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Baroque Opera
“Opera is the delight of princes.”
Opera
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Large-scale musical drama, that combines
poetry, acting, scenery, and costumes with
singing and instrumental music.
 Orchestra
plays the overture
 Arias are sung (songs)
 Recitatives are speechlike declamations of the text
which often move the story line along
 Ensembles (“group” singing)
 Choruses
More definitions

The writer of the “text” of an opera is
called ________________, and the “text”
is called the _________________.
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
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Madrigal composer (composed 8 books between
1587-1638)
Composed operas which came out of the
tradition of the Florentine Camerata
Orfeo (considered the “first” opera)
 Used
“effects” like the tremolo, pizzicato (“stile
concitato”)

“The text should be the master of the music, not
the servant.” (So music had to express the
emotions of the text.)
Monteverdi’s The Coronation of
Poppea
Establishes the “love duet”
 Historical subjects (unusual in that earliest
operas story lines came from Greek
mythology).
 Description on p. 409 about the characters
 Musical example, p. 410
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Opera in other countries
England – Got a slow start, because
Puritans thought that theatre was an
invention of the devil.
 The spoken word took precedence over
the sung.
 John Blow’s Venus and Adonis, which was
sung throughout; this work paved the way
for . . .

Henry Purcell’s (1659-1695)
Dido and Aneas, p. 414-415
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First performed at a
girls’ school.
Heard over a
“repeating” ground
bass.
Much chromaticism—
emotional aria
Johann Sebastian Bach
(1685-1750)
“The aim and final reason of all
music should be nothing else but
the Glory of God and the
refreshment of the spirit.”
Bach’s music
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Sacred vocal works, including over 200 church
cantatas, 7 motets, Magnificat, St. John Passion,
St. Matthew Passion, Christmas Oratorio, Mass
in B Minor
Secular works
Orchestral works (Brandenburg concertos)
Chamber music
Keyboard and Organ music (MUCH OF THIS!)
Bach and the Sacred Cantata
Devout Lutheran and Church Master
 Cantatas based on Lutheran Chorale
 Chorale – Hymn tune (came from Martin
Luther) (origins of the hymn, p. 422)
 Like Mozart, in that he raised existing
forms to the highest level.

Bach’s Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott
(A Mighty Fortress is Our God)
Cantata No. 80, pp. 427-428
 Eight Movements – Martin Luther’s hymn
of the same name (Luther wrote both the
music/text) is found in movements 1, 2, 5
and 8.
 The others are by the librettist, Salomo
Franck.

George Frideric Handel
(1685-1759)
Composer of the famous
“Messiah”
The Oratorio
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Word is derived from the Italian word for “a place
of prayer.”
Large-scale, dramatic work with a religious or
Biblical text performed by solo voices, chorus,
and orchestra; it is not staged or costumed.
Originally known for opera, but turned to
oratorio.
Handel makes the chorus—the people—the
center of the drama. As in Greek tragedy, it
serves as both protagonist and spectator.
The Messiah
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Written in 24 days
Libretto from both Old and New Testaments
Written in three parts:
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Christmas
Easter
Redemption of the World through faith
p. 434