Enjoyment of Music – MUL 2010 (Fall 2008) - Warfield

Review Sheet # 4 - Baroque Music

This review sheet covers materials presented in Wright, Listening to Music, 5th ed., Chapters 10, 11, 12, 13, & 14, which will be tested in the near future in MUL 2010.

The following concepts and terms in boldface (as well as a few others not specifically listed, but indicated in these review questions) will be included on the first of the three large mid-term tests. You should know all of these terms, including their (1) spelling, (2) definition, and (3) be able to use them correctly in speaking and writing about music.

Dictionary definitions may be found in glossary section of your textbook or in the Music Materials section of the publisher-sponsored web site that supports your textbook.

Additionally, you should know by sound the eight music examples (Listening Guides, p. 127-8, 139-40, 145-6, 154-5, 160-1, 165-6 [Intro CD]) that support these portions of the textbook.

    CHAPTER 10

  1. What are the rough dates of the Baroque era and what are the historical eras on either side of this one?
  2. What does the actual word "baroque" mean, i.e., from what other word does it come and what is its literal meaning? What does this term imply about the music of the Baroque era?
  3. What are some of the general stylistic traits of the arts in this era?
  4. What are some of the general stylistic traits of music in this era?
  5. What is the favored texture in the Baroque era? What is basso continuo, how many musicians (at least) does it require, and what is the purpose of that part? What is monody?

CHAPTER 11

  1. What is opera, and what are its chief defining traits? What is a libretto?
  2. What intellectual circle in what city was chiefly responsible for the invention of a new musical genre that defines Baroque musical style? What sorts of things did this group discuss and what particular culture served as a model for their music-making activities?
  3. What are recitative and aria, what is the chief function of each, and how can you tell them apart? (What are their chief stylistic traits?)
  4. Who was Claudio Monteverdi and why is his Orfeo (partially viewed in class) significant? What is the story of this opera?
  5. Who was Barbara Strozzi and what sorts of musical works did she compose? What is a cantata, and what is chamber music?
  6. What is an ostinato (or sometimes, a basso ostinato or a ground bass)?
  7. Who was Henry Purcell and what did he compose?

    8. Listening Guide (p. 127-8, Purcell)

  8. What kind of piece is this, and who composed it? What is the story upon which it was based?
  9. In general terms, how does the first part ("Thy hand, Belinda") differ from the second part ("When I am laid in earth")?
  10. What are the performing forces (who plays/sings) in each part, and how do they differ?
  11. Why is there more text in the first part, and how is it sung, especially in comparison to the second part? In what language is this piece sung?
  12. What is the repeating instrumental pattern (in the bass part) used to give musical form to the second part called, and how does it work?

CHAPTER 12

  1. How is the relationship between voices and instruments changing in this era? How did improvements in the construction of musical instruments contribute to the rise in instrumental music in the Baroque era? What is idiomatic writing for instruments, and how is virtuosity related to this concept?
  2. What is an orchestra, and what is an overture?
  3. What is a sonata, what is a trio sonata, and what is the difference between a sonata da chiesa and a sonata da camera? What is a movement?
  4. Who was Archangelo Corelli? Where was he born, what sort of musician was he, and what kinds of music did he compose mostly?
  5. What is a concerto, and what is the difference between a solo concerto and a concerto grosso?
  6. What is the ritornello principal, and what are the tutti and the concertino (or the solists)? How are these used to organize a movement of a concerto?
  7. Who was Antonio Vivaldi? Where was he born, what sort of musician was he, and what kinds of music did he compose mostly?

    8. Listening Guide (p. 139-40, Vivaldi)

  8. What kind of piece is this, and who composed it?
  9. What are the performing forces of this work?
  10. How does the ritornello create the musical form of this movement? Who plays the ritornello sections and who plays the episodes?
  11. Why is this piece considered a programmatic work? What is program music?

CHAPTER 13

  1. How does the "Late Baroque" era compare to the "Early Baroque," especially in terms of the tendency to invent new styles, genres and techniques versus the consolodation of older styles, genres and techniques?
  2. Who are the two most important composers of the Late Baroque? What were their respective careers like, where did they work, and what sorts of music (specific pieces or genres) did they make?
  3. Who was Johann Sebastian Bach? Where was he born, what sort of musician was he, and what kinds of music did he compose mostly? With what city and specific church is he most frequently associated?
  4. What is a fugue and what instrument in the Baroque was frequently used to play fugues? How is a fugue organized, and what do such terms as exposition, subject, answer, countersubject, and episode describe in a fugue?
  5. What is a cantata and where might they be used (especially one by Bach)? How is a cantata related to opera? (What do they have in common?) How does Bach use a Chorale melody to connect his cantatas to the weekly message of the Lutheran Church, and why is this an effective technique? How are practices from Baroque instrumental music (hint, Vivaldi) used in Bach's Cantatas? Where might you find Renaissance influences in Bach's cantatas?
  6. After his death, what was Bach's reputation? (What did his contemporaries think of him and why?) What do later generations think of him and his music?

    7. Listening Guide (p. 145-6, Bach)

  7. What kind of piece is this, and who composed it?
  8. What are the performing forces (who plays/sings) of this piece?
  9. What is the general, overall texture of this piece, and what (more) specific kinds of textures do you hear within this piece?
  10. What are the specific techniques used to organize the opening section of this piece?

    11. Listening Guide (p. 154-5, Bach)

  11. What kind of piece is this, who composed it, and for what occasion?
  12. What are the performing forces (who plays/sings) of this piece?
  13. What part of some larger work is this piece?
  14. What is the general, overall texture of this piece? What is the most important part (vocal or instrumental part) of this piece, and why do you think that is so? How does Bach make that part more easily heard?

CHAPTER 14

  1. Who was George Frideric Handel? Where was he born, where did he study music and work as a composer (especially in comparison to Bach's career)? What kinds of music did he compose mostly? With what city or country is he most frequently associated?
  2. What is a suite, and what sorts of pieces or movements do suites usually contain? what effect do those origins have on the sound of such pieces?
  3. What is an oratorio, and how does it differ from an opera? What is the possible origin of oratorios, and what effect did that have on that difference?
  4. What are the usual performing forces for an oratorio, and which performers are more important, especially when compared to those of an opera?
  5. What sorts of plots and librettos do oratorios often use?
  6. What is a da capo aria, and how does its form encourage virtuoso singing?

    7. Listening Guides (p. 156-7, Handel)

  7. What kinds of pieces are these, and who composed them? For what occasion or use were they composed?
  8. What are the performing forces (who plays/sings) these pieces? (Try to be somewhat specific.)
  9. What is the general, overall texture of these pieces? (choose from monophonic, polyphonic or homophonic)
  10. Which of the four basic parameters of sound is the most important in these pieces, and why do you think that is so?
  11. What do you notice about the phrase structure (the number of measures from one cadence to the next), and what does that suggest about the origins of these pieces?

    12. Listening Guide (p. 165-6, Handel [Intro CD])

  12. What kind of piece is this, and who composed it? Where and when might this piece have been used and performed?
  13. What are the performing forces of this work? In what language are they singing?
  14. Why might this example ("Hallelujah") include many passages in a homophonic (or homorhythmic) texture?