| Music 343—Encounter
6 Baroque II: Mid-Baroque Baroque III: Late Baroque Masters |
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Due Dates: Baroque Sonata Presentations—Friday, November 18, 2011
Baroque Concerto Presentations—Monday, November 21, 2011 Part II—Wednesday, November 30, 2011 |
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Readings—
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I. Baroque Research Project—Sonata and ConcertoWhat did performances of Baroque sonatas and concertos sound like? The study of performance practice is vital to anyone who anyone who undertakes a career in early music performance—and very useful to anyone who listens to this music. Since your final paper requires that you describe an early performance of a specific piece of music, it is crucial that you have some idea what that performance really sounded like! You had some experience looking for this information on performance practice in your two previous Research Projects, but where do you go to find information on Baroque performance practice? Many treatises on music and musical performance were written in the Renaissance and Baroque periods (not so many in the Middle Ages), and we have read excerpts from several of these in our Encounters. Modern scholars who make a careful study of these primary sources will often write books on performance practice that summarize their findings—a kind of one-stop source of information on performance practice. The book by Peter le Huray on the reading list above fall into this category, and so do others by Robert Donington, Howard Mayer Brown, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and others. Le Huray’s book takes a more unusual (but especially helpful) approach; he offers case studies of specific works that discuss all of the important parameters that performers must consider in striving for an a uthentic performance—one that comes as close as possible to the ones the composer would have heard. The things we learn from his discussion of the Corelli sonata—about French vs. Italian style, bowing, phrasing, articulation, rhythm, tempo, dynamics, embellishment, etc.—can be generalized to most Baroque sonatas and to Baroque string playing in general. Research Project OverviewFor this third research project, you will form small groups, research the relevant historical background of one composer-performer and explain the central musical features of one representative composition by this composer. Each group will present its research and analysis in a 10-minute class presentation. Each group should include at least 3 but no more than 5 members. Each group will decide whether they want to prepare a presentation on a Baroque sonata (either Corelli or Bach – for Friday, November 19) or a Baroque concerto (either Corelli, Vivaldi, or Bach – for Monday, November 22). NOTE: There can be no more than TWO presentations on either day, and each group must choose a different composition—we do not want to listen to two presentations of the same material! The following compositions are available for group presentations:
Each group presentation should include the following features (we recommend dividing these features among group members and have each student present his/her research to the class):
Visual images and music notation (PowerPoint, chalk board, etc...) are welcome but not required. Each group’s goal is to prepare a quality, informative presentation on their topic! Required Readings and ResearchIn order to prepare a thorough historical and musical presentation of your composer and composition, you will need to conduct scholarly research. All research materials must be cited and submitted in a bibliography in MLA format. The required reading excerpt is listed here.
This reading will get you started, but you will need to locate additional scholarly sources to fully prepare your presentations. Multiple books are available on RESERVE or in the library stacks, Oxford Music Online (Grove!), RILM, JSTOR, Project MUSE, and newspaper archives will help each group locate research materials. Here are some suggestions:
Project DeadlinesOn the day of your presentation, every group member must come to class early enough to upload or download whatever you need BEFORE class begins. We will do presentations at the beginning of the class period. If I ask your group to go first and you are late, they will have to start without you. A few pointers:
Every student in each group will be graded independently for their written comments and their verbal presentation. Here are the project presentation deadlines:
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II. The Bach ReaderGo to the Reserve Desk in Buehler Library. Ask for The Bach Reader by David and Mendel. This book is a documentary biography; that is, it contains the “raw material” a biographer would have to consult in order to write a biography of Bach—important legal documents, letters, and so on. Browse through the table of contents (pp. 7-11) for Section Two to get a feel for the kinds of documents this book contains. Choose any document on pp. 46-198 that interests you. Once you have selected a document, do the following:
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Listening Assignment 6The Mid-Baroque & Late Baroque Masters
Final Exam Listening—Parts 1a and 1bFor this section we will play excerpts from the Exam List below, which includes both mid and late Baroque works from this Encounter. The list includes two sections—the first section includes opera and other vocal genres; the second consists entirely of instrumental genres. (For further information on vocal genres, please see the Baroque Vocal Genres Listening Guide.) We will test you on each list separately. For each work you hear, please identify the following:
NOTE: We will also include one excerpt from a Baroque sonata that is NOT on the Exam List—you will need to identify the correct Baroque dance form and sonata type (church or chamber? solo or trio?)! All recordings are from NRAWM unless otherwise noted. Exam ListPart 1a—Vocal Works
Part 1b—Instrumental Works
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Final Exam Listening—Part 2For the second listening section of the Final Exam you will hear three musical works, one each from the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Baroque eras. You can prepare for this sections by reflecting on the differences between these eras and making lists of the most important style features for each one. Consider the following musical elements in your preparation.
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Encounter 6 ListeningBefore you listen, do the Burkholder readings above to familiarize yourself with the composers, their works, mid- and late-Baroque genres, and significant style features. The materials below will give you practice recognizing these works, genres, and their style features. Please see further preparation instructions in the Dances and Dance Suites and Sonata for Church and Chamber sections below. These will help you prepare for both the Baroque Research Report and the final exam. As always, you really want to read the NAWM notes and follow the score for every work from NAWM. Each cluster of works listed below is accompanied by a set of Study Questions. The Study Questions and recordings together are designed to help you prepare for the final exam (Baroque Unit Exam) and require no written report. Cantata & Oratorio A) NAWM 76—Giacomo Carissimi, Historia di Jephte (Oratorio)
B) NAWM 89—Alessandro Scarlatti, Clori vezzosa, e bella, conclusion (Cantata)
Study Questions on A-B:
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Mid Baroque Opera C) NAWM 82—Jean-Baptiste Lully, Armide (Mid Baroque Tragédie lyrique—Mid Baroque French opera)
D) NAWM 86—Henry Purcell, Dido and Aeneas, Act III, scene 2 (Mid Baroque English opera)
E) NAWM 90—Alessandro Scarlatti, La Griselda, excerpt from Act I, Scene 2 (Mid Baroque Italian opera)
F) NAWM 95—Jean-Philippe Rameau, Hippolyte et Aricie, Act IV conclusion (Tragédie lyrique—Late Baroque French opera)—CD6, tracks 35-39 Study Questions on C-F:
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Dances and Dance SuitesBefore listening to these works, read the following passages in your textbook:
For each dance mentioned on pp. 369-372, make a short list (for your own use) of typical features (tempo, rhythm, upbeat, form, etc.) Also browse through the following readings from the RESERVE list.
Early Baroque sources used the terminlogy of rhetoric (the art and craft of persuasive speech, practiced by orators and actors) to explain how composers could express an emotion by imitating the speech patterns associated with that emotional state. Later in the Baroque period, notions of how to express and move the affections evolved into a deeper, more “scientific” system known as the Affektenlehre (Doctrine of the Affections). One of the principal sources of information about the Affektenlehre is Mattheson’s Der vollkommene Kapellmeister. Based on scientific writings on the nature of the affections, Mattheson’s book takes the six primary affections listed by Descartes and discusses the musical devices appropriate to express each one (see pp. 103-110). Mattheson goes even further, indicating that each musical genre, whether instrumental (see pp. 451-468) or vocal (see pp. 431-448), is naturally suited to the expression of some specific affection. G) NAWM 84—Denis Gaultier, La Coquette virtuose (French lute courante)—CD5, track 33 H) NAWM 85—Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre, Suite No. 3 in A Minor, from Pièces de clavecin, Book I (French keyboard dance suite)
I) NAWM 94—François Couperin, Vingt-cinquième ordre (French keyboard dance suite)
Study Questions on G-I:
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The Sonata for Church and ChamberBefore you listen, use Burkholder Ch. 17 (pp. 390-398) and either the Corelli lecture notes or the Baroque Sonata Listening Guide to determine characteristic features of Corelli’s sonatas, including the number and order of movements (for both church and chamber sonatas) as well as the typical form, tempo, meter, rhythms, and character for each movement. Make sure you understand the differences between the sonata da chiesa (church sonata) and the sonata da camera (chamber sonata) and between solo sonatas and trio sonatas. This will help you prepare for both the Baroque Research Report (above) and the final exam. Trio Sonatas J) NAWM 91—Arcangelo Corelli, Trio Sonata in D, Op. 3, No. 2 (Church sonata)
Solo Sonatas K) Corelli, Sonatas for Solo Violin, Op. 5 CDs—RESERVE MCD C824/5m
Study Questions on J-K:
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Late Baroque Opera and Oratorio in EnglandItalian Opera in England L) NAWM 99—George Frideric Handel, Giulio Cesare (Italian opera)
Handel & the English Oratorio M) NAWM 100—George Frideric Handel, Saul (English oratorio)
N) Messiah DVD—RESERVE VIDEO 781.7 H236m
Study Questions on L-N:
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Early Classic Opera before 1750O) NAWM 101—Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, La serva padrona (Intermezzo)—Blackboard RESERVE
P) NAWM 102—Johann Adolf Hasse, Cleofide (Italian opera seria)—Blackboard RESERVE
Q) NAWM 103—John Gay, The Beggar’s Opera (English ballad opera)—Blackboard RESERVE
Study Questions on O-Q:
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The Mid-Baroque ConcertoR) Corelli Concerti Grossi Op. 6 Nos. 7-12 CD—Blackboard RESERVE
The Late Baroque ConcertoS) NAWM 93—Antonio Vivaldi, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A Minor, Op. 3, No. 6 (Violin concerto)
T) Johann Sebastian Bach, Brandenburg Concertos DVD—RESERVE VIDEO 784.2 B817f
Study Questions on R-T:
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The North German Organ SchoolQuasi-Improvisatory and Imitative Works U) NAWM 92—Dietrich Buxtehude, Praeludium in E Major (Mid Baroque organ prelude)—CD6, tracks 6-12 V) Johann Sebastian Bach, Toccata & Fugue CD (Koopman)—RESERVE MCD B118/565tk
W) Development of Western Music (DWMA)—RESERVE MCD D489 1998
Chorale-Based Works X) NAWM 97—Johann Sebastian Bach, Durch Adams Fall, BWV 637 (Chorale prelude)—CD6, track 51 Study Questions on U-X:
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Bach Vocal MusicY) NAWM 98—Johann Sebastian Bach, Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 62 (Church cantata)
Study Questions on Y:
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Extra Credit Listening—Buehler Library RESERVE
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Created 10/24/11
by Mark Harbold—last
updated 10/25/11