Baroque Opera - components Recitativo Natural inflection of speech Advances the plot Aria Lyric Emotional reflection Ensemble - comment and reflect Overtures and interludes Libretto Ballet (sometimes)
Baroque Opera - Composers Italian 0 Monteverdi ( ) First master of opera Orfeo, Arianna, Coronation of Poppea French - Lully ( ) Tragédie lyrique French rejected popular Italian opera. English - Purcell ( ) Masque - entertainment with voices, instruments, poetry and dance
Dido and Aeneas - Purcell New level of musical expression in England Adventure of hero, Aeneas, after fall of Troy (Virgin’s Aeneid) Falls in love -- duty calls -- must depart “Dido’s Lament” Five measure ground bass - Descending chromatic scale is symbolic of grief in Baroque music.
Late Baroque Opera Handel ( ) International figure who united… Beautiful vocal melody of the Italian School Stately gestures of the French style Contrapuntal genius of the Germans Majestic choral tradition of the English Opera Seria
J. S. Bach ( ) Biography, Works and Influences Report by John Price
J. S. Bach - Vocabulary Cantata (cantare) Chorale (Hymn tune) Congregational singing in German Clear-cut melody, supported by harmony Chorale Prelude - organ Embellished chorale tune
J. S. Bach - Works Can you name at least five works by J.S. Bach? (see page 154) Bach raised existing forms to the highest level rather than originating new forms. p. 155
J.S. Bach - Cantata # 80 Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott Setting of Martin Luther’s chorale Luther probably composed music as well as words Choruses, arias, recitatives #1 Choral fugue - polyphonic #8 Chorale - homophonic
G. F. Handel ( ) Biography, Works and Influences Report by Joan Adams
G. F. Handel - Works More than 40 operas Oratorios are choral dramas Chorus - the people - center of the drama Expanded the chorus’s role Instrumental music Can you name at least five works by Handel?
Handel - Messiah Written down in 24 days Old and New Testaments 1st part - the Christmas section 2nd part - the Easter section 3rd part - the redemption of the world Orchestration - mainly strings and continuo Oboes and bassoons with choral parts Trumpets and drums for special numbers French overture Da Capo Arias