Chapter Eight Vocal Music 1600 1650 Sacred Music
- Slides: 9
Chapter Eight Vocal Music, 1600 -1650
Sacred Music (early • Prima prattica (old) - Palestrina & Zarlino - remains in use • Seconda prattica (new) - Monteverdi, et al. • Vespro della Beata Vergine (1610) • Mixed settings of sacred texts th 17 C) • Giovanni Gabrieli (1554 -1612), organist • St. Mark’s (San Marco) • “In Ecclesiis” (1590 s? ) • Polychoral settings - multiple groups - physically separated • Canzon Primi Toni (1612) • Sonata pian e forte
San Marco (Venice) - interior
Heinrich Schütz (1585 -1672) • German student of G. Gabrieli (1609 -1612) • Kapellmeister in Dresden (1617 -1672) • Chiefly Sacred music in Latin & German • Singet dem Herren ein neues Lied (Anth I/79) • Saul, was verfolgst du mich? (Anth I/80)
Chapter Nine Vocal Music, 1650 -1750
Opera in France Jean-Baptiste Lully by Paul Mignard (1639 -91) • Controlled by King • Emphasis on dance • Tragédie en musique - Philippe Quinault (poet) - J. -B. Lully (composer) • Anth I/81 – Armide (1686) • Overture (the King’s “ 24”) - “overdotting” • Act II/ sc. 5 (Renaud asleep, Armide approaches)
Opera seria • (Just what it says) “Serious Opera” - Tragic content • Plots often based on Classical Antiquity • vs. opera buffa (“comic opera”) [later] • Italy (and beyond) 1680 s to late 1700 s - most opera seria sung in Italian • Action (Recitative) – Reflection (Aria) • Development of standard poetic forms • Pietro Metastasio (1698 -1782) & others - librettist whose text were set over 700 times
Da Capo Aria • Two parts (A – B) - contrasting emotions - “Ma” (…“but”…) • Performed w/ da Capo = A – B – A’ • Ornamented return • Cadenza • Instrumental ritornello • G. F. Handel (1685 -1757) • Giulio Cesare in Egitto - London (1724) • Act I, Scene 5 (Anth I/82) - Recitative (action) “Regni Cleopatra…” - Aria (reflection) “Non disperar…” - Kathleen Battle (w/ ornamented da capo)
Castrato “Senesino” (Francesco Bernardi, 1686 -1758) Cesar in Handel’s Giulio Cesare • Male soprano (contralto) • Surgically altered before puberty (!) • Heroic leads in opera seria • 18 th C “rock stars” • Farinelli, Senesino, et al. • “L’empio sleale, indegno” - Giulio Cesare, Act I, sc. 6 - Derek Ragin, countertenor • BBC Documentary: Castrato (6 parts)
