Baroque Period c. 1600-1750 CE | Classical Period c. Pre:1730-1770 CE, Viennese:1770-1800 CE

By musicmanchris

  • Baroque

    -Abnormal, exaggerated, in bad taste
    -Derives from the Portuguese word for misshapen pearl
    -Applied as a derisive term by post-Baroque critics because of the overly ornate art of the late Baroque
    -1940 - applied to music from ca. 1600–1750 without a derisive connotatio

  • Monteverdi's L'Orfeo (Orpheus)

    -Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
    -The first opera to enter the standard repertory
    -Commissioned by the Duke of Mantua for his daughter’s wedding
    -Librettist: Alessandro Striggio
    -Only men attended the first performance

  • The First Public Concerts in England

    England pioneered public concerts in the 1670s.
    -“This is to give notice, that at Mr. John Bannister’s House,...this present Monday, will be music performed by excellent masters, beginning precisely at 4 of the clock in the afternoon, and every afternoon for the future.”

  • Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

    -Came from a large family of musicians
    -Born in Eisenach and apparently learned violin from his father
    -Also an accomplished organist
    -Bach married twice: He married Maria Barbara Bach in 1707, and they had 7 children.
    -Following her death, he married Anna Magdalena in 1721, and they had 13 children.
    -3 of his sons became well known composers: JC, CPE, and WF Bach.

  • Vivaldi's L'Estro Armonico

    -Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
    -Published by Etienne Roger in Amsterdam, the most prestigious publisher in Europe
    -The most influential publication of any music in the early 18th century.

    -It launched the immense popularity of the Italian concerto throughout Europe.

  • Rameau's Traité de l’harmonie

    -Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683–1764)
    -Triad and 7th chord primal importance.
    -Defined root of chord and recognized inversions.
    -Fundamental Bass line
    -Consonance vs. Dissonance
    -Used terms tonic, dominant, and subdominant, established these 3 chords as pillars of harmony.V7 – I strongest progression
    -Although a piece could modulate, each had a central tonic key
    -Rameau was first to bring all of these theoretical ideas together

  • Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier volume 1

    -Contains 24 preludes and fugues in each major and minor key
    -Demonstrates the possibilities for playing in all keys using an instrument tuned in near-equal temperament

  • PreClassical Period (1730-1770)

    Galant
    -Term for everything modern and sophisticated
    -Melodies built from repeated motives and short phrases
    -Phrases were combined into larger periods.
    -The harmony was simple with frequent cadences.
    Empfindsam style (“sentimental style”)
    -Originated in Italy, but most closely associated with C. P. E. Bach (JS Bach’s most famous son)
    -Appealed to the middle class
    -Characterized by surprising turns of harmony, chromaticism, and speech-like melodies

  • Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)

    The most celebrated composer of his day
    -His instrumental works of the 1770's firmly established the Viennese Classical style.
    -Self Taught
    -Taught Beethoven
    -Often called the father of the string quartet and the symphony
    -Hoboken – Haydn’s works were catalogued in the 20thcentury by Anthony van Hoboken, and his works are known by their “H” number.

  • Handel's Messiah

    -George Frederic Handel (1685-1759)
    -Premiered in Dublin, 1742 during Lent (not Christmas)
    -The libretto, taken from the Bible, does not tell a story, but presents a series of contemplations on Christian ideas.
    -The texts extend from the prophecies of a messiah to the resurrection.
    -The most important innovation was the prominent role of the chorus which:
    -Participated in the action
    -Narrated the story
    -Commented on events, like the chorus in Greek drama

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

    Leopold Mozart
    -Tours (1762-1774)
    -Child Prodigy Years
    -What happens to child prodigies when they reach adulthood
    -Salzburg (1774-1781)
    -Position with Archbishop Court
    -Vienna (1781-1791)
    -Freelancer

  • Viennese Classical Period (1770-1800)

    Clarity
    -Should be understood at the first hearing
    -Balance or Symmetry
    -Music is balanced in equal phrases and equal spacing in vertical chords
    -Restraint
    -Composers could represent more than one emotion in a work, but only restrained emotion.
    -Why Vienna?
    -It was the cultural, economic capitol of Western Europe at this time.

  • Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges as director of Concerts des Amateurs

    -Joseph Bologne (1745-1799)
    -Music Director of Concert des Amateurs (1773-1781)
    -One of the finest orchestras in Europe
    -“Le Mozart noir”
    -Virtuoso Violinist
    -Composed 12 violin concertos and 18 string quartets
    -One of France’s best composers, conductors, and violinists.

  • Mozart's Don Giovanni

    Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte
    -Based on legend of Don Juan
    -Subtitled “The Dissolute Man Punished”
    -Dramma giocoso – jocular drama
    -Set in Seville, SpainSung in Italian
    -The language of an opera is determined by the composer/librettist, not by the locale of the story.

  • Haydn's Symphony No. 94 "Surprise"

    One of the twelve symphonies that were performed in London on September 1790