Music Appreciation Quiz Baroque Era

Front 1

Baroque Era Years

Back 1

1600-1750

Front 2

Baroque Definition

Back 2

fills the space (canvas, stone, sound) w/ action and movement

Front 3

Artists/Authors

Back 3

Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), Cervantes (Don Quixote), Rembrant, Stradivarius

Front 4

Music in Courts

Back 4

often employed an orchestra, chapel choir, and opera singers (18 - 80 staff musicians at any given court) Composers had great pay and prestige, but were still servants and couldn't quit or take a trip w/out their patron's permission

Front 5

Music in Churches

Back 5

also employed musicians, but they were paid less & had lower status, extra income for weddings and funerals, fine church music established prestige in a city and attracted good musicians

Front 6

Opera Houses

Back 6

composers could earn extra money for writing operas for Italy. Musicians were often trained first as choirboys in their school, in Italy, they were schools for orphans

Front 7

Early Baroque

Back 7

focused on homophony (melody/chords) rather than polyphony of Ren. Use of dissonance remained to project extreme emotions

Front 8

Middle Baroque

Back 8

the church modes were replaced by Major and Minor modes Instrumental music became more popular than vocal

Front 9

Late Baroque

Back 9

most known today, very polyphonic

Front 10

Mood of Baroque

Back 10

generally pieces express 1 basic mood, still inspired corresponding changes in music, text drove melody

Front 11

Rhythm of Baroque

Back 11

continuity of rhythm helped convey the unity of mood

Front 12

Melody of Baroque

Back 12

themes (melodic ideas) recur continually, whether in original or varied form and create continuity

Front 13

Dynamics of Baroque

Back 13

stayed fairly constant for long periods of time (When they do shift, it's sudden not gradual)

Front 14

Terraced dynamics

Back 14

abrupt dynamic change from one level to the next level

Front 15

Main Keyboard Instruments

Back 15

Harpischord & organ: limited dynamic contrast

Front 16

Texture of Baroque

Back 16

predominantly polyphonic (2 or more melodic lines competing) Much imitation Soprano & Bass lines become most important Use of strings (violin, viola, etc) becomes important

Front 17

Harmony of Baroque

Back 17

now the contrasting melodies start to Line up and create chords, chord progressions, structure

Front 18

Basso continuo

Back 18

"continuous bass" often played by 2 isnt. Keyboard & low melodic inst (cello / bassoon) emphasized the important bass line by a steady flow of chords

Front 19

Figured bass

Back 19

the keyboards would play what was written with the left hand and the numbers above/below would indicate a chord and the performer filled in the necessary harmony

Front 20

Groud Bass/ Ostinato

Back 20

another type of continuous bass, which creates a short musical passage that is repeated continually throughout a piece

Front 21

Baroque Orchestra

Back 21

first orchestras were small 14-20 players all different instruments (or 2 of each) by 1650, the orchestra had solidified around strings, with woodwinds, occasionally brass would join

Front 22

Fugue

Back 22

can be written for 1 or a group of instruments (organ/ orchestra) polyphonic composition based on one theme (subject)

Front 23

Episode

Back 23

all begin same way subject almost always introduced in a single Unaccompanied voice and lower voices imitate (afterwards, anything goes)

Front 24

Countersubject

Back 24

diff. melody, always appears w/ subject above or below

Front 25

Inversion

Back 25

upside down subject

Front 26

Retrograde

Back 26

backwards subject

Front 27

Augmentation

Back 27

slower subject...stretched out over many measures

Front 28

Diminution

Back 28

faster, shortened subject

Front 29

Stretto

Back 29

one voice imitates, before the other has completed

Front 30

Pedal Point

Back 30

single tone held in bass while others move freely

Front 31

Opera

Back 31

("a work") developed in the Baroque era: drama sung to orchestral music fused music, acting, poetry, dance, scenery and costumes began in Italy in 1607 with Orfeo – Montiverdi characters and plot are revealed through song rather than speech the music creates the drama

Front 32

Overature

Back 32

musical introduction to the opera, introduces melodies to be heard later

Front 33

Aria

Back 33

"air" song for solo voice with orchestral accompaniment

Front 34

Recitative

Back 34

"recite" a vocal line that imitates rhythm and pitch fluctuations in speech

Front 35

Libretto

Back 35

text of the opera, usually written by a dramatist largely based on Greek Mythology

Front 36

Chorus

Back 36

opera chorus generates atmosphere and makes comments on the action, may be peasants, courtiers, ballroom guests, etc

Front 37

Noteworthy Operas

Back 37

Dido & Aneas – Purcell Orpheo - Montiverdi

Front 38

Oratorio

Back 38

large scale composition for chorus, vocal soloists, and Orchestra, usually set to a narrative (often biblical text) basically a sacred opera w/out staging (overature, recits, arias, etc.) not intended for church service

Front 39

Chorale

Back 39

hymn tune (generally sung in German) much like hymns today largely syllabic, slow moving, with steady rhythms

Front 40

Cantata

Back 40

written for chorus, vocal soloists, organ and small orchestra much like oratorios, but smaller in scale

Front 41

Monody

Back 41

"one song" solo singing with simple instrumental accompaniment

Front 42

Movement

Back 42

piece of music that sounds fairly complete and independent but is part of a larger composition (ie. Chapter in a book)

Front 43

Concerto Grosso

Back 43

a small group of soloists (2-4) playing "against" a large group (8 - 20) Made of several Movements (usually 3: fast, slow, fast)

Front 44

Ritornello

Back 44

1st & Last Mov't. of a Concerto Grosso alternate: Tutti/soli

Front 45

Suite

Back 45

set of dance inspired movements all in same key w/ diff. tempo

Front 46

C. Monteverdi (1567-1643)

Back 46

Court musician in Italy (first as singer/violinist, then as director) created the earliest operatic masterpiece – Orfeo widely acclaimed, but received little pay/ respect later took a church position and did much better

Front 47

H. Purcell - (1659 - 1695 (36 yrs old))

Back 47

father was a court musician in England, by age 18 he was the composer to the King's orchestra by 20, the organist of Westminster Abbey mastered ALL musical forms of baroque (only wrote 1 opera) Dido & Aneas

Front 48

Vivaldi (1678 - 1741)

Back 48

Italian born to a musical father, he studied to be a priest after 1 year of ministry, poor health caused him to retire often called the "red priest" because of his hair and priesthood violin teacher, composer and conductor at an orphan/music school composed opera, church music, 450 concerti grossi fame waned before death and he died in poverty (pauper's grave)

Front 49

J.S. Bach (1685 - 1750)

Back 49

His death marks the end of the Era German, he came from a long line of musicians & produced more (4 of his 20 children also composed) 11 died in infancy Began as a church organist, then court organist, then court concertmaster in Cothen later moved to Leipzig to become cantor of St. Thomas Church he composed and taught and directed a student based performance ensemble very religious (Lutheran), lost sight in his last year of life wrote masterpieces in every form (except opera) used much polyphony, rich harmony & counterpoint wrote Well-tempered Clavier - 48 preludes & fugues, 2 in each M and m key to explain the system of tuning the keyboard. more than 200 cantatas that we have preserved (possibly more)

Front 50

G.F. Handel (1685 - 1759)

Back 50

German, not from musical family father wanted him to study law, but his talent was undeniable by 11 he was composing and giving organ lessons by 18 he became the violinist and harpsichordist at the Hamburg Operahouse at 21 he went to Italy and began writing operas he later went to London and became known as England's most important composer Became Director of Royal Academy of Music, and when it folded, he formed his own company - the 1st Freelance musician He wrote in almost every style, but his most famous works are his Operas (39 Italian), & Oratorios (English - Messiah) Messiah (50 movements) was written in just 24 days (not for church) considered the greatest composition ever at the time