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The Baroque. Text book 108-143 Musical tracks 9-13. Class 2-4. Class #2: Johann Sebastian Bach Class #3: George Fredrich Handel Class #4: Antonio Vivaldi, etc. Class #2. Johann Sebastian Bach and the Baroque. 400. 500. 600. 700. 800. 900. 1000. 1100. 1200. 1300. 1400.
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The Baroque • Text book 108-143 • Musical tracks 9-13
Class 2-4 • Class #2: Johann Sebastian Bach • Class #3: George Fredrich Handel • Class #4: Antonio Vivaldi, etc.
Class #2 Johann Sebastian Bach and the Baroque
400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 Culture • Turbulent change in politics, science, arts • Religious wars • Exploration of the New World • Rise of middle-class culture • Music making centered in the home, church, and universities • Collegium musicum
What is “Baroque”? • Intense; • Complex; • Dense; • Opulent; • Extravagant.
Main musical ideas from Baroque: • Contrapuntal • Grandeur • Complexity • Virtuosity
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) • German Composer, Organist, Educator • Culminating figure of the Baroque style • Career in Northern Germany • Musical family • Organist and composer • Devout Lutheran • Secular and church patrons during career
Personality • 20 children! • Only five major appointments. • Musical goals and objectives? • Work ethic.
JS Bach Society Web Sites • http://www.jsbach.org/ • http://www.baroquemusic.org/bqxjsbach.html
Contrapuntal • Little Fugue in G minor • Mühlausen • 31 years old • Pietist
The Fugue and Its Devices • Fuga • Contrapuntal, based on imitation • Subject unifies the work • Choral or instrumental • Melodic lines are referred to as voices
Contrapuntal devices • Text book 139 • Inversion • Retrograde • Augmentation • Diminution • Combinations
Work week • Monday • Tuesday • Wednesday • Thursday • Friday • Saturday • Sunday
Jail! • Kapellmeister in Weimar
Well-Tempered Clavier • Intended as only instructional pieces; • Dedication • “for the use and profit of young musicians”
The Well-Tempered Clavier, 1 & 2 • New technique! • Equal temperament = tuning • Two pieces each in every new 24 Major and Minor keys • 24 X 2 = 48 per book • Glenn Gould
Improvisation • Improvisation • First “stars” • Competition. • William Goldstein master class
Baroque Musical Rhythm • Baroque rhythm • Dance
The Rise of the Virtuoso Musician • Technical improvements in instrument making • Composers challenging the performers
The Rise of Virtuosity • Vocal • Castrato • Farinelli
The Doctrine of the Affections • Union of text and music • One mood, or affection, per movement or piece
Women in Baroque Music More professional women were singers and instrumentalists • Francesca Caccini • Barbara Strozzi • Faustina Bordoni • Francesca Cuzzoni • Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre
Bach and the Sacred Cantata • Sacred cantatas • Secular cantatas • Sacred cantatas for the Lutheran church • Multimovement works
The Lutheran Chorale • Chorale • Battle hymns of the Reformation • Early hymns: in unison • Later hymns: 4-part harmony, soprano melody • Unifying thread of the Protestant cantatas
Typical Sunday Services • 7 AM • Motet, hymns, organ solo. • 8 AM • Cantata and/or Chorale • 9 AM • Sermon, at least one hour • 10 AM – 12 Noon • Cantata and/or Chorale, Communion
Weekday Services • Daily Church • 6 AM • Hospitals • Jails • Funerals • Special events
Additional Duties • Church • Teaching • 9 AM – Noon • Latin, singing, composition • University collegiummusicum!
Sacred Vocal Music • Over 200 church cantatas • Four Passions • One Catholic Mass
Bach’s Cantatas • Typically have 5–8 movements • Many movements based on chorale tune • Several choral numbers • Solos recitatives arias
Bach: Chorale prelude on A Mighty Fortress Is Our God • Composed 140-plus organ chorales • Organ with three keyboards and a pedal keyboard • Based on chorale tune Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott • Varied texture
Performance • Ein Feste Burg A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,On earth is not his equal.
J. S. Bach and the Late Baroque Concerto • Cöthen period (1717–23) • Instrumental chamber works • Margrave Christian of Brandenburg
But first…. • Why was Bach in Berlin?
Brandenburg Concertos 1721, BWV 1046–1051 Three movements each: • I: Allegro, • ritornello form, contrapuntal • II: Andante, • Slower, quieter, continuous imitation • III: Allegroassai, • four-voiced fugue
Brandenburg Concerto #1 • 1st Movement • 2nd Movement • 3rd Movement
Concerto? Ritornello? • Where did those terms come from?
The Baroque Suite Suite: each movement is A-A-B-B • Allemande • Courante • Sarabande • Gigue (jig) • Other optional dances: minuet, gavotte, bourrée, passepied • Repeated sections ornamented second time
Cello Suite #1 • Yo-Yo Ma playing the Prelude (MTV-ish) • Yo-Yo Ma playing the Sarabande
The Goldberg Variations, 1741, BWV 988 • 30 variations • Harpsichord • Count Kaiserling • Johann Gottlieb Goldberg You know how I feel about Wikipedia, but….
Contrapuntal Master • Musical Offering (1747) • 'Gentlemen, old Bach is here'. • The Art of Fugue
Contrapuntal devices • Augmentation: longer time values • Diminution: shorter time values • Retrograde: backwards (starting from the last and going to the first) • Inversion: turning the melodic intervals upside down • Retrograde inversion: original melody is played upside down and backwards
Contrapunctus I, from The Art of Fugue • 4-voice fugue • Exposition: • Subject is presented in order: alto-soprano-bass-tenor • Episode: • Subject appears partially, in stretto • Incorporates musical symbolism • His name in notes Bb-A-C-H