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Chapter 13
Barbara Strozzi
Chapter at a Glance
11. Decoration of the Melody
13. Timbre: Contrast and Punctuation
15. Listening Guide
17. Expand Your Playlist: Strozzi
19. Expand Your Playlist: Baroque Chamber Music
Chapter Objectives
After reading the chapter and listening to the work, students should be able to:
13.1 Listen for the use of vocal embellishments in successive repetitions of the same
13.3 Describe the relationship between the voice and the instruments in this work.
13.6 Discuss the challenges for women composers during the seventeenth century.
Key Concepts
embellishment, chamber music, trio-sonata texture, contrasting timbres
Chapter Highlight: Baroque Chamber Music
Chamber music, with only one player to a part, is intimate and requires only a few
y two violins and a
basso continuo. The instruments and voice engage in a kind of dialogue about the
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Chapter Summary
Singers of the early Baroque era exploited the newfound freedom to express text over a
basso continuo. They added embellishments as a means to emphasize their own
interpretation of the text, as well as to demonstrate their vocal prowess. Barbara
allowed singers this flexibility.
Baroque music. The composer alternates A and B sections that contrast meter, text
underlay (the A section text stays the same; the B section changes), and
Listening Guide
The alternating textures (two violins or not), repetitive text (A section as refrain), and
-century Baroque
music might be structured. The sections themselves are short. Each part receives
increasing embellishment, which adds to the dramatic force of the entire work.
MyMusicLab Resources
Automated Listening Guide
Chapter Audio: Chapter 13
Discussion Topics and Critical Thinking Questions
Can you identify other songs in your own CD or electronic collection that have
refrains?
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Activities and Exercises
students to write about how each song makes them feel. Invite students to share what
Journaling Prompt
Identify a modern women composer/performer who has succeeded in the male–