lecture notes

MUSIC HISTORY & LIT I: CHAPTER 15

Chamber & Church Music of the Early Baroque Era (Italy)

Italian Vocal Chamber Music ■ Opera was king in Venice, however, everywhere else it was still a huge

event

■ Elsewhere secular music was performed in smaller ensembles, and usually still a private event

■ Genres, forms, composition techniques – all were fluid and rapidly changing all the time

■ From Baroque Italy, we received concertato, basso ostinato, and the cantata – 3 elements that affected future/current music

Concertato Style ■ Groups of voices/instruments share a melody over basso continuo

■ Included madrigals, canzonettas, arias, and recitatives

■ Concerted madrigal was developed (secular) – Developed from an unaccompanied polyphonic song to a piece

with instrumental accompaniment and basso continuo

■ Sacred concertos – Used the dramatic Baroque style to convey the message of the

church – Large scale sacred concerto: major feast days, holidays – Small sacred concerto: smaller churches/less musicians, non-

holidays

Basso Ostinato

■ Not to be confused with basso continuo/figured bass

■ Also called ground bass

■ Pattern in the bass line that repeats while the melody above changes

■ Intervallic pattern, descending tetrachord, rhythmic (chacona)

Descending Tetrachord Basso Ostinato

Chacona Bass

Cantata

■ Meaning a piece to "be sung"

■ Secular composition with continuo

■ Several sections with multiple styles – a suite or multi movement choral feature

Some more sacred forms... ■ Oratorio

– Dramatic sacred work that was a combination of narrative, dialogue, commentary, recitative, arias, and instrumental works

– Was not staged, action was described rather than acted out

■ Historia – Lutheran genre – Musical setting of a biblical narrative

■ Passion – A historia based on the crucifixion of Jesus

Instrumental Music

■ Instrumental music is growing exponentially in many ways

■ Categories: – Performing sources: solo, chamber, etc. – Venue: private, public, church, social function, etc. – Nationality: each culture has different stylistic elements – Types of pieces...

Types of Instrumental Works

Characteristic Genre

Keyboard or lute improv style Toccata, fantasia, prelude

Fugal pieces in continuous imitative counterpoint

Ricercare, fantasia, fancy, capriccio, fugue

Pieces with contrasting sections Canzona, sonata

Settings of existing melodies Organ verse, chorale prelude

Pieces that vary a melody or bass line Variations, partita, chorale, chaconne, passacaglia

Dances Some metioned above – idea of a suite

Group Work: Composers of the Early Baroque ■ Barbara Strozzi

■ Heinrich Schutz

■ Girolamo Frescobaldi

New Baroque Ideas

■ Different styles were appropriate for different purposes

■ Vocal and instrumental music began separate traditions