View
225
Download
1
Category
Preview:
Citation preview
BAROQUE WEEKLesson 1 – An Introduction
IN TODAY’S LESSON…
Learn about the Baroque era of music
Discover one of the most famous Baroque composers
Listen to some music from the Baroque period
THE BAROQUE ERA… Refers to a period in time from 1600-1750
More elaborate playing styles and ornamentation, greater choice of instruments
Developments in notation
Vocal forms Opera, Mass, Oratorio and Concerto were established – we will discuss these later in the week
THE BAROQUE ERA…
Can we name any Baroque composers?
J.S. BACH (1685-1750) German composer, regarded as one of the most famous and influential composers of all time
During his lifetime he was widely know as an organist, rather than a composer
Wrote a variety of music; including keyboard music, chamber music, orchestral music and large-scale works such as opera
ACTIVITY 1Passacaglia and Fugue in Cm: J.S. Bach
Passacaglia: Variations over a ground bass.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie52xH8V2L4
Task: Listen to an excerpt from the piece and write down as many musical concepts as you can hear. If it makes it easier, you
can group them under the headings: • Style
• Melody/Harmony• Rhythm/Tempo
• Texture/Structure/Form• Timbre/dynamics
Passacaglia Ground Bass
Repetition Organ
Any others?
ACTIVITY 2Canon in D: Pachelbel - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcJuZIUeBME
Task: Listen to an excerpt from the piece and follow the score above - write down as many musical concepts as you can
see/hear.
ACTIVITY 2Pachelbel’s Canon is a combination of the
forms canon and ground bass. The 3 violins play a canon and the bass part (basso continuo) plays a ground bass.
Also: Repetition Imitation
Ornament Trill
Counter Melody
BAROQUE CONCEPTS – LESSON 1Round – where parts enter one after another, playing the exact same melody. Like singing “London’s Burning”!
Organ – keyboard instrument usually found in churches. Usually has more than one keyboard.
Ornament – short, extra notes added to decorate a melody.
Repetition – a musical idea heard more than once.
Imitation – melody is immediately copied in another part.
Canon – strict imitation. Parts enter after each other playing the exact melody (see Round)
Trill – fast, repeated movement between two adjacent/neighbour notes.
Counter Melody – a second, complimentary melody played at the same time as the main melody.
Ground Bass – a repeated bass line, while parts above vary.
Basso Continuo – Baroque bass line, played by cello/bass/bassoon/harpsichord/organ
Passacaglia – variations over a ground bass.
BAROQUE WEEKLesson 2 – The Concerto
IN TODAY’S LESSON…
Learn about the solo concerto in the Baroque era
Look at the use of ornamentation in Baroque music
Learn to recognise different textures in music from the Baroque era
BUT FIRST…LET’S RECAP!1. What is the period of time that is
referred to as the Baroque era?
2. Name a famous Baroque composer.
3. What are some characteristics of music from the Baroque period?
4. Complete the sentence: “A _____ is where parts enter immediately after each other playing exactly
the same melody.”
5. Complete the sentence: “The name given to the bass line in Baroque music, often played by the cello, bass, bassoon or harpsichord/organ, is
known as the _____ _________.”
6. What is a Passacaglia?
THE BAROQUE CONCERTO There are two types of concerti in the Baroque
period – the solo concerto and the concerto grosso.
Concerto is the name given to a work for a solo instrument accompanied by a larger group, usually an orchestra.
In the Baroque, a concerto would usually have 3 sections, or ‘movements’ – fast, slow, fast.
We will discuss concerto grosso later in the week.
THE BAROQUE CONCERTO Solo instrument would play an
embellished melodic line, adding ornaments for decoration…
Trill: fast, repeated movement between two adjacent/neighbour notes.
Acciaccatura: a ‘crushed’ note – a very short note played just before, or on, the
beat.Mordent: an ornament where the main note is sounded, then the note above,
then the main note again.What do you think an inverted mordent
could be?
“THE FOUR SEASONS” VIVALDI“SPRING” MVT.1
Listen to this movement from a violin concerto, by the famous Baroque composer Vivaldi. Listen out
for the ornaments in the solo violin part… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRxofEmo3HA
There is a lot of repetition and imitation in this piece, how does Vivaldi create interest
in the music?
What ornaments do you hear?
• Contrast in dynamics, timbre and addition of ornaments
• Trills and mordents can be heard
TEXTURES‘Texture’ in music refers to the way the rhythms in different parts interact and intertwine with each
other.
Look at this example from “Spring” below – see how the accompanying parts move all at the
same time…
This is known as homophonic movement – when all the parts move together rhythmically, they ‘sound
together’.
1min 58secs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRxofEmo3HA
TEXTURESWatch the first movement of J.S. Bach’s Double Violin Concerto – listen to how the violins’ rhythms weave
around each other at different times…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJh6i-t_I1Q
This is called polyphonic movement – when the parts weave in and out independently of each other, literally
‘different sounds or voices’. Also referred to as contrapuntal.
LISTEN AGAIN…Listen carefully to the end of this first
movement again, what do you notice about the last chord of the piece? Does it differ at all to
what you were expecting?
Tierce de Picardie: the final chord of a piece in a minor key is changed to major, e.g. the
first movement in A minor ends in an A major chord.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJh6i-t_I1Q
Mvt. 1 ends at 4:19
BAROQUE CONCEPTS – LESSON 2Concerto – a work for solo instrument accompanied by orchestra.Homophonic – when parts move rhythmically at the same time.Polyphonic – when parts move rhythmically at different times, independently from each other.Contrapuntal – Texture in which each of two or more parts has independent melodic interest, similar meaning to polyphonic.Tierce de Picardie – when a piece in a minor key ends in a major chord.Acciaccatura – an ornament where a short, ‘crushed’ note is added before the main note either before, or on, the beat.Mordent – an ornament where the main note is sounded, then the note above, then the main note again.
BAROQUE WEEKLesson 3 – The Concerto Grosso
IN TODAY’S LESSON…
Learn about the concerto grosso form from the Baroque era
Listen to excerpts from one of J.S. Bach’s famous Brandenburg Concertos
BUT FIRST…LET’S RECAP!1. What is the name for a piece for a
solo instrument, accompanied by orchestra?
2. What is a Tierce de Picardie?
3. The series of violin concertos called “The Four Seasons” were written by
which Baroque composer?
4. What is the name of this ornament? What does it mean?
5. What is the name of this ornament? What does it mean?
6. What is the difference between homophonic and polyphonic?
Ripieno
Concertino
CONCERTO GROSSOIn a concerto grosso, there is a group of soloists
rather than just one. This group of soloists are called the concertino and group that accompany
are called the ripieno.
BRANDENBURG CONCERTO NO.2J.S. BACH - HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=HARANLW9ESG
The concertino and ripieno are often used in a ‘question and answer’ style and frequently contrast with each other.
The main theme, usually announced and played by the ripieno, is known as the ritornello. This is frequently repeated at points during the piece.
Listen out for the basso continuo – it continues for the whole piece, even throughout the solo concertino sections. What instruments could be playing the basso continuo?
CONCERTO GROSSO OP.6 NO.1HANDEL Listen to this movement from a
Concerto Grosso by Handel – movement begins at 1:50 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAvFbMCpGDo
Listen out for the clear contrast in textures from the concertino and ripieno groupsListen out for the repetition and use of
sequences – when a melodic phrase is immediately repeated at a higher or lower
pitch.
Sequence: A melodic phrase which is immediately repeated at a higher or lower pitch.
Concerto Grosso: A type of Baroque concerto in which a group of soloists (Concertino) is combined and contrasted with a larger group of (Ripieno).
Concertino: The name given to the small group of soloists, as opposed to the accompanying group (Ripieno).
Ripieno: The main group of instrumentalists, that accompany the soloists (Concertino).
Ritornello: The main theme played by, usually, the Ripieno group. It may frequently return throughout the movement.
BAROQUE CONCEPTS – LESSON 3
BAROQUE WEEKLesson 4 – Baroque Vocal Music
IN TODAY’S LESSON…
Look at types of vocal music from the Baroque era – Highers we will also look at 2 concepts from the Renaissance…
BAROQUE OPERA - DIDO AND AENEAS Baroque opera by Purcell Drama set to music – has soloists and a
chorus, acting and accompanied by orchestra
“When I am Laid In Earth” – aria sung by Dido
Aria begins at 1:31 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACY03VwWmnA
Opera – A drama set to music with soloists, chorus, acting and orchestral
accompaniment
Aria – A song in an opera or oratorio with orchestral accompaniment.
Chorus – a group of singers with several people to each part (like a choir) – the
music written for these singers.
“WHEN I AM LAID IN EARTH” Aria from an opera Gives the character time to express
their emotions. The memorable bit!
Listen to this aria and write down as many concepts as you can hear. Think about:
• The type of voice• The style of accompaniment• The instruments• The tonality
Then watch and follow the score to help identify answers – begins at 0:57 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGQq3HcOB0Y
OTHER FEATURES IN OPERA…
Recitative More speech-like, moves the plot forward in
between arias and choruses Often features question and answer type dialogue, or rapid repetition of the one note
Much less melodic than arias
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIIQrfGevsI
SACRED VOCAL MUSIC
Pre-Baroque = RenaissancePlainchant
Mode/Modal
BaroqueOratorio
Mass
RENAISSANCE Plainchant – unaccompanied and sacred No regular time signature – they follow
the rhythm of the Latin text
They are modal – written in a mode.
Mode – a type of early scale, used before major and minor scales were invented.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbiZulU70J0
ORATORIO Large-scale work for orchestra plus singers –
soloists, chorus and orchestra.
Sacred – not secular like opera. Oratorios tend to take inspiration from biblical stories or the lives of saints.
Similar to opera, in that they feature arias, recitative and choruses.
Can be performed with scenery and props, but strictly speaking these are concert pieces.
Handel’s Messiah is one of the most famous oratorios of all time. Watch a performance of a
chorus from the work… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUZEtVbJT5c
MASS Sacred choral composition Latin text Can be a cappella accompanied by
instrumental obbligatos or accompanied by full orchestra.
Characterised by 5 distinct movements –
1. Kyrie2. Gloria3. Credo
4. Sanctus and Benedictus. 5. Agnus Dei
MASS IN B MINOR – J.S. BACHListen to the beginning of each movement
from Bach’s Mass in B minor and listen carefully to notice each of the following
features…
1. Kyrie - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKiCphIiO6c 2. Gloria – imitation - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izVzruuk1lc
3. Credo – imitation - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulxV7WOC5xI
4. Sanctus and Benedictus – obbligato - http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcSteU9o1aA
5. Agnus Dei – imitation - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5Ea4j-Si3M
BAROQUE CONCEPTS – LESSON 4Opera – A drama set to music, with soloists, chorus acting and
orchestral accompaniment.Aria – A song in an opera or oratorio with orchestral
accompanimentChorus – (i) A group of singers with several people to each part.
(ii) The music written for these singers.Recitative – A type of vocal writing where the music follows the
rhythm of speech. It is used in operas and oratorios to move the story or plot on.
Plainchant – Unaccompanied melody set to the words of the Roman Catholic liturgy. Modal, and have no regular metre – they follow the rhythm of the words.
Mode – a type of early scale used before major/minor. Used in Plainchant.
Oratorio – a large sacred work for soloists, chorus and orchestra – usually a concert piece. Often based on biblical stories or the lives of saints.
Mass – A large sacred work containing very specific movements – Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei.
Recommended