Motet

During the Baroque period, some important choral forms such as the motet represented the continued development of the Renaissance ideas. However, others such as the cantata and the oratorio were completely new creations of the time period. These vocal forms of the Baroque period were based on the monadic style. In some cases, some of these forms like the cantata crossed over boundaries of sacred and secular and were used for both. Specifically, the cantata was one of the most prominent…

enough power for the first and third movement, and also sweetness for the second movement requiring a very well seasoned and talented singer to pull off all three movements. The influence of the castrati voice can be very clearly seen in this religious motet. Their talents…

“Alle Psallite Cum Luya” is a three part motet composed during the Gothic Period in France. It is 27 measures long, in triple meter, sung in Latin, and has three parts: Triplum, Duplum and Tenor. It is made to empower the Crusaders spiritually by God via the inclusion of spiritual numbers and has as a Gregorian Chant (Cantus Firmus) sung by the tenors. Through the lyrics, music, and interconnected logic, the composer is able to communicate the message of spreading Christianity during the…

J.S. Bach Johann Sebastian Bach was born on the twenty-first of March in 1685 in Eisenach, Germany. Bach’s music is regarded as one of the finest in history and he is also credited of being a major musical influence during the Baroque period. Born into a musical family, Bach was introduced to music early on his life and became widely versed in many genres. With continuous musical training, Bach learned the organ and violin. He went on to shape the Baroque period with his unique structural and…

century progressed, more architects started to design their cathedrals after the Gothic Style. School of Notre-Dame composers, Léonin and Pérotin, innovated their music by putting stress on the counterpoint and creating a form of music called the motet. Because of the stone and vast spaces of the Gothic cathedrals, the sound of the music would go towards the top of the cathedral (Sayre 413). The way that the sound transmits throughout the…

The Musical Career of Antonio Vivaldi On March 4th, 1648, Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice, Italy. His father, a violinist for St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice, made sure his son received impeccable training in music during his first years of life. Young Antonio was brought up trained in playing the violin, playing the harpsichord, and as a priest in Venice (“Antonio”; “Classical Net”). 1703 was a pivotal year for Antonio Vivaldi. He was ordained into the priesthood and began working at Pio…

The Accomplishments of Jean Jacques Rousseau Jean Jacques Rousseau was one of the few people who could be considered as a jack of all trades. He was a philosopher, author, and composer, and he also dabbled in botany and mathematics. He produced many wonderful works in his lifetime and had made several important contributions to music, literature, and political philosophy. His professional success belied the difficult childhood that he had. His mother died a few days after he was born, and his…

Anthony Vu Mrs. Gunter History and Music, Period 3B 6 December 2016 An Examination of the Life of Johann Sebastian Bach The Baroque era of European music is intrinsically connected to one essential man: Johann Sebastian Bach. The breadth and achievements of his career and unrivaled musical influence to this very day marks him as a man of remarkable talent and undisputed genius. Bach’s command of a variety of instruments, combined with his distinctive compositional voice and his mastery of…

Claudio was well on his way to becoming a musician and composer. Once Claudio was in his teens, he studied under Marc Antonio Ingegneri, who was the maestro di cappella at the Cremona Cathedral in Italy at the time. By age fifteen he was publishing motets and madrigals, mainly complex and polyphonic compositions. His work was so astonishing to those who…

Have you ever thought about how the government came to an agreement with the church? Does the fight for power between the two still exist in Europe today? Where did a balance between the church and state derive? The medieval period also known as the Middle Ages began in Europe and lasted from the fifth until the fifteenth century. There were so many uprisings and falls in this society such as, the Crusades, the Renaissance, and countless wars. The most intriguing part of the period is it shaped…