11 - Folder 3 - Middle Baroque Vocal Music

Question 1

Describe the spread of Italian opera to Venice.

Answer 1

i. First public opera house, opened in 1637
ii. Supported by wealthy merchant class (Venice was a center of trade and imports)
iii. Composers and librettists began to write operas for public tastes, not just for the aristocracy
iv. Plots were sometimes historical (like L’incoronazione di Poppea) rather than mythological

Question 2

Describe the spread of Italian opera to Rome.

Answer 2

i. Important operatic center in 1620s and 1630s
ii. Influence of the Church (some operas dramatized the lives of saints)
iii. Recitative and aria became more clearly differentiated
iv. Roman opera adapted to sacred contexts to create the oratorio

Question 3

What was Naples’ role in the spread of Italian opera?

Answer 3

It was the Leading operatic center in the mid- and late-17th century

Question 4

What two types of recitative were standardized in Naples?

Answer 4

1. recitativo secco (dry recitative) — continuo-only accompaniment; longer text; more declamatory
2. recitativo accompagnato (accompanied recitative) — orchestral accompaniment; shorter text; quick changes of mood; more lyrical and expressive

Question 5

Describe the form of the Da Capo aria. 6 points.

Answer 5

1. Standardized three-part form for opera arias
2. ABA structure
3. Provides musical and emotional contrast in the middle section
4. B section typically features a drastic mood shift along with a key change (to relative minor, typically)
5. repeat of A (da capo)is generally sung with ornamentation
6. instrumental ritornelli are often incorporated into the form

Question 6

Describe the Neapolitan overture. 3 points.

Answer 6

1. Instrumental introduction to the opera
2. Standardized in Naples as a three-movement structure
3. Fast-Slow-Fast

Question 7

Who was Alessandro Scarlatti (1660–1725)?

Answer 7

1. Leading composer of the Neapolitan style

2. Worked in Venice and Rome, in addition to Naples

Question 8

Describe the origin and subject matter of the traditional Oratorio.

Answer 8

a. Sacred dramas (narratives, stories)
b. Originated in the early Baroque era
c. Adapted the conventions of opera to sacred stories

Question 9

In the Oratorio, from where did the plots come? What language(s) was (were) used in the Oratorio?

Answer 9

d. Plots usually from the Bible (Old Testament more often than New Testament)
e. Some in Latin; others in the vernacular

Question 10

How did the Oratorio get its name? What do they usually include? How does its music compare to that of opera?

Answer 10

f. Set to music with most of the conventions of opera (aria, recitative, choruses, etc.)
g. But are not staged (no acting, scenery, costumes, etc.)
h. Usually includes a narrator’s part called the storicus or historicus
i. Originally performed in the oratory (side room of the Cathedral), hence the term oratorio

Question 11

What traits do opera and oratorio share?

Answer 11

aria and recitative

ensembles (duets, trios, etc.)

instrumental introductions

instrumental ritornelli

Question 12

What traits distinguish oratorio from opera?

Answer 12

chorus used extensively

sacred subject matter

plots from the Bible

included narration

not staged

either Latin or vernacular

Question 13

What traits distinguish opera from oratorio?

Answer 13

chorus used, but somewhat less

secular subject matter

plots from history or mythology

no narration

staged

always in the vernacular

Question 14

Who was Giacomo Carissimi (1605–1674)?

Answer 14

leading composer of oratorios in Rome at mid-century

Question 15

Who was Marc-Antone Charpentier (1634–1704)?

Answer 15

i. Introduced the Italian oratorio into France

ii. Combined Italian and French vocal styles

Question 16

When were Italian operas produced in France?

Answer 16

Italian operas produced in France starting in the 1640s.

Question 17

Describe the Tragédie lyrique. 5 points.

Answer 17

i. French serious opera
ii. Created by composer Jean Baptiste Lully (see below) and librettist Jean-Philippe Quinault
iii. Plots based on mythology
iv. Libretti glorified the King and French nation
v. Extensive use of dancing (ballet), formal procession, and the chorus

Question 18

Describe the French overture.

Answer 18

i. French version of the instrumental introduction to an opera
ii. Used in the tragédie lyrique
iii. Binary form (AB)

Question 19

Describe Binary form (AB)!

Answer 19

1. A section — homophonic, stately, characterized by dotted rhythms
   a. Notes inégales — rhythms not written as dotted are interpreted that way
2. B section — fast and imitative

Question 20

Who was Jean Baptiste Lully (1632–1687)?

Answer 20

i. Born in Florence, Italy
ii. came to Paris as young man
iii. became a member of the royal string orchestra of King Louis XIV
iv. Promoted to court composer, then Super intendant of Music for the King’s Chamber
v. 1672— Lully was granted exclusive rights to produce opera in France

Question 21

Describe Lully’s orchestra.

Answer 21

i. Directed the King’s orchestra with great precision
ii. Made orchestral doubling standard practice
iii. Insisted on uniform bowing for string instruments

Question 22

For opera in England, describe the Masque.

Answer 22

i. English genre popular before the arrival of Italian opera
ii. Theatrical productions in 16th ad 17th century England
iii. Combined music (singing), poetry (spoken word), dancing, and instrumental music
iv. Often included music by several composers in one work
v. Intended for the aristocracy
vi. Mythological subject matter

Question 23

English operas, began around 1650, had what stylistic elements?

Answer 23

i. Combined elements of the masque with Italian opera styles

ii. Sung throughout

Question 24

Who was Henry Purcell (1659–1695)?

Answer 24

i. Organist at Westminster Abbey
ii. wrote Anglican church music (anthems), keyboard works, and other genres
iii. Dido and Aeneas (1689)

Question 25

Describe Dido and Aeneas (1689).

Answer 25

1. written for a girls’ boarding school (amateur production with limited resources)
2. plot from Virgil’s Aeneid (Roman mythology)
3. combined French, Italian, and English elements

Question 26

What French, Italian, and English elements were present in Dido and Aeneas (1689)?

Answer 26

a. French – French overture, choruses, dancing at the end of scenes
b. Italian — arias, recitative styles
c. English (masque) — English text declamation, dramatic action within dance scenes, madrigal elements (word painting)