Week 28-29: Music Forms of the Baroque Era I: Concerto, Suite and Mass

1. Stuff done these weeks

During the baroque era, new forms of composition developed. I am researching the following terms in relation to the baroque era:

• Concerto
• Concerto Grosso
• Suite
• Mass
• Opera
• Oratorio
• Toccata
• Fugue

Furthermore, I am listening to extracts of each type of composition. Please find my notes in the next series of blogs.

Presently, I am really quite taken by Baroque music; an eye-opener that the OCA Music Foundation course has provided me. I find myself listening to Vivaldi a lot.

As a challenge, I studied La Diane (2nd Ordre) by Baroque composer Francois Couperin (1668 - 1733) on the mandolin. It is originally a harpsichord piece in D major, published by Couperin in 1713 ("Premier livre de pièces de clavecin"),  I found a good adaptation by Robert Bancalari (2004).

Here is a preformance of this piece: https://open.spotify.com/track/1L9doz2N0wQPXrh5iUed2J

On this harpsichord version, we can discern some treble-bass call and response lines. These probably symbolize the hunting calls of Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt.

I found it a very enjoyable piece to play. I particularly love the ascending line at the end; doing that smoothly was tricky. I admit, I did feel a sense of accomplishment once I got it "into my fingers".

Below the music score I practiced; I can play it fairly fluently from memory now. 

La Diana by Francois Couperin, for mandolin by Robert Bancalari (2004)

I think I'll take on another piece. But I also working on the Quicksburg Rendezvous by virtuoso Ronnie McCoury. Lightening speed. I have such a long, hard road to travel....I must keep the faith in do the work on mandolin.

2. Listening done these weeks

I feel very proud: we (Crimson Inc.) have been booked to perform in Paradiso (Amsterdam) on the 8th of august to support Parker Millsap. Now that is a big deal: Paradiso is regarded as the pop music temple in the Netherlands! Here is some footage of this singer-songwriter. I better prepare well for this gig.... slightly nervous already.

We supported Sheesham, Lotus and Son again on July 14th, this time in DB's (Utrecht). These Canadian gentlemen make amazing old time music on banjo, sousaphone, violin and harmonica. It is great to hear these old songs that I know from old creaky Document Records reissues. Keeping the flame alive!

Listened to one of my favorite old time mandolin players Charlie McCoy. In the clip he is pictured holding a tearshaped "A-style" mandolin, but I believe - judging from the sound - he is playing a mandolin banjo.

I have been playing this often: New Country Rehab. Refreshing how these guys blend electric and acoustic instruments. And the lyrics are just poetry.

"Though I know I let you go a hundred times still you never choose to leave
Like a bird dip your wings in the water and come circling back to me"

3. What I have learned

Concerto

From the Italian concertare, "to reach agreement" 1) in the 17th century an ensemble of instruments or of voices with one or more instruments  or a work for such an ensemble
2) An (extended) composition in sonata form for one or more solo instruments (or instrumental group) accompanied by an orchestral ensemble (Burkholder, 2014; Hartong, 2006).

The Oxford Companion to Music (2003) defines a concerto as a piece for one or more soloists and orchestra, but it has also been applied to a wide variety of other music.

The word stems from the Latin word concertare, which can mean "to dispute" or "to work together". The dual concepts of, on one hand, competition and, on the other, collaboration were central to this genre from its earliest history.

At the end of the 16th century the term "concerto" was most often used in the collaborative sense, denoting music for vocal ensembles or for mixed vocal and instrumental forces.

The purely instrumental concerto has its origins in the last two decades of the 17th century, when composers in various Italian cities began to exploit technical and textural contrasts between solo and tutti in sonatas performed by string orchestras.

Concerto Grosso

This was an instrumental composition of the middle and late Baroque that employed a small group of solo instruments (concertino) contrasted against a larger group or full orchestra. (Burkholder, 2014; Hartong, 2006). The smaller group, consisting most often of two solo violins and continuo, is known as the concertino (little ensemble). The larger group generally a string orchestra plus continuo, is known variously as the concerto grosso (large ensemble), grosso, tutti, or ripieno (Randel, 2003).

I found this rivetting example of Concerto Grosso in D Minor by Antonio Vivaldi, performed by the Liszt Ensemble. The emotional introduction performed by the two violinists, their concentration and energetic performance is a joy to watch and, I have to admit: a lump in my throat. I just keep finding myself drawn to Vivaldi's work.

Suite

During the Baroque period, the suite was a principal instrumental form. It is defined as a set of pieces that are linked together into a single work. They are of contrasting character, but similar in tonality (key or mode). During the Baroque period, a suite usually referred to a set of stylized dance pieces, performed in a prescribed sequence.  A standard pattern was allemande-courante-sarabande-gigue, each defined by specific metres, tempos and melodic shapes (Burkholder et al., 2014; Hartong, 2006). Disparate as they were, most often they were intended to be performed as a single work (Randel, 2003).

The suite reached its peak with  Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1759) and Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). Nearly all suites up to and including Handel and Bach's have a unity of key: Changes of key between movements are limited to the major-minor (tonic or relative) type. Bach wrote nearly 40 suites for solo instruments (harpsichord, lute violin, cello and flute).
Bach also wrote masterly orchestral suites, but the most famous are Handel's Water Music (ca 1717) and Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749). Most orchestral suites begin with a French overture. The dances of these suites were patterned after ballets and French opera's composed by Jean Baptiste Lully (1632-1687), and did not appear in a standard order.
Beside the solo and orchestral suite, was the chamber suite. These Baroque suites were written for trios and often contained an Allemand-Courante-Sarabande succession. Francois Couperin (1668-1733) wrote some chamber suites that are tied together programmatically (Randel, 2003).

"Water Music" is one of the most famous compositions by Händel. It is an orchestral suite. It was first performed in 1717 from a boat during a royal procession on the Thames for King George I of Great Britain (Burkholder et al., 2014). The composition consists of three suites for wind and strings:

Suite in F major
1. Alla hornpipe
2. Ouverture (Largo / Allegro)
3. Adagio e staccato
4. Menuet
5. Andante
6. Menuet (reprise)
7. Passepied
8. Air
9. Menuet
10. Bourrée
11. Hornpipe (Andante)
12. Allegro

Suite in G major
13. Menuet
14. Rigaudon I & II
15. Menuet I & II
16. Gigue I & II 

Suite in D major
17. Allegro
18. Alla hornpipe
19. Menuet
20. Lentement

21. Bourrée

Here is a recording of it performed by chamber orchestra The English Baroque Soloists, the latter formed and conducted by Sir John Elliot Gardiner (Oron, 2015):

I would really like to learn one of the parts; I have found the sheet music for the Bourrée. It is in a key I never really play in: F major. That will be an interesting goal for next week.

Mass

This is the musical service setting the texts of the five parts of the Ordinary of Mass of the Roman Catholic Church: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Agnus Dei (Hartong, 2006; Burkholder et al., 2014). During the Baroque era, particularly in Italy, many masses were written borrowing techniques from instrumental music and opera. Tonality became a favourite means of uniting the five parts of the Ordinary, as did the practice of repeating the music of one of the early sections (the second Kyrie or the "Cum sancto spirito" of the Gloria as the last section of the Mass (the "Dona nobis pacem"). Also the Gloria and Credo were divided into many more sections than before. It became possible to compose substantial works merely setting one text (Randel, 2003: page 493). Here is an example of Antonio Vivaldi's "Gloria", performed by the King's College Choir:

4. Sources

BANCALARI, R. (2004) Baroque Music for Mandolin, Pacific, Missouri: Mel Bay Publications, Inc..

billbilladaada (2014), That Lonesome Train Took My Baby Away Charlie McCoy with Lyrics, Youtube, viewed 4th of August 2017, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVQPTcpcFKU>.

BURKHOLDER, J, GROUT, D. and PALISCA, C. (2014) A history of western music, 9th edition, New York: W.W. Norton (Glossary: A5, A10, A13, A18, A19).

carmona121 (2010), Vivaldi - Gloria - 1 - Gloria in excelsis Deo - King_s College Choir, Youtube, viewed 4th of August 2017, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNLDou-uChQ>.

Gary Grainger (2014), Sheesham Lotus & Son 1929, Youtube, viewed 4th of August 2017, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4FPt22ArDM>.

HARTONG, J.L. (2006) Musical Terms Worldwide, 1st edition. The Hague: Semar Publishers, srl.

jmymusik (2013), G.F.Haendel - Water Music, Youtube, viewed 4th of August 2017, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnn3TVBDtcA&t=1648s>.

Keaton TF Evans (2013), New Country Rehab- Home To You, Youtube, viewed 4th of August 2017, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HKEB1XW2Wk>.

kovezett (2009), Vivaldi: Concerto Grosso in D minor, Youtube, viewed 4th of August 2017, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kaNnZFosm8>.

LATHAM, A. (ed.) (2003) The Oxford Companion to Music, 3rd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

LessThanFace Productions (2010), Del McCoury Band, "Quicksburg Rendezvous," Greyfox Bluegrass Festival 2010, Youtube, viewed 4th of August 2017, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqfLuoPKGQ8>.

ORON, A, 2015, English Baroque Soloists (Baroque Ensemble), viewed 2nd August 2017, <http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/English-Baroque-Soloists.htm>.

RANDEL, D. (ed.) (2003) The Harvard Dictionary of Music, 4th edition. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.


Team Coco (2016) Parker Millsap "The Very Last Day" 07/14/16 - CONAN on TBS, Youtube, viewed 4th of August 2017, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_o6HEN71PI>.