How to understand Baroque music?

Overview of Music Style

1. Introduction to the meaning of the word "Baroque" in the history of music.

The Portuguese word baroque originally meant non-round, irregularly shaped pearls, and now refers to the luxurious architectural style of Europe in the 17th and early 8th centuries. This term was used by musicians to generally describe the musical style of the same period (see below).

2． What are the characteristics of the melody of music in the Baroque period?

The phrases vary in length and the breath is longer. Whether it is vocal music or instrumental music, the melody is unprecedentedly gorgeous and complex, with quite a lot of decorative sounds and progressive sound patterns. Like Renaissance melodies, the progression of the tune often has a figurative, symbolic character. What is striking is the clear harmonic nature of the melody.

3． What was the rhythm of music during the Baroque period?

It is mainly divided into two types: free rhythm and clear and regular rhythm. The former is used for recitatives, toccatas, preludes, etc., and the latter is used for arias, fugues, dances, etc., and will remain throughout a movement. These two rhythms are often used together, such as recitative and aria, prelude (or toccata) and fugue.

4. What mode is used in Baroque music?

The major and minor key system has replaced the "ecclesiastical mode" of the past.

5. What is the harmony of Baroque music?

A complete functional harmony system of major and minor keys centered on dominant, subordinate and subordinate has been formed, using dissonances for tonal conversion and making the harmony dynamic and emotional. The invention of the twelve equal temperaments in the 17th century is closely related to the full development of the harmony system.

6. What is a thoroughbass (also called a figured bass or basso continuo)?

Composition techniques unique to the Baroque period. Write a clear note in the bass part of the score of a keyboard instrument (usually a clavichord), and mark it with a number indicating the harmony above it (for example, the number 6 means that the note should have its sixth and third notes above it) . The player plays the bass and harmony based on this prompt, and the arrangement and texture of the chord's notes are chosen by the player.

7． What is the texture of Baroque music?

Polyphonic texture plays a dominant role, and its writing technology has reached an unprecedented peak. It differs from Renaissance polyphony in that it is counterpoint based on functional harmony. At the same time, there are also many works using the main tone texture.

8. What was the musical form of the Baroque period?

Multi-movement structures that contrast with each other in rhythm, speed and style, such as suites, variations, concertos, cantatas, oratorios, etc., are commonly used in preludes, fugues, recitatives and The relationship between arias. The internal structure of the polyphonic piece is a continuum written in an imitative manner (not segmented), but clear elements of presentation, development and representation can be seen. There are also segmented structures, variations, passacaglia and charcoal forms that are variations on the fixed bass melody.

9. What were the major musical genres of the Baroque period?

Vocal music: Mass, motets, hymns, operas, oratorios, cantatas, Passions and various solo and choral pieces. Instrumental music: Toccata, prelude, fantasy, fugue, variation, suite, sonata (mainly solo sonata and trio sonata), concerto (orchestral concerto, concerto grosso, solo concerto).

10. What was the mood of music in the Baroque period?

Maintain a basic mood within a movement, and only form contrast between movements.

11. What was the intensity of music in the Baroque period?

Instead of pursuing subtle changes in crescendo and decrescendo, a clearer "stepped intensity" was adopted.

Section 1. The birth of opera and early opera

1. When and where was opera born? How was it born?

It was born in Florence, Italy, at the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century. It was born on the basis of extensive research on ancient Greek tragedies by Badi, Vincenzo Galilei, members of the Camerata (meaning club or clique) in Badi's court, and May, a Florentine scholar. of.

2. What musical forms are the predecessors of opera?

The combination of music and drama can be traced back to ancient times, including ancient Greek tragedy, medieval ritual drama, religious mystery drama, miracle drama, Renaissance pastoral suites, pastoral drama, interludes and other forms.

3. Introduction to intermedio and pastoral drama.

An interlude is a short musical play performed between two acts of a play. Pastoral plays are stage plays with music on legendary or rural themes.

4. What was the first opera in history? Who created it? Where is the story based?

"Daphne", written by Rinuccini and composed by Perry in 1597, is based on Greek mythology. But the score has been lost.

5. What is the first surviving opera? Who created it? Where is the story based?

In 1600, "Euridice" was written by Nuccini and composed by Pelli and Caccini. Based on Greek mythology.

6. What was the musical form in the earliest operas?

The vocal part is mainly a recitative that is close to recitation, accompanied by a small number of musical instruments, and adopts continuo bass. The musical form is relatively simple.

7. Introduction to Monteverdi’s opera writing concepts and the early opera form he established.

Mainly to enhance musicality and emotional expression. The specific method is to lengthen the melody line of the recitative to make it singable, and alternate it with short songs, duets and pastoral re-sings to form a contrast. He used larger-scale orchestral accompaniment and created a strong dramatic effect through the use of tremolo, pizzicato and dissonant harmonies of string instruments. Add instrumental passages to the opera, such as the "Toccata" at the beginning (later the overture), the dance music in the middle, etc. The basic model of opera was formed in his creation.

8. List two masterpieces of Monteverdi.

"Orfeo" (or translated as "Orpheus"), "Arianna".

9. After Monteverdi, who was the representative figure of Venetian opera in the 17th century (the Venetian school in the field of opera)?

Monteverdi’s students Cavalli (1602-1676) and Cesti (1623-1669).

10. Who is the main representative of opera (Neapolitan school or Neapolitan school) in Naples (Naples), Italy in the 18th century? What are the characteristics of his creations?

Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725). He attached great importance to the lyrical role of music in operas, emphasized the expressive power of arias, and created the ABA formal structure, which is called "return aria" or "reappearance aria" (da capo aria). His orchestra was more complete, and he also created the "fast-slow-fast" opera overture (called "symphony" at the time).

11. What are the characteristics of Neapolitan opera?

Focus on the beauty of the soloist's voice and the external effect of the music, and pursue the stylization of musical language and form. The music texture is relatively simple, mainly solo melody and simple harmonic accompaniment. The downside is the lack of authenticity and dramatic intensity. This tendency led to opera's decline in the 18th century.

12. Introduce recitative and aria.

Recitative is used for character dialogue and plot development in opera (or oratorio). Its melody is close to recitation, and aria is called It expresses the emotions of the characters and shows singing skills. The music is beautiful and gorgeous, and the vocal range is wide.

13. What are vernacular recitatives (also translated as clear recitatives, dry recitatives, recitativo secco, dry recitative) and accompaniment recitatives (recitative obbligato, accompagnato)?

The former is a recitative accompanied only by a harpsichord and a bass instrument, and is mainly used for long dialogues and monologues. The latter uses band accompaniment and is used for tense dramatic scenes. Because it has the characteristics of an aria to a certain extent, it is also called an aria (arioso or recitativo arioso).

14. What is "Da Capo Aria"?

The ABA three-section aria can be reproduced with some free dazzling skills according to the singer's preference.

15. A. What is the Italian opera overture established by Scarlatti?

(See question 10 in this section)

16. How did French opera come into being?

After being introduced from Italy in the seventeenth century, it immediately took on French characteristics: emphasis on recitative, which highlighted the unique rhythm and rhythm of French; adding a large number of dance scenes to operas; The stage decoration is extremely gorgeous, showing the grandeur of imperial life; the opera overture adopts the opposite tempo arrangement of Italy: slow-fast-slow.

17. Which composer established the form of French opera?

Lully (1632-1687) was originally from Italy. (See question 15 above for opera style)

18. An introduction to the historical contribution of French composer Rameau.

He wrote a large number of operas and clavichord works, but more importantly, he published "Basic Theory of Harmony" in 1722, which laid the foundation for modern harmony theory.

19． Who is the representative figure of British opera creation? Please name a representative work.

Purcell (1659-1695), whose representative work is "Didon and Ini".

20. An introduction to the German "singspiel" (singspiel).

It is a German folk comedy opera with dialogue, and the music has distinctive national characteristics. It had an important influence on the development of German opera.

21. Introduction to Oratorio, Passion and Cantata.

Oratorio: Lyrics on religious or epic themes are set to music. Musical forms include solo, duet, chorus and orchestral music, and are performed in churches or concert halls. Unlike an opera, an oratorio does not have complex stage devices and dramatic action performances.

Passion: The musical form is the same as the oratorio, and its subject matter focuses on the story of the Passion (crucifixion) of Christ Jesus.

Cantata: Also translated as cantata, it is a genre with solo, duet, chorus and orchestral music, with both religious and secular content. Like the oratorio there is no stage device or dramatic action.

Section 2. Instrumental music, keyboard music

1. Introduction to the German Lutheran chorale variation (chorale variation) and chorale fantasia (chorale fantasia).

Organ music with variations or free development based on the hymn melody.

2. Introduction to toccata and fugue.

Toccata: a keyboard music genre with a freer rhythm and virtuosic nature.

Fugue: A polyphonic music genre with strict structure and standardized rhythm, mainly composed of imitating counterpoint on a theme.

3. Introduction to chaconne and passacaglia.

Chaconne, also translated as Xia Kong, is a three-beat dance music with a solemn style. It is usually written with variations on a fixed bass (or a harmonic progression pattern) that appears multiple times. Passacaglia and Chaconne are often indistinguishable.

4. Introduction to suites in the Baroque period.

A genre that organizes dance music of different speeds, rhythms, and national styles.

5. Who are the most famous fortepiano composers in the Baroque period?

F. Couperin (Francois Couperin, 1668-1733) and Rameau of France, D. Scarlatti (1685-1757) of Italy, Bach and Handel of Germany.

6. What is the equal temperament?

A tuning method in which all semitones within an octave are tuned to the same distance (cents) on a keyboard instrument.

Small Ensemble

1. An introduction to the church sonata (sonata da chiesa) and chamber sonata (sonata da camera) during the Baroque period.

A sonata is a solo or ensemble instrumental piece. The former has a more serious style and rarely uses dance music, while the latter is more lively and uses dance music in every section.

2. An introduction to solo sonata and trio sonata.

A solo sonata consists of a violin (or flute or other instrument) plus a continuo instrument, sometimes with only one instrument solo (such as an unaccompanied violin sonata or a clavichord sonata). A trio sonata is played by two violins, a continuo instrument (keyboard instrument), and a cello (or bassoon). The two violins play two counterpoint melodies, and the other two instruments play bass and harmony.

Large Ensemble Music

3. Introduction to concerto grosso, solo concerto and ripieno concerto.

Concerto Grosso: A concerto composed of several instruments for a solo group and an orchestra.

Solo Concerto: A concerto for a solo instrument and an orchestra.

Orchestra Concerto (also translated as Orchestra Concerto): It does not highlight a certain instrument or a certain group of instruments. It is actually an orchestral piece. The general writing method is that the first violin part plays the main melody and uses a digital bass. .

4． An introduction to A. Vivaldi (1675-1741) and his concerto "The Four Seasons".

(omitted)

Section 3. Bach and Handel

Friends are welcome to discuss the following issues.

1． What is the most outstanding writing technique of J.S. Bach (1685-1750)? Or: What was Bach's greatest contribution to music history?

2. Bach is known as a person who "carries forward the past and opens up the future". Why?

3. Bach has a wide range of works. Please cite his major representative works of religious music, organ music, harpsichord music, solo instrumental music and orchestral music.

4． In which two musical genres did Handel (1685-1759) have outstanding achievements?

5． Why did Handel's opera writing suffer setbacks? What are the characteristics of his operas?

6. What are the characteristics of Handel's oratorio creation? Please introduce "Messiah".

7． What are Handel's important instrumental works?

8. What are the differences between the music (including writing techniques and personalities) of J.S. Bach and Handel?

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Main composer

Italy:

Ke Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)

A. Scarlatti (Alessandro Scarlatti, 1660-1725)

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

D. Scarlatti (Domenico Scarlatti, 1685-1757)