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Invention of Opera
The musical genre of opera was invented by Jacopo Peri and Giulio Caccini in Florence, Italy -
Baroque Era starts
Era of improvised ornamentation and extremes, architectures and fashions became ornamented, expression of one affect at a time became the goal. Rhythms became more definite, regular and insistent, bar lines accepted as the new meter standard.Major minor tonality system started, chords standardized and tonic was understood by most. -
“Euridice” (Caccini/Peri)
First Extant Opera composed by Jacopo Peri and Giulio Caccini -
Period: to
Early Baroque
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“L’Orfeo” (Monteverdi)
Opera created by Claudio Monteverdi -
“Primo Libro delle Musiche a una due Voci” (Caccini)
Opera published by Francesca Caccini -
Birth of Barbara Strozzi
Studied under Francesco Cavalli at the Academia degli Unisoni, published 8 sets of songs with each set being dedicated to a different wealthy patron, didn’t write operas but her songs and cantatas were very dramatic -
“La liberazione di Ruggiero” (Caccini)
ballet or comic opera in 4 scenes published by Francesca Caccini, first performed in Florence -
Teatro de San Cassiano opens
The first public opera theater located in Venice, Italy -
Arias
an extended piece for a solo singer that has more elaboration and coherence than recit, more song like, steady beat and tempo. Arias became the most desired and appreciated pieces -
Francesca Caccini dies
Soprano and daughter of Giulio Caccini, first woman to compose operas, sang lead roles in several early operas -
“The Coronation of Poppea” (Monteverdi)
Claudio Monteverdi’s final opera composition before his death. Premiered in Venice, Italy. Arias, Recitative, lots of Arioso. -
Claudio Monteverdi dies
Italian composer, string player, choirmaster and priest. Both secular and sacred music, pioneer in opera. Trained in the Renaissance style, adept at composing modern music. 9 books of madrigals, masses, magnificats, vespers, motets, operas and other dramatic music -
Birth of Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber
Bohemian-Austrian composer and violinist, one of the most important composers for the violin, especially in the instrument’s early years, Catholic sacred music, violin sonatas, and ensemble music. Invented new technique of playing the violin -
“The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa” (Bernini)
Artistic work by Gian Lorenzo Bernini located in The Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria -
Period: to
Commonwealth
During the Commonwealth, stage plays were forbidden in England because the Puritans thought theater was from the devil. Composers began setting the plays to music and created Masques, a type of theatrical entertainment that combined vocal and instrumental music with poetry and dance. -
“L’Astratto” (Strozzi)
Italian Cantata by Barbara Strozzi -
Period: to
Mid Baroque
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Birth of Arcangelo Corelli
Italian Suite Composer -
Birth of Henry Purcell
Singer, organist, composer of instrumental and vocal music, worked in the court of Charles II when stage plays were allowed. Assimilated the musical styles of Europe -
Invention of Theater Troupes
Charles II issued patents for two companies of players (in the future known as theater troupes) and performances immediately began -
Birth of Alessandro Scarlatti
father of composer Domenico Scarlatti, teacher in Naples, many. of his students helped create the new classical style, his death marks a better indicator of the end of the Baroque than does Bach’s -
Birth of Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre
French Suite composer, was called “The wonder of our century” -
Birth of Francois Couperin
French Suite Composer -
Opera spreads to England
The opera genre finally reached England around the 1670’s -
“Sonata No. 1” (Biber)
Mid-Baroque violin sonata, the opening is for violin and basso continuo, the violin part uses a virtuosic style similar to that of solo vocal singing. -
Barbara Strozzi dies
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Birth of Antonio Vivaldi
Was called the red priest because of his red hair, music director at the Pieta, an orphanage for girls in Venice, composed many operas, much sacred music and many instrumental works, popular during the height of of his career (1720’s), wrote nearly 800 concertos, considered the greatest master of the Baroque concerto. -
Birth of Georg Philip Telemann
German composer, extraordinarily prolific, composed more than 125 orchestral suites, friends with J.S. Bach -
Birth of Jean-Joseph Mouret
one representative composer from this French court: served the son of King Louis XIV, composed operas, suites, and “grand entertainments”, some of his works have been used for TV Commercials and in other media -
Birth of Domenico Scarlatti
Keyboard virtuoso, served Portuguese and Spanish royal families, had a progressive style, aware of his modern flare, wrote over 500 sonatas for harpsichord, operas, cantatas and keyboard exercises. -
Birth of G.F. Handel
German Composer living in England writing Italian music -
Birth of J.S. Bach
undisputedly the greatest master of the fugue, 200+ sacred cantatas, 20 secular cantatas, 7 choral motets -
“Dido and Aeneas” (Purccell)
an opera in a prologue and three acts composed and written by Henry Purcell. -
Henry Purcell dies
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Birth of Pietro Metastasio
Court poet in Vienna, he was a primary librettist for opera seria in the late Baroque and Classic periods. He also set the standard for opera style in the 1750’s -
Period: to
Late Baroque
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Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber dies
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Comic Operas invented
Comic operas started appearing in Italy. They were serious with a few comic elements -
Birth of Ignaz Holzbauer
Composer of symphonies, concertos, operas and chamber music, member of the Mannheim school. -
Arcangelo Corelli dies
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Birth of Niccolo Jommelli
Italian Composer, part of the Neopolitan School, responsible for operatic reforms having to do with orateness of style, etc -
“Water Music” (Handel)
Performed for a royal party on the Thames River, in London, 22 movements, supposedly, the harpsichord was not used at the first performance -
“Esther” (Handel)
Composition by Handel -
Handel as director of music
Handel was appointed as one of the music directors at the Royal Academy of Music in London -
“Well-Tempered Clavier Volume 1” (Bach)
A collection of preludes and fugues issued in two volumes -
“Le Quattro stagioni” (Vivaldi)
“The Four Seasons”, cycle of 4 violin concertos, word painting in instrumental music, each concerto is accompanied by a poem that we believe he wrote. -
“Magnificat” (Bach)
Composition by Bach -
Alessandro Scarlatti dies
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Birth of Charles Burney
Organist, amature composer, writer and scholar of music. -
Birth of Pasquale Anfossi
Italian opera composer -
“The Beggar’s Opera” (Gay)
A ballad opera written in 3 acts by John Gay, only example of a ballad that is still popular today. -
Birth of Niccolo Piccinni
Italian composer, worked on symphonies, holy music, chamber music and opera. One of the most popular opera buffa composers -
Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre dies
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“Suite de symphonies” (Mouret)
Written for trumpets, violins, oboes, timpani, basses, bassoons and organ, today the work is often performed as a trumpet solo with organ -
The English Oratorio
No lavish scenery, used Italian singers performing in English and British singers, public was pleased by the new genre, presented during Lent when operas were forbidden, thus doing away with the competition.