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Baroque Score Reading Project > Context > Flashcards

Context Flashcards

1
Q

What was the main cause for Bach’s passions falling out of standard usage?

A

Changes in opinions on the appropriateness of the poetry and poetic style they contain Melamed, Hearing Bach’s Passions

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2
Q

Bach’s passions were strongly influenced by the form of what other genre?

A

Italian Opera Melamed, Hearing Bach’s Passions

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3
Q

Who was Bach’s employer in Leipzig? Why is this unique?

A

Thomasschule, not a church, but the town’s Latin School. Parrott, Essential Bach Choir

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4
Q

For how many choirs/churches did the Thomasschule provide music in Leipzig?

A

Four choirs, five churches Parrott, Essential Bach Choir

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5
Q

Which churches in Leipzig were Bach’s primary responsibilities?

A

Nikolaikirche/Thomaskirche Parrott, Essential Bach Choir

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6
Q

How did many of Thomasschule’s vocal students regularly perform in churches?

A

As instrumentalists. Parrott, Essential Bach Choir

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7
Q

How were Bach’s four Liepzig choirs organized?

A

Carefully graded with an increasing level of difficulty; only the best sang/played Bach’s own compositions Parrott, Essential Bach Choir

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8
Q

What was Bach’s primary concern in choosing music for his second choir?

A

The capabilities of available performers Parrott, Essential Bach Choir

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9
Q

How were motets viewed during Bach’s time?

A

Easy music, performed repeatedly, old school, boring… Parrott, Essential Bach Choir

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10
Q

Who was primarily responsible for conducting motets?

A

Prefect; the cantor handled the concerted works almost exclusively. Parrott, Essential Bach Choir

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11
Q

Who most clearly defines the historic roles of concertists and ripienists?

A

Michael Praetorius; Parrott, Essential Bach Choir

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12
Q

What is the basis for Praetorius’ teaching on concertists and ripienists?

A

Venecian practices; Parrott, Essential Bach Choir

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13
Q

What is the orchestral parallel for a concertist?

A

obliggato violinist/Section leader–featured soloist, but also an ensemble member; Parrott, Essential Bach Choir

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14
Q

Which group of singers was often considered optional?

A

ripienists; Parrott, Essential Bach Choir

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15
Q

Great quote regarding “tutti” passages…

A

“It sounds beautiful if one hears just one bass, tenor, alto and treble; whereas if everybody is shouting indiscriminately it is nothing but the bleating of a flock of sheep…” –Johann Christian Strodtmann, Rector of the Ratsgymnasium in Osnabrück; Parrott, Essential Bach Choir

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16
Q

How many singers are needed to double the volume of a quartet?

A

32; Parrott, Essential Bach Choir

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17
Q

What operatic conventions appear in Bach’s passions?

A

rage aria, associations between character types and voice ranges; Melamed, Hearing Bach’s Passions

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18
Q

What differences separate passions from operas?

A

presence of a narrator; liturgical restrictions–no dramatic resolution; Melamed, Hearing Bach’s Passions

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19
Q

What tradition preceded the use of “characters” in passions?

A

Reader’s theatre-style musical renderings of the stories; Melamed, Hearing Bach’s Passions

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20
Q

Why was it easier to accept one singer performing all tenor parts and roles in Bach’s time?

A

Most listeners could not have seen the individual singer due to where he/she would have stood.; Melamed, Hearing Bach’s Passions

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21
Q

What keeps the use of one singer for multiple roles/parts from becoming confusing to the listener?

A

Character and style of the music (recit, aria, chorus, etc.); Melamed, Hearing Bach’s Passions

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22
Q

Why didn’t Bach include many of the pre-Weimar cantatas in his work at Leipzig?

A

Most were not appropriate for weekly services, and also sounded “dated”; Wolff, World

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23
Q

What forms the basis of several of Bach’s early sacred Leipzig cantatas?

A

Earlier secular cantatas (especially from Cothen) with new texts; Wolff, World

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24
Q

What were Bach’s compositional influences? (4)

A

“church compositions…from far and wide”, North German composers, Italian scores; family members (aka Thuringian composers); Wolff, World

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25
Q

What genres and styles of vocal music were most important in protestant churches around and after 1700? (4)

A

various types/forms of cantatas; Latin settings of the Kyrie and Gloria, a cappella motets set to biblical texts usually with chorale tunes; large-scale oratorios for major feast days; Wolff, World

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26
Q

What influence did secular music have on Bach’s compositions before Leipzig?

A

Some, but very limited; occasional stylistic similarities, but usually well hidden or altered; Wolff, World

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27
Q

Describe the character of Bach’s relations with the town council in Arnstadt.

A

Strained and argumentative, but with license because they recognized his great abilities; Wolff, World

28
Q

Describe Bach’s compositional output at Arnstadt.

A

Mostly instrumental, mostly for organ; Wolff, World

29
Q

Describe Bach’s cantatas/vocal music at Muhlhausen.

A

Mostly for special occasions; Wolff, World

30
Q

What was awkward about Weimar?

A

Ruled by two dukes who were constantly undermining each other; both had legal control over the court musicians, so they were often caught in the middle; Wolff, World

31
Q

What was the result of Bach’s travel to Halle while working at Weimar?

A

A promotion to concert master and a raise at Weimar; Wolff, World

32
Q

When and why was Bach imprisoned?

A

For forcing the issue of his dismissal from the Weimar court; Wolff, World

33
Q

Why are there so few manuscripts from Bach’s time at Cothen?

A

The prevailing rule was that a composer had to leave behind all works composed while employed by the court. Unfortunately, the court didn’t see fit to preserve them as well as Bach did.; Wolff, World

34
Q

Who died in Cothen?

A

Bach’s youngest child and his first wife.; Wolff, World

35
Q

What composer did Bach study while in Weimar?

A

Vivaldi; Alwes, CJ 11/00

36
Q

Why are there often fewer soprano solos in Bach’s Leipzig cantatas?

A

They would have been sung by boy sopranos who were often the youngest and least experienced ; Crist, CJ 11/00

37
Q

How is Bach’s treatment of simple recit different from that of his contemporaries?

A

While much simple recit was melodically boring, Bach uses it to great success; Crist, CJ 11/00

38
Q

What were the five main responsibilities of the Cantor of Thomasschule in Leipzig?

A

instruction of the school students; music direction of four churches; training the city’s pro musicians; direct the university music program; maintain the organs; Crist, CJ 2/99

39
Q

What were some reasons for Bach leaving Cothen?

A

Bad memories of his wife and child’s death; the new, unmusical princess; Crist, CJ 2/99

40
Q

What ironic statement did Councillor Platz make regarding Bach’s consideration for the Leipzig post?

A

“Since the best man cannot be obtained, mediocre ones will have to be accepted.”; Crist, CJ 2/99

41
Q

Who was Bach’s most continual colleague and librettist at Leipzig?

A

Christian Friedrich Henrici (Picander); Finlay, ML 7/50

42
Q

What was the stereotypical setting/topic of a Baroque secular cantata?

A

mythology; Finlay, ML 7/50

43
Q

How did Bach ensure that his congregations would understand his music better?

A

He distributed cantata texts ahead of time; Gingrich, CJ 51/1

44
Q

What is the main idea of Hamer’s CJ article?

A

Bach used structures (especially chiasms) to highlight important moments–especially ABCBA constructions; Hamer, CJ 11/00

45
Q

Why would Baroque organs not have changed their tuning frequently?

A

It was extremely labor intensive, and they were known not to hold tuning well, depending on weather and other conditions; Lindley and Ortgies

46
Q

Why is the phrase “Die Juden aber schreien…” so painful for Jewish people to hear? (from St. John Passion)

A

Because that word was almost exclusively used by Nazi’s during and before WWII; Marshall, BN F/12

47
Q

How else could Luther have translated the term, “Die Juden”?

A

As the Judeans–residents of the area, not specifically Jews; Marshall, BN F/12

48
Q

Why is the author of the gospel of John not an anti-semite?

A

Because John was a Jew; Marshall, BN F/12

49
Q

Why was Bach able to compose more complex and intricate music in Leipzig than in Weimar?

A

His experiences writing more secular and/or instrumental music for Cothen.; Rathey, CJ 7/07

50
Q

Describe Bach’s orchestra.

A

diverse; 153+ different orchestras, rarely the same combination within a single cantata; 1 Whittaker

51
Q

How do German Baroque madrigal settings differe from traditional Italian ones?

A

No fixed number of lines, concealed rhymes, unequal line lengths, changes of meter, punchline at the end; Durr Cantatas

52
Q

What was the typical form used to set Biblical words?

A

Motet (palestrina style with madrigalian influences); Durr Cantatas

53
Q

What Italian compositional devices found their way into the German cantata? (2)

A

Concerto, monody with continuo accompaniment; Durr Cantatas

54
Q

Why is Bach’s fascination with the chorale so remarkable?

A

It had otherwise fallen out of style for cantatas in Germany; Durr Cantatas

55
Q

Describe the survival rate of Bach’s sacred and secular cantatas.

A

3 of 5 complete cycles survived, plut a few pieces from the other two; more of the secular cantatas were lost than survived; Durr Cantatas

56
Q

Characteristics of early Bach cantatas… (4)

A

Biblical words and chorale, later with free verse text added; highly sectional; influenced by motets; gradually transitioning to unified large forms; Durr Cantatas

57
Q

Three types of late Weimar cantatas:

A
  1. Franck’s transitional type (no reict); 2. Neumeister’s 1st and 2nd cycless (recit and aria, w/o Biblical words or chorales); 3. Neumeister’s 3rd and 4th cycles (recit and aria with Biblical words and/or chorales); Durr Cantatas
58
Q

Characteristics of early Weimar cantatas…

A

Extended arioso in recit; brief arias, purely da capo; Durr Cantatas

59
Q

Characteristics of Cothen cantatas

A

Secular, for New Years and for birthday of Prince Leopold (Dec. 10), Friedrich Hunold librettist; mini opera; duets; serenata; Durr Cantatas

60
Q

How does Scheibe describe Bach’s music?

A

“…beauty has been darkened by an excess of art.”; Marshall, Bach S/90

61
Q

What was the purpose of a cantata in the lutheran tradition?

A

To serve as musical sermons; Marshall, Bach S/90

62
Q

What terms does Marshall use to describe the opening movement of 78?

A

Terms of oratory from Quintilian: Exordium, Transitus, Narratio (main point), Argumentatio, Peroratio (Conclusion); Marshall, Bach S/90

63
Q

Describe the political climate when Bach was hired at Leipzig.

A

Electorate of Saxony in battle between absolutists who wanted a Kappellmeister/Court Musician and The Estates (nobility and coties) who wanted a Cantor/Teacher for the schools.

Butt 22

64
Q

How does Leaver describe Bach’s approach to parody?

A

An attempt to make music that was limited by an event more accessible throughout the year, thus broadening the audience for his music.

Butt/Leaver 90-91

65
Q

After Forkel, name two early Bach Biographers and approximate times of writing.

A

Bitter (1865), Spitta (1873-1880)

Butt/Stauffer 210

Baroque Score Reading Project (5 decks)

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