Week 5: Lecture 5: Vocal Genres in the Baroque

Listening

Claudio Monteverdi, Vespers of 1610 (Vespers)

“Deus in adjutorium meum intende” (incipit)
“Domine ad adjuvandum me festina” (response)

Vespers - A type of prayer service in the Roman Catholic Church

Incipit and response - The opening words of a psalm or other sacred text (incipit) is sung by a soloist as a chant. The rest of the psalm verse (response) is sung by a choir or congregation.

Here is the text and translation:

Incipit:

Deus, in adiutorium meum intende,

Response:

Domine, ad adiuvandum me festina

Gloria Patri et Filio

et Spiritui Sancto.

Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper,

et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen.

Alleluia.

Incipit:

O God, come to my assistance

Response:

O LORD, make haste to help me

Glory be to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now,

and forever shall be, without end. Amen.

Alleluia.

This is the opening of Psalm 70 and is used to begin many prayer services, such as a Vespers service, in the Roman Catholic Church.

Listen to 2:12–4:38 only: Performance conducted by John Eliot Gardiner. [Listen on YouTube]

Henry Purcell, Dido and Aeneas (opera)

“Thy Hand Belinda” (recitative)
“When I Am Laid in Earth” (aria)

Opera - A story or drama presented in music. It is sung throughout using two techniques for conveying the text:

Recitative (think “recitation”)
- declaiming words musically in a heightened, theatrical manner
- moves the action of the story forward
Aria
- elaborate, extended piece for solo singer
- pauses the action to immerse the audience in the character’s feeling

Here is the text:

Recitative:

Thy hand, Belinda, darkness shades me,

On thy bosom let me rest,

More I would, but Death invades me;

Death is now a welcome guest.

Aria:

When I am laid, am laid in earth,

May my wrongs create

No trouble, no trouble in thy breast;

Remember me, remember me, but ah! forget my fate.

Remember me, but ah! forget my fate.

Listen to this recording with Jessye Norman as soloist and using modern instruments: [Listen on YouTube]

Here is the plot summary for context: Dido and Aeneas Synopsis and Notes

George Frideric Handel, Giulio Cesare (opera)

“V’adoro, pupille” from Act 2 (da capo aria)

Da capo aria - An aria that follows a formal structure, generally A B A’ and features a returning instrumental section called a ritornello.

Here is the text and translation (from The LiederNet Archive):

V’adoro, pupille, saette d’amore, le vostre faville son grate nel sen. Pietose vi brama il mesto mio core, ch’ogn’ora vi chiama l’amato suo ben.

Sweet eyes, darts of love, I adore you. Your sparks are welcome guests in my breast. My sorrowful heart desires you to be merciful, for its beloved calls out unceasingly for you.

Listen here: Giulio Cesare [MetOpera Streaming on Demand]

Here is the plot summary for context, focus on Act II: Giulio Cesare Synopsis - Met Opera

IN YOUR DISCUSSION POST: For the Monteverdi and EITHER the Purcell OR Handel: Think about the musical element you hear as the most prominent (pick only one!) and write a brief description (a sentence or two) that describes that element in the context of the piece.

Remember that musical elements include the following:

Melody (pitch)
Rhythm/beat/meter
Timbre / tone color (Instrumentation, including the human voice)
Texture (monophonic, polyphonic)
Harmony (more than one sonority sounding simultaneously. Here you can think about whether the simultaneous sonorities sound consonant or dissonant to your ear.)