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Chapter 7
The Early Baroque
Period
Opera
Key Terms
Opera
Recitative
Aria
Arioso
Chorus
Ground bass
Opera
Most significant, popular Baroque genre
Started as court entertainment
1st public opera house in Venice (1637)
Ideal vehicle for emotional, theatrical
quality of new solo vocal style
Appealed to all tastes with its mix of
music, drama, poetry, dance, set design,
and machinery (special effects)
Recitative
Technique for declaiming the words in a
heightened, theatrical manner
Singer echoes what a good actor or orator
does in highly emotional speech
For example, to express anger:
• High, loud notes delivered rapidly
To express sadness:
• Low, soft notes with slow, perhaps halting
delivery
Solo voice with continuo accompaniment
Aria
Italian word for “song”–for solo singer
Vocal part strongly melodic
Consistent, clear rhythm
Accompaniment often for full orchestra
An aria tends to focus on one emotion
• Elements of music used methodically to
express that emotion
Melodies were often elaborate–written for
virtuoso solo singers
Recitative vs. Aria
Free, speechlike
rhythms
Pitches follow
patterns of speech
Continuo
accompaniment
Prose text (words
stated once)
Advances the action
(movement)
Dialogue–free
interaction
Clear beat,
consistent meter
Pitches form melodic
patterns and phrases
Orchestral
accompaniment
Poetic text (phrases
often repeated)
Freezes the action
(reflection)
Soliloquy–expresses
one emotion
Claudio Monteverdi
(1567-1643)
The most dominant figure in music c. 1600
“The last great madrigalist and the first
great opera composer”
The first great composer publicly attacked
for being too radical
At music-loving Mantua court (1589-1612)
• Wrote Orfeo, opera’s first masterpiece
Master at St. Mark’s, Venice (1613-1643)
• Wrote Poppea for public opera house
Monteverdi, Coronation of
Poppea
Startlingly cynical story
Poppea is mistress to Emperor Nero
Their love wins out—
• But only after Poppea’s former lover is
banished, the Empress is set to sea, and Nero’s
trusted adviser is forced to commit suicide
In the end, Poppea is crowned Empress of
Rome
Coronation of Poppea
Act I
Act I begins outside of Poppea’s house
Nero’s guards grumble about standing
watch all night while Nero’s having fun
Poppea’s former lover shows up only to
discover that Poppea is now with Nero
In Poppea’s bedroom, Poppea and Nero
sing a lingering farewell (recitative)
After Nero goes to work, Poppea sings of
her hopes and her ambition to become
Empress (aria)
Coronation of Poppea
from Act I, Recitative
Whether recitative or aria, always a vivid,
fluid response to the words
Recitative—
• Rhythm speeds up and slows down freely, as
dictated by the words and the dialogue
• Short arioso (songlike) passages support
Nero’s attempts to flatter Poppea
Coronation of Poppea
from Act I, Aria
Aria—
A kind of victory dance in three sections
Recitative used in a moment of uncertainty
Energetic rhythms depict section 3’s battle
Henry Purcell
(1659-1695)
Greatest English Baroque composer
Member of the Chapel Royal and organist
at Westminster Abbey
Wrote sacred, instrumental, & theater
music
Strongly influenced by French and Italian
music
Wrote the first real English opera, Dido
and Aeneas
Purcell, Dido and Aeneas
Story from Virgil’s epic poem, the Aeneid
After escaping from Troy and before
founding Rome, Aeneas meets and falls in
love with Queen Dido of Carthage
Malicious witches (a Shakespearean
touch) make Aeneas believe that Jove has
ordered him to continue his journey
Furious at his rejection, Dido spurns him
Dido commits suicide in the final scene
Dido and Aeneas
Act III, final scene (1)
Recitative—
• Dark, somber tone as she prepares to die
• Mostly minor mode with chromaticism
Aria—
• (See next slide)
Chorus—
• Madrigal-like lament alternates imitation &
homophony, using some word painting
Dido and Aeneas
Act III, final scene (2)
Aria—
Ground bass aria built over sad, chromatic,
descending bass line
Phrases repeated to extend this poignant,
emotional tableau
Early Baroque Opera
Conclusions
The most significant new Baroque genre
The most extravagant genre in the history
of early music
• Monumental size, lavish sets, mix of arts
Focus on human emotions made it deeply
expressive
Rigid schemes (e.g., recitative, aria) used
to organize plot and music
Ideal example of extravagance & control