Transcript Religious vocal music

1. Secular vocal music
1.1. The birth of opera
1.2. Types of opera
2. Religious vocal music
2.1. Cantata
2.2. Oratorio
2.3. Passion
3. Instrumental music
3.1. Suite
3.2. Sonata
3.3. Concerto
4. Dance in the baroque
4.1. The development of balle: ballet de cour
4.2. Social dance
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Secular vocal music
It was a crucial period in the history of
music because: the use of tonality and
harmony was established, the orchestra
and the first large forms of vocal and
instrumental music were born, and the
first virtuosos and the first great
composers appeared.
In secular vocal music, and thanks to
the new technique called accompanied
monody, opera appeared.
It is structured in overture, sung parts and
interludes. It evolved and differentiated
two types of genre:
opera seria and opera buffa.
Secular vocal music
1.1. The birth of opera
The use of accompanied monody made the main goal of opera easier:
that music could emphasize and reinforce the expression of the word.
Therefore, the indispensable requisite of opera was the intelligibility
of the text.
the first great opera in history was L’Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi.
Characteristics of opera :
 The opera is a compound vocal form with a narrative nature that
makes use of stage performance..
 It is written for orchestra, choirs and soloists.
 It is elaborated in three fundamental parts:
• Overture: instrumental introduction that begins the piece.
• Sung parts: for soloists (main characters) and choirs (supporting
characters).
• Interludes: instrumental sections that are inserted in order to join and
put together the different parts of the opera.
Secular vocal music
1.2. Types of opera
a) Opera seria
It makes use of plots based on mythological and heroic topics written in Italian. It was the
favorite genre of aristocracy.
The first operas belong to this type; and it evolved quite a lot in Italy, its country of origin.
b) Opera bufa
It makes use of plots based on daily life, with characters closer to the audience.
Its popular nature was reflected in its simpler music, which did without the castrati; it
employed the main language of each country and replaced recitatives with dialoged
passages.
Religious vocal music
Religious music continued having great importance during the Baroque.
In religious vocal music, large forms appeared: cantata, oratorio and passion.
They imitated the grandeur of opera and its musical recourses, but they were not
performed on stage.
Cantata:
It is a compound form written for orchestra, choir and soloists, formed by a sequence of recitatives
and arias.
The most representative composers of this form were Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) and Johann
Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) with more than 200 religious cantatas.
Oratorio:
It can be regarded as an opera with a religious theme but without stage performance. More elaborate
and longer than the cantata.
The most representative composers of this form were Giacomo Carissimi (1605-1675) and Georg
Friedrich Haendel (1685-1759), whose most famous oratorio is Messiah.
Passion:
It is an oratorio about the passion and the death of Christ, inspired by the Gospels. The narrator is the
evangelist, who tells the events in a recitative style. The characters of the gospel are interpreted by
soloists, and the parts of the disciples and the people are performed by the choir.
The most important composer is Johann Sebastian Bach with two of his essential pieces: St. John
Passion and St. Matthew Passion.
Instrumental music
The emancipation of instrumental music that started in the Renaissance, reached its apex
during the Baroque. Instrumental music became as important as vocal music. The orchestra
was born, whose basis was bowed string and the basso continuo. Large forms of instrumental
music appeared: suite, sonata and concerto.
Instrumental music
3.1. Suite
•
It is a compound instrumental form made up of a sequence of dances of different
nature.
•
Although the number and disposition of the dances can vary, the most common
structure of Baroque suite is formed by:
STRUCTURE:
•
The suite can be written for a solo instrument or for a whole orchestra.
•
The most important composer was Johann Sebastian Bach.
Instrumental music
3.2. Sonata
•
It is a compound form divided into four movements or sections that contrast
along slow and fast beats with different textures and rhythms.
STRUCTURE:
•
The sonata can be composed for a solo instrument, a duo or a trio; but always
with the accompaniment of the harpsichord as a basso continuo.
Instrumental music
3.3. Concerto
• It is a compound form made up of a sequence of three contrasting movements:
STRUCTURE
Depending on how the instruments intervene, the concert can be:
1.
Concerto grosso: for a group of soloists (concertino) and the rest
of the orchestra (tutti). They contrast while alternating the
performance of new and fixed parts (ritornello).
2.
Solo concerto: composed for a single soloist instrument that
contrasts in constant dialog with the orchestra. The most
prominent composer was Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741).
Antonio Vivaldi
Dance in the baroque
4.1. The development of ballet: el ballet de cour
Dance theatre evolved inside the French court
with the ballet de cour, which mixed music
and dancing with.
The professionalization of ballet began and
a great deal of its terminology and
techniques were set.
Magnificent sets and clothes.
Dance in the baroque
4.2. Social dance
Social dance adopted new dances in style that
became part of the suite, whose most common
structure, were allemande, courante,
sarabande and gigue.
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