Baroque Period

Question 1

17th century Europe

Answer 1

• Scientific and political changes (discovering the planets, gravity, democracy throughout Europe)
• Colonialism overseas
• Capitalism
• Music patronage - courts, churches, best off in Italy

Question 2

Baroque Qualities and “innovations” in Music

Answer 2

• Affection - showing emotion including dynamic movement, active bass lines
• Instrumental music also emotional, turning dances into suites, suites into tonal cycles
• Represent emotions in a generic sense
• Sometimes very free, or very rhythmic. Lots of variety
• Basso Continuo and ostinato bass lines
• The Concerto
• Early opera!
• Chords, dissonance, chromaticism
• Development of tonality

Question 3

Early Opera

Answer 3

• Italian courts - weddings, etc. became musical productions with costumes and stage effects
• Influence from Ancient Greece/Rome, specifically tragedy
• “Monody” - solo singing with accompaniment (reciting poems)
• Arias - strophic settings of poems
• Recitative - speaking/dialogue portions (L’Euridice)

Question 4

Opera developments

Answer 4

• Comic opera (Rome

* Venetian opera - huge crowds during carnival

Question 5

Other Italian vocal music

Answer 5

• Cantatas
•Arias - dramatic madrigal
(Can stand on their own from Opera)

Question 6

Concerto

Answer 6

Drives from Catholic separate choirs, instrumental timbres, solo voices, etc.
• Early vocal concertos - with organ continuo, sometimes 2-4 voices

Question 7

Oratorio

Answer 7

Sacred music combining narrative, dialogue and commentary
• Religious subject matter
• Often in Latin

Question 8

Instrumental music in Baroque

Answer 8

Dances, variations on melody, chorales, keyboard/lute pieces in improvisatory style, fugues, contrasting sectional pieces
• Lute/keybord variation pieces (Tablature created)
• toccatas (warm up/improv pieces) - some free time and lots of sequential chords/changes
• Ricercare and fugue - Imitative
• Canzona - Sectional

Question 9

Late 17th century Opera and other styles

Answer 9

• lots of Arias! Da Capo Aria introduced (ABA)
• France - Lully. Invented French overture, fostered modern orchestra
• England - musical theater (mixed elements)

Question 10

Cantatas

Answer 10

Lagrime Mie (Strozzi)
Scarlatti

Question 11

Late 17th century Instrumental music

Answer 11

Organ music
• Buxtehude (solo organ) - some free sections, virtuoso parts
Harpsichord music
• Agrements (ornaments left up to performer) French practice. Influenced by lute
Chamber music
• Sonata - different sections w/different material, mood, etc. Corelli. Listen for moving bass line. Strings. Tonality

Question 12

Concerto

Answer 12

• Development of orchestra. Contrasting sections (small set vs. large set of instruments - grosso; one solo vs. orchsestra, solo)