Essential Terminology of Baroque Music and Early Opera

Vocal and Dramatic Forms

Color

Use of letters that pertain to hue. (Note: This definition is vague in the original text.)

Virtuosity

The complete mastery of the possibilities of an instrument or voice.

Melody Accompanied

A single melodic line with accompaniment.

Basso Continuo

An accompaniment system characteristic of Baroque music, consisting of a bass line over which improvised chords are played.

Castrato

Singers who were castrated when young, before their voice changed, to stop the growth of the larynx. The castrato's voice remained childlike throughout his life, but with the lung capacity and power of an adult.

Cantata

Similar to the oratorio in structure, but usually shorter, not staged, and lacking a narrative history.

Passion

Recounts the Passion and death of Jesus Christ; widely used during the Baroque era.

Opera

The theme is staged and profane.

Oratorio

Not staged and has a religious theme.

Camerata

A group of musicians, artists, and intellectuals who work under the patronage of a nobleman.

Overture

An instrumental piece that the orchestra plays at the beginning, serving as an introduction.

Recitative

A vocal procedure where the singer recites the text.

Aria

An excerpt performed by a vocal soloist with instrumental accompaniment.

Duo, Trio, etc.

Vocal excerpts sharing the characteristics of an Aria but interpreted by two, three, or more solo singers simultaneously.

Chorus

A fragment of choral music used especially to represent crowds.

Dance

Instrumental music designed to be performed during a ballet representation.

Comic Opera (Opera Buffa)

Represents situations of everyday life with a musical style close to the popular tastes of the public.

Zarzuela

A Spanish musical play featuring both spoken and sung parts.

Quarrel of the Clowns (Querelle des Bouffons)

Caused by the delegation in Paris that maintains the Padrón.

Instrumental Forms and Concepts

Sonata

A work for keyboard instruments.

Luthier

A builder of stringed instruments.

Chamber Music

Music composed for a small group of instruments.

Suite

A set of dances that are in the same key but with different tempos/meters.

Concerto

An instrumental work in which one or more solo instruments interact with the orchestra.

Concerto Grosso

Features a small group of solo instruments (the concertino) and the orchestra (the ripieno).

Solo Concerto

Features one solo instrument and the orchestra.

Toccata

A type of keyboard composition, often virtuosic and sometimes resembling an improvisation, allowing musicians to demonstrate their mastery of the instrument.

History and Timeline of Early Opera

Key Works

• 1597: Dafne (First opera, not conserved).
• 1600: Euridice by Jacopo Peri.
• 1607: L'Orfeo, considered the first great opera in history, by Claudio Monteverdi.

Geographic Spread

• c. 1600: Opera was born in Florence.
• c. 1675: Opera spreads to Venice (e.g., 7 operas for 100,000 inhabitants).
• 18th Century (s. XVIII): Opera spreads to Rome and Naples (rise of Comic Opera).
• The phenomenon spreads throughout Europe.