Transcript BAROQUE BOYS

If it’s not “Baroque”
don’t fix it!
The word “baroque” comes from an Italian word
that means “bizarre”.
But elaborate and exuberant are probably better
descriptive words!
Baroque music is like listening to 5 people talking at
once! It is like a complicated jigsaw puzzle
that fits together perfectly.
It is organized and has lots of notes!
Think “fancy schmancy!”
The Baroque Era---1600-1750
Other events:
Jamestown & Plymouth colonies
established
Salem witch trials
African slave trade begins
Harvard University is founded.
Baroque Vocabulary
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Harpsichord
Organ
Concerto
Movement
Toccata and Fugue
Oratorio
Program music
Tutti
Opera
virtuoso
“THE BAROQUE BOYS”
3 major composers of the Baroque era
• J. S. Bach (Germany) 1685-1750
• George Fredrich Handel (Germany) 1685-1759
• Antonio Vivaldi (Italy) 1678-1741
J.S. Bach Facts:
 German
 Played violin, harpsichord &
organ
 Had 20 kids!
 Composer for the church
 Not appreciated during his
lifetime. Considered
“old-fashioned”
 Known especially for his organ
works!
 Brandenburg Concertos
 Organ pieces
 Did NOT write operas!
 “Soli deo Gloria”---To the glory of
God alone.
Antonio Vivaldi
1678-1741
• Italian composer
• Known as the “Red Priest”
(had red hair/was Catholic priest)
• Stayed in trouble w/the church because
of his operas
• Wrote lots of concertos (for violin & lots
of other instruments esp. odd ones like
the oboe or recorder)
• “Four Seasons” and “Gloria”
2 very famous works
• Bach liked Vivaldi’s music!
• Composed for a girls’ orphanage
• Known for his operas while he was alive
The Four Seasons
By
Antonio Vivaldi
“THE FOUR SEASONS”:
program music—Music that suggests a
mood/scene or tells a story.(Ex.”The Four Seasons”)
Vivaldi wrote poems to go with each of the
“Four Seasons” concertos.
Each concerto has 3 movements
S
P
R
I
N
G
1 Joyful Spring has arrived,
The birds welcome it with their happy songs,
And the brooks in the gentle breezes
Flow with a sweet murmur.
The sky is covered with a black mantle,
Thunder and lightning announce a storm.
When they are silent, the birds
Take up again their harmonious songs.
2 And in the flower-rich meadow,
To the gentle murmur of leaves and plants
The goatherd sleeps, his faithful dog at his side
3 To the merry sounds of a rustic bagpipe
Nymphs and shepherds dance in their beloved spot
When Spring appears in its brilliance
VIVALDI’S
“THE FOUR SEASONS” TODAY
Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons is so popular today
that it is used in TV advertisements, as
background music,in restaurants and in films
(Pretty Woman,and Spy Game to name a couple).
Yet as recently as fifty years
ago, hardly anyone knew this music.
It started to become popular when it was played
on a CBS radio broadcast in the summer of 1950.
Today, you can choose from over one hundred
recordings of The Four Seasons, including
arrangements for flute, harp, soprano, guitar trio,
or brass quintet, jazz quartet, strings, and even for
traditional Chinese instruments!
“Winter”
1.Frozen and shivering in the icy snow.
In the strong blasts of a terrible wind
To run stamping one’s feet at every step
With one’s teeth chattering through the cold.
2 To spend the quiet and happy days by the fire
Whilst outside the rain soaks everyone.
To walk on the ice with slow steps
And go carefully for fear of falling.
3 To go in haste, slide and fall down:
To go again on the ice and run,
Until the ice cracks and open.
To hear leaving their
Iron-gated house Sirocco,
Boreas and all the winds in battle:
This is winter, but it brings joy.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW?
• Vivaldi’s nickname _________ _______
• Vivaldi wrote lots of concertos for this
instrument___________
• “The Four Seasons” is a set of 4
___________
• A concerto is a musical piece for _____ +
___________
• Vivaldi also wrote lots of _________ which
kept him in trouble with the Catholic
church!
• Vivaldi was from what country?
Gloria
is another piece that Vivaldi
wrote
It is for a chorus, soloists and orchestra
This “Gloria” has 12 movements!
Listening: Movement #1 “Gloria”
Listen for these words:
“Gloria! Gloria in excelsis deo!”
George Frideric Handel
1685-1759
• German composer
• Became a British citizen in 1726
• Known for his OPERAS and
ORATORIOS
• Most famous works: MESSIAH
(oratorio) and WATER MUSIC
• Also wrote vocal music in 3 languages:
German, Italian, English
• Died 8 days after a performance of
MESSIAH in 1759 in London.
Get a “Handel” on vocabulary!
Oratorio—a sacred musical form that tells a story
with singing and music. Soloists, chorus,
orchestra are used. Like an opera but without
costumes and scenery! Handel was the master
of the oratorio.
Opera—A story told through music and singing.
Soloists, chorus, orchestra, costumes and
scenery are used. Mostly a secular musical
form!
DID YOU
KNOW????.............
Handel composed Messiah
in less than 3 weeks!
Think about it! WOW!
To sing the entire oratorio
would take about 3-4 hours!
It is tradition to stand when
the Hallelujah Chorus is
sung!
What else was happening during
Handel’s lifetime???
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George Washington is born
Ben Franklin invents the lightning rod
French and Indian War breaks out
We have 13 colonies! Woo hoo!