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

iii- clavecinists included Louis Couperin (1626-1661), Jean Henri
d'Anglebert (1635-1691), Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de La Guerre
(1665-1729), & François Couperin (1668-1733)
(2) The French style was carried to Germany by Froberger (1616-1667) who
established the allemande, courante, sarabande, & gigue as standard
components of dance suites
j) Improvisatory Compositions
(1) toccata - virtuoso piece - meaning to just "touch the keys".
(2) Frescobaldi sacrificed virtuosity in favor of quite contemplation - and unusual
trait for this genre
(3) Froberger wrote more solidly constructed though less exuberant toccatas -
his free improvisatory passages provide a framework for systematically
developed sections in the contrapuntal style of the fantasia
II. Opera and Vocal Music in the Late Seventeenth Century
A. Opera - Italian opera in the late 17th century tended toward stylized musical language
and simple musical texture, concentrating on the melodic line of the solo voice -
supported by ingratiating harmonies
1. Aria styles - It was common in mid century go have two dozen arias in an opera - by
the 1670's, sixty arias were the norm
a) the favorite form was the strophic song - several stanza's sung to the same music
b) also common was the two part AB form and the the three part ABB', ABA, or ABA'
forms
c) some arias consciously parodied the heroic opera for comic effect
d) typical arias used characteristic rhythms from the march, gigue, sarabande, or
minuet - others relied on ostinato basses sometimes in combination with dance
rhythms
e) musical motives in both vocal and accompaniment reflected the content of the text
f) running bass - composers in the last quarter of the century often used the quasiostinato
"running bass" accompaniment - a steadily flowing pattern of eighth notes
g) continuo aria - its accompaniment consists only of harpsichord & bass - framed by
orchestral ritornellos
h) motto beginning - the voice announces a short musical subject developed later in
the aria but which continues only after an instrumental interruption
i) da capo aria - taken from the "da capo" indication, inserted at the close of the
second section of a two section form instructing the performer to repeat the first
section
2. Recitative styles
a) rectative simplice (later called rectative secco) - accompanied by a basso continuo
it traversed stretches of dialogue or monologue in as speech-like fashion as
possible
b) recitativo obbligato (latter called recitaitvo accompgnato or strumentato) - used
stirring and impressive orchestral outbursts to dramatize tense situations
c) recitativo arioso (or arioso) an aria like recitative which stood somewhere between
the free recitaive & the rhythmically regular aria
3. Composers
a) Venitian