10 - Folder 3 - Early Baroque: Instrumental Music & the Venetian Style

Question 1

Sacred Music in Venice–Describe Venice and its people’s attitude toward music.

Answer 1

i. Wealthy city of trade and commerce
ii. Merchant class could support the first public opera house
iii. Hired the best composers (Willaert, Giovanni Gabrieli, Monteverdi) at St. Mark’s Cathedral

Question 2

Describe St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice.

Answer 2

1. The main cathedral in central Venice
2. Magnificent building with many enclaves
3. Separate organs, choirs, and instrumental ensembles placed to achieve antiphonal and spatial effects

Question 3

How were ensembles divided in The Venetian Polychoral Style?

Answer 3

a. Polychoral — more than one choir
b. Often designated cori spezzati (divided choirs)
c. Instrumental groups treated in the same way

Question 4

How was music composed in The Venetian Polychoral Style? 3 points.

Answer 4

d. Music written with many echo and antiphonal effects
i. Antiphonal — vocal or instrumental groups in alternation or opposition
e. Stile concertato
i. concertare — to reconcile opposing forces, to resolve conflict or contrast
ii. specific vocal and instrumental parts were written out and combined
iii. distinction of vocal and instrumental groups
f. composed with homophonic (chordal) textures and slow harmonic rhythm(rate of change from one chord to the next) to enhance the antiphonal effects

Question 5

Who was Giovanni Gabrieli (1553–1612)?

Answer 5

a. Maestro di cappella in Venice 1584–1606
b. Leading composer of the Venetian polychoral style
c. Composed sacred music primarily, using the concerted Venetian style and a wide range of instrumental and vocal combinations

Question 6

Who was Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672)?

Answer 6

a. German composer (Lutheran)
b. studied in Venice with Giovanni Gabrieli
c. brought polychoral style (and the stile concertato) to Germany
d. sacred concerto
i. genre mastered by Schütz
ii. sacred vocal pieces for a variety of voices and instruments

Question 7

What was the Symphoniae sacrae and who was its composer?

Answer 7

1. Heinrich Schütz’s most important sacred concerti

2. Three collections: 1629, 1647, 1650

Question 8

Describe the Rise of Instrumental Music in the Early Baroque Era.

Answer 8

a. Adaptation of Renaissance vocal styles and genres to vocal music (e.g., instrumental motets)
b. Stile concertato (combining voices and instruments for maximum effect)
c. Increasing quality of instruments
d. Rise of virtuoso performers

Question 9

Who was Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583–1643)?

Answer 9

a. Organist at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome (at the Vatican) and for the Duke of Tuscany (in Florence)
b. Composer of organ and harpsichord music (along with some vocal genres)

Question 10

What is a Toccata?

Answer 10

i. Keyboard piece of an improvisatory and virtuosic nature
ii. Literally “touched,” referring to the performer’s dexterity
iii. Not usually contrapuntal or written in any formal style

Question 11

What does “stylized” mean when it comes to dance music?

Answer 11

i. written in the style of a particular dance, but not meant for actual dancing
ii. style is largely determined by the original dance step
iii. defined by meter, tempo, distinctive rhythms

Question 12

Describe and define the Dance Suite.

Answer 12

i. A set of stylized dances, performed as a multi-movement work
ii. The dances originated as courtly dances of the Renaissance (see Renaissance Secular Music topic outline)
iii. The suites began as French lute pieces
iv. All dances in suite are in the same key (a unifying device)

Question 13

Name 6 types of structure of the suite (a basic framework, treated somewhat flexibly).

Answer 13

1. Prelude
2. Allemande
3. Courante
4. Sarabande
5. Open to several possibilities, like a gavotte, bourrée, minuet, or mazurka
6. Gigue

Question 14

In the Dance Suite, what is the Prelude?

Answer 14

Prelude — a non-dance introduction, often improvisatory in character (like a toccata)

Question 15

In the Dance Suite, what is the Allemande?

Answer 15

Allemande — duple meter, moderate tempo, emphasizes pickup notes

Question 16

In the Dance Suite, what is the Courante?

Answer 16

Courante — faster tempo, triple or compound meter

Question 17

In the Dance Suite, what is the Sarabande?

Answer 17

Sarabande — Spanish dance, slow triple meter with stress on beat 2 of the measure

Question 18

In the Dance Suite, what is the Gigue?

Answer 18

Gigue — final movement; fast compound meter

Question 19

Who was Johann Jakob Froberger (1616–1667)?

Answer 19

i. German composer
ii. Combined different national styles
1. He was Frescobaldi’s student (Italian style)
2. Adapted French lute style to the keyboard

Question 20

Name 5 Other Instrumental Genres in the Early Baroque Era.

Answer 20

a. Ricercare
b. Fantasia
c. Variations
d. Canzona
e. Sonata

Question 21

Describe the Ricercare.

Answer 21

i. Composition in a strict style for keyboard
ii. One theme treated in imitation
iii. Direct predecessor to the keyboard fugue

Question 22

Describe the Fantasia. Who were its leading composers?

Answer 22

i. Large keyboard work in sectionalized form
ii. Some sections imitative
iii. Leading composers were Jan Sweelink (1562–1621) and Samuel Scheidt (1587–1654)

Question 23

Describe variations in the early Baroque era. Describe their common bass lines.

Answer 23

i. Pieces comprising a series of melodic variations on a particular theme
ii. Early ones were written on themes from dance music and vocal music
iii. Some written over some type of ground bass
1. Repeated bass line
2. Specific types, like the chaconne and passacaglia, has descending line in the repeated bass part
3. NB: Chaconne and passacaglia are identical; they refer to exactly the same thing and the terms are used interchangeably

Question 24

Describe the Canzona (4 points).

Answer 24

i. Large work in contrasting sections
ii. Some sections imitative
iii. Written for keyboard or ensemble
iv. Instrumental simulation of vocal styles and genres (canzona means song)

Question 25

Describe the Sonata of the Early Baroque period.

Answer 25

i. Originally a term for any instrumental piece in the early Baroque era
ii. Later merged with canzona
iii. By the middle Baroque, sonata meant a multi-movement work for one or two melodic instruments with continuo accompaniment (NB: see the Middle Baroque Instrumental Music topic outline)