Baroque works

Question 1

Ahi, caso acerbo is from what opera and by whom?

Answer 1

L’Orefo by Claudio Monteverdi

[p. 71]

Question 2

What opera is based in part on the epic poem Aenid by the ancient Roman poet Virgil?

Answer 2

Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas

[p. 73]

Question 3

Cantata No. 80 - Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott

Genre:

Composer:

First performance:

Basis:

Librettist:

Language:

Translation of title:

Structure:

Performing forces:

Answer 3

Cantata No. 80 - Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott

Genre: cantata

Composer: J. S. Bach

First performance: 1715, revised ca 1744

Basis: chorale by Martin Luther (used in movements 1, 2, 5, & 8)

Librettist: Salomo Franck

Language: German

Translation of title: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

Structure: eight movements

Performing forces: SATB soloists, SATB chorus, strings, continuo, and pairs of oboes (trumpets and drums added later by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach)

[p. 80]

Question 4

Who wrote Guilio Cesare in Egitto?

Answer 4

George Frideric Handel

[p. 76]

Question 5

What is significant about Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas?

Answer 5

it stands out as the first great English opera

[p. 72]

Question 6

Tu se’ morta is from what opera and by whom?

Answer 6

L’Orfeo by Monteverdi

[p. 69]

Question 7

Dido and Aeneas - characters

Answer 7

Dido - soprano - queen of Carthage

Aeneas - baritone - Trojan prince, founder of Rome

Belinda - soprano - Dido’s lady in waiting

Sorceress - mezzo-soprano

Choruses of courtiers, sailors, cupids, witches

[p. 73]

Question 8

What is the name of Vivaldi’s opera seria and a da capo aria from it?

Answer 8

“Nel profondo cieco mondo” from Orlando furioso

[p. 79]

Question 9

Who sings “V’adoro pupille”?

Answer 9

aria by Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare in Egitto

[p. 77]

Question 10

What is the name of another opera by Monteverdi and a duet from it?

Answer 10

“Pur ti miro” from The Coronation of Poppea

[p. 79]

Question 11

What are the three parts of “Dido’s Lament?”

Answer 11

Recitative - “Thy hand, Belinda”

Aria - “When I am Laid in Earth”

Chorus - “With Drooping Wings”

[pp. 73-74]

Question 12

List the eight movements of Cantata No. 80 by Bach.

Answer 12

1. Chorus - choral fugue, based on the choral melody
2. Duet - soprano and bass soloists
3. Recitative and Arioso - bass solo
4. Aria - soprano solo
5. Chorus - unison chorale
6. Recitative and Arioso - tenor solo
7. Duet - alto and tenor soloists
8. Chorus - four-part chorale

The eight movements of this cantata are organized to create a balanced, arch-like structure, using full performing forces in movements 1, 5, and 8 to act as “pillars” supporting the more intimate movements heard in between.

[p. 82]

Question 13

What collection is Arailli mia bella in and why?

Answer 13

Le nuove musiche, by Giulio Caccini

it’s an example of a solo song demonstrating the new “expressive style”

[p. 66]

Question 14

What is the name of Purcell’s opera?

Answer 14

Dido and Aeneas

[p. 72]

Question 15

Dido and Aeneas

Genre:

Composer:

First performance:

Librettist:

Source of plot:

Answer 15

Dido and Aeneas

Genre: English opera

Composer: Henry Purcell

First performance: 1689

Librettist: Nahum Tate

Source of plot: Nahum Tate’s Brutus of Alba and the epic poem Aeneid by the ancient Roman poet Virgil

[p. 73]

Question 16

Giulio Cesare in Egitto - characters

Answer 16

Caesar - alto castrato - Roman emperor and general

Cleopatra - soprano - Queen of Egypt

[p. 76]

Question 17

What opera is based in part on Nahum Tate’s Brutus of Alba?

Answer 17

Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas

[p. 73]

Question 18

Who sings “Thy hand, Belinda” and what is the storyline?

Answer 18

Recitative by Dido in Dido and Aeneas

Queen Dido expresses her sorrow to Belind, her friend and confidant, and prepares herself for death

[pp. 73-74]

Question 19

For whom did Monteverdi write his opera L’Orfeo and why?

Answer 19

Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua

commissioned the work after hearing Jacopo Peri’s L’Euridice

[p. 68]

Question 20

Dido and Aeneas - plot summary

Answer 20

After the siege of Troy, Prince Aeneas and his men set sail across the Mediterranean to fulfill the command of the gods and establish a new Trojan capital on Italian soil. They become shipwrecked on the shores of Carthage, a city-state ruled by Queen Dido. The noble couple falls in love, thereby causing Aeneas to delay his mission. A sorceress summons her witches to conspire against the couple’s happiness. One of her minions, disguised as the god Mercury, appears before Aeneas, tricking him into believing the gods are displeased with him. Aeneas resolves to fulfill his destiny and leave Carthage. Dido, heartbroken by his abandonment of her, builds a pyre on a hilltop overlooking the city. The flames light up the night sky, guiding Aeneas’s ships safely out of the harbor. The grief-stricken queen mounts the flaming pyre and brings her life to a tragic end.

[p. 73]

Question 21

Name a song contained in Caccini’s Le nuove musiche.

Answer 21

Amarilli mia bella

[p. 66]

Question 22

Who sings “When I Am Laid in Earth” and what is the storyline?

Answer 22

aria by Dido in Dido and Aeneas

continues from “Thy Hand, Belinda” - Queen Dido expresses her sorrow to Belinda, her friend and confidant, and prepares herself for death

[p. 74]

Question 23

Who wrote the opera L’Euridice?

Answer 23

Jacopo Peri & Giulio Caccini

[p. 66]

Question 24

What collection did Giulio Caccini compose?

Answer 24

Le nuove musiche, 1602

[p. 66]

Question 25

Give a plot summary of Monteverdi's *L'Orfeo*.

Answer 25

The opera tells the tragic tale of Orfeo, a simple shepherd gifted with a beautiful voice. On his wedding day, his new bride, Euridice, is bitten by a poisonous serpent and dies. Overcome with grief, Orfeo vows to rescue Euridice from the underworld and restore her to life. The gods grant him this wish, but on one condition: that when he finds Euridice he does not look directly into her eyes. Upon finding his beloved among the dead spirits, he begins to guide her back into the mortal world. In a moment of weakness Orfeo casts a glance back at his beloved, losing her forever. As Orfeo mourns his loss, the god Apollo descends from the heavens. Taking pity on the poor shepherd, he takes Orfeo into his fiery chariot and returns to heaven where Orfeo will lead a happier eternal life. [p. 69]

Question 26

Who sings *Ahi, caso acerbo* and what is the storyline?

Answer 26

Chorus The chorus echoes Orfeo's sorrow, lamenting the cruelty of Fate. [p. 71]

Question 27

What characteristic of Monteverdi's writing do *Tu se' morta* and *Ahi, caso acerbo* (and the whole opera) exemplify and how?

Answer 27

Monteverdi's motto: "The text is the master, the music the servant." He achieves heightened emotion through the close union of text and music. His innovative use of instruments to create variety and project the mood and characters in each scene is an important early step in the history of orchestration. both pieces use much word painting [p. 71]

Question 28

Who sings *Tu se' morta* and what is its storyline?

Answer 28

Orefo's recitative Orfeo has just learned from the messenger that Euridice is dead. In his grief, he resolve to retrieve her from the underworld. [p. 69]

Question 29

What is the oldest surviving opera and when was it performed?

Answer 29

*L'Euridice* by Peri & Caccini, performed in 1600 ## Footnote [p. 66]

Question 30

*Giulio Cesare in Egitto* ## Footnote Genre: Composer: First performance: Librettist: Source of plot:

Answer 30

*Giulio Cesare in Egitto* ## Footnote Genre: *opera seria* Composer: George Frideric Handel First performance: 1724 Librettist: Nicola Francesco Haym Source of plot: ancient Roman history [p. 76]

Question 31

*L'Orfeo* ## Footnote Genre: Composer: First performance: Librettist: Source of plot: Structure:

Answer 31

*L'Orfeo* ## Footnote Genre: Italian opera Composer: Claudio Monteverdi First performance: 1607 Librettist: Alessandro Striggio Source of plot: Greek mythology Structure: prologue and five acts

Question 32

For what major work as Salomo Franck the librettist?

Answer 32

Cantata No. 80 - *Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott*, by J. S. Bach ## Footnote [p. 80]

Question 33

Who sings "With Drooping Wings" and what is the storyline?

Answer 33

Chorus A chorus of cupids gather to mourn Queen Dido's tragic fate. [p. 74]

Question 34

What is the name of G. F. Handel's opera?

Answer 34

*Giulio Cesare in Egitto* ## Footnote [p. 74]

Question 35

*Giulio Cesare in Egitto* - plot summary

Answer 35

Julius Caesar and his army have arrived in Egypt after vanquishing General Pompey and his forces in 48 B.C.E. Cleopatra needs Caesar's support to regain the throne of Egypt from her scheming brother Ptolemy. In act 2, Cleopatra disguises herself as a servant and appears before Caesar in a play within a play, hoping to seduce him. He is captivated by her beauty before learning her true identity. With Caesar's support, Cleopatra secures her crown; the couple denounces tyranny and celebrates the glory of Rom and the enduring power of love. [p. 76]

Question 36

*L'Orfeo* - principal characters

Answer 36

**Orfeo** - tenor - a shepherd; blessed with a beautiful singing voice **Euridice** - *castrato* - a shepherdess; the young wife of Orfeo **The Messenger** - *castrato* - the bearer of tragic news **Caronte** - bass - garekeeper of Hades (the spirit world) Secondary characters include allegorical figures (Music), gods (Apollo), and shepherds and shepherdesses who comment on the story much like an ancient Greek chorus. [p. 69]

Question 37

Describe *Le nuove musiche*

Answer 37

Italian for "New Music" by Florentine composer Giulio Caccini contains musical examples and prose descriptions of monody, illustrating the newly emerging musical texture the contents include madrigals and arias for solo voice and *continuo* the composer also offers valuable advice on how to ornament and embellish vocal lines solo song example: *Amarilli mia bella* by Caccini [p. 66]