Chapters 5, 6

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Chapters 5, 6
McGraw-Hill website help and study guide on OPERA
2
Opera Overview

• Beginnings
• Late 16th C Italy
• Cameratas ideas for opera fr/ Greek tragedies
• v/ popular v/ quickly
• Aristocracyimmediately
• Genl popby mid-17C

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Opera Overview
RememberBaroque culture likes to combineideas,
elements, etc. So
Music vocal instrumental dance

• Opera!

4
Opera Music

• Text is VIMP it tells the story. Th/f,
• Homophony is IN
• Polyphony is OUT

5
Opera Music

• 4 Main types of opera music

• Aria
• MELODY MIMP
• Plot stops
• Reflects on state of events or singers emotions
• Orchestra accomp
• Complete piece of music

• Recitative
• TEXT MIMP
• Plot moves forward
• Tells story
• Basso continuo accomp
• Usually transitions to an aria or ensemble

• Ensemble
• 2-4 main characters sing
• often portrays contrasting moods simultaneously

• Overture
• orchestra
• should set mood
• often includes operas melodies

6
Monteverdi

• Music must portray intense emotions.
• Orchestral effects intensify mood.

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Chapters 7, 8

• Monteverdi, LOrfeo
• Purcell, Dido and Aeneas

McGraw-Hill website help and study guide on OPERA
8
Log

• Monteverdi
• Tu sé morta from LOrfeo
• operatic recitative
• I
• basso continuo accomp
• text expression of mournful mood
• word painting
• dark tone color
• slow tempo

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Purcell

• MIMP 17th C English composer
• Dido and Aeneas only opera

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Didos Lament study guide

• Study resources
• PowerPoint slides
• Kamien ChartPlayer
• Kamien listening guide (p. 121) in text

McGraw-Hill website help and study guide on OPERA
Study guideon next4 slides
11
Didos Lament study guide

• 1. Didos Lament opens with a recitative.
• It uses just two instruments. What are they?
• Keyboard _____________
• Bass ___________
• The term used for this accompaniment
  ___________.
• 2. The aria opens with and features a ground
  bass.
• What is a ground bass? (see chapter and/or
  glossary)
• You are responsible to hear and recognize the
  ground bass.
• 3. Explain how the ground bass unifies the aria.

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Didos Lament study guide

• 4. Text expression 17thC listeners associated
  certain melodies or melodic patterns with
  specific emotions or moods. Two commonly used
  patterns express the text of Didos Lament
• A chromatically descending melody portrays grief
  or sorrow (and Baroque era listeners understood
  that). It happens that Didos ground bass IS a
  chromatically descending melody. Th/f its 11
  repetitions powerfully express the sorrowful
  text.
• The sighing gesture, a pattern of 2 or 3 tones
  that descend by step, portray sadness or a
  dejected spirit. The gesture, which sounds like
  a hopeless sigh, is everywhere in Didoin both
  the singers line and orchestra accomp.

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Didos Lament study guide

• Using Kamiens ChartPlayer
• Here are 2 examples of the sighing gesture
• 0114?0117 voice
• 0150?0155 violins
• The strings play the sighing gesture many times.
• Cite 1 example between 0241 and 0259. 02??
  ? 02??
• What is the singers text during this excerpt?
• Cite 2 examples between 0400 and the pieces
  end. 04?? ? 04??
• 04?? ? 04??

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Log

• Purcell
• Didos Lament from Dido and Aeneas
• operatic aria (w/ recitative opening)
• I
• orchestra accomp
• ground bass unifies
• text expression of mournful mood
• slow tempo
• minor key
• descending chromatic bass line
• sighing gesture

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