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Baroque

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- From the Portuguese barroco, meaning irregularly shaped or misshapen pearl - First used as a derogatory term in reference to the overly ornate art of that era - Now applied to art, architecture, and music of the 17th and early 18th centuries

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Figured bass

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- A type of musical shorthand developed in the Baroque era - Numbers are placed below the bass line to show harmonic progression - Performed or "realized" by the basso continuo - Provides the structure for guided improvisation

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Basso continuo

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- Important element of Baroque performance practice - Generally involves two performers - one playing the notated bass line, one realizing the harmonies as indicated by the figured bass - Harmonies usually played on harpsichord or organ - Provides harmonic framework

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Monody

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- Literally "one song" - A new style which developed in the late 16th century - A single vocal melody with simple instrumental accompaniment - Allowed for greater expression of emotion and clarity of text

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The "Affections"

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- A Baroque philosophy inspired by ancient Greek and Roman writers and orators - Refers to emotional states of the soul - In Baroque music, a single "affect" (one clear motion) is usually projected through an entire composition or movement - Also referred to as the "Doctrine of Affections" - Vocal music depicted the emotions of the text or dramatic situations - Was a reaction against the complex polyphony of Renaissance music

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Binary form

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- Two-part form (AB) - Section A generally ends with an open cadence - Frequently used in Baroque dances and keyboard pieces

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Rounded binary form

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- Two-part musical form: AB + A - Material from Section A returns within Section B

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Ternary form

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- Three-part form (ABA) - Section B generally creates contrast in key and/or material - Often used in Baroque arias

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Terraced dynamics

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- Baroque practice of changing dynamics abruptly - Results in stark contrast rather than gradual change

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Opera

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- Italian for "work" - Drama that is sung - Combines vocal and instrumental music with drama (staging and acting), visual arts (costumes and scenery), and often dance - Created in Italy around 1600 and remains one of the most popular forms of musical entertainment - Components include recitative, arias, ensemble, and choruses

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Stile rappresentativo

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- Italian for "representational style" - The term used by the Florentine Camerata musicians to describe the monodic style - A recitative-like melody moving freely over a foundation of simple chords - The music was meant to heighten the emotional power of the text

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Castrato

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- Male soprano or alto voice - Subjected to a surgical procedure before reaching puberty which prevented the voice from changing - Prominent in 17th and 18th century - Generally used in heroic roles

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Libretto

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- The text of an opera, oratorio, or cantata - Usually written by someone other than the composer - Often based on a play, novel, or an episode in history

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Aria

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- Lyrical song for solo voice with orchestral accompaniment - Often highly emotional and sometimes performed independently - Expresses the character's feelings and emotions

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Recitative

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- A speech-like, declamatory style of singing - Used for dialogue and to advance the plot - More lyrical than speech but less lyrical than song - Replaced by spoken dialogue in some styles of opera

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Recitativo secco

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- Italian for "dry recitative" - A speech-like, declamatory style of singing - Supported only by continuo - Employed in opera, oratorio, and cantata

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Recitativo accompagnato

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- Italian for "accompanied recitative" - A speech-like, declamatory style of singing - Supported by instrumental ensemble or orchestra - Allows for greater connection with the text - Employed in offers, oratorios, and cantatas

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Chorus

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- Adds musical variety to the operatic works of many composers - Singers maybe participants in the plot (group or crowd scenes) or may be set apart from the staging, serving to comment or request on the action much like a narrator

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Opera seria

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- Italian for "serious opera" - Song throughout - Generally based on historical or mythological subject

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Stile concitato

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- Italian for "agitated style" - Term used by Monteverdi - Expresses the "hidden tremors of the soul" - Achieved through use of tremolo and pizzicato (instrumental) and ornamentation and rapid repeated notes (vocal)

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Sinfonia

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- Generic term, used in the Baroque in various contexts - For Monteverdi, indicates an instrumental movement - Used for transitions between scenes in opera

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Ground bass

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- Baroque compositional device - Consists of the continuous repetition of a short melody over which free variations occur - Often it provided the basic structure of a Baroque aria

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Cantata

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- A multi-movement choral work - Sacred or secular - For soloists, chorus, and orchestra - Consists of recitatives, arias, ensembles, and choruses

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Chorale

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- A hymn tune, associated with German Protestantism - Intended for congregational singing, therefore moved mostly by step or narrow leap - Used as the basis for many genres including the cantata - Sometimes adopted from Gregorian chants as well as from other popular sources - Harmonized four voices (SATB) by composers including J.S. Bach

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Canon

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- From the Greek word for "law" - Strict type of polyphonic composition in which each voice enters in succession with the same melody - Cannons in which each voice enters on the same pitch (for example, at the unison) are referred to as rounds

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Fugue

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- From the Latin fugere, meaning "to flee" - A highly structured imitative contrapuntal composition - A single theme or subject prevails

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Fugal texture

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- A contrapuntal composition based on the principle of imitation - A theme (referred to as the subject) pervades the entire work, entering in one voice and then another

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Ritornello

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- A recurring theme that functions as a refrain in Baroque compositions - Can serve as an introduction and postlude in arias or choruses or as a unifying thread in concertos

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Augmentation

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- A theme is presented in longer time values - Often the melody becomes twice as slow as the original - Often used in fugal writing

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Arioso

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- A short vocal passage - More lyrical than a recitative but more modest in scale than an aria

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Oboe da caccia

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- An alto oboe - Built in the shape of a curved hunting horn but with a pear-shaped bell that gave the sound an outdoor quality

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Oboe d'amore

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- A mezzo-soprano oboe - Pitched lower than a regular oboe with a pear-shaped bell

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Taille

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- A tenor oboe with a pear-shaped bell

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Concerto

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- A multi-movement orchestral work - Usually in three movements (fast-slow-fast) - In the Baroque there were two types: solo concerto and concerto grosso

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Concerto grosso

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- Baroque orchestral work - Usually in three movements (fast-slow-fast) - A group of solo instrument is showcased

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Concertino

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- The small group of solo instrument featured in a concerto grosso of the Baroque era

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Ripieno

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- Italian for "full" or "complete" - Also called tutti - A term used to denote the full orchestra in a Baroque concerto

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Ritornello form

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- A structure often employed in the first and third movement of the Baroque concerto - The opening passage (ritornello) is restated throughout the movement

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Ordre

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- French term identifying Baroque dance collections - Often contained numerous miniature dance pieces

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Double

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- Term used for a "variation" (of the theme) in French keyboard music of the Baroque era

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Ornamentation

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- Applied by the performer during repeats or da capo/dal segno sections - Ornaments could take the form of appoggiaturas, trills, mordents, etc.

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Menuet

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- A popular dance of the Baroque (and Classical) eras - French origin - Elegance dance in triple meter - Moderate tempo

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Hornpipe

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- Lively dance in triple meter - English origin - Originally associated with sailors

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Clavier

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- A German word for any keyboard instrument other than the organ

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Clavichord

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- A small rectangular keyboard instrument - Sound is generated by small metal tangents that strike the strings inside the instrument - The application of the vibrato to the key produced an expressive sound

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Harpsichord

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- A keyboard instrument - Sound is generated by a small quills inside the instruments that pluck the strings - Often had two manuals (set of keys)

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Clavecin

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- French term for harpsichord

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Gravicembalo

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- Italian term for harpsichord

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