Music History Quiz #3 Flashcards
accompanied recitative
Entire orchestra (not just continuo) accompanied soloist. Used for special effects. Orchestra was to supplement (not just represent) the meaning of words.
siciliana aria
Compound meter, leisurely tempo, dotted rhythms, eighth note pickup at beginning.
da capo aria
ABA (return to beginning again). Usually add ornamentation 2nd time. Most common type of aria in 18th c.
sinfonia
Overture consisting of fanfare-like opening, slow middle section, dance section. Idea of harmony dictating form was biggest new idea of 17th c Italy.
coloratura
Elaborately difficult passages within arias used to showcase singer’s virtuosity.
cadenza
“ornamented cadence” - Used to display virtuosity. Often improvised. Preceded and prolonged important cadences.
sonata da chiesa
“church sonata” - sonata form, sacred genre. Used by Corelli. Played during Mass. Contrasting speeds in movements (s-f-s-f).
trio sonata
three strings + continuo
concerto grosso
“large ensemble” - originally backup band for sonata da chiesa; became its own genre. Genre was played during mass. Contrasting speeds in movements (s-f-s-f). Corelli.
sonata da camera
“charmber sonata” - Secular, aristocratic dance suite. Corelli.
Vivaldi concerti
Lots. Followed a pattern. Virtuosity was most important. Candenza-like sections helped transition between tonal centers. Alternation between ritornello, ripieno, and episodes.
ritornello
“little return” - small, recurring themes in a piece (used in concerti).
episodes (concerto)
sections of a concerto where only the soloist plays.
ripieno (concerto)
the full ensemble accompanying a concerto.
binary form
AB where A comes back at the end but is not its own section. e.g. da capo aria or da capo al fine. imitative of a folk song. used a chorus or ritornello between verses.
Alessandro Scarlatti
Dominated Neapolitan musical scene in late 17th c. Wrote many operas and cantatas.
opera seria
serious opera. 18th c.
Metastasio
Roman poet, librettist. wrote mainly for opera seria. Coined the method of distinction between aria and recitative.
Arcangelo Corelli
First great instrumental-only composer. Revolutionized sonatas and concertos. Associated with beginning of harmony-dicatated form.
Antonio Vivaldi
Famous for solo concertos. Able to write very emotional music (shock value).
J.S. Bach
Incredibly talented, but had a very predictable and unglamorous career. Stayed in Germany. Wrote basically just for church, not for public. Fused French, Italian, and German elements to create his own style.
chorale prelude
Single-stanza setting of solo organ used to cue the congregation to sing or accompany silent meditation. Bach.
toccata
Rigorously imitative versus improvisatory passages.
fugue
A composition with at least 2 voices with a subject on which the piece is based. Voices imitate the subject or repeat it at an interval. Countersubject is the ‘answer’ to the subject.
episode (fugue)
A stretch of music in free counterpoint during which the subject is withheld.
stretto
“straitened” - Many overlapping entrances of the subject phrase that are shortened to help bring the fugue to a close.
Seufzer
“sighs” - appoggiaturas written as slurred descending pairs.
suite
A collection of dances established in Gerbany by Froberger. May include a prelude.
allemande
Slow, stately movie in a quadruple meter (4/4).
courante
Grave triple meter. Written in 3/2 with 6/4 hemiolas.
sarabande
Majestic, triple meter, used for ballet, emphasis on second beat. Used to be sexy-castanetty.
gigue
Fast, usually 6/8. Usually began with imitation.
galant
A style/quality of art focused on simplicity, refined wit, elegant manners, and easy grace.
Bach suites
Written for keyboard, violin, cello, orchestra. Consisted usually of 6 (major Froberger 4, + gavotte, bouree).
Couperin
Wrote specific instructions for performance (unusual). Was very specific about how/when to use ornamentation - NOT improvisatory.
rococo
“rock/shell work” - Miniatures that had intricate and detailed embellishments (after the type of architecture with shell work at the time).
Brandenburg Concertos
J.S. Bach from his Coethen phase. Written and dedicated to try to get a job; unacknowledged. Strange instrumentation. Commentary on the representation of society in the orchestra.
Fifth Brandenburg Concerto
Flute, harpsichord, and violin are “protagonists.” Weird for harpsichord to have prominent role. Lots of role reversals, fusion between Italian concerto, fugue, and gigue.
George Frideric Handel
Mainly a secular writer, but recognized for sacred works (Messiah). Best known for operas and oratorios. Wrote concerto grosso, solo organ, oratorios, solo/trio sonatas, orchestral suites. Compared to Bach: more popular at the time, wrote theater music (Bach didn’t). Most well-known works are orchestral suites Water Music and Music for Royal Fireworks.
Well-Tempered Klavier
Bach, 1722-1742. Began in C, then c, then went through half steps major/minor for preludes AND fugues (48 total).
Johann Jacob Froberger
Mid 1600s. Composed keyboard suites modelled after French dance types: allemande, courante, sarabande, gigue. Bach mimicked him.
