Barstow Community College Music Theory Paper

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Hello and welcome to our Module 5 writing assignment! These assignments will continue to reinforce the material that we have learned in this week’s lesson. In this week’s module, we discussed the different types of music in the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

For this assignment, I would like to define and discuss Opera, which began to receive widespread recognition and appeal in the Baroque Era. What are some of the defining aspects of Opera? What must a work include to be considered Opera? Explain what an Aria is versus a Recitative. What are some of the famous Operas and Opera composers from this week’s module? Are there any common themes between the composers or their Operas? Finally, do you like Opera? Why or why not?

As far as format, think of these writing assignments as at least one page minimum essays in MLA format. Points will be deducted for short papers. Make sure to cover everything I ask below in detail and do not leave any questioned unanswered.

Write a one page minimum essay in MLA format.

Topics to Address:

• What are some of the defining aspects of Opera?
  • What must a work include to be considered Opera?
• What is an Aria? What is a Recitative?
  • What role do they each serve in an Opera and how do they compare?
• Who are some famous Opera composers mentioned in the module? What are some of their significant Operas?
  • Do you notice any common plot elements between them or their works?
• Do you like Opera?
  • Why or why not?
  • These professor’s notes may be quoted

  • The Baroque Era (1600-1750)

    In our last module covering the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, we heard an emphasis on monophonic textured music (Chant) that slowly developed into more complex polyphonic textured music (Organum). Moving into the Renaissance, music continued to embrace homophonic texture more and more. In the Baroque Era, polyphonic texture as well as homophonic texture will continue to be explored and expanded upon! We also made a sharp distinction between religious and secular music in our last module. We will continue to look at both sides of music in the Baroque Era. We will also see the advancement of instrumental music and the development of Opera. Many significant composers also emerge in the Era, including J.S. Bach and Handel. Before we dive into listening examples and composers, we must first discuss a few musical concepts that will emerge in the Baroque Era.

    Virtuosity

    Virtuosity is a term meaning remarkable technical skill. Usually this is in reference to a musician’s great skill on an instrument or as a vocalist. As a whole in the Baroque Era, musicians became more skilled and could pursue musical performance as a profession. As a result of this, complicated technical music was composed for these highly skilled musicians. In fact, many Baroque composers themselves were virtuosic musicians on their respected instruments. Improvisation was also prominent, as composers and virtuosic musicians could make up complex music on the spot. These will all become evident when we listen to some instrumental music of the time period.

    Basso Continuo and Major/Minor Tonality

    Harmony also grew in complexity and drew closer to what we know today. In short, composers in the Baroque Era developed a short hand system of constant organ or harpsichord accompaniment. We will get into the specifics of the harpsichord later, but for now, it is the earlier ancestor of the modern day piano. You will notice these keyboard instruments constantly accompanying many Baroque works, particularly vocal works. We will also finally see a combination of instruments and vocalists.Finally, with this evolution of harmony, we will finally see the use of Major (happy) and Minor (sad) scales that we discussed previously. Music of the previous era had not quite fully embraced or developed a concrete system as they have in the Baroque Era. There are a few more concepts to cover in this module, but let’s begin moving through our chapters and listening examples.

    Early Baroque Vocal Music

    Two composers we will briefly look at early in the Baroque Era are actually women composers, which is quite rare for the era! While we won’t be looking at them in great detail, we will listen to their works to see how vocal music is changing in the early Baroque Era from the previous musical Era. The first composer we will listen to is Chiara Cozzolani (1602-1676), an Italian Nun famous for her religious works. She is pictured below.Let’s listen to Cozzolani’s Magnificat below.A Cozzolani listening example and brief lesson from The Enjoyment of MusicGo to Playlists (Chapter 21- LG 10) and listen to the provided examples.

    1. Cozzolani: Magnificat. How does this differ from the religious music in our previous module? Listen for the combination of vocals and instruments as well as major and minor tonality. Do you hear the Basso Continuo from the organ? What is the text? Still in Latin?

    Our other composer early Baroque vocal composer is Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677). Strozzi was a famous composer as well as performer. Her music focused on topics of love and were sung in the Italian language, making them secular/vernacular works. Note how different her music sounds in comparison to Cozzolani. She is picture below. A Strozzi listening example and brief lesson from The Enjoyment of MusicGo to Playlists (Chapter 21- LG 11) and listen to the provided examples.

    1. Strozzi: Amor dormiglione. What language is the text in? Again, listen for the instrumental accompaniment alongside the voice. What form is this work in? Do you think it is in a major or minor key?

    Opera

    One of the largest developments of the Baroque Era is the development and popularization of Opera. By definition, Opera is drama, music and poetry all in one package. Opera is meant to depict a “hyper-reality” or an emotional over exaggeration of reality. There are a few key components of an Opera we must exam to better understand the genre. Recitative: A recitative in an Opera is a piece of music that moves the plot and action forward in the story. It is usually designed to mimic human speech. Aria: An Aria is a highly lyrical and emotional song that serves as a contrast to the recitative. When the characters in an opera express deep emotion, they sing an Aria. Arias are the most popular pieces in an Opera and what the audience waits for. Overture: Next, we have an Overture. An Overture is a purely instrumental work at the beginning of an Opera that lets the audience know that the show is about to begin and also features melodies that they will soon hear in the Opera. Libretto: Finally, a Libretto is the text, or script for an Opera. The most famous composers and influential figures in early Baroque Opera, such as Claudio Monteverdi, were Italian. Because of the widespread popularity Italian composers, all other European countries sought to emulate their style of Opera. Below is a listening example of Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell. Purcell was a well known and highly regarded Baroque composer known for his Operatic works and others.A Baroque Opera listening example and brief lesson from The Enjoyment of MusicGo to Playlists (Chapter 22- LG 12) and listen to the provided examples.

    1. Purcell: Dido and Aeneas, Act III, Opening and Lament. Listen for the difference between Recitative and Aria. Does the Recitative mimic human speech? Is the Aria emotional and appealing to you? Do you hear Basso Continuo accompaniment? How do the instruments interact with the vocalist? Do they ever become the focus, or is it solely on the singers?

    Below is a portrait of a Baroque Opera performance.

    J.S. Bach and the Lutheran Cantata

    If you recall from our last module, we discussed Martin Luther’s separation from the church and the changes he made to religious music as well. These simpler hymns in the vernacular language are known as Chorales. The entire congregation was encouraged to sing along with these hymns. Eventually, these hymns expanded in complexity as composers innovated upon the style. These became known as Lutheran Cantatas. Perhaps the most famous composer of Cantatas is J.S. Bach.J.S. Bach (1685-1750) is one of the most significant composers in Western music history. Born in Germany, Bach quickly gained renown as an organ virtuoso. He went on to serve at the high level post as the head of music in St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. He was a prolific composer who wrote many instrumental works, influential keyboard works, and religious choral works. He is most famous for his complicated and polyphonic textured music featuring constant motion. With his emphasis on religious music, he did not see worldwide recognition during his lifetime. His music gained widespread acclaim and popularity shortly after his death and many of his children went on to become influential composers in their own right. We will be looking at Bach’s instrumental works late, but for now we will focus on his Cantatas. Cantatas are multiple movement works that were an integral part of the Baroque Lutheran worship service. Let’s listen to an example. A Cantata listening example and brief lesson from The Enjoyment of MusicGo to Playlists (Chapter 23- LG 13) and listen to the provided examples.

    1. Bach: Cantata No. 140, Wachet auf, Nos. 1, 4, and 7. Listen for the interactivity between the instruments and the choir. Do you hear the polyphonic texture and complexity? Do you hear the Basso Continuo? What language is the text in? Does this fit with Martin Luther’s ideas on music?

    The below image is a famous portrait of J.S. Bach.

    George Frederic Handel and The Oratorio

    George Handel (1685-1759) is a composer whose works have stood the test of time and are still performed regularly today. Originally born in Germany, he traveled around Europe before settling in London and composing for the Royal Academy of Music. At first, he primarily composed Italian style opera, but soon shifted to composing Oratorios. While Bach was famous throughout Germany, Handel’s music was famous throughout Europe and the world. An Oratorio is a religious work featuring a choir and an orchestra. It is based upon a biblical story but features no costumes, scenery or acting. Handel’s oratorios have proven to be his most famous and defining works. Handel also composed many instrumental works that we will touch upon later in the lecture. Now, let’s listen to perhaps the most famous oratorio and works in music history.A Cantata listening example and brief lesson from The Enjoyment of MusicGo to Playlists (Chapter 24- LG 14) and listen to the provided examples.

    1. Handel: Messiah, Nos. 18 and 44. How does this work differ from Bach’s Cantatas we’ve listened to? Does the texture feel different? Does it sound like a grand performance? How does Handel’s writing differ from Bach’s?

    Handel pictured below!

  • Instrumental Music in the Baroque Era

    As previously mentioned, instruments were undergoing technological evolution. We slowly begin to see instruments that we are familiar with to this day. Because of this advancement, instrumental music became a focus of many composers and was accepted to a wide degree. The Baroque orchestra is quite small in comparison to modern orchestras and does not feature every instrument that we have studied yet. Below is a breakdown of what instruments are featured primarily in instrumental music of the Baroque.

    Baroque String instruments

    • Violin, Viola, and Cello.
    • Apart from the orchestral string instruments is the Lute. The lute is the ancestor of the modern guitar.

    Baroque Woodwind instruments

    • Wooden Flute (transverse flute), Oboe, Bassoon, Recorder

    Baroque Brass instruments

    • Trumpet, Horn and Trombone

    Baroque Percussion instruments

    • Timpani

    Below is an image of a typical Baroque orchestra, but it does vary between composers quite a bit. It is quite different than what we discussed in Module 3!

    Baroque Keyboard instruments

    • Harpsichord — While the modern day piano makes sound by a hammer striking a string inside the instrument, a harpsichord plucks the string instead, giving it a distinct sound. Because of this, it is not capable of sustaining long notes like the piano. Below is an image of a Baroque Era harpsichord. It is far smaller than a modern day piano!

    

    • The Organ is another keyboard instrument of the Baroque Era that features two or more keyboards for the hands and another for the feet. This means that the performer must use both their hands as well as their feet to read several lines of music simultaneously. The most common organ is a pipe organ, as pictured below, and they are often large enough to take over entire rooms.

    Handel and the Dance SuiteAs we saw the Renaissance Era, instrumental music was primarily used for dancing. This persists into the Baroque Era. Alongside composing Oratorios, Handelalso composed purely instrumental music. One of the most famous instrumental genres was the dance Suite. This genre contained many different dances within the entire work, which can be seen on page 148 of the textbook. Perhaps Handel’s most famous suite is Water Music. Let’s listen below.A Handel Suite listening example and brief lesson from The Enjoyment of MusicGo to Playlists (Chapter 26- LG 16) and listen to the provided examples.

    1. Handel: Suite in D Major from Water Music, Alla hornpipe. How does this differ from the instrumental music of the Renaissance? Does it feel like dance music? What instruments can you hear? Is this example binary or ternary form? Is there a repetition at the end that makes it ternary?

    Vivaldi and the Concerto

    In our last page, we discussed virtuosity meaning great technical skill on an instrument. The perfect example of this is the Baroque instrumental genre of a Concerto. A concerto is an orchestral composition that features a virtuoso soloist being accompanied by the orchestra. The soloist often performs with a high degree of technical skill on their instrument. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was a virtuoso violinist and revolutionized writing for the instrument. Vivaldi was an Italian priest who was the music master at many orphanages in Venice. He wrote many different works but we will be focusing on his most famous concerto The Four Seasons. The Four Seasons is a work that features a solo violinist and four movements, each aligning with a season of the year. The Four Seasons also has a poem that influences the action in music. This is known as program music and is something we will be returning to later. A Vivaldi Concerto listening example and brief lesson from The Enjoyment of MusicGo to Playlists (Chapter 27- LG 17) and listen to the provided examples.

    1. Vivaldi: Spring, from The Four Seasons, I. Listen to how the solo vionlist interacts with the orchestra. What musical textures do you hear in the work? Does the violinist sound virtuosic and technically talented? Again, more Basso Continuo!

    Vivaldi is pictured below with his violin.

    Bach, Keyboard Music and The Fugue

    The last section of instrumental music we will review is Baroque Keyboard Music. As mentioned above, the harpsichord and organ were the primary keyboard instruments of the Baroque Era. Bach was a virtuoso on these instruments and his compositions for keyboard defined the keyboard music of the era. He composed in genres such as Preludes, Inventions, Toccatas, and what we will focus on in this section, Fugues.A fugue is a polyphonic textured composition in which one theme defines the entire work. The theme often begins in one voice/part, and then moves onto the next. This process is known as Imitation. This leads to music that sounds dense with polyphonic texture. Bach would often improvise these fugues and have his students write them onto paper. A Bach Fugue listening example and brief lesson from The Enjoyment of MusicGo to Playlists (Chapter 28- LG 18) and listen to the provided examples.

    1. Bach: Contrapunctus 1, from The Art of Fugue. As you listen, hear how the opening theme is passed down through different parts. Can you hear the dense complexity of the work? Does a solo organ work have the same feeling as an orchestral work? What is different?

    Below is a manuscript of a fugue written by J.S. Bach. Even if you cannot read music, the image gives you a good idea of the evolving complexity of a Bach fugueThis brings us to the end of our module on the Baroque Era. We discussed major composers such as Bach, Vivaldi and Handel. We heard the development and combination of instrumental and vocal music. We also heard polyphonic and homophonic textures become more popular. Opera began to explode in popularity and composers rushed to embrace the genre. Keep all of these themes in mind as we move into the Classical Era next module.