Presentation for project post-mortem
Music Characteristics of Baroque Period
Stile Antico
Universal polyphonic style of the 16th centuryReserved for sacred
music
Stile Moderno
Nuove musiche with emphasis on solo voice, polarity of the melody
and bass line, and interest in expressive harmonySecular
usage
New Vocal Forms
OperaOratorioCantata
Instrumental Music
SonataConcertoOverture
Claudio Monteverdi
First great composer of the new musicFollowed in Italy by
Alessandro Scarlatti and Giovanni Pergolesi
Giovanni Pergolesi
Instrumental Tradition
Aracangelo CorelliAntonio VivaldiGiuseppe Tartini
France
Masters of Baroque Music were:Jean-Baptiste Lully - Major composer
of OperaJean Philippe Rameau
Germans
George Frideric hande;Johann Sebastian BachHeinrich SchtzDietrich
BuxtehudeGeorg Philipp Telemann
Literature
Giambattista Marino (Italy)Luis de Gngora (Spain)Martin Opitz
(Germany)
English Metaphysical Poetry
Allied with Baroque literatureMost notably of John Donnes
ELEMENTS
Rhythm
Rhythmic organization in triple patterns underlying all polyphonic
music of late 12th and 13th centuriesBegun in two-part organa of
Notre-Dame school in ParisCulminated in multilingual motets of the
13th centuryLatter forms feature two or three rhythmic modes
simultaneously in different parts
System of Rhythmic Modes
It is this system that facilitated the temporal coordination of
polyphonic parts
Melody
Successive repetition of melodic ideas showing the highness and
lowness of pitch levelMELODIC RESOURCESTheme melody not necessarily
complete in itself except when designed for a set of variations-
recognizable as a pregnant phrase or clause- Fugue subject (theme);
expositions and episodes of a sonata (group)
Melody
2. Figures or motives small fragments of a theme- Grouped into new
melodies in the development of a sonata- Fugue: carry on the music
when subject and countersubject are silent3. Sequence figure or
group of chords is repeated at different levels of pitch
Melody
4. Ornaments or graces (small melodic devices) used to embellish a
melody- present in most European music- essential to Indian,
Arabic, Japanese and other non-Western musicModes or Melody types
complex formulaic structures with which melodies are
built
Texture
Polyphonic style different voices are heard as separate entities
and rhytmically independent of each otherCounterpoint combination
of simultaneous lines of melody; sometimes equated with
polyphonyPolyphony refers to multipart textures animated by the
dynamic interplay of usually closely related, complementary
parts.
Timbre
Monody its development is necessary precondition for most expensive
performanceContinuo instruments included the lute, theorbo, harp,
harpsichord, and organ (17th century)(18th century) more
standardized: bass line would be realized on a keyboard instrument
and reinforced by monophonic bass instrumentContinuo player- could
also control rhythm and tempo to suit particular
conditions
Dynamics
Elector of the Palatine at Mannheim famous ensemble that set a
pattern followed by orchestras in Europe (standard size: 25 ;
dramatic effects and orchestral devices)Hastened the decline of the
improvised thorough bass by writing out harmonic filler parts for
violasHaydn in 1791, associated with Johann Peter Salomon;
conducted his London symphonies
Harmony
Rise of professional vocal virtuoso in the last quarter of 16th
centuryGiulio Caccini and Jacopo Peri (Italians)Monteverdi nine
successive books of madrigal document the changes in style from
music composed for four to six essentially equal voices to music in
which the interest lay primarily at the extremes of the
textureBasso continuo technical underpinning for new monodic style;
improvising chords above a single line of music
Form
Concerto Grosso principal orchestral musicCharacterized by contrast
between a small group of soloists and the full orchestraTitles of
early concerti grossi reflected their performance locales such as
concerto da chiesa (chuch concerto) and conerto da camera (chamber
concerto)Flourished as secular court musicTrio sonata typical
instrumentation for concertinoTwo violins and continuo prevalent
genre of chamber music
Form
1700 (Arcangelo Corelli) number of movements variedGiuseppe Torelli
& Antonio Vivaldi committed to solo concerto, adopted a
three-movement pattern of fast-slow-fastRitornello structure used
often by fast movements in which a recurrent section alternates
with episodes, or contrasting sections1750 (Handel) Opus 6 (1740)
concerto grosso was eclipsed by solo concerto
Fugue
fuga Latin; means flightMusical composition in which a melodic
theme is systematically subjected to melodic imitationContrapuntal
interwoven melodies (texture)Fugato a passage employing fugal
techniques within another formNumber of parts or voices are at
least two but most commonly four, usually constant throughout the
piece
