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The thought that Kings had absolute rule given to them by God
Absolutism
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huge proponent of music and the arts
under him, France finally got their own musical style
"The Sun King"
King Louis XIV
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On demand performers that followed the King around
played 5 part music
added harpsichord, drums, ets.
vingt-quatre violins du roy (24 Violins of the King)
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pedagogical book- how to do fingerings, ornamentations, performance practice, etc.
became the most important keyboard books
standardized using "signs"
The Art of Playing the Harpsichord (L'Art de toucher le clavecin)
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wrote "The Art of Playing the Harpsichord"
Francois Couperin "Le Grand"
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instrumental aria
Air de cour
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King's ballet
it's intent was to raise political support
ballet de cour
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The French version of opera
tragedie lyrique
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stylistic features of tragedie lyrique
- all about spectacle on stage
- incorporated ballets
- chorus
- plots came from Romances, mythology, chivalry, unrequited love
- France always used sopranos, rather than castrati
- most were 5 acts
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shifting meters throughout piece
(late 17th Century)
recitatif simple
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songlike
uniformly measured
delicate harmonic motion
(late 17th Century)
recitatif mesure
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a grouping of pieces
ordres
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French style of ornamentation
agrements
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performace practice that involves changing rhythms written in the score as regular to uneven rhythms under certain specific conditions
notes inegales
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plays in 24 violins of the king, becomes composer and director of instrumental music for king
develops French opera genre
Giovanni Battista Lully (Lulli- Italian)
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popularized the unmeasured prelude
composed keyboard suites
Louis Couperin
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organist, leader at court of later King Louis XIV
wrote "The Art of Playing the Harpsichord"
published 4 books of music
Francois Couperin "Le Grand"
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The time in England's history when Charles II returns to the throne
brought the arts back to England
Restoration
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brought in the kind of government that they still have today
William and Mary
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in support of royal family (English version)
Masque
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spoken play
at dramatic parts, sung and danced
semi-opera
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descending tetrachord
lamenting bass
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expansion on the descending tetrachord
basso ostinato (ground bass)
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"Keeper of the Royal Instruments" at Whitehall, organist at Westminster, Composer in Ordinary at Whitehall
Composed "Dido and Aeneas" for girls' boarding school in Chelsea
Henry Purcell
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born in Germany, went to England for a job, then to Italy to study opera, back to England, composes operas and "Water Music", started an opera enterprise to import Italian singers for opera, develops opera seria, writes oratorios, "Messiah"
George Frederic Handel
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boys who had surgery before puberty to be able to sing high
Castrato
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result of a series of opera reforms in the 18th C.
Opera seria
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stylistic features of Opera Seria
- always performed in Italian
- plots- moral or lesson to be learned, moral edification, triumph of truth, characters larger than life
- heroes always played by castrato
- castrato became prominent
- females on stage playing women parts
- 3 acts
- like spectacle- machinery, ballets, choruses
- recitative semplice, accompagnato
- da capo aria- "exit aria"
- substitution arias
- lieto fine - happy ending!
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becomes "exit aria" for singers
aba'
da capo aria
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Stylistic features of Handel's Oratorios
- adds chorus, length
- still no spectacle- no set, costumes, etc.
- sacred subject
- narrative plot
- several acts
- performed in concert form, but not acted
- performed in concert halls, chapels- not in oratory
- recitatives, arias (strophic and da capo), chorus
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Two types of recitatives in the early-mid 18th Century
Semplice, Accompagnato
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half-spoken, half-sung melodic patterns
recitatives
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more introspective
where a particular emotion or mood is concentrated upon
accompanied by the full orchestra
aria
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recitative where the solo voice is accompanied by only the harpsichord
recitativo semplice
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recitative where the full orchestra is used to underscore the solo voice
reserved for moments of special drama
recitativo accompagnato
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