Music 101 Week 4

Preparation for Exam this Thursday

Secco recit- basso continuo
Accompanied recit- with orchestra
Sumer is Icumen in (13th century)
What language?
What form is this an example of? Canon/round
From England. It is an example of a canon/round. It is in middle English.
It is written in major mood, not one of the medieval modes.
The Coronation of Poppea: Tornerai? (wont you return)
Monteverdi (1642)
(The back story for Torenai: So Poppea the mistree for the Emperor
Nero, schemes to get his wife Ottavia deposed and his advisor put to
death. She succeeds in both. This scene is in the first act where Poppea
tries to wheedle Nero into staying with her. )
So do you think this section has a definite pulse or rhythm? What
section of an opera would it be? Recitative in which the singing voice
closely follows the free rhythm of speech. Recitatives are used to
advance the plot through action, dialogue, or other situations where it
is important for the spoken word to be brought out.
So Tornerai is a recitative. In what ways does the singing illustrate the
dialogue? Tornerai? Means wont you return and is constantly sung in a
beseeching pleading way. Neros vocal line has a brief moment of
arioso a vaguely aria like line but honestly not too important.
What instruments do you hear accompanying the singers in the
background?
Lute, harpsichord, and cello
And what was this combination of instruments that always
accompanied recitative called?
The basso continuo (generally one or more chordal instruments,
harpsichord, lute or harp; and perhaps an instrument or two to
emphasize the bass line--cello/bassoon). Only the bass line is written
down and the chords are filled in.
What will you use to identify this piece? No pulse. Two higher voices
singing. And the constant repetition of the word Tornerai!

The Coronation of Poppea: Speranza, tu mi vai (O hope you)

Monteverdi (1642)
What are the main differences between this part and the recitative we
heard earlier?
Arias have a clear pulse and recitatives dont. Therefore recitative is a
more flexible form of expression. They can engage in realistic dialogue.
And emotion can change abruptly.
But in aria, the music tends to continue in one vein for some time.
Usually arias are good places to expand on one emotion for awhile.
(when arias have distinct sections they have their own emotion.)
Recitations- move plot forward. Arias-meditation or soliloquis
Do you hear any mood changes illustrated in music of the aria? How
many different moods? I heard three sections in this aria. What mood
do you think this first section has? The first section has moments of
uncertainty. Second section her mood becomes harder and for the third
section she sings lighthearted fanfare military music.
How will you identify this piece? It has a pulse and is an aria! What
language is it in? Italian. High voice. Are there tons of melismas? The
no, no, no section. And the happy warlike section at the end.
Dido and Aeneas (1689) Henry Purcell
Anyone remember what this is about? Trojan prince Aeneas escapes
from Troy when the Greeks capture it. Then he travels to Italy and
meets the widowed Queen Dido of Carthage. They fall in love but when
Aeneas leaves, Dido kills herself an agonizing suicide
Recitative and Aria called Didos Lament
What is this opening section called? What is the instrumental
accompaniment in the background called?
Does anyone notice any interesting examples of word painting? The
word darkness is set in a really ominous way. Also notice how Death is
now a welcome guest ends on a major chord rather than minor.
Suggests a kind of tragic irony.
Does anyone hear anything interesting happening during the aria
particularly in the bass line? The whole aria is built over a bass line
that repeats a dozen times. This repeated bass line is called a ground

bass or ostinato. This descending line with chromatic semitones

suggests the mournful atmosphere.
How will you recognize didos lament? Its in English. The only one. The
ground bass or ostinato line. Remember me Remember me. Also, not
very hard to sing. This was actually first performed at a girls school.
With drooping wings:
The final chorus has a bunch of sorrowful cupids filing past. (Maybe we
can imagine them as first graders)
What is the general style of the music? What genre does it fit into?
Madrigal with its imitative polyphony, homophony, and word painting.
Drooping wings and on soft.
Julius Caeser Aria, La giustizia (Justice) by Handel (1724)
The story is incredibly confusing. Cleopatra (Queen of Egypt) loves
Julius Caesar (Roman Emperor)
Pompey (Ceasars enemy has lost in battle and flees to Egypt)
Ptolomy, Cleopatras brother kills Pompey.
Cornelia, Ptolomys widow (thrown into Ptolomys harem)
Sextus, Pompeys son, wants vengence on Ptolomy
When you listen to this, see if you can identify the overarching form.
What was the form? ABA da capo form
Listen we first have an orchestra ritornello. Then stanza 1 is sung,
repeated two more times.
Ritornello.
Then different section with different words. We will call this the B
section.
Ritornello.
Then return to the A section.
What is the name for this out of time section at the end? Called
cadenza. They were short, because they were supposed to be sung in a
single breath showing off virtuoso breath control as well as vocal
technique and inventiveness.
What is different about the A section the last time we hear it? It is
heavily ornamented with lots of vocal runs and melismatic craziness,
ornaments and high notes. What is the name for this kind of singing?
Called coloratura singing

So during the first A section, certain words like vendetta (vengeance)

and traditor (traitor) has music that seems to explode angrily with
coloratura singing.
So within the form A B A. The first A section introduces the melody. The
B section introduces new words and some new keys for contrasts. But
the important thing is the return to A at the end. When we return the A
section at the end, the singer adds improvised virtuosic flourishes to
the melody line and shows off her skill. This is followed by a cadenza at
the end.
What is the point of this aria?
1.Toletusknowtheperformerisgreat.
2.Toletusknowthecharacterwillbevictorious(emphasis
onvocalprowess,puniretraditor).
How will you identify it? In Italian which might not be the most helpful.
The word La guistizia is repeated fairly often. There is a women singing
and the singing is fairly virtuosic. There are instruments in the
background. There are long orchestra interludes.
Don Giovanni (1787) Mozart
Background, Don Giovanni is the Italian name for Don Juan, the
legendary Spanish libertine. This opera is about his escapades. But in
his pursuit of women, he kills the father of one of his victims. Later on,
jokes blasphemously at the statue for the dead Commander. The
statue then comes alive and Don Giovanni invites the statue for dinner.
When the statue comes to dinner, it drags Don Giovanni to hell.
What are the differences between opera buffa and opera seria?
Example of elements of both operatic seria and opera buffa. What are
the differences between the two of them? Emperors in seria. Servant
girls, peasants and soliders in buffa. Buffa did not have castratos.
Instead had basses specializing in comical rants. They were called
buffo basses. The comic operas were often light and funny with happy
endings being the result of tricks and schemes rather than decrees or
divine justice.
Additionally, while opera seria employed two elements recitatives and
arias, opera buffa add one more number. Ensemble is a number sung
by two or more people.
Ho Capito (aria)

A chorus of peasants celebrating marriage of Masetto and Zerlina. Don

Giovanni enters and tries to seduce Zerlina. This aria is Masettos
response.
Does the phrase length or music reflect the character? Short phrases.
Shows his anger. Also relatively simple music, lots of repeated notes.
Da da da da
Music reflects him getting angry at the end.
In the end he sings repeated cadences over and over again.
Creates the effect of a simple man who feels anger.
How will you recognize this piece? Sung by low bass. Lots of repeated
notes. Has a pulse and instruments. Solo voice
Recitative
Does this next section have a pulse?
What is this next thing an example of? Recitative. Whats happening?
Giovanni invites Zerlina up to his villa and promises to marry her and
make her into a fine lady just as Masetto had ironically predicted.
How will you recognize it? High voice and low voice singing. It is
unmetered and recitative. In Italian and lots of text moving by.
La ci darem la mano (Duet)
The following is a duet or an ensemble number for 2 singers.
What is the form?
The words of this duet falls into three stanzas and the music
accommodates with an A A B A form.
Don Giovanni sings the first stanza to the simple tune A. Zerlina sings
the same tune to the stanza A. We know she is playing along but she
hesitates (notice her tiny rhythmic changes and her reluctance to finish
the tune as quickly as Giovanni) Count measures.
In stanza 3 (B) Giovanni presses more and more ardently while Zerlina
keeps drawing back.
When the tune comes back (A) they repeat the words from earlier
sharing it phrase by phrase. Their words are closer together than
before and the stage director will place them closer together too.
CODA Zerlina falls into Don Giovannis arms Echoing his andiam.
Notice that now they are singing at the same time. And their marriage
is depicted by a little rustic melody in a faster tempo.

Notice how this aria not only sounds beautiful but furthers the drama.
From Giovannis seduction and Zerlinas wavering to her falling in love
with him.
How will you identify it? High voice and low voice singing together. In a
meter. There is a very beautiful tune. And it is in Italian. The tune is
very very memorable.