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The new style was taken up in
most forms of music. The greater
use of figured bass (numerals and
symbols, indicating the harmonies
to be played by the continuo player)
lent themselves to opera and
oratorio. In vocal music, the melody
projected the thoughts, emotions,
actions, and reactions of a
character in an opera, or even
in an accompanied song.
The new emphasis on character
led to the development of the
accompanied sonata (including the
trio sonata, comprising two violins
and a cello), the solo recitative and
aria, and the concerto—indeed,
any musical form showcasing one
particular performer among a
group. This stylistic development
emphasized contrast, allowing
for wider emotional expression in
vocal music and for more rhythmic
variation in expressing and
projecting the text. It stimulated
experimentation among composers,
who explored increasing
instrumental virtuosity.Sacred music
While the old polyphonic style
continued to be widely used in
European church music during the
first half of the 17th century, anew style called concertato style,
contrasting multiple choirs and
instrumentalists, developed in
Venice and spread to Germany.
In England, this new trend was
reflected in the verse-anthem,
in which “verses” for solo voices
alternated with choral passages.A virtuosic vespers
Monteverdi’s Vespers was one of
the first pieces of sacred music
to exploit the rich possibilities of
seconda pratica, but the composer
did not forget the advantages of
prima pratica and set the texts that
are strictly liturgical in traditional
plainsong. The usual musical
sequence for the vespers service
consisted of eight movements,
starting with an opening “versicle”
that began with the words “Deus
in adjutorium meum intende” (“God
make speed to save us”). The
original 1610 edition of Vespers
contains 13 movements, and
includes a version of the Magnificat
for six voices and organ. In addition
to music for vespers itself, the
volume includes an a cappella (“in
the chapel,” or unaccompanied)
Mass setting—Missa in Illo
Tempore—based upon a motet of
the same name by the Renaissance
composer Nicolas Gombert. (Mass
and vespers were the two services
of the Roman Catholic liturgy most
elaborately set in late 16th- and
early 17th-century Italy.)
Within the 13 movements
of Vespers, Monteverdi sets five
psalms that honor the Virgin Mary,
together with Ave Maris Stella
(Hail Star of the Sea), an eighth-
century hymn to Mary that
precedes the Magnificat in the
official set of daily prayers, and
the Magnificat itself. Monteverdi ❯❯See also: Plainchant 22–23 ■ Magnus liber organi 28–31 ■ Messe de Notre
Dame 36–37 ■ Missa Pange lingua 43 ■ Canticum Canticorum 46–51BAROQUE 1600 –1750
Claudio Monteverdi
Born in Cremona in 1567,
Monteverdi began composing
music while still a teenager,
producing a collection of
three-part motets and a
book of madrigals. These
achievements enabled him
to leave Cremona to become
a string player at the court
of Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga
in Mantua, where he was
influenced by the court’s
maestro di cappella (music
director), Giaches de Wert,
and started writing operas.
In 1607, his first opera, L’ O r f e o
was performed in Mantua,
followed by L’A r i a n n a in 1608.
After Gonzaga’s death
in 1612, Monteverdi went to
Rome, where he presented
his Vespers to the Pope. The
following year he became
maestro di cappella at St.
Mark’s, Venice. His final opera
L’incoronazione di Poppea was
performed in 1642, the year
before he died.Other key works1605 Fifth Book of Madrigals
1607 L’ O r f e o
1640–1641 Selva morale e
spirituale
1642 L’incoronazione di
PoppeaThe end of all good music
is to affect the soul.
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