Baroque vs. Classical
Which instrument overtook the harpsichord as the most popular keyboard instrument in the Classical period?
Piano (fortepiano, pianoforte)
What is the name of the main melody in a fugue?
Subject
The term cantata originally meant a piece to be ______.
sung
What were the three places in which composers primarily worked in the Baroque period?
Church
Court
Theater
What is the texture of this excerpt?
Fugue (Little Fugue in G Minor)
During the Classical period, the primary texture was ________.
Which Baroque composer wrote over 500 concertos?
Vivaldi
What was the term for male singers who had been castrated before puberty to preserve their high vocal range?
Castrato
What is the original definition of a sonata? What is a sonata in the Baroque period?
Original definition: a piece of music to be played with instruments.
Baroque sonata: multimovement form for one or more solo instruments accompanied by a basso continuo.
What is the historical period and genre of this listening excerpt?
Classical period
Symphony
(Mozart Symphony 40)
The vivid, passionate expression of the human emotions or “states of the soul” that led to the Baroque period were called ________.
the affections
(In the Baroque) Keyboard players improvised the harmonies using a system of musical shorthand called
Figured bass
What is a pants role in an opera?
A female singer playing the role of an adolescent boy.
Define oratorio. In what context was one performed? What was the typical subject matter?
Definition: Multimovement dramatic vocal work on a religious subject.
Performance context: concert performances for popular entertainment
Subject matter: Old Testament stories
Genre
Composer
Primarily Vocal or Instrumental?
Opera
Henry Purcell
Vocal
What are the start and end years of the Baroque period? What are the start and end years of the Classical period?
Baroque 1600-1750
Classical 1750-1820
Briefly define polychoral music.
The text of an opera is called a ______.
libretto
What is a sonata da camera and a sonata da chiesa? What is sonata-allegro form?
Sonata da camera - intended for secular concert performance
Sonata da chiesa - intended for performance in church.
Sonata-allegro form - "first movement form" with three sections - exposition, development, and recapitulation, that form a binary design.
Texture
Historical Period
Genre
Composer
Polyphonic
Baroque
Fugue
JS Bach
What is the difference in how dynamics were used in the Baroque period and the Classical period?
Baroque composers used terraced dynamics, where the dynamic levels changed abruptly. Classical composers used crescendos and decrescendos to gradually shift dynamic levels.
What is the difference between a figuration prelude and a chorale prelude?
A figuration prelude is based on a repeated musical figure. A chorale prelude is based on a Lutheran chorale tune.
What is the definition of dry recitative? What is the definition of accompanied recitative?
Dry recitative is accompanied by occasional chords played on a keyboard, or by a small group of instruments.
Accompanied recitative is accompanied by an orchestra.
Name one genre a composer might have composed for:
Church
Court
Theater
As the Classical period emerged, what new source of income did composers increasingly begin to rely upon?
Church: cantata
Court: dance suite
Theater: opera
Composers began to rely upon the public as a new source of income.
Texture
Historical Period
Genre
Composer
Primarily Vocal or Instrumental
Homophonic
Baroque
Opera (Aria)
Henry Purcell
Vocal