The Baroque Era 1600 1750 Baroque Culture Definitions

The Baroque Era 1600 -1750

Baroque Culture • Definitions Portuguese for “irregularlyshaped” pearl • Geographical Centers England France Germany

The Times • Science – Sir Isaac Newton (1642 -1727) • Laws of gravity • Calculus Sir Isaac Newton

• Johannes Kepler (1571 -1630) • Movement of the planets • Foundation of astronomy Johannes Kepler • Galileo Galilei (1564 -1642) Galileo Galilei

• René Descartes (1596 -1650) René Descartes – Analytical geometry – Applied scientific principles to philosophy – Applied methods of mathematics to the study of what humans think and feel – Believed that human emotions could be classified in the same way scientific phenomena are classified (Doctrine of Affections)

William Gilbert (1544 -1603) • Properties of electricity Sir William Harvey (1578 -1657) • Circulation of the blood Robert Boyle (1627 -1691) • Chemistry

• Inventions

• Politics – Age of Absolute Monarchs Charles II of England Frederick II of Prussia Louis XIV of France Phillip IV of Spain

• Religion – Roman Catholic – Protestant – New Religions • Deism – Influenced by the advances in scientific knowledge – Operated on reason alone without supernatural manifestations – Ethan Allen, Thomas Payne, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, James Madison

• Everyday life in the Baroque – Institutions with power • Court • Church – Aristocratic Life – Middle and Lower Class Life

Visual Arts • Architecture – In the Renaissance: simple, straight lines and detail Bramante – St. Peter’s Cathedral Brunelleschi – Florence Cathedral

– In the Baroque: ornate, extravagant, showy St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican Palace of Versailles, Paris

• Painting – Emotionally charged – Dramatic subjects – Contrast; play between light and shadow

• Peter Paul Rubens (1577 -1640) Self-Portrait Assumption of the Virgin

• Rembrandt van Rijn (1606 -1669) Self-Portrait The Night Watch

• Sculpture – Strong light and dark contrasts – Dramatic tension – Subjects are never still but moving, struggling, twisted Gian Lorenzo Bernini Self-Portrait Apollo and Daphne Louis XIV Ecstasy of St. Theresa

Age of Paradox/Contrasts • Church ↔ State • Monarchy ↔ Bourgeoisie • Aristocracy ↔ Affluent Middle Class • Importance of Religions ↔ Rise of Secular • Scientific Research ↔ Superstition, Witchcraft • Importance of humanity ↔ Religious Persecution

Music’s Response to Paradox/Contrast • • Vocal ↔ Instrumental 8 Church Modes ↔ Tonality (Major, minor) Sacred Music ↔ Secular Music Polyphonic Texture ↔ Homophonic Texture

The Composer’s Life • • Patronage System Church ↔ Court Deterioration of the Patronage System Other Music Achievements: – Audience of the common people – Development of music for its own sake

Music of the Baroque • Doctrine of Affections • Elements of Music – Melody • • Long, instrumental in conception Use of sequences Monothematic Use of ornamentation

– Harmony • Tonal • Use of Major and minor scales – Rhythm • Metric • Motoric – Texture • Homophony and Polyphony equal in importance (Late Baroque) • Thorough Bass or Basso Continuo

– Form • • Binary Ternary Fugue Ritornello – Dynamics • Terraced • Not written into the score – Timbre • Vocal • Instrumental

Keyboard Instruments Painted Organ Pipes Pipe Organ Harpsichord

String Instruments Viol Family Stradivarius Violins Lute Composite of String Instruments Guarnerius Violin

Woodwind Instruments Wood Flute Recorder Family Early Clarinets Oboe da Caccia

Brass Instruments Long Trumpet Trombones

Percussion Instruments Kettledrums

Vocal Genres • Opera – Began as court entertainments in Italy – Includes a story (libretto), solo singing, choral singing, dancing, costumes and sets – Forms: recitative, aria , chorus Orfeo, 1607 Tu se’ morta Claudio Monteverdi (1567 -1643)

• Cantata – Short, unstaged operas (secular and sacred) – Used operatic forms (recitative, aria, chorus) – Sacred cantatas often based on a chorale Cantata 140: Wachet Auf, 1731 Awake, A Voice is Calling Us First Movement: Chorus and Orchestra Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 -1750) Fourth Movement: Tenor Chorale

Wachet Auf

• Oratorio – – – A sacred, large-scale opera Always based on a biblical story No staging or constuming Larger role for the chorus Uses opera forms (recitative, aria, chorus) Messiah, 1741 Recitative: The Voice of Him Aria: Every Valley Shall Be Exalted Chorus: Hallelujah George Frideric Handel (1685 -1759)

“Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah (1741) • Perhaps one of the world’s most famous choral pieces • Text is from the Revelation of St. John Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth The kingdom of this world is become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ And he shall reign for ever and ever King of Kings and Lord of Lords Hallelujah! • Combines monophonic, polyphonic and homophonic textures

Instrumental Genres • Dance Suite – Originally a series of dances played for dancing – By the Baroque, suites became independent instrumental pieces no longer intended for dancing – Usually contained four dances – Often unified by key – Differed by tempo and international background – Used binary form Suite No. 3 in D Major, 1729 -1731 Air Bourée J. S. Bach Gigue

• Sonata – Originally a “sound piece” for one instrument – Became a chamber music genre in the Baroque (from 2 to 6 players) – Four movements: fast, slow, fast – Trio sonatas were popular Trio Sonata in A Minor, Op. 3, No. 10 (1689) First Movement Arcangelo Corelli (1653 -1713)

• Concerto Grosso – “friendly contention” – Contrasts a larger ensemble (ripieno or tutti) with a solo group (concertino) – Three movements: fast, slow, fast – Often uses ritornello form Spring Concerto The Four Seasons, 1725 First Movement: Allegro Spring has come, and joyfully, The birds greet it with happy song. And the streams, fanned by gentle breezes, Flow along with a sweet murmur. Covering the sky with a black cloak, Thunder and lightning come to announce the season. When these have quieted down, the little birds Return to their enchanting song. Antonio Vivaldi (1678 -1741)

Ritornello Form

Vivaldi - Spring Concerto, Allegro

• Keyboard Music – Organ and harpsichord – Often paired a “free” piece with a contrapuntal fugue [Prelude and Fugue] – Toccata: added elements of virtuosic “touch” keyboard technique The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, 1722 Prelude and Fugue in c minor J. S. Bach

J. S. Bach – Fugue in g minor, BWV 578

Composers • • • Johann Sebastian Bach George Frideric Handel Antonio Vivaldi Henry Purcell Barbara Strozzi (1619 -1677) Elizabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre (1667 -1729)