University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

Literature and Styles in Music I

Vocal Chamber Music in the Early Baroque

I Monodic style also appropriated for vocal chamber music

A. Monodic style more widely diffused through vocal chamber music than through opera

II Bass part increasingly used as unifying force in vocal chamber music compositions

A. Early example: strophic variations, where bass and harmonies repeated with varied melody above (e.g., "Possente Spirto" from Monteverdi's L'Orfeo)

B. Vocal pieces frequently based on repeating bass parts or "grounds," e.g., chaconne or passacaglia bass patterns

a series of repeated chords (usually 4-8)
descending (usually) melodic figure in bass

III Use of Concertato Style in Vocal Chamber Music

A. Concertato style derives from polychoral works of Venetian school and Italian madrigalists where contrasting bodies of sound are opposed as an integral part of the formal structure of a piece

B. In the early Baroque concertato style, the contrasting bodies are generally vocal and instrumental

Compositions in this style (often referred to as "Concertos") put voices and instruments on equal footing and balance one sonority off against the other
Whereas late Renaissance polychoral works had emphasized the balancing of homophonic sonorities, the early Baroque concertato style may also feature elaborate solo vocal passages
Development of concertato style seen in Monteverdi's madrigal books nos. 5-8
- e.g., in Madrigal Book No. 8 ("Songs of War and Love"), The Combat of Tancred and Clorinda, referred to as "Stile Concitato"
  - actually a particularly agitated and dramatic example of the "style rappresentativo" type of monody
  - uses rapidly articulated monody over tremolo string chords

IV Types of Vocal Chamber Music in the Early Baroque

A. Monodic solo madrigals (through-composed)

B. Strophic arias, dialogues, duets

e.g., Caccini's Le Nuove Musiche, 1602
Also works by Sigismondo d'India (1582-1629?)

V Emergence of Bel Canto style

A. Reaction against relying on text as primary factor for determining musical style

rather than focusing on a musical style which was as close as possible to speech (i.e., monody), more interest in writing in a more, lyrical melodious style

B. This leads to the development of the "Bel Canto" style which stresses a sustained, smoothly-flowing melody in long phrases

often in a slow, triple meter
melody often unified by repeated rhythmic motive
- Composers writing in Bel Canto style:
  - Francesco Cavalli (1602-1676)
  - Antonio Cesti (1623-1669)
  - Allessandro Stradella (1644-1682)

C. Monody style continues, but restricted more to passages which imitate dramatic dialogue between characters

Passages in speech-like monody style come to be referred to as "recitative"

VI Emergence of the Cantata

Term "cantata" used imprecisely at first: applied to an aria in strophic variations, arias based on ostinato patterns, even "da capo" arias
Eventually term comes to be applied to a work for solo voice(s) and continuo (and occasionally obbligato instruments) in several sections, alternating between recitative and aria style, based on a lyrical or dramatic text
Principal Italian composers of cantatas:
- Luigi Rossi
- Antonio Cesti
- Giacomo Carissimi
Composers in other countries strongly influenced by Italian vocal style
- e.g., Germany (Heinrich Albert & Andreas Hammerschmidt) and France (various composers writing "Airs de Cour") and English composer (notably Henry Lawes)
  
  Last Update 6/21/06
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