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Baroque Period

Baroque Period. 1600-1750. Historical Background. Reformation Warfare—Protestants stormed Catholic churches, destroying beautiful works of art and musical instruments they considered profane.

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Baroque Period

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  1. Baroque Period 1600-1750 Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  2. Historical Background • Reformation • Warfare—Protestants stormed Catholic churches, destroying beautiful works of art and musical instruments they considered profane. • Catholics established the infamous court of the Inquisition, which tried and condemned dissenters according to its own harsh rules. • Tension between Protestants in the north and Catholics in the south • Cool, detached emotional atmosphere of the renaissance was soon replaced by the vivid, passionate expression of the affections-human emotions or “states of the soul”. Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  3. Historical Background Three fifty-year periods • Early (1600-1640) • Middle (1640-1680) • Late (1680-1750) • Known as the Age of Reason or Age of Absolutism because many rulers exercised or had absolute power over their subjects. • The earliest period was the most revolutionary—but our focus will be on the late period. The Baroque period begins with Monteverdi (birth of opera) and ends with the deaths of Bach and Handel. Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  4. Transition • Baroque society revolved around the idea of the absolute monarch. King and Queen had all-powerful status in their domain. This resulted in the increased separations between classes. • Between the Renaissance and Baroque artists discarded the boundaries that controlled expression in classical art. • Distortion and exaggeration enhances their newly dramatic approach. Baroque is considered to mean distorted or irregular—term applied by the Classicists. Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  5. People Bytes • Galileo-the scientific man of reason and science, ran up against the religious dogma. • He studied the effects of gravity –and therefore made important experiments with the measurements of time. • Newton-developed the scientific method. • People were extremely superstitious (witchcraft, astrology and alchemy). Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  6. Characteristics and Elements • Mood: Affectations (to impress the mind or move the feelings of –human emotions, emotional response). The philosophy of the era is that it represents the affections of real life and in doing so, excites the listener’s emotions. Music must move the listener. • Baroque music expresses one basic mood—and remains throughout. [Renaissance music was structured and rigid.] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnyaTCwnmm0&feature=related • Composers of the time shaped or molded a musical language to depict the affectations [similar to word painting of the Renaissance] • Tonal System was developed (Middle Baroque) A move from the medieval (church) modes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FK68x8_cDg&feature=related Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  7. Tonal System • One of the most significant changes in all music history: the transition from medieval church modes to major-minor system of tonality [Middle Baroque] • The tonal system was developed—every note of the major or minor scale bears a specific relationship to every other note, and all of the pitches are specifically related to the first note or tonic. • The keynote ‘do’ became the most powerful force. • Now each chord could assume a function in relation to a key center. • Church modes gradually replaced by major and minor scales. • By 1680, major & minor scales were the tonal basis for most compositions. Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  8. Characteristics Rhythm • The unity of mood is conveyed by the continuity of rhythm. • Rhythmic patterns heard at the beginning of a piece, are repeated throughoutit—which provides a compelling drive and energy—a forward and perpetual motion. This motion is continuous—no rests. • The beat is emphasized to a greater degree. Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  9. Characteristics Melody • Melody also creates a feeling of continuity • An opening melody will be heard again and again as it expands, unfolds, and unwinds. • Melodic sequence (repetition of a musical idea at a higher or lower pitch) • Elaborate and ornamental and not easy to sing or remember Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  10. Characteristics Dynamics • Terraced dynamics: Volume stays constant for a length of time and then immediately shifts to another level (which is usually sudden) • The main instruments of the day—organ and harpsichord could not obtain a crescendo or decrescendo by finger pressure on the keys (as pianists today can do) Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  11. Characteristics Texture • Predominantly polyphonic. • Soprano and bass lines most important • Imitation between the various lines or “voices” of the texture is common. • A melodic idea heard in one voice is likely to appear in another voice as well. • A piece could shift in texture—because not all late Baroque music was polyphonic. Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  12. Basso Continuo • Chords became increasingly more important • The emphasis on chords and the bass part resulted in this new feature. • Basso continuo (figured bass) made up of a bass part with numbers (figures) which specified the chords to be played with the bass line. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR6IQ9SPSYM • The continuo (abbreviation for basso continuo) is usually played by at least two instruments: an organ or harpsichord and a low melodic instrument like a cello or bassoon. • With the left hand the organist plays the bass part, which is also performed by the cellist or bassoonist. • With the right hand the keyboard player improvises chords or even a melodic line following the indications of the numbers. • [The numbers only indicate a basic chord, and not the exact way it should b played]. Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  13. Baroque Orchestra • Evolved into a performing group based on the instruments of the violin family. • The violin became the most popular solo instrument of the era. [Violin-sidebar] • Small - 10-30 players • Nucleus: Consisted of the basso continuo (harpsichord plus cello, double bass, or bassoon) and upper strings (first and second violins and violas) • Winds: recorders, flutes, oboes, trumpets, horns, trombones—and timpani Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  14. Violin Makers (extra) • The late 17th and early 18th centuries were the age of the great violin makers at Cremona. • Amati, (1596-1684), Stradivari (1644-1737), and Guarneri (1698-1744) • Stradivarius - Secrets were in the chemistry. Soaked maple wood, the use of fruit gums, and a concoction of chemicals from the local drug store. • Made instruments for the famous-James II (England). Charles III (Spain), also acquired names for buyers. Yo-Yo Ma plays the Davidov (1712). • Two of Stradivari’s sons continued his work after his death. Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  15. Baroque Musicians • Music was the main source of diversion in the courts of the aristocracy • Music director supervised performances and composed most of the required music including operas, church music, dinner music, and pieces for court concerts—and the upkeep of the instruments. • Good & bad features: Pay and prestige were high—and anything the composer wrote would be performed—but no matter how great the composer was—hewas still a servant who could neither quit or take a trip without the patron’s permission. • Musicians had to curry favor with the aristocracy—like everyone else in society. • The art was handed down from father to son and they had to pass a difficult examination, perform, and submit compositions as an audition for a position. Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  16. Baroque Forms • Movement – a piece that sounds fairly complete and independent but is part of a larger composition. • Concerto Grosso-a small group of soloists (2-4) is pitted against a larger group of players called the tutti. • Has several movements-usually three (fast, slow, fast) • Ritornello form-based on the alteration between tutti and solo sections. The tutti opens with a theme called the ritornello (refrain) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49IOKnhX0Sk Bach Brandenburg # 5 Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  17. Baroque Forms • Fugue: A polyphonic composition based on one main theme, called a subject. • Throughout the fugue, different melodic lines, or “voices” imitate the subject. • The subject may be announced by any voice • An independent fugue often times is introduced by a short piece called a prelude. • Pedal Point – is when a single tone, usually in the bass, is held while the other voices produce a series of changing harmonies against it. #2 - Bach, Organ Fugue in G Minor (Little Fugue) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVadl4ocX0M Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  18. Elements of Opera • A drama sung to orchestral accompaniment. • One of the foremost innovations of the era because it allowed the realism of extreme emotions. • Fusion of music, poetry, acting, dance, scenery, costumes—that offers a theatrical experience. (chorus and extras) • Originated in Italy. • Characters and plot are revealed through song—rather than the speech used in ordinary drama. • Performers have to sing and act simultaneously • Created by composer and dramatist. • Libretto is the text, written by the librettist or dramatist. • Music is created by the composer. Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  19. Opera • Serious and comic operas • May contain spoken dialogue, but most are entirely sung. • Aria- a song for solo voice with orchestral accompaniment (the main attraction) • Recitative- a vocal line that imitates the rhythms and pitch fluctuations of speech • Prelude/Overture-most operas open with an orchestral composition Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  20. Opera Origins • The Camerata(Italian for fellowship) wanted to create a new vocal style modeled on the Greek tragedy • Euridice-Earliest opera that has been preserved was created by Jacopo Peri • Composed for the wedding of King Henry of IV of France. • Monteverdi (7 years later) composed Orfeo—the first great opera—for the court of the Gonzaga family. • Most opera was composed for ceremonial occasions at court and was designed as a display of magnificence and splendor. Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  21. Opera Origins • First public opera house opened in Venice in 1637. • There were 17 opera houses in Venice alone between 1637 and 1700. • Venetian opera houses became a great tourist attraction. • Baroque opera marked the rise of virtuoso singers. • Major star was the castrato (a male singer who had been castrated before puberty—a common practice between 1600-1800). Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  22. Opera Composers • Monteverdi (156-1643) • Recognized as a leading composer in Mantua but received little pay or respect. • Created the earliest operatic masterpiece—Orfeo in 1607. • Considered a monumental figure in the history of music—and his works form a musical bridge between the Renaissance and the Baroque (16th and 17th centuries) and greatly influenced composers of his time. • All of his music—madrigals, church music, and opera is all for voices, ordinarily supported by a basso continuo and other instruments. Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  23. Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) • He used dissonances and with unprecedented freedom to create music of emotional intensity. To evoke the angry or warlike feelings in some of his texts, he introduce new orchestral effects including pizzicato and tremolo [the “special effects” of the day] • He frequently used word painting #3 - Orfeo – Recitative: Tu se’ morta (You are dead) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ll_u870PG8 Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  24. Composers • Henry Purcell (1659-1695) • Called the greatest of English composers. • Age 18 became composer to king’s string orchestra; the organist of Westminster Abbey • He was the last English composer of international rank until the twentieth century • He mastered all the musical forms of late-seventeenth-century England. • Wrote church music, secular choral music, music for small groups of instruments, songs, and music for the stage • Died at age 36, buried under beneath the organ in Westminster Abbey Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  25. Henry Purcell (1659-1695) • Ground bass; basso ostinato—a repeated musical idea. The ground bass pattern can be as short as four notes or as long as eight measures. • You will hear a ground bass in his opera which is considered a masterpiece of Baroque opera—written for students at a girl’s boarding school. (One hour in length) #4 – Dido’s Lament ( Dido and Aeneas) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOIAi2XwuWo Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  26. Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677) Italy • Composer and singer [side bar] • Published eight collections of songs. • More music in print in her lifetime than even the most famous composers of her day • No support from church or patronage of a noble house. • She is sometimes credited with the genesis of an entire musical genre—the cantata. • Died in obscurity with little wealth or property • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9NmD4zNosU&feature=fvst Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  27. Barbara Strozzi Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  28. Other Women Composers • Francesca Caccini (1587-1640?) Italy • Father-prolific composer; Mother-singer. • Played keyboard, lute and guitar and harp. • Well trained inn composition, well versed in literature. • Made a living as a singer and composer. • Offered a salaried job at the court of King Henry IV of France, but her current employer (Grand Duke Ferdinand of Florence) would not release her . • Il primo libro delle musiche (first surviving independent work) 1618. • Known as the first female composer of opera. • One of the most prolific composers of her time. • Considered one of the greatest female composers of all time. Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  29. Women Composers • Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre (1665-1729) France. Father was an organist • Great reputation as a singer and harpsichordist • Composer of one opera, cantatas, church music, and works for harpsichord • At age 22, published her Premier Livre de Pieces de Clavessin and dedicated it to Louis XIV who received it with “his usual goodness” • This was one of the few volumes of harpsichord music to be published in 17th century France. • She enjoyed a successful career and her abilities and compositions were highly praised by the king and his court. Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  30. Forms (1653-1713) • Main development in instrumental music was the sonata (a composition in several movements for one to eight instruments). Took on a new meaning during the next era. • Trio sonatas: they had three melodic lines: two high ones and a basso continuo—and involves four instrumentalists. • Usually two high instruments (flutes, violins, oboes) and two instruments for the basso continuo—a keyboard instrument (organ or harpsichord) and a low instrument (cello or bassoon) • Originated in Italy. Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  31. Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) • Most prominent Italian violinist and composer of string music around 1700. • Eminent teacher who laid down the foundations of modern violin technique. • Wrote only instrumental music—60 sonatas and 12 concertos all for strings. • Trio sonatas had four movements –fast, fast, slow, fast. • Therbo-bass lute (a plucked string instrument that is capable of producing chords as well as the bass line. Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  32. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) • Known as the “Red Priest” • Virtuoso violinist and composer, violin teacher, and conductor at the music school of the Pieta (all girl orphanage with extremely talented musicians-one of the finest orchestras in Italy) • He was famous and influential. • Wrote 450 concerti grosso and solo concertos • A solo concerto is a piece for single soloist and an orchestra. Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  33. Vivaldi (1678-1741) • He also composed operas and church music • His most popular work is the concerto La Primavera (Spring) from the Four Seasons (a set of four solo concertos for violin, string orchestra, and basso continuo. • Has three movements like most of his concertos: fast, slow, fast • A favorite piece of Louis XV, King of France #5 - La Primavera, from The Four Seasons - First movement http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LAPFM3dgag Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  34. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) • His masterpieces mark the high point of baroque music. • Most important and prestigious position was as a court conductor of the prince of Cöthen. He directed and composed for his orchestra for six years. • He created masterpieces in every baroque form except opera. • Eminent teacher of organ and composition and organ recitalist. • Recognized as the most eminent organist, harpsichordist, and improviser.(improvisation is the term used for music created a the same time it is performed.) Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  35. Bach (1685-1750) • His vocal music (the bulk of his output) was written primarily for the Lutheran church and often based on familiar hymns. • By his time there was little difference in style between sacred and secular music. • Baroque Suites: sets of dance-inspired movements. Written for solo instruments, small groups, or orchestra. • Comprised of movements that are all written in the same key but differ in tempo, meter, and character. Typical movements • Moderately paced-Allemande(Germany); a fast Courante and moderate Gavotte (France); solemn Sarabande (Spain); and a fast Gigue (England) #6 - Bach-Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2j-frfK-yg Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  36. Chorale and Cantata • Chorale: or hymn tune was sung to a German religious text. Easy to sing and remember. One note to a syllable and moved in a steady rhythm. • Cantata: principal means of musical expression in the Lutheran service, and one that used chorales. • It originally meant a piece that was sung, as distinct from a sonata which was played. • We are focusing on the cantata designed for the Lutheran church service (there were many kinds of cantatas written during the day) • The cantata was written for chorus, vocal soloists, organ, and a small orchestra with a German religious text drawn from the Bible or familiar hymns. • Sermon in music that reinforced the minister’s sermon, also based on the readings. • Included different movements with choruses, recitatives, arias, and duets. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipzR9bhei_o&feature=relmfu Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  37. Cantata • The cantata closely resembled the opera of the time • The cantor or music director had to provide church cantatas for every Sunday and holiday. • Bach wrote about 295, and 195 are still in existence. Cantata No. 140: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Awake a Voice is Calling Us) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8MpkPbaWXg&feature=related Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPeVIuRjUi4 Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  38. Oratorio • Major development in baroque vocal music • Large-scale composition for chorus, orchestra, vocal soloists, and orchestra; usually set to a narrative text. • Different from opera in that it has no scenery, costumes, or acting. • Based on biblical stories but usually not intended for religious services. • Today they are performed in concert halls or churches. First appeared in 17th century Italy as musical dramatizations ob biblical stories. • During this period it spread to other countries • Most famous, best known, and best loved Oratorio—is Handel’s Messiah. • But Orff also made a famous one • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD3VsesSBsw&feature=related Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  39. George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) • Master of Italian opera and English Oratorio (German) • Traveled to Italy when he was 21 years old and wrote widely acclaimed operas and mingled with the nobility • Returned to Germany in 1710 and took a well-paid position as a music director for the Elector of Hanover • Requested a leave for London—where his opera Rinaldo was a great success, and requested a second leave for London and never returned • He became England’s most important composer and a favorite of the Queen (Anne) • Became Director of the Royal Academy of Music (a commercial opera company) and composed a number of brilliant operas. Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  40. Handel • When opera fell out of favor he parlayed his musical ability into composing oratorios. • The core of his huge output consists of English oratorios and Italian operas (39). • He also wrote quite a bit ofinstrumental music including suites, organ concertos, and concerti grossi. Water Music - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kuw8YjSbKd4 Royal Fireworks - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j9ewOW-bkA&feature=fvst • His oratorios are based on the Old Testament. • His first performance of Messiah—was a benefit for people in debtors’ prisons. A newspaper wrote that the Messiah “by the greatest Judges to be the finest Composition for Musik that ever was heard” Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  41. Handel • Messiahis Handel’s only English oratorio that uses the New Testament as well as the Old. • It has over 50 movements and No. 44, Hallelujah Chorus is monophonic, homophonic, and polyphonic in texture. • One of the world’s most famous choral pieces. #9 - Ev’ry Valley Shall Be Exalted Aria for tenor, strings, and basso continuo, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NCO6UzZ2R8 #10 - Hallelujah Chorus, from Messiah http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76RrdwElnTU Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

  42. Other Composers in the Baroque • Pachebel – Canon in D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkSp8wc8lKw&feature=fvst • Albinoni – Adagio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMbvcp480Y4 • Canon – differently http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-IGpHAkvQw&feature=related • Adagio – differently http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TfCbiHJybI&feature=related • Tocatta and Fugue – differently - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euOu89d3npA • Victory by Handel – differently • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wD75xng_QQ&feature=fvwrel Prof Anthony D'Ascoli

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