Baroque opera combines vocal and instrumental music, acting, scenery, and dance. It is primarily sung, featuring recitatives, arias, and ensembles. Recitatives advance the plot in a speech-like style while arias express emotion. Operas also feature instrumental music such as overtures and interludes. Oratorios and cantatas have similar musical elements to opera but are usually religious works and performed without staging. Cantatas are shorter works that originated in Italy and Germany, the latter featuring Lutheran chorales.

1. Vocal Music in the
Baroque
1600 - 1750

2. Opera
Opera is born in the Baroque
The word “opera” means “work”
Originally opera drammatica in musica,
meaning “dramatic work in music”
Opera is entirely sung in the Baroque
Focus is on the solo singing
Text is called the libretto

3. Libretto
Literally means “little book”
The libretto is the text or script of the opera
Librettist: the writer of the libretto
Usually a poet working with the composer

4. Early Baroque Opera
Opera in the early Baroque is different in
many ways from late Baroque
It was based on the musical reforms and
philosophies of the Florentine Camerata

5. Florentine Camerata
Late Renaissance group of humanist
intellectuals in Florence, Italy
Sought to improve music by returning it to
classical (ancient Greek) dramatic ideals
Believed (incorrectly) that Greek drama had
been sung in a declamatory style
Developed monody as an approximation of
Greek dramatic style

6. Florentine Camerata
Their efforts led to the first opera, Jacopo
Peri’s Dafne
Opera grows in popularity
The first opera that is still performed today
is Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo

7. Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
Transitional figure from Renn. to Baroque
Mantua, Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga (1590-1612)
Embraces the new style – Baroque
secunda prattica
5th book of madrigals (1605)
His first opera, is the first operatic
masterwork – Orfeo (1607)

8. Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
Leaves Mantua court for Venice cathedral
Prominent position for sacred music
Allowed the freedom to accept commissions
Composed operas for other venues
Return of Ulysses (1641)
Coronation of Poppea (1642)
One of the most significant composers in
music history

9. Monody
Monteverdi’s Orfeo is primarily monodic
Homophonic texture
Solo vocal line with chordal accompaniment
Rhythmically free
No meter – approximates natural rhythm of
speech
Slight differences between aria and recit.

10. Listening Example
Title: “Tu se’ morta” from L’Orfeo
Composer: Claudio Monteverdi
Genre: Opera

11. Notes on “Tu se morta”
Continuo accompaniment varies
Bass lute
Harpsichord, bass viol, and bass lute
Organ and bass lute
Word painting in the arioso
Subtle lyricism – not quite an aria

12. Listening Example
Title: “Possente Spirto” from L’Orfeo
Composer: Claudio Monteverdi
Genre: Opera

13. Notes on “Possente Spirto”
Begins with brief sinfonia (instrumental intro)
Extensive ornamentation of vocal line
Much more active melodically
Increased involvement of “orchestra”
Trumpets and violins punctuate his phrases
Continuo is still present (organ, bass lute)

14. Evolution of Opera
As genre matures, the various components
of opera become more specialized and
elaborate
Much greater difference between recitative
and aria
Music becomes more rhythmically
structured – regular meter

15. The Components of Opera
Opera combines many diverse elements
Vocal music
Instrumental music
Acting
Scenery and costumes
Dancing

16. Recitative
Based on the ideals of monody
Rhythmically free, no meter
Declamatory, speech-like singing style
Mirrors the natural rhythms of speech
Recitative presents the plot and the action
Often used for dialogue
Helps build emotional tension

17. Vocal Music of Opera
Soloists
Ensembles (small groups singing together)
Duets
Trios
Quartets
Chorus (large group of singers)

18. Solo Singing
Two kinds of solo singing in opera
Recitative
Aria
Recitatives involving multiple singers are
like conversations: one sings after another
Ensembles are sung in aria style, though the
term “aria” by itself refers to a solo

19. Two kinds of Recitative
Semplice (simple) or secco (dry)
Accompanied only by basso continuo
Very speech-like, many repeated notes
Early opera uses simple recitative almost
exclusively
Accompagnato (accompanied)
Accompanied by the orchestra
More lyrical than simple recitative
Later opera uses a combination of the two

20. Aria
Italian word for “air” or “song”
More lyrical than recitative
Clear meter and rhythm
Arias express emotion
Focuses on emotion of a character in the story
Does not advance the story
Da capo arias became a very popular form

21. Arioso
Not as widely used as recitative and aria
The midpoint between the two styles
More lyrical than simple recitative
More declamatory than aria

22. Da Capo Aria
This aria form became popular later in the
Baroque period
“Da capo” is Italian for “from the top”
This is an aria with a specific structure
A-B-A’ form
Section A is sung followed by section B
After section B, section A is repeated with
embellishments

23. Instrumental Music of Opera
Orchestra accompanies arias, accompagnato
recitatives, and sung ensembles (duets, trios, etc.)
At times the orchestra plays instrumental pieces
Prior to the start of the opera, a piece is played
This is usually called an overture
This lets the audience know the opera is starting
During scene changes, music is played
Names for these pieces vary: sinfonia, interlude, etc.

24. Basso ostinato
Any repeated pattern in music is an ostinato
Ostinato means “obstinate,” or “stubborn”
A repeated bass melody is a basso ostinato
Baroque lament arias often sung to a
descending basso ostinato

25. Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Born in London area (Westminster)
Father was a gentleman of the Chapel Royal
Organist at Westminster Abbey and later at
the Chapel Royal
Composed for both the church and court
Died young, most likely of TB
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Purcell

26. Henry Purcell
Composer of one of the first English operas
Dido and Aeneas
Composed for a Chelsea girls school
Taken from Virgil’s “Aeneid”
The final aria, “Dido’s Lament,” is very
famous

27. Listening Example
Title: “When I am laid in earth,” from
Dido and Aeneas
Composer: Henry Purcell
Genre: Opera

28. Notes on “When I am laid in earth”
The aria is preceded by an unusually
expressive recitative: “Thy hand Belinda”
Listen for the descending line of the ground
bass (basso ostinato)
Notice the emotional expression – the
purpose of an aria

29. Summary of Baroque Opera
Opera has many components
 Vocal music
 Instrumental music
 Acting
 Scenery and costumes
 Dancing
The vocal music is also varied
 Solo singing
 Ensembles
 Chorus

30. Summary of Baroque Opera
Solo singing is done in two styles
• Recitative
 Secco
 Accompagnato
• Aria
 Da Capo Aria
Text of an opera is called the libretto
Operas varied regionally across Europe

31. Oratorio
Began as small scale religious plays
Grew to be essentially an opera without the
staging: no costumes, no scenery
Same use of recitative and aria
Accompanied by orchestra

32. Oratorio
Usually a religious theme
Always deals with weighty subject
Handel is best known composer of oratorio
Great deal of musical similarity between
oratorio and cantata, but oratorios are much
longer

33. Cantata
Cantare – Italian for “to sing”
Smaller performing forces
Much shorter than opera or oratorio

35. Early Baroque Cantata
Earliest cantatas were short, usually secular,
and heavily influenced by monody
The genre originates in Italy out of the same
desire for textual expression as opera
One or two singers usually performed a
poetic setting with basso continuo
The poem is usually set in several
contrasting sections

36. Later Baroque Cantata
Much more like a small scale oratorio
Consists of all operatic characteristics
Recitatives
Arias
Ensembles
Choruses
Orchestra

37. Sacred Cantata’s of J.S.Bach
Cantata integral to Lutheran church service
New cantata required every Sunday
Yearly cycle approx. 60 cantatas
One per Sunday plus holidays/special occasions
Usually 5 to 8 movements
Bach composed 4–5 cycles (only 200 extant)
Frequent use of Lutheran Chorale

38. Lutheran Chorale
Chorale is the hymn tune
Sung by the congregation
Originally sung in unison
Later set in 4-part harmony, melody in
soprano (top voice)
These 4-part settings referred to as a chorale
Chorale unifies the cantata