An Outline of The History of Western Music Grout ... - The Reel Score

3. Formal articulation was achieved through the organization of the bass & the
harmonies it supported - as well as the systematic introduction of ritornellos
4. Texture was varied by the use of the concertato medium
5. The gradual separation of recitative and aria left the composer free to write melodious
arias without having to follow every nuance of the text
a) arias began to unfold in graceful, smoothly flowing phrases
b) supported by simple harmonies - most often in slow triple meter with a single
persistent rhythmic motive
c) termed bel canto - a creation of Italian composers - influenced vocal &
instrumental music through the Baroque period and beyond
H. Genres of Vocal Solo Music
1. From the beginning of the century Italian composers turned out thousands of
monodies (solo madrigals, strophic arias, and canzontes)
a) these were far more widely known than and of the operas - performed only a few
times for restricted audiences
b) published in collections
(1) Caccini's "Nuove musiche" was the first important collection
(2) solo songs of Sigismondo d'India (ca. 1582-before 1629) was an outstanding
musical personality of his time
2. The Cantata (piece to be sung)
a) the term was applied before 1620 to a published collection arias in the form of
strophic variations
b) by the middle of the century had come to mean a composition with continuo,
usually for solo voice on lyrical or quasi-dramatic text - it included several sections
that included both recetatives and arias
c) Leading Italian Cantata Composers
(1) Luigi Rossi (1597-1653) was the first eminent master of this type of cantata
(2) Giacomo Carissimi (1605-1674) chiefly remembered for his sacred oratorios
(3) Antonio Cesti (1623-1669) and opera composer
(4) Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677) composer of eight published collections of
motets, madrigals, arias, and cantatas
3. Other composers
a) Germans - Heinrich Albert (1604-1651), & Andreas Hammerschmidt (1612-1675)
b) English - Nicholas Lanier (1588-1666), John Wilson (1595-1674), & Henry Lawes
(1596-1662)
c) France had the air de cour in the form of solos & duets - some independent vocal
chamber music other for court ballets
4. Vocal chamber music in the early 17th century appeared in many forms and styles -
and combined the elements of the madrigal, the concerto, monody, dance songs,
national idioms, dramatic recitative, and the bel canto aria
I. Influences on Church Music
1. The innovations of the late 16th & early 17th century strongly affected the
conservative category of sacred music
a) Monody, the basso continuo, and the concertato medium were all soon applied to
sacred texts
b) the Roman Catholic Church never completely abandoned polyphony - indeed,
Palestrina's style (stile antico) became the supreme model for church music