The Baroque
The contrast between light and dark found in paintings from this era.
What is "chiaroscuro?"
A melody that returns throughout a work, often played by the entire orchestra.
An unadorned style of music that prized balance and order, stripping away the perceived excesses of the Baroque Period.
What is the "galant" style?
The castrated male singers who performed the heroic roles in early opera.
Who are the "castrati?"
The palace created by Louis XIV to show off his power and keep his aristocracy close.
What is "Versailles?"
The ensemble that would play the figured bass and improvise along with the singer or instrumentalist.
What is "basso continuo?"
Its original definition meant only "to play on an instrument." However, it eventually encompassed an entire musical form.
What is a "sonata?"
The name of the thinkers who set about reforming European society in the eighteenth century.
Who are the "philosophes?"
The influential city where recitative and aria first split and the first public opera houses were created.
What is "Venice?"
The devastating war that spread all across Europe in the 1600s. It started as a war of religion between Catholics and Protestants, but quickly became about the balance of power in Europe.
What is the "30 Year's War?"
The rhythmic give and take (stretching of time) found in music from the Baroque.
What is "spezzatura?"
What is a "symphony?"
An intellectual argument that took place in Parisian newspapers over the influence of Italian music.
What is the "Guerre des Bouffons?"
The noble form of opera that was governed by conventions (codified by Metastasio).
What is "opera seria?"
The composer of the Hanover kings in England (who became kings due to their protestant pedigree).
Who is "Handel?"
The treatise written by Rameau that codified tonality.
What is the "Traité de l'harmonie?"
Originally the word for the performing space in Greek drama, it came to be a new ensemble during the French Baroque.
What is an "orchestra?"
A rhetorical form in the Classical Era that consists of an antecedent and consequent phrase.
What is a musical "period?"
The composer of the first "reform opera."
Who is "Christoph Wilibald Gluck?"
The city on the border of Eastern Europe that was under threat of Ottoman invasion.
What is "Vienna?"
A chromatic, descending tetrachord repeated again and again to evoke sadness.
What is a "lament" or "ground bass?"
The name for a small ensemble in a concerto grosso that is contrasted with the full ripieno.
What is a "concertino?"
A fascinating figure in the eighteenth century. He was born to a French planter and slave mother in the new world before embarking on a successful career in France.
Who is "Joseph Boulogne?"
The type of baroque opera that included arias by many different composers.
What is a "pasticcio?"
The nation that was the richest in Europe due to its colonies, but squandered it and is notable for NOT influencing the history of Western Music in a fundamental way.
What is "Spain?"