The Classical Music Book

69

A page from a manuscript shows

Monteverdi’s handwritten notation

for L’incoronazione di Poppea (“The

Coronation of Poppea”) of 1642, his

last work before his death in 1643.

available, such as at a court like

Mantua, St. Peter’s in Rome, or

St. Mark’s in Venice. A minimum

of ten voices is required to perform

Vespers, and instrumental and

vocal parts require enormous

dexterity. For the more “choral”

sections, such as Laudate Pueri,

Dixit Dominus, and the closing

movement of the Magnificat,

BAROQUE 1600 –1750

some performances contrast large

choirs with smaller ensembles

using the cori spezzati (separated

choirs) technique to create a

“stereo” effect. Instruments are

only specified for certain sections

of the work: the opening fanfare

borrowed from Monteverdi’s opera

Orfeo of 1607; the Sonata; and

sections of the Magnificat.

Voices and instruments

Contemporaries were sometimes

critical of Monteverdi’s change in

style from the traditional prima

pratica to the more operatic

seconda pratica technique he

used in the sacred concertos and

also in his madrigals. They may

have found this sort of writing too

ostentatious for religious music.

One writer, Giovanni Artusi,

attacked the Baroque style,

quoting madrigals by Monteverdi

in support of his arguments.

He found the use of dissonance,

unorthodox key changes, and

irregular cadences objectionable.

However, Monteverdi did not see

the two techniques as radically

different: they were both ways of

setting a text expressively and

of being faithful to it. ■

The Monteverdi

Vespers builds on

traditional Gregorian

plainchant structure.

It adds virtuoso music

for solo singers, creating

a more emphatic,

expressive effect.

This freer expression is

supplemented by

improvisational flourishes

and dramatic devices.

A greater emphasis on

harmony leads to a freer

compositional technique.

The ultimate effect

is a grand

public sound ...

... that builds

upon traditional

structures to create

a new choral style.

From the Renaissance

to the Baroque

I would rather be

moderately praised for

the new style than

greatly praised for

t he ord i na r y.

Claudio Monteverdi

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