Tonal Resonance

THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY

1600-1750=

(EARLY BAROQUE ERA)

BACKGROUND:

1. Characteristics of the Music and P= eriod

2. The Two Practices

3. Development of Opera

4. The Florentine Camerata

�&nb= sp; Baroque mu= sic can be described as being flamboyant, decorative, and expressionistic.

�&nb= sp; The music = was often more intense and with more varied expressions.

�&nb= sp; Composers = grew out of the older frames of previous composers, and needed new ways to expre= ss themselves.

�&nb= sp; In new bar= oque music they were able to look at music in a new harmonic manner, which allow= ed them to grow with innovations.

�&nb= sp; New featur= es that became popular were the affec= tions, which is a common goal of expressing a wide range of feeling vividly and vigorously.

�&nb= sp; A new sens= e of rhythm of the baroque was pres= ent, which was either very regular or very= free.

�&nb= sp; The basso = continuo also became popular, where many songs would have a very florid treble voice with a steady underlying bass.

New and used feature= s:

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; III. &= nbsp; New sense of counterpoint

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; III. &= nbsp; New experimental = uses of dissonance and chromaticism

DEFINITIONS:

Counterpoint (Melodic material that is added above or bel= ow an existing melody)

Basso continuo&n= bsp;

= &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = I. &nb= sp; GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MUS= IC AND THE PERIOD:

Ÿ &nb= sp; The term baroque in its earliest stage meant �deformed.�

&n= bsp;

Ÿ &nb= sp; The term <= i>baroque comes from Portuguese barroco, wh= ich describes a misshapen pearl.

&n= bsp;

Ÿ &nb= sp; Used as an adjective, baroque was used in a negative manner.

&n= bsp;

Ÿ &nb= sp; Later, it was used to describe the flamboyan= t, decorative art of this period in musical history.

WHEN YOU THINK OF BAROQUE MUSIC, WHAT EMOTIONS COME TO MIND?

THESE ARE BUT A FEW OF THE EMOTIONS (AFFECTIONS) REPRESENTED IN THE MUSI= CAL WORKS OF THE BAROQUE COMPOSER:

1= . Rage

2= . Heroism

3= . Sorrow

4= . Joy

The expressions or affections were states of the human soul. Composer�s weren�t expressing his/her personal emotions, but rather expressing the ran= ge of the emotional canon of the human spirit.

THE BAROQUE CONTRIBUTION TO MUSICAL HISTORY:

The baroque era is responsible for the production of numerous new genres or the expansion of already existing forms:

�� VOCAL FORMS��= �� INSTRUMENTAL FORMS

��= �� Opera�� Sonata<= /o:p>

�� Oratorio�� Concerto

�� Cantata�� Suites

The baroque era also gave us a new musical vocabulary such as: Allegro, adagio, piano etc.

*Theatrical Music and the concerto style of Italy had proven to be of the utmost importance during this era.

Theatrical music and the Concerto had firmly placed Italy and her composers in th= e fore front of musical innovation.

(To be discussed more later)

GENERAL DEVELOPME= NTS:

� The new techniques used in the Bar= oque era began prior to the date= of 1600

� The principal goal of the Baroque composition was to �move the Af= fections�

� As far as patronage of the arts, it was the support of both nobility and the courts w= ho predominately supported the �musical culture�

� �= The church was still a major contri= butor, but it had lost its place as the dominant source of support for musical cul= ture

� Other formal means of support of m= usic came from the academies and oth= er private associations

� The Baroque era was truly an era of forward movement in the arts, literature and the sciences.

� During the baroque era it was a co= mmon belief that the power of music = had the ability to move its listener.

� The Doctrine of Affections was in effect a way of discovering a musical equivalent for each state of feeling or emotion.

� Music had the inherent capacity to touch the human soul and was the most popular of the fine arts during the 17^th and 18= ^th. Centuries and beyond.

ELEMENTS OF STYLE:

THE DOMINANCE OF MELODY=

� Here one can see the use of four-p= art texture with the principal melody in the top voice taking precedence

� The role of the bass voice is to d= ictate the harmonic movement (tonic, to dominant movement) I-V-I

� There is also the introduction of = the Basso-continuo as a principal compositional technique.

METRICAL UNITS (MUSICAL METERS)

� There is a limited number of basic= and regular stressed meters ( duple, t= riple and quadruple meters)

RHYTHM AND METER:

      The meter was often tied to whatever express= ion the composer was attempting to convey

      Those compositions which were improvisatory tended to be more rhythmically flexible, whereas other works tended to use strict rhythmic units in a strict meter

      It was not at all uncommon for such varied styles to be paired for the purpose of showing contrast within a given work= .

FUNCTIONAL TONALITY

�      Composers now use tonality rather = than the old modes (the modal system is now totally abandoned)

II.�� THE TWO PRINCIPAL PRACTICES OF THE= BAROQUE:

1.      Prima Practic= a

2.      Seconda Practica

THE PRIMA PRACTIC= A VS. SECONDA PRACTICA:

In 1600, Guido Artusi criticized the �unconvention= al approach to counterpoint� being used by the composers of his time.

Basically, the notion of this debate really was one between conservative composers and theorists against those who were more forward thinking and modern in their compositional style.

It was this criticism which Artusi aimed primarily at = the works of Claudio Monteverdi which then prompted Monteverdi to respond by na= ming a newer practice or thought on composition known as the Second Practice or = �Seconda Practica.�

The new way of composing put the me= aning of the text as ruler over and motivation of the music (as opposed to the Renaissance prima practica where mus= ic ruled the words.

�During the Renaissance, often music was = set with considerable disregard of the meaning of the text, thus bringing about= the style that would characterize the Baroque era. =

The purpose of the s= econd practice was to allow composers to write in a way which would allow them to= set the text in an expressive manner even beyond that of the humanist composers= of the Renaissance.

The first practice (= Prima Practica) was extremely limiting. This was a practice= which was setforth by Zarlino and later defended by Artusi.

MUSICAL EXAMPLE: CRUDA AMARILI� by Claudio Monteverdi (second practice)

MUSICAL EXAMPLE: CRUDA AMARILI� by Claudio Monteverdi (second practice)

IDIOMATIC WRITING:

1= .      The philosophy of Baroque music is t= hat music represents the emotions (affections) of real life and, in so doing, excites the listener�s emotions.

2= .      Music must express emotions and it m= ust move the listener.

3= .      It is generally agreed that Italian Baroque music expressed the emotions (passions or affections) best. =

4= .      Baroque music was the end-result of a search for new modes of expression.

5= .      During this process, a concern for formal organization resulted in the development= of tonal system (replacing the modal system).

6.&n= bsp;     During this era, composers were now composing f= or very specific individual or groupi= ngs of instrumental forces.

=

7= .      The Baroque brought about the emergence of the virtuosic performer, both in vocal and instrumental music.

IMPORTANT COMPOSITIONAL DIVICES:

BASSO CONTINUO:<= /p>
�&nb= sp;     The preferred texture of the era seemed to b= e a combination of a firm or steady bass set against a more florid treble line<= /p>

�&nb= sp;     The bass part was generally performed by a continuo instrument such as the lute or possibly a harpsichord.

�&nb= sp;     It was the task of the keyboardist or lute player to �fill in� the missing chord tones using notated figures

�&nb= sp;     These notated figures would become known as = �figured bass�

FUGAL COUNTERPOINT:<= /b>

�&nb= sp;     This is an idea which has its roots in the previous era (Renaissance)

�&nb= sp;     The difference between the �Renaissance Counter= -point model� and the Baroque model, the Renaissance was about the �rule� of counterpoint. Baroque counterpoint is about the relationship between harmon= ies.

�&nb= sp;     The Renaissance model is part of the �prima practica and the Baroque model is a part of the �seconda practica�

HARMONY:

&nbs= p;       I.   &nb= sp; Early on in the baroque period, composers limited t= he use of chromaticism for the purposes of express= ion

&nbs= p;    II.   &n= bsp; By the end of the era, the role of chromaticism had shifted, it was now being used to govern the harmony

&nbs= p; III.   &= nbsp; We also see composers abandoning the modal systems = of the earlier era and moving toward a newer system of tonality (Major/Minor)<= /p>

      =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =        III.   &= nbsp; PRE= DECESSORS TO OPERA:

The forerunners to opera in the early baroqu= e era were:

a.      = Medieval Mystery Play

b.      Intermezzi

c.      = Pastoral Poems

d.      Greek Tragedy

MEDIEVAL MYSTERY PLAY: <= span lang=3DEN style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN'>Mystery plays are among the earliest formally developed p= lays in medieval <= st1:place w:st=3D"on">Europe.

Their origin is obscure, = but the most common theory is that they developed from the representation of Bible stories in churches as tableaux with accompanying antiphonal= song

INTERMEZZI: In music, an inter= mezzo (pl. intermezzi), in the most general sense, is a composition which = fits between other musical or dramatic entities, such as acts of a play or movem= ents of a larger musical work.

�&nb= sp;     This was a pastoral or mythological interlud= e, which was staged between acts of a play.

�&nb= sp;     Many of these works were staged on a grand scale, in particular if it was for an official state occasion.

�&nb= sp;     The intermezzi could include choruses, soloists and a large instru= mental ensemble

�&nb= sp;     One of the most famous intermezzi known to modern audiences is the intermezzo La serva= padrona which first appeared between the acts = of Pergolesi's Il prigioniero 1733

PA= STORAL POEMS: Pastoral refers to the lifestyle of shepher= ds and pastoralists, moving livestock around larger a= reas of land according to seasons and availability of water and feed.

�&nb= sp;     These works generally dealt with idyllic love

�&nb= sp;     It was a predominately Italian poetry form in the Renaissance

�&nb= sp;     The characters of the poems tended to be simple, rustic and young

GREEK TRAGEDY: �it = is a form of drama<= /b> characterized by seriousness and dignity, usually involving a conflict between a charact= er and some higher power, such as th= e law, the gods, fate, or society.

1.      There are numerous disagreements as to the role music played within this particul= ar genre

2.      One point of contention: Are the choruses sung in Greek Tragedy?

3.      It is believed by some including Girolamo M= ei (the Italian historian and humanist, famous in music history for providing the intellectual impetus to the= Florent= ine Camerata) believed that all parts of the Gre= ek Tragedy were to be sung.

THE ROLE OF THE FLORITINE CAMERAT AND OPERA DEVELOPMENT:<= /b>

�      This group had its beginnings in t= he early 1570�s

�      Count Bardi was the founder and host of this gathering of minds

�      Initially, the group was informal = in nature and each member was a scholar within his own right=

�      The group was deemed �The Floritine� Camerata becau= se they met in Florence Italy

�      The agenda of these gatherings foc= used on the state of literature, science and of course the arts
�      It was not uncommon for a musician= to perform a new work for the group

�      Members/scholars would often read = the writings of� G= irolamo Mei which looked at Greek music

Mei�s Thoughts:

�      Mei believed that the power of Gre= ek music lay in the use of a single melody line.

�      He believed that the melody moved = the listener through the natural expressiveness of the vocal registers.

Galilei�s Thoughts:

�      Galilei used Mei�s argument to attack Renaissance counter-point as it was being expres= sed in the Madrigal.

�

�      Galilei believed that �multiple melodies being voiced simultaneously w= as in effect a direct contradiction to the principal melody.�

�

�      He believed that such a contradiction in effect detracted from the textual meaning.<= o:p>

BAROQUE VS. RENAISSANCE

The differences between Renaissance and Baroque, and the change from the= one to the other, are focused in large part on "the affections"�

These are rationalized emotional states�

One of the most significant concepts has to do with the way the �affecti= ons� were treated in music.

However, it is a mistake to view the contrast in terms of the Baroque be= ing concerned with the affections, and the Renaissance not.

Instead, the two periods actually operated under the same principle, but they differed fundamentally in the method of its application.

The renaissance favored the affections = of restraint and noble simplicity=

The baroque opted for the more extreme affections, ranging from violent = pain to exuberant joy.

It is obvious that the representation of extreme affections called for a richer vocabulary than had been required before."

Since the Baroque's approach to the affections is probably its single mo= st consistent feature, we shall choose this observation as the point of depart= ure for our initial discussion about opera.

The Renaissance and the Baroque, and the boundary between them, is a tim= e in which the parallels between the goals and methods of the visual arts and those of music are particularly strong; we can thus see a broader context for the treatment of these subjects in musical

      =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;         III.   &= nbsp; DEVELOPMENT OF OPERA

OPERA refers to a dramatic art form, originating = in Italy, in which the emotional content or primary entertainment is conveyed to the audience as much through music, both vocal and instrumental, as it is throu= gh the lyrics.

1.      The Earliest Operas

�      "Dafne" by Jacopo Peri was the earliest composition considered opera, as understood today.

�      It was written around 1597, largel= y under the inspiration of an elite circle of literate Florentine humanists who gathered as the "Camerata".

�      �Dafne= � (1597), survives only fragments today.

MUSICAL EXAMPLE: Dunque fra torbid by Giacopo <= span class=3DSpellE>Peri (Il Canto d�Arione)<= o:p>

�      Rinuccini and Jacob Pe= ri were well known collaborators of early opera repertory during the late 16th century

�      Significantly, Dafne was an attempt to revive the classical Greek drama, part of the wider revival of antiquity characteristic of the Renaissance.

�      A later work by Peri, Euridice, dating from 1600, is the first opera score to have survived to the present day.

�      In earlier times, music had been p= art of medieval mystery plays (a distant predecessor to opera), with the composer = of these best-known to modern audiences being Hildegard of Bingen.

�      Peri has been accredited for creating = the singing dialogue style known as the �Stile Recitativo<= /span>�
THE ROLE OF MONODY:

�      Monody was not a new concept, as s= olo madrigals used a very similar formula

�      Peri's= works, however, did not arise out= of a creative vacuum in the area of sung drama. An underlying prerequisite for t= he creation of opera proper was the practice of monody.

�      Monody is the solo singing/setting of a dramatically conceived melody, designed to express the emotional content of the text it carries, which is accompanied by a relatively simple sequence of chords rather than other polyphonic parts.

COMPOSER

OPERA=

FACTS ABOUT THE COMPOSE= R

Gi= ulio Caccini (c.1545 � December 10, 1618) was an Italian composer, teacher, singer, instrumentalist and writer of the very late Renaissance and early Baroque eras.

Eu= ridice

1.      Tuneful yet mainly syllabic style of solo song composition

2.      His compositions contain clear and flexible text declamation

3.      His use of embellishments were limited to expression of the text

4.      He set the pastoral drama of Euridice in 1600

5.      He is the author of the �Le Nuove Musiche, which is a collection of airs and solo madrigals. It was published in 160= 2

Gi= acopo Peri

(August 20, 1561 � Augu= st 12, 1633) was an Italian composer and singer of the transitional period betwe= en the Renaissance and Baroque styles, and is often called the inventor of opera.

�D= afne,�� Euridice�

1.      His opera Euridice was composed in 1600

2.      Generally Peri would use all forms of monody within his compositions

3.      It is believed that his �Stile Recitativo� is si= milar to the style of the ancient Greeks

4.      His operas uses basso-continuo

5.      His harmonies are determined by the flowing aspects of the text or speech declamation.

6.      As a technique, certain words (those which were emphasized in speech) would receive pitch

7.      Euridice may have been a part of the festivites in celebration of the marriage of King Henry IV to Marie de Medice