Transcript Chapters 5,6,7,8

Chapters 5, 6
Opera
Opera Overview
Beginnings
– Late 16th C Italy
– Camerata’s ideas for opera fr/ Greek tragedies
– v/ popular v/ quickly
• Aristocracy—immediately
• Gen’l pop—by mid-17C
Opera Overview
Baroque culture likes to combine ideas,
elements, etc. So…
Literature
Visual Art
story
poetry
libretto
sets
scenery
costumes
acting
= Opera!
Music
vocal
instrumental
dance
Opera
Text is VIMP; it tells the story. Th/f,
• Homophony is IN
• Polyphony is OUT
Opera
4 types of opera music:
Aria
• MELODY MIMP
• Plot stops
• Reflects on state of events
or singer’s emotions
• Orchestra accomp
• Complete piece of music
Recitative
• TEXT MIMP
• Plot moves forward
• Tells story
• Basso continuo accomp
• Usually transitions to an
aria or ensemble
Ensemble
• 2-4 main characters sing
• often portrays contrasting
moods simultaneously
Overture
• orchestra
• should set mood
• often includes opera’s
melodies
Monteverdi
• Music must portray intense emotions.
• Orchestral effects intensify mood.
Chapters 7, 8
Monteverdi, L’Orfeo
Purcell, Dido and Aeneas
Overview
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Monteverdi
Tu sé morta from L’Orfeo
operatic recitative
I=
– basso continuo accomp
text expression of mournful mood:
• word painting
• dark tone color
• slow tempo
Purcell
• MIMP 17th C English composer
• Dido and Aeneas only opera
Dido’s Lament study guide
Study resources:
PowerPoint slides
Connect Kamien
Kamien listening guide in text
Study guide
on next
4 slides
Dido’s Lament study guide
1. Dido’s Lament opens with a recitative.
– It uses just two instruments. What are they?
• Chording instrument: _____________
• Bass: ___________
– The term used for this accompaniment: ___________.
2. The aria opens with and features a ground bass.
What is a ground bass? (see chapter and/or glossary)
You are responsible to hear and recognize the ground
bass.
3. Explain how the ground bass unifies the aria.
Dido’s Lament study guide
4. Text expression: 17thC listeners associated certain melodies or
melodic patterns with specific emotions or moods. Two commonly
used patterns express the text of Dido’s Lament:
– A chromatically descending melody portrays grief or sorrow (and
Baroque era listeners understood that). It happens that Dido’s
ground bass IS a chromatically descending melody. Th/f its 11
repetitions powerfully express the sorrowful text.
– The “sighing” gesture, a pattern of 2 or 3 tones that descend by
step, portray sadness or a dejected spirit. The gesture, which
sounds like a hopeless sigh, is everywhere in Dido—in both the
singer’s line and orchestra accomp.
2 sighing gesture
examples
Dido’s Lament study guide
Using ConnectKamien:
Here are 2 examples of the sighing gesture:
01:0401:06
voice
01:3401:37
violins
The strings play the sighing gesture many times.
Cite 1 example between 02:11 and 02:52.
02:??  02:??
What is the singer’s text during this excerpt?
Cite 2 examples between 03:01 and the piece’s end.
03:??  03:??
04:??  04:??
Review
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Purcell
Dido’s Lament from Dido and Aeneas
operatic aria (w/ recitative opening)
I=
– orchestra accomp
– ground bass unifies
– text expression of mournful mood:
• slow tempo
• minor key
• descending chromatic bass line
• “sighing” gesture