BAROQUE ERA: VIVALDI AND

PROGRAM MUSICMS. RUIZ HUMANITIES

ANGEL WITH A CROWN OF THORNS1. Is there a sense of movement in this

sculpture? What signs show you that?

2. What is the mood of this work of art?

3. How do you feel about it?

PROGRAM MUSICInstrumental music that is associated with a story, poem, idea, or scene.

1. What is the story of this piece? Write it down on the same piece of paper as your bell work.

ANTONIO VIVALDI (1678-1741)

• He had difficulty breathing and did not lead mass for church services.

• For most of his life, he was a resident musician at a Catholic orphanage.

• Most of his operas are gone, because he composed 94, but only 22 of them survived today.

• Vivaldi was a violinist.

• His nickname translates to “The Red Priest” due to his red hair.

SPRING BY VIVALDI

• Can you hear the sounds of spring in this work? Birds singing? Streams running? Thunder and lightning?

WHAT KIND OF MUSIC IS MEANT FOR DANCING?

BAROQUE DANCE MUSIC WAS CALLED THE SUITE

• J.S. Bach wrote the following piece we will listen to. Try to think about how people danced to this music.

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685-1750)

• His birthday is March 21, 1685

• He actually had 20 children not 12.

• Family was everything to Bach, most of his children went on to be musicians, teachers, composers, and church organists.

• Bach challenged Louis Marchand to a keyboard duel on harpsichord, and won.

• Bach was so sought after that one of his employers threw him in prison so he wouldn’t go anywhere else.

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (1685-1759)

• He was born on February 23rd in Germany

• Handel’s lawyer father didn’t want him to play music, so Handel would sneak in the attic and practice on the clavichord up there.

• Handel got into a fight with Johann Mattheson who almost killed Handel with a sword in 1704.

• He was the music director at the Royal Academy of Music in England.

HANDEL’S MESSIAH

• The Messiah is played every year around Christmas time.

• We will listen to the Hallelujah Chorus from the piece.

• Notice the changes in textures from homophonic, to monophonic, to polyphonic.