chapter 17 Italy and Germany in the Late Seventh
Century
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. What was the leading vocal genre in Italy in the late seventeenth century?
a.
oratorio
d.
Mass
b.
opera
e.
chorale
c.
serenata
2. Librettists responded to the public’s desire for opera arias by
a.
creating disjunct and choppy verses.
b.
choosing popular stories for the verses.
c.
structuring the libretto as mostly dialogue.
d.
writing verses in poetic meters and forms.
e.
devising forms without repeated lines of text.
3. You discover a new cantata by Scarlatti. It probably incorporates which form?
a.
da capo
d.
strophic
b.
binary
e.
sonata
c.
rondo
4. Why was Corelli called the first major composer whose reputation rested exclusively on
instrumental music?
a.
He applied standard patterns to develop the ritornello form in instrumental music.
b.
He introduced the three-movement plan of the Italian opera overture to instrumental forms.
c.
He created the concerto, which helped to establish the orchestra as a leading ensemble.
d.
He established a string ensemble with four to six players per part, essentially the first orchestra.
e.
He developed sonata forms and the progression of functional harmony in instrumental music.
5. What attracted an audience and thus largely determined the success of an opera production?
a.
the composer
d.
the librettist
b.
the drama
e.
the staging
c.
the performers
6. The superior craftsmanship of Italian-made string instruments contributed to
a.
the public demand for operas and oratorios.
b.
the development of the serenata genre.
c.
the rise of the sonata and the instrumental concerto.
d.
Scarlatti’s composing of over six hundred cantatas.
e.
the use of ornamentation found in all genres.
7. The three-part texture of a trio sonata typically called for how many instruments?
a.
one
d.
four
b.
two
e.
ten
c.
three
8. Who was NOT a leading vocal composer in Italy?
a.
Antonio Sartorio
d.
Arcangelo Corelli
b.
Alessandro Scarlatti
e.
Maurizio Cazzati
c.
Barbara Strozzi
9. By the 1690s, cantatas were comprised of
a.
one continuous aria with varying sections.
b.
contrasting recitatives and arias.
c.
mostly recitative and narration.
d.
similar recitatives and arias.
e.
many short and contrasting sections.
10. One purpose of the da capo aria was to
a.
move the plot and narration along.
b.
express a sentiment or emotion.
c.
give singers a rigid structure.
d.
show how well singers followed the music.
e.
establish a simple form to follow.
11. You discover a piece by Buxtehude that alternates between free sections and contrapuntal
ones based on a variety of subjects. It is most likely what type of piece?
a.
toccata
d.
canzona
b.
prelude
e.
fugue
c.
chorale
12. What is one way Roman and northern Italian concerto practices differed?
a.
In Roman practice the soloists were adjuncts to the orchestra, while in northern Italy the orchestra
was an expansion of the concertino.
b.
Roman concertos were reserved for public entertainment, while northern Italian concertos were
reserved for private entertainment.
c.
In Roman practice the orchestra was an expansion of the concertino, while in northern Italy the
soloists were adjuncts to the orchestra.
d.
Northern Italian orchestras were typically divided between concertino and ripieno, while Roman
orchestras were not.
e.
Roman and northern Italian concerto practices did not differ.
13. German opera composers occasionally made use of
a.
German airs and French dance rhythms.
b.
Italian dance rhythms and French recitative style.
c.
Italian recitative style and French dance rhythms.
d.
French airs and Italian dance rhythms.
e.
German dance rhythms and French recitative style.
14. Which of the following does NOT contribute to the improvisatory feel of the free section of toccatas?
a.
abrupt changes of harmonic direction
b.
contrasting irregular rhythms and steady sixteenth notes
c.
phrases with irregular or inconclusive endings
d.
regular use of repeated figuration
e.
changes in melodic direction and texture
15. What was one cultural reason for the establishment of a collegium musicum?
a.
Educated music professors desired a chance to gather together.
b.
Amateur music-making was a prominent part of social life.
c.
The public demanded professional performances for entertainment.
d.
University students needed organizations to help with their studies.
e.
The elite class wished to be separated musically from the lower classes.
16. What international practice(s) influenced the building of seventeenth– and eighteenth-century
German organs?
a.
the Dutch practice of dividing the pipes into groups
b.
the French practice of using stops to allow for solo and contrapuntal lines
c.
the Italian practice of mounting pipes symmetrically
d.
both A and B
e.
both B and C
17. Which word describes the “Great organ” or “main group” of a Baroque organ that sits high
above the player?
a.
Hauptwerk
d.
Oberwerk
b.
Brustwerk
e.
pedal organ
c.
Rückpositiv
18. How did the sacred concerto develop in Orthodox Lutheran centers?
a.
It grew from simple German chorale settings over figured bass.
b.
Composers such as Schein and Schütz wrote vocal ensembles based on secular texts.
c.
Da capo arias in the Italian style were popular among the Lutherans.
d.
Sinfonias based on motives from chorales sparked desire for expanded vocal works.
e.
The concerted vocal ensemble, the solo aria, and the chorale came together.
19. You find a review in a north German newspaper from 1710 of a popular Italian opera.
The composer of this opera was probably
a.
French.
d.
German.
b.
Austrian.
e.
Danish.
c.
Spanish.
20. Stadtpfeifer encouraged entire families to make music their trade because
a.
their music was performed at public ceremonies, parades, weddings, and other festivities.
b.
they required training and proficiency at numerous wind and string instruments.
c.
jobs were typically won through auditions or family connections.
d.
they held exclusive rights to provide music in the city.
e.
they oversaw and supervised the training of musical apprentices.
21. How were instrumental concertos and sonatas related?
a.
The instrumentation was exactly the same for each.
b.
They served many of the same cultural and musical purposes.
c.
Their musical organization was not based on tonality.
d.
They tended to consist of only one movement and mood.
e.
Their melodies were disjunct over a faint bass line.
22. At the end of the seventeenth century, composers of Italian music in all genres did NOT strive
to make their music
a.
encourage audience participation.
d.
emotionally expressive.
b.
pleasing to the ear.
e.
show off the performers.
c.
gratifying to perform.
23. Vocal music’s influence on instrumental music can be traced through which organ compositions?
a.
toccatas
d.
fugues
b.
chorales
e.
postludes
c.
preludes
24. Longer forms in instrumental music became possible due to which musical advancement by
Corelli in the second half of the seventeenth century?
a.
use of a single theme
d.
lyricism
b.
fugal forms
e.
tonality
c.
walking bass
25. You discover a solo violin sonata from Salzburg that uses the technique of scordatura. Who
likely composed it?
a.
Heinrich Biber
d.
Georg Muffat
b.
Johann Jakob Walther
e.
Dieterich Buxtehude
c.
Johann Kuhnau
TRUE/FALSE
1. The political splintering of northern Italy bred musical strength.
2. Although vocal and instrumental music of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries was notated simply, a
performer was expected to add ornaments.
3. Church services often included instrumental ensemble music.
4. Most church trio sonatas consist of three movements.
5. The musical language of Alessandro Scarlatti became the basis of Rameau’s rules of functional tonality.
6. The sonata helped to establish the orchestra as the leading instrumental ensemble.
7. German music in the seventeenth century was uninfluenced by other countries.
8. Buxtehude’s toccatas are noted for displaying the organ’s idiomatic qualities.
9. Fugues were written as both independent pieces and as sections within pieces.
10. Froberger helped establish the allemande, courante, sarabande, and gigue as standard components of dance suites.
SHORT ANSWER
1. Most cantatas were written for solo voice with ________ as accompaniment, though some featured two or more
voices.
2. The overarching form for a da capo aria is ________.
3. ________ served as a substitute for opera in Italy during Lent or at other seasons when the theaters were closed.
4. Define walking bass. In what type of seventeenth-century piece are we likely to hear this technique?
5. The trio and solo sonatas of ________ represent the crowning achievement in Italian chamber music of the late
seventeenth century.
6. What are two kinds of concertos composers were writing by 1700?
7. Although opera continued to be the leading genre of music in the late 1600s, today the best known Italian and
German music from this time period is primarily ________, not vocal.
8. The phrases below describe three approaches to constructing a ________.
• Each phrase of the melody serves in turn as the subject of a point of imitation.
• Phrases appear in turn in long notes, usually in the top voice. The beginning of each phrase is preceded by a brief
imitative development of it in the other voices.
• An ornamented version of the melody appears in the top voice. The accompanying voices are free and exhibit
variety.
9. The keyboard sonatas of ________ helped establish the genre of sonata as more than strictly ensemble music.
10. The position of ________, meaning “town pipers,” is evidence of cities and churches supporting music.
MATCHING
Match each person to his correct description below.
a.
Tomaso Albinoni
d.
Antonio Stradivari
b.
Dieterich Buxtehude
e.
Georg Muffat
c.
Reinhard Keiser
1. prominent instrument-maker during the late 1600s
2. introduced the three-movement (fast-slow-fast) plan to the concerto
3. introduced Corelli’s and Lully’s styles to Germany
4. renowned German organist; composer of organ music and sacred vocal works
5. the foremost and most prolific composer of early Germany operas
Match each item to the correct description below.
a.
orchestral concerto
d.
sonata da chiesa
b.
orchestral suite
e.
trio sonata
c.
sonata da camera
6. contains multiple movements, often including one or more using binary form; could be used during worship services
7. a result of the German effort to introduce the high standards of performance as found in Lully’s French musical style
8. a series of stylized dances, often beginning with a prelude, for entertainment
9. scored for two treble instruments with basso continuo
10. a work in several movements that emphasizes the first violin part and the bass; more homophonic than contrapuntal
ESSAY
1. Explain the genre of the fugue as understood in the seventeenth century. How does it compare to other types of
pieces, such as the ricercare? Use the terms exposition, answer, and episode in your explanation, thoroughly
defining each.
2. Describe the da capo aria. What does the term mean and how is its meaning reflected in the form? Give
characteristics of the sections of the form. What are some of the da capo aria’s musical and dramatic purposes?
Name at least one composer associated with the form.