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Baroque Vocal Music. Opera – Oratorio – Cantata - Passion. Opera. A large-scale dramatic work, staged, with costumes, acting, lighting, scene changes etc.
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Baroque Vocal Music Opera – Oratorio – Cantata - Passion
Opera • A large-scale dramatic work, staged, with costumes, acting, lighting, scene changes etc. • Watch the final scene from the opera Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell. In it, you will hear recitative, a chorus, and an aria containing a ground bass.
Oratorio • A large-scale vocal work, always based on a religious theme. • Not acted, no costumes, scenery or lighting. • Watch and listen to a section from Handel’s Messiah. You will hear a recitative and aria sung by a countertenor, followed by a chorus.
Cantata • A shorter version of an oratorio, it may only last 20-30 minutes. • It will usually contain chorus, recitative, aria and a chorale at the end. • Listen to extracts from J.S.Bach’s cantata Wachet Auf (‘Sleepers Wake’)
Passion • An oratorio which focuses specifically on the story of the Crucifixion from the Bible. • As with any other oratorio, it will contain recitative, arias, choruses and chorales. • Composers such as Bach often included an obbligato in their arias. This is an important solo part for an instrument, which complements the solo singer. • Listen to the aria Erbarmedich from Bach’s ‘St Matthew Passion’
Da Capo Aria • A Da Capo Aria is basically written in ternary form. • The ‘A’ section is where the singer presents the main themes of the aria. • The ‘B’ section will present some new ideas, and may be in a different key. • The ‘A’ section is then repeated, but the solo singer will be expected to vary it and make it more interesting by adding some ornamentation. • Listen to part of the alto aria He was despised and rejected from Handel’s ‘Messiah’ as an example of this.