Download Presentation Notes Historical development of the aria • To

Presentation Notes
Historical development of the aria
• To understand how Bach developed this early sonata form, it is important to
understand the development and evolution of aria form.
• In the 17th century, arias began as an expansion of a single vocal melody.
• A composer named Monteverdi first made the evolution from simple melodies
into structured forms.
• Claudio Monteverdi's work is often regarded as revolutionary and marks the
transition from the Renaissance style of music to the Baroque era. With the
development of the opera, arias in Italy assumed a new form due to Monteverdi’s
work and musical discoveries.
• During the late Renaissance period, there became a clear distinction between the
recitative and the aria. The recitative tended to carry the storyline and became
known for its “speech-like” quality, while the aria was recognized by it’s melodic
lines that carried dramatic, emotional meaning and became an opportunity for
singers to display their vocal talent.
• While arias were known for their binary form, they later expanded to three section
ternary form. Ternary form arias became so popular during this time they were
given the name “da capo,” meaning from the beginning, indicating that the first
section of the piece is to be repeated in full.
• In the later 17th century, the da capo aria became increasingly important because
balance was important to the aesthetic standards of the time in drama, poetry, and
music.
Standard da capo form
• The form of a da capo aria is very simple.
• Explain diagram.
Example: “He Was Despised”
• We will now be looking at the famous alto aria “He Was Despised” from
Handel’s oratorio Messiah, which is one of the most famous examples of the
standard Baroque da capo form.
• The A section is easy to pick out in measures 1 to 49 and adheres to what had
become standard practice during the Baroque musical era, while the B section
appears in measures 50-67. Here, a da capo is noted signaling a repetition of the A
section.
• Like with most da capo arias, it is stylistically authentic for the performer to add
ornamentation and elaborations to the vocal line in order to add emphasis and
drama to the repeated text.
• Here is a reduced version of da capo form.
• The da capo form suggests that the A and B sections must be different from one
another. The main contrasts between the two sections in “He Was Despised” are
quite apparent. While the vocal line in section A is slower and is accompanied by
a more mellow orchestral section, section B picks up and has a more rhythmic
accompaniment. Section A is in a major key, section B is in a minor key.
•
Section A is accompanied by longer, more sustained notes, while section B is
characterized by quick, dotted rhythms which have a much more blatant harmonic
intent, exemplified by block chords and no melodic features.
Listen to hear the various differences in these two sections.
Standard Bach aria form
• Among J.S. Bach’s almost seven hundred arias, more than a hundred-forty
composed throughout his career are in a textural and musical ABA’ form in which
A closes in the dominant or relative major and A’ is not a da capo in the usual
meaning of the term. Instead, it is arguably a true recapitulation in the later
Classical sense defined by sonata form.
• To argue Bach’s modified da capo form as an early sonata form, it is vital to
understand what features define sonata form.
• While the sonata form did not exist in the Baroque period, the forms that led to
the standard definition did.
• Officially developed in the early Classical era, sonata form was defined by its
three sections. These included an exposition, development, and recapitulation.
• Explain diagram.
Example: “Zerfliesse, mein Herze”
• “Zerfliesse, mein Herze” is a stirring and expressive aria taken from Johann
Sebastian Bach’s St. John Passion. Within this monumental work, the arias are set
to describe special events during which the course of the Passion drama is paused
and room is made for profound reflection.
• The aria “Zerfliesse, mein Herze” represents one of these profound reflections. It
proclaims, “Dissolve then, heart, in floods of tears as thy tribute to our God. Tell
earth and heaven the grievous news thy Jesus is dead!” Bach uses “Zerfliesse
mein, Herze” to reflect upon the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.
• While the significance of capturing the dramatic reflection Bach hoped to achieve
with the arias in St. John Passion is important, the form of “Zerfliesse mein,
Herze” also holds great significance. This aria perfectly captures the modified da
capo form Bach used in several of his arias. Although “Zerfliesse mein, Herze”
doesn’t follow the exact format of a typical sonata, Bach’s modified da capo holds
many similar characteristics to the sonata form that came to fruition during the
early Classical period.
• Following an instrumental introduction, Section A of the ternary form, or the
exposition, presents a primary theme from measures 16 to the downbeat of
measure 24. This is followed by a dependent transition from the end of measure
24 to the downbeat of measure 40. Following this transition, a secondary theme is
stated.
• While standard sonata form states that the secondary theme should end on
dominant, the secondary theme in “Zerfliesse mein, Herze” ends on tonic, which
differs from standard sonata form. While there is a short dance in the instrumental
interlude that suggests a switch to dominant, the section ultimately concludes on
the tonic of C minor.
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The B section, or the development, begins where the exposition ends, on the third
beat of measure 58. Similar to the development of a sonata, this section is the
most tonally unstable section of the piece. The B sections move from i to iv to VII
to III, etc., eventually retransitioning us back to tonic.
The most powerful argument for why Bach’s modified da capo form could be
categorized in aria form is due to the A’ section at the end of “Zerfliesse mein,
Herze,” otherwise known as the recapitulation.
Similar to the da capo form, the last section of the piece is almost an exact
repetition of the development. The difference and defining factor lies in how the
A’ section stays in tonic during the dependent transition and then moves to a new
key during the secondary theme.
Starting on the third beat of measure 96, the recapitulation begins as an exact
replica of what is presented in measures 16 to 24 in the A section of the aria.
Then, as the dependent transition begins, there is a change in the tonal center of
the section. Instead of moving to the dominant as seen in measures 30 to 38, the
recapitulation keeps the intervallic relationship the same, but changes the tonal
center to tonic in measures 108 to 116. In the last few measures of “Zerfliesse
mein, Herze,” Bach surprises everyone by modulating the secondary theme
presented in section A to f minor in measures 117 to the end.
Here is a reduced version of Bach’s modified da capo form. As you can see, it still
presents itself in ternary form, but the various sections within the ABA format
suggest a more complex sonata form.
Another argument as to why “Zerfliesse, mein Herze” is in early sonata form, is
the lack of contrast between the A and B sections, or the exposition and the
development.
Think of the contrasting sections we heard in the standard da capo aria “He Was
Despised.” Now, listen and hear how the two sections compare.