ECU Libraries Catalog

Performing baroque music / Mary Cyr ; Reinhard G. Pauly, general editor.

Author/creator Cyr, Mary
Other author/creatorPauly, Reinhard G., editor.
Format Book and Print
Publication InfoPortland, OR : Amadeus Press, ©1992.
Description254 pages : illustrations ; 28 cm
Subject(s)
Contents Performance practice and Baroque sound. The role of performer in Baroque music ; The sources and tools for studying Baroque performance ; Baroque sound -- Tempo and spirit. Tempo mark and meter in Baroque music ; Determining the appropriate spirit ; Affect and the aria ; Tempo in seventeenth-century music ; The eighteenth-century adagio ; Other Baroque tempo marks ; The dances and their tempos -- Dynamics. Written and unwritten dynamic nuances in the seventeenth century ; Written and implied dynamics in eighteenth-century music ; The relationship of dynamics to harmony -- Pitch, tuning, and temperament. The nonstandard nature of Baroque pitches and temperaments ; Northern Germany: the background to Bach's pitches ; J. S. Bach's pitches ; Low pitches used in France ; Some high and low pitches in Italy ; Choosing a pitch for modern performance ; Equal and nonequal temperaments -- The basso continuo. Use and function of the continuo in the seventeenth century ; The choice of continuo instruments in French music ; The continuo instruments in Bach's music ; Realizing the continuo part ; Summary and modern considerations -- Articulation. Lully and seventeenth-century French orchestral practice ; The emergence of solo styles of articulation in the eighteenth century ; Late Baroque solo and orchestral playing ; Woodwind articulation ; Articulation in singing ; Keyboard articulation ; Summary: choosing an articulation -- Rhythm and notation. The unmeasured prelude ; Declamation and recitative ; Other rhythmic alterations ; Summary and final thoughts -- Ornamentation. The early Baroque period ; Italian ornamentation after 1660 ; French ornamentation after 1660 ; Vocal ornamentation ; J. S. Bach's ornamentation -- Appendix A: Guide to scores. Johann Sebastian Bach: Recitative ("Zwar fuhlt mein schwaches Herz") and aria ("Doch weichet, ihr tollen") from Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben (BWV 8) ; Johann Sebastian Bach: Sinfonia from Ich hatte viel Bekummernis (BWV 21) ; Dieterich Buxtehude: Sonata in A, op. 2, no. 5 ; Andre Campra: Forlana from L'Europe galante ; Arcangelo Corelli: Sonata op. 5, no. 5 ; Louis Couperin: Prelude in F for harpsichord ; George Frideric Handel: Aria ("Sirti, scogli, tempeste") from Flavio ; Jean-Baptiste Lully: Ouverture to Le bourgeois gentilhomme ; Claudio Monteverdi: Strophic aria ("Possente spirto") from Orfeo ; Jean-Philippe Rameau: Menuet in G for harpsichord ; Jean-Philippe Rameau: Menuet and air ("Naissez dons de Flore") from Castor et Pollux -- Appendix B: Bibliographies and general studies of performance practice ; Appendix C: Pre-1800 sources cited ; Appendix D: Credits for musical examples and tables.
Abstract This book is unique as a practical guide devoted in its entirety to the most important issues of baroque performance practice. Listeners, performers, students, and instructors will find here, carefully explained and thoroughly documented, the analytical tools they need to understand and interpret musical evidence from the baroque era. The author, an acclaimed baroque musician as well as a noted scholar, considers "both the boundaries and the freedom that were inherent in baroque performing techniques." Chapter 1 introduces the field of performance practice and its goals, the limits of "authenticity," and the characteristics of baroque sound. Chapters 2 through 8 explore issues critical to the performance of baroque music: tempo, dynamics, pitch and temperament, the basso continuo, articulation, rhythm and notational conventions, and appropriate ornamentation. Readers will find new material on continuo playing, as well as extensive treatment of singing and French music. Scores for eleven works, many reproduced in facsimile to illustrate the conventions of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century notation, are included for close study. These works are also available on the cassette tape offered as a companion to this book, featuring recent performances by musicians of international reputation. The literature on baroque performance practice has grown to such vast proportions in recent decades that this thoughtful volume serves also as a concise guide to reference materials. Extensive annotated bibliographies of modern and baroque sources will be useful to performers and fans. During the baroque period, performer and composer shared a more equal role in the compositional process than is typical today, so that interpretation in performance is particularly important. The author's work contributes greatly to our understanding of the creation of baroque sound and to the shared goal of effective and enjoyable performance.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references (pages 241-247) and index.
LCCN 92000097
ISBN0931340497

Available Items

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Music Music Stacks ML457 .C9 1992 ✔ Available Place Hold
Music Music Stacks ML457 .C9 1992 ✔ Available Place Hold