4.15 Unit Test: Baroque and Opera Music

Baroque and Opera Music Unit Test on 4.15. This test will cover the following topics: the definition of Baroque music, the history of Baroque music, the characteristics of Baroque music, and the opera.

Introduction to the Baroque Period

The Baroque period was a time of great change for music. It was during this time that opera was born. Opera is a musical drama that is sung instead of spoken. In this unit we will be exploring the music of the Baroque period and how it led to the creation of opera.

Major Events during the Baroque Period

The Baroque period of Western art music covers the years from approximately 1600 to 1750. Major events during this era include the foundation of the Barberini dynasty in Rome (1623), the first operas (Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, 1607; Cavalli’s Giasone, 1649; Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, 1689), the beginning of Johann Sebastian Bach’s career (1703), Corelli’s publication of his Opus 6 concerti grossi (1714), Handel’s composition of his first oratorio Messiah (1741) and Haydn’s composition of The Creation (1798).

The Spread of the Baroque Style

The baroque style spread quickly throughout Europe after 1600, bastardizing itself in the process. In music, the term “Baroque” applies to the last phase of the common era, beginning about 1600 and lasting until 1750. This was a time when great changes occurred in musical style and form. New instrumental combinations such as the sonata, concerto grosso and program symphony arose. Tonality became more important, and textures were often denser. The Baroque period in music therefore covers a wide range of styles, from early experiments in monody and tonality by Italian composers such as Monteverdi (1567-1643) to relatively conservative courtly pieces by English composers like Purcell (1659-95).

Opera during the Baroque Period

Opera is a musical art form that originated in Italy during the late Renaissance period. The first opera was Dafne, which was produced in 1597 by Jacopo Peri. Opera became very popular in the 17th century, and the first public opera house was built in Venice in 1637. Opera during the Baroque period was characterized by grandiose sets and costumes, Greece and Roman mythology, and stories of love and passion.

Origins of Opera

Opera is a form of theatre in which music has a leading role and the parts are taken by singers, but is distinct from musical theatre. Such a “work” (the literal translation of opera) is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librettist and incorporates a number of the performing arts, such as acting, scenery, and sometimes dance or ballet…

The word opera, meaning “work”, both in the Italian original and in English, is an abbreviation for opera in musica (literally “opera [in] music”). It denotes primarily staged works through which the musical and dramatic elements are Allegedly blended. Isaac Newton was quick to point out in 1713 that open ended dramas already existed that did not need musical assistance to be convincing such as Penelope waiting for Ulysses or Hercules enduring hisLABORS…

The first operas appeared in Venice at the end of the sixteenth century. They were a response to several needs. First there was a desire on the part of local nobles for entertainments suitable to their elevated status that would rival those offered by visitors from other parts of Italy. Second, there was need for spectacles that would be attractive to the growing tourist trade…

The First Opera

The first opera was written in Florence, Italy in 1597. The libretto (story) was by Ottavio Rinuccini, with music by Jacopo Peri. It was called Dafne, and is unfortunately now lost. It is known only through a short description by Giovanni Battista Doni, a Florentine music amateur, who wrote:

“I cannot pass over in silence a new form of composition which has lately been devised there [in Florence]. They are called operas… I must say that I heard one such composition, called Dafne, which was set to music for six voices by Andrea and Jacopo Corsi, two very clever musicians. This Dafne was entirely vocal… The composer endeavoured to imitate ancient Greek melodies as far as he could.”

Characteristics of Baroque Opera

Baroque opera is a genre of opera originating in Italy in the early 17th century. It flourished in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and slowly faded away after 1700. It was closely related to the genre of oratorio.

Opera during the Baroque period was characterized by two main elements:
-The first element was the recitative, which was a declamatory style of singing that conveyed the lyrics of the opera in a naturalistic way.
-The second element was the aria, which was a more melodic and expressive style of singing that allowed the singers to show off their vocal range and skill.

While these two elements were always present in Baroque opera, they were used to varying degrees depending on the specific opera. For example, some operas contained more recitative than others, and some contained more elaborate arias than others.

Major Composers of Baroque Opera

opera is a form of Baroque music that emerged in the early 1600s. It is a musical drama that is typically staged in an opera house and consists of singing, acting, and sometimes dancing. The word “opera” is derived from the Italian word “opera”, which means “work” or “effort”. The first opera was Dafne by Jacopo Peri, which was performed in 1597.

Claudio Monteverdi

L’Orfeo, subtitled “La favola in musica” (The Musical Fable), is an Italian opera by Claudio Monteverdi, with a libretto by Alessandro Striggio. It is based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, and tells the story of his descent into Hades and his fruitless attempt to bring his dead bride Eurydice back to the living world. The work is the earliest surviving opera that is still regularly performed.

First performed at the Mantua Ducal Court in February 1607, Orfeo was Monteverdi’s first opera and one of the first works of renaissance music generally. It established Monteverdi as the pre-eminent composer in the new genre of opera. Scholars generally agree that L’Orfeo ranks alongside Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in B minor as one of the landmarks of western musical history, one which “marks the dividing line between Renaissance and Baroque music.”

Henry Purcell

Henry Purcell (10 September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer. Although incorporating Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, Purcell’s legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music. He is generally considered to be one of the greatest English composers; no later British composer approached his level of achievement in the vocal genres before Edward Elgar in the late 19th century.

George Frideric Handel

George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (/ˈhændəl/; born Georg Friederich Händel [ˈɡeɔʁk ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈhɛndl̩]; 23 February 1685 ([O.S. 13 February] 1685) – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685 in Halle-on-Saal, Duchy of Magdeburg, to Georg Händel and Dorothea Taust. Almost immediately thereafter, the family moved to Rothenburg ob der Tauber where Handel’s father would serve as Town abloyee. After three years in town he dropped out of school at age eleven and became a part of the town choir of Duke Johann Ernst with whom he traveled to Lüneburg)[1] He spent time learning music while also serving as a violinist in various orchestras by the age of eighteen.

In 1703 he arrived in Hamburg where he began writing opera librettos for Reinhard Keiser and other composers until an English impresario, John Jacob Heidegger, hired him in 1706 to compose an Italian opera for the Queen’s Theatre in London’s Haymarket. Rachel Lockhart has noted that “many of [Handel’s] earliest works…were fugitive pieces” written for small forces which have since been lost;[2] however some have survived such as those preserved in the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book (compiled c. 1620). In London he quickly gained a reputation as a fine composer and excellent performer on the harpsichord and organ. His English oratorio debut, Alexander’s Feast (1736), was well received by both audiences and critics alike.[3]

Conclusion

In conclusion, the baroque and opera music of the 17th and 18th centuries were both highly influential musical styles of their time periods. While they share some similarities, such as their use of complex harmonies and elaborate orchestrations, they also have several distinct differences, such as the form and structure of their compositions. Ultimately, both styles played a significant role in the development of Western classical music and continue to be enjoyed by listeners today.