Music 150

1
Music 150

• Baroque Music

2
General Background

• Dramatic Contrast Rise of Instrumental Music
• Baroque counterpoint (Bach)
• Reformation Music

3
Uses of Baroque Music

• Church Music
• Other Religious Songs
• Secular Songs (love, politics)
• Instrumental Dances
• Courtly Entertainment

4
Baroque Music Traits

• Polyphonic, complex
• Basso Continuo
• Move towards Tonality
• Instruments rival voices

5
Baroque Opera Composers
Claudio MONTEVERDI
- Orfeo (1607) Henry PURCELL -
Dido and Aeneas (1689)
6
Basic Instrumental Terms

• CONCERTOby the later 1700s, a multi-movement
  instrumental work for soloist(s) and orchestra
• SONATAin the Baroque, the most common type of
  sonatas were ensemble sonatas for 1 to 4 solo
  instruments with basso continuo accompaniment

7
The Baroque Concerto

• SOLO CONCERTO - 1 soloist vs. orchestra
• CONCERTO GROSSO- a SMALL GROUP of soloists vs.
  Orchestra

tutti
concertino
ripieni
8
A. CORELLI (1653-1713)

• Violinist worked in Bologna and Rome
• Most Important Works4 highly-influential sets
  of trio sonatas, plus a set of concerto
  grossos
• Trio Sonata, Op. 3 No. 2S-F-S-F multi-sectional
  designmvts 3 4 imitative clearer tonality

9
Antonio VIVALDI (1678-1741)

• Virtuoso violinist
• Ordained priest
• Taught violin at a girls orphanage in Venice
• Wrote over 800 concertos (500 for solo violin
  orch)
• Majority of his works were unknown until the
  1920s
• The Four Seasons (c. 1725)

10
Antonio VIVALDI (1678-1741)

• Wrote over 800 concertos (500 for solo violin
  orch)
• Also wrote 100 operas
• Majority of his works were unknown until the
  1920s(stored in a church archive)

11
J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
Three Style Phases of His Career

• Weimar (1708-17) Church organist
• Cöthen (1717-23) Worked for a Prince
• Leipzig (1723-50) Cantor of St. Thomas

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J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
WEIMAR (1708-17) organist in Dukes chapel

• Toccatas, Preludes, Fugues, Chorale Variations
• Influenced by Buxtehude and Italian style of
  Vivaldi/Corelli
• Examples-Little Fugue in G minor- Toccata
  and Fugue in D minor (BWV 565)-Prelude and Fugue
  in A mi (BWV 543--NAWM 81)-Orgelbüchlein (Durch
  Adams Fall--NAWM 82)

13
J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
CÖTHEN (1717-23) for Prince of Anhalt-Cöthen

• Suites, Concertos, Clavier music, Sonatas
• Primarily Secular Music headed a Collegium
• Examples- 6 Brandenburg Concertos-
  Well-Tempered Clavier (vol. 1)- French Suites

14
J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
Brandenburg Concertos (1721)
Each concerto calls for a different group of
instruments No. 1 in F Concerto Grosso
(solo group 2 horns, oboe, violin piccolo)
(orch 2 oboes, bassoon, strings, continuo)
No. 2 in F Concerto Grosso (solo group trumpet,
recorder, oboe, violin) (orch strings,
continuo) No. 3 in G "Ensemble Concerto"/no
soloists (orch 3 violins, 3 violas, 3 cellos,
continuo) No. 4 in G Concerto Grosso (solo
group violin, 2 recorders) (orch strings,
continuo) No. 5 in D Concerto Grosso (solo
group flute, violin, harpsichord) (orch
strings, continuo) No. 6 in F "Ensemble
Concerto"/no soloists (orch 2 violas, 2 viola
da gamba, cello, continuo)NO VIOLINS!
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J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
LEIPZIG (1723-50) Cantor of St. Thomas Church

• Cantatas, Major Pedagogical WorksAt this time,
  three of his sons had more prestigious positions
  than J.S.
• Examples- Musical Offering (for Frederick the
  Great)- Art of the Fugue- Well-Tempered
  Clavier, Book 2- Cantata No. 80--(Luther/Reformat
  ion Sunday) - Cantata No. 140--NAWM 83 - Mass
  in B minor--NAWM 84

16
G. F. HANDEL (1685-1759)
Three Style Aspects of His Career

• Germany (1685-) Halle Hamburg
• Middle (1717-23) Italy
• Later (1723-50) London

17
G. F. HANDEL (1685-1759)LATER Part 1
HANOVER (1710)

• appointed Kapellmeister by the Elector
• sent to London to apprentice (also travelled home
  to Halle in 1712)

LONDON (1710-11 finally settled there in 1713)

• Operas Rinaldo (1711) several other very
  successful Italian operas written/performed there
• 1713 Introduced to Church of England commission
  from Queen Anne of England
• Overstayed his leave in London--angered Elector

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G. F. HANDEL (1685-1759)LATER (London,
continued)
LONDON

• 1714 Queen Anne dies German Elector becomes
  King Georg I and moves to London
• Reconciled to angry King by writingWater Music
  (1714), performed on barges on River Thames
• 1718-19 King attempted to establish Italian
  opera in London through the Royal Academy--Handel
  appointed opera director, sought best singers
  from Italy and Germany.
• 1719 Handel appt. Orchestra maestro of Academy

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G. F. HANDEL (1685-1759) LATER (London,
continued)
OPERAS

• (1720-41) Wrote over 30 Italian operas for the
  Kings Theatre Covent Garden
• Giulio Cesare (1724-5 NAWM 85)
• Serse (1738 Largo)
• 1729--Academy stopped producing operas
• Handel took over the company which soon
  bankrupted when Porporos Pre-Classic opera (and
  the castrato Farinelli hit England (via the rival
  company The Opera of the Nobility)

20
G. F. HANDEL (1685-1759)LATER (London,
continued)
ORATORIOS

• (1738-57) Wrote 26 ENGLISH Oratorios mostly for
  the Kings Theatre, Covent Garden
• Messiah (Christmas, 1741-Dublin)
• Jephtha (1752 NAWM 86--his last oratorio)

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G. F. HANDEL (1685-1759)LATER (London,
continued)
LATER INSTRUMENTAL WORKS

• 12 Grand Concertos, Op. 6 (1739)
• Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749)--------

IN ALL, 23 pages of individual compositions
listed in New Grove

• VOCAL Operas oratorios odes Latin motets,
  English anthems, secular cantatas, duets/trios
  with continuo, English songs (also Italian ,
  French German songs)
• INSTRUMENTAL Concertos grossos solo concertos
  for organ, harp, harpsichord Suites Overtures
  Wind Ensemble Music Trio Sonatas Solo Sonatas
  Keyboard Suites