that combine a single singer with a group of instruments. The four groups follow each other and come together on the word Alleluia.
Far From Your Light by Jacopo Peri
This is a monody from the Early Baroque Period that is sung by a solo soprano voice. The instruments playing in the background are a harp and archlute. It has very simple accompaniment so the listener can apprehend the misery in the song. It is very ‘smooth’ and flowing. Keyword: O Funesti
I Want To Die by Barbara Strozzi – come back to this one: pg. 109-112 & Listening Exercise 16.
This is a monody from the Early Baroque Period. It employs basso continuo and doesn’t sound very pretty. It has a distinct walking bass in the background behind the solo singer.
Beatus Vir by Claudio Monteverdi
This is a song written in concertato style from the Early Baroque Period. It has a walking bass accompaniment and a distinctive refrain throughout the beginning/very end of the song. The middle portion of the song is distinctive because it is set in triple meter, compared to the duple meter of the rest of the piece, over ostinato basses.
Amarilli mia bella by Giulio Caccini
This is a monody from the Baroque Period. In this piece, one male voice sings over a basso continuo accompaniment. In this case, it is the lute. The singer adds short groups of notes, embellishments or ornaments, at various places, especially before cadences.
O quam tu pulchra es by Alessandro Grandi
A sacred monody from the (Early) Baroque Period that is sung by a male in a slow tempo that alternates with fast sections. It has lyrics that sound more like a secular love poem. It really talks about the love between God and the Church.
Toccata from Orfeo By Claudio Monteverdi
This is a instrumental overture or curtain raiser from the early Baroque Period. It has a prominent melody on top and a sturdy bass supporting the melody from below.
At the Bitter News/Thou Art Dead from Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi
This is a piece from the Early Baroque period that starts with a recitative then goes into an aria. It uses the technique where the singer jumps to a dissonant note, and then the basso continuo accompaniment seems to catch up to supply a new supporting harmony that is consonant to the singer’s note.
Powerful Spirit from Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi
This is a slow moving aria from the Early Baroque period. The singer employs several trillos throughout the piece.
When I Was Laid in Earth from Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell.
This is an aria from the Late Baroque Period that was written about 80 years after Orfeo. It is a lament that initially you thought was weird because it sounds like an oddly feminine man, but it’s really a woman.
Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel
This Baroque song has an ostinato bass like that repeats throughout the entire song.
Trio Sonata in C Major by Arcangelo Corelli – Largo
This is a Baroque piece that has two solo violins with basso continuo in the background. This is a relatively slow moving piece. Distinctive Walking bass.
Trio Sonata in C Major by Arcangelo Corelli – Movement 2 – Corrente Allegro
This is a Baroque period that has two solo violins paired with basso continuo. This is a fast moving piece. The harpsichord in the background has many notes that almost imitate the violins.
Trio Sonata in C Major by Arcangelo Corelli – Movement Three: Adagio
This is a Baroque piece that features two violins with basso continuo in the background. It has a very steady base note that drives the piece forward. It is a very slow piece that sounds like a lament.
Trio Sonata in C Major by Arcangelo Corelli – Movement Four: Allemanda. Presto
This is a Baroque instrumental piece that features two solo violins with basso continuo. It is a fast moving piece. The violin has little interjections that sound inquisitive. The basso continuo moves very fast, but does not have a very melodic line.
Concerto in E Major, “The Spring” – First Movement by Antonio Vivaldi
This is a Baroque instrumental piece that is a violin concerto. The composer wrote a poem before writing the music for the song. The music has many features that make it match its text. It has a ritornello form! AABB
Who was the first major composer of Sonatas?
Arcangelo Corelli
Fugue in G minor by Johann Sebastian Bach
This is a piece from the Late Baroque Period that is written for four voices in a specific tone. It uses the organ so it sounds very distinct. The piece conveys a sense of gathering momentum.
Brandenburg Concerto #5 First Movement by Johann Sebastian Bach
This is a concerto grosso from the Late Baroque Period that starts with a tutti and has a concertino made up of a violin, flute, and harpsichord. The harpsichord gets more importance throughout the piece until at the end, it initially plays scales that race up and down the keyboard, and then has its own cadenza. It goes very fast and it has a driving beat that keeps moving it forward.
Awake, A Voice is Calling Movement One by Johann Sebastian Bach
This is a church cantata from the Late Baroque Period that is built upon a chorale (a spiritual melody or religious folksong, aka a hymn). This piece has a driving beat. The voice blend together to sound very heavenly, and the song itself conveys a sense of urgency, especially when the voices blend together. The phrases where there’s text from the chorale – there is also a horn. At certain points the voices move together and sing many notes quickly.
Awake, A Voice is Calling – Movement Four by Johann Sebastian Bach
The violins and violas play in unison to make a beautiful melody. Beneath it is walking bass, and tenors sing above them. Fun Fact: this is the only cantata movement Bach published.
Awake, A Voice is Calling – Movement Seven by Johann Sebastian Bach
A simple four-voice homophonic cantata from the Late Baroque Period. All four voices move together and support each other well. The instruments of the orchestra have no line of their own!
Water Music (Minuet and Trio) by George Frideric Handel
This is a dance suite from the Late Baroque Period that starts off with distinct trumpets. There is one tune that is played over and over again. In the middle, it is very slow with a flowing string and continuo part.Then goes back into the trumpets. It is in triple meter. It takes the form of ABABCDAB
Messiah, He Shall Feed His Flock, by George Frideric Handel
This is a pastoral aria that is part of an oratorio from the Late Baroque Period. The tune glides along mainly in stepwise motion. A woman soprano sings the entire song. It is a very slow song – each slow beat has three eighth notes.
Messiah, Hallelujah, by George Frideric Handel
This is a Oratorio chorus from the Late Baroque Period. They say Hallelujah many times. The song sounds triumphant with some slow parts. You sang this song in high school choir. Key phrases: For the Lord God omnipotent.
If You Want to Dance, The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
This is an aria from the Classical Period. Light and homophonic texture with a deeep voiced male singing. As it moves along, it becomes more anxious. ABCDA. It is a prime example of the classical style.
A Little Night Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart *** come back to this one
This is a serenade from the Classical Period that employs minuet form. AABABA CCDCDC ABA.
Horn Concerto, K. 495, Third Movement by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
This is a rondo from the Classical Period that is specific to one instrument which is good at playing repeated notes, triads spun out as arpeggios.
Opus 76 No. 3, “The Emperor” by Franz Joseph Haydn
This is a string quartet. Slow. All instruments are equal. Melodic profile of each line is more or less the same. Very droning on string music that doesn’t have other support.
Piano Concerto in A Major, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
This is a solo concerto from the Classical Period that is in a sonata-allegro form. However, it’s in the double exposition form, where the orchestra plays one exposition and the soloist then plays another.Piano and orchestra engage in a spirited give-and-take of thematic material.
Notte E Giorno Faticar, Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
An Aria from the Classical Period from an opera. In the beginning violin and man’s voice resemble pacing. The piece conveys a lot of anxiety. It starts off with an aria, then becomes an ensemble (trio) with three voices singing at once. The woman has a very high pitched shrill voice. It is more spoken than other pieces. You can hear sound effects on top of violin.
La ci darem la mano from Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
This is a duet aria from the Classical Period. Slow lyrical singing almost sounds like a lament. Guys voice sings, then the woman. Then they sing together at movement. It has the form ABA`B`C. Sounds like triple meter. The background instrumental seems to float.
A Little Night Music – First movement by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
This is a serenade in sonata-allegro form. This is studied even further in class. Chicken clucking etc.
A Little Night Music – Third Movement by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
This is a serenade in minuet and trio form. Goes up, back down, then ends in a trillo in the beginning part. Middle is a flow of strings that winds in a circle. Ends with the same bum-bum-bum-bum-BUM, dananana,dananana. This one has a SOLO violin that starts out the melody – NOT MANY INSTRUMENTS.
Surprise Symphony No. 94 in G – Third Movement – by Franz Joseph Haydn