baroque instrumental music

Instrumental Music of the Baroque

The Rise of Instrumental Music

Baroque is the first period in which instrumental music is as important as vocal Sales of instrumental music outpace vocal music by the end of the 1600’s Violin especially important in the rise of instrumental music – growing popularityIncreasing number of amateur violinists created market for composers

The Rise of Instrumental Music

Instrumental techniques and quality improve

Instrumental virtuososBach & Handel: Organ

Corelli & Vivaldi: Violin

Scarlatti & Couperin: Harpsichord

Divergence of Styles

Vocal and instrumental styles diverge

Idiomatic writing for particular instrumentsComposers exploit the characteristics of individual instruments in their compositions

Growing use of expressive gestures for instruments – program music

Baroque Instruments

Renaissance instruments replacedViol, sackbut, cornetto, shawm disappearViolins, violas, cellos appear – dominate orch.

Orchestra grows in size and standardizationOrfeo calls for 14 different instrumentsLater orchestras are built around a core of strings, and feature 2-4 of each instrumentUsually no more than 20 instruments

Orchestral Overture

Instrumental piece that precedes larger work

Two common forms of overture:French Overture

Italian Overture

Though there were pieces called sinfonia, it is the Italian overture that evolves into the symphony as we know it in the Classical era

Orchestral Overture

French overtureSingle movement in two sections

Slow-Fast pattern

Meter: slow section is duple, fast is triple

Italian overtureSingle movement in three sections

Fast-Slow-Fast pattern

Sonata

Sounded (sonata) rather than sung (cantata)

Very popular among amateur violinists

Very flexible number of players/mvmts.

Sonatas that used dance movements were called chamber sonatas (sonata da camera)

Two most popular types of sonataSolo Sonata

Trio Sonata

Trio Sonata

Most popular combination of instruments:Two violins and continuo

Misleading name:Three lines of music on the page, but…

Four instruments playing

Continuo is two instruments

Sonata for Solo Instrument

Shows off the virtuosity of a solo player

Demonstrates characteristics of instrument

Usually accompanied by continuo

Bach Solo violin (no continuo)

ScarlattiSolo harpsichord

Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)

Born near Bologna, Italy – an important center of violin study

Spent most of his career in Rome as a violin teacher, performer, and composer

Small compositional output influences some major composers

Couperin, Purcell, and J.S. Bach

Arcangelo Corelli

First composer to write in fully functional tonal harmony

Not a virtuoso in the modern sense, but was known for his beautiful violin tone

Died a very wealthy man (120,000 marks by some accounts – serious bucks)

Buried in the Pantheon in Rome

Listening Example

Title: Sonata in B flat Major, Op. 5 No. 2: II Allegro

Composer: Arcangelo Corelli

Genre: Sonata

Notes on Sonata in B flat Major, Opus 5 No. 2: II Allegro

Intimate sound of chamber music Violin soloist and continuo5 movements (listed by tempo) in entire piece – 2nd mvmt. is our listening example

• 1. Grave• 2. Allegro• 3. Vivace• 4. Adagio• 5. Vivace

Notes on Sonata in B flat Major, Opus 5 No. 2: II Allegro

Note fast tempo of the 2nd mvmt. (allegro)Lively display of skill in this movementVirtuosity on display in a solo sonata

Concerto

An instrumental genre contrasting sound of a soloist or small ensemble with orchestra

Two Kinds of Baroque ConcertoConcerto grosso

Solo concerto

Concerto grosso

Contrasting instrumental groups:Small group (from the orch.) – concertino

Large group (full orch.) – ripieno or tutti

Different instruments featured at different times in the concertino

Brandenburg Concertos by Bach are the culminating masterworks of the genre

Solo ConcertoContrasting instrumental groups:

Solo instrumentOrchestra

Solo part features virtuoso playing      Violin is the most frequently-used solo instrumentConsisted of three movements:

Allegro – Adagio – Allegro (Fast – Slow – Fast)

Antonio Vivaldi: leading composer of solo concertos, especially for the violin

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

A native Venetian, he took holy orders in his mid-teens and became a priest at 25

His father taught him violin at an early age and concertized with his son in Venice

Called “red priest" due to color of his hair

Was maestro de' concerti (music master) for Conservatorio del' Ospedale della Pieta

Antonio VivaldiVivaldi contributed to the evolution of violin style and technique He elevated the solo concerto genre through the quantity and quality of his concertiPopularly believed to have been buried in a pauper's grave and given "only a small peal of bells" at his funeralToday Vivaldi is recognized both as the "Father of the Concerto," and as a herald of musical romanticism

The Four Seasons

Four individual solo violin concerti

Each concerto depicts an Italian sonnet (poem) which describes a season

No. 1, Spring (La primavera)

No. 2, Summer (L’estate)

No. 3, Fall (L’autunno)

No. 4, Winter (L’inverno)

Listening Example

Title: Spring, 1st mvmt, The Four Seasons

Composer: Antonio Vivaldi

Genre: Solo Concerto

Notes on Spring, 1st mvmt.

Depiction of birds, brooks, storm, etc.

Virtuosity of soloist

Recurring opening theme (ritornello)