Chapters 5, 6

1. Chapters 5, 6 Opera

2. Opera Overview Beginnings • Late 16th C Italy • Camerata’s ideas for opera fr/ Greek tragedies • v/ popular v/ quickly • Aristocracy—immediately • Gen’l pop—by mid-17C

3. Visual Art sets scenery costumes acting Literature story poetry libretto Opera Overview Baroque culture likes to combine ideas, elements, etc. So… = Opera! • Music • vocal • instrumental • dance

4. Opera Text is VIMP; it tells the story. Th/f, • Homophony is IN • Polyphony is OUT

5. Opera 4 types of opera music: • Aria • MELODY MIMP • Plot stops • Reflects on state of events or singer’s emotions • Orchestra accomp • Complete piece of music • Recitative • TEXT MIMP • Plot moves forward • Tells story • Basso continuo accomp • Usually transitions to an aria or ensemble • Ensemble • 2-4 main characters sing • often portrays contrasting moods simultaneously • Overture • orchestra • should set mood • often includes opera’s melodies

6. Monteverdi • Music must portray intense emotions. • Orchestral effects intensify mood.

7. Chapters 7, 8 Monteverdi, L’Orfeo Purcell, Dido and Aeneas

8. Overview • Monteverdi • Tusémorta from L’Orfeo • operatic recitative • I= • basso continuoaccomptext expression of mournful mood: • word painting • dark tone color • slow tempo

9. Purcell • MIMP 17th C English composer • Dido and Aeneas only opera

10. Dido’s Lament study guide Study resources: PowerPoint slides Connect Kamien Kamien listening guide in text Study guideon next4 slides

11. Dido’s Lament study guide 1. Dido’s Lament opens with a recitative. • It uses just two instruments. What are they? • Chording instrument: _____________ • Bass: ___________ • The term used for this accompaniment: ___________. 2. The aria opens with and features a ground bass. What is a ground bass? (see chapter and/or glossary) You are responsible to hear and recognize the ground bass. 3. Explain how the ground bass unifies the aria.

12. 2 sighing gesture examples or Dido’s Lament study guide 4. Text expression: 17thC listeners associated certain melodies or melodic patterns with specific emotions or moods. Two commonly used patterns express the text of Dido’s Lament: • A chromatically descending melody portrays grief or sorrow (and Baroque era listeners understood that). It happens that Dido’s ground bass IS a chromatically descending melody. Th/f its 11 repetitions powerfully express the sorrowful text. • The “sighing” gesture, a pattern of 2 or 3 tones that descend by step, portray sadness or a dejected spirit. The gesture, which sounds like a hopeless sigh, is everywhere in Dido—in both the singer’s line and orchestra accomp.

13. Dido’s Lament study guide Using ConnectKamien: Here are 2 examples of the sighing gesture: 01:0401:06 voice 01:3401:37 violins The strings play the sighing gesture many times. Cite 1 example between 02:11 and 02:52. 02:??  02:?? What is the singer’s text during this excerpt? Cite 2 examples between 03:01 and the piece’s end. 03:??  03:?? 04:??  04:??

14. Review • Purcell • Dido’s Lament from Dido and Aeneas • operatic aria (w/ recitative opening) • I= • orchestra accomp • ground bass unifies • text expression of mournful mood: • slow tempo • minor key • descending chromatic bass line • “sighing” gesture