Malcolm Rivera
The 17th century saw the emergence of new musical forms and the evolution of existing ones, with a rich variety of instruments and ensemble sizes. Large ensemble works of the time included operas, concertos, and oratorios, which combined the talents of singers, musicians, and actors. Opera, which originated in Italy at the end of the 16th century, flourished in the 17th century with composers like Claudio Monteverdi, whose works featured a diverse range of instruments and ensemble sizes. Concertos, initially a broad term for compositions uniting voices, instruments, or both, evolved into multimovement works featuring a soloist or group of soloists with an orchestra. Large ensemble works were also influenced by economic factors, such as the availability of musicians and the resources of aristocratic patrons, shaping the size and skill level of musical ensembles.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of players | About 25 |
| Instruments | Violin, viola da gamba, cello, bassoon, lute, theorbo, harp, harpsichord, organ, trumpet, flute, piccolo, clarinet, bass clarinet, viola, violoncello, guitar, regal, double bass, bass viol, oboe, winds, lute, monophonic bass instrument |
| Composition | Contrasting groups of instruments, such as voices, instruments, or both |
| Performance | More disciplined and rhythmically pointed precision |
| Style | Monody, basso continuo, concerto grosso, solo concerto |
| Performers | Giulio Caccini, Jacopo Peri, Claudio Monteverdi, Johann Hermann Schein, Michael Praetorius, Samuel Scheidt, Heinrich Schütz, Corelli, Handel, Antonio Vivaldi, J. S. Bach, Jean-Baptiste Lully |
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What You'll Learn
Concertos
In the seventeenth century, sacred works for voices and orchestra were typically called concertos. The term "concerto" was used to denote works that involved voices and instruments in which the instruments had independent parts. This was in contrast to the Renaissance common practice in which instruments that accompanied voices only doubled the voice parts.
The concerto grosso, or "big concerto", was a type of concerto that emerged in the late seventeenth century and was popular in the Baroque era. It involved a group of soloists performing with a full orchestra. The concerto grosso was developed by Italian composers such as Giuseppe Torelli and Arcangelo Corelli, who started to publish their concertos in the late seventeenth century. Corelli's concertos were particularly notable for the amount of colour and variety he achieved through the interaction of the soloists with the full ensemble, as well as the lyrical beauty of his melodies.
The concerto grosso was superseded by the solo concerto in the late eighteenth century. The solo concerto features a single soloist accompanied by an orchestra and originated in the Baroque period (c. 1600-1750). The earliest known solo concertos are Nos. 6 and 12 of Giuseppe Torelli's Op. 6 of 1698.
In the eighteenth century, composers such as Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven each wrote several piano concertos, violin concertos, and concertos for other instruments. In the Romantic Era, composers continued to write solo concertos and concertos for more than one instrument.
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Sacred works
In the 17th century, the concerto began to take on its modern definition, with the works of Corelli providing perhaps the best-known examples of the late 17th-century concerto grosso, which alternates a small group of soloists with a larger ensemble. Opera, which emerged at the turn of the 17th century, also constitutes a large ensemble work, with the first surviving opera being Jacopo Peri's Dafne, performed in 1598. Opera alternates between recitative (speech-like song that advances the plot) and arias (songs in which characters express their feelings), and also frequently includes choruses and dances.
The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music. Most Masses are settings of the liturgy in Latin, but there are also many written in the languages of non-Catholic countries, such as the Masses written in English for the Church of England. Masses can be a cappella or accompanied by instruments, up to and including a full orchestra. The Mass has been a focal point of choral music for more than 600 years, with the earliest masses intended for soloists and often performed chorally today.
The origins of the oratorio can be found in sacred dialogues in Italy, with Biblical, Latin texts. Sacred opera provided an impetus for dialogues, which expanded in length, although they rarely exceeded 60 minutes. Oratorios became popular in early 17th-century Italy, and they include the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, distinguishable characters and arias. While opera deals with history and mythology, the plot of an oratorio often deals with sacred topics, making it appropriate for performance in the church.
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Secular works
Cantatas, for example, were simply understood to be sacred or secular depending on the occasion for which they were composed. A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of the term evolved over time, from the simple single-voice madrigal of the early 17th century to the multivoice cantata da camera and cantata da chiesa of the later part of that century. Cantatas were in great demand for the services of the Lutheran church, but many secular cantatas were also composed for events in the nobility.
The oratorio is another large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. The first secular oratorio is considered to be Monteverdi's Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda. Oratorios were regularly performed outside church halls in courts and public theatres during the second half of the 17th century, reflecting a trend toward the secularization of the religious oratorio.
In the 17th century, a concerto was simply a composition that united a diverse ensemble consisting of voices, instruments, or both. Later in the century, the concerto began to assume its modern definition: a multimovement work for an instrumental soloist (or group of soloists) and orchestra. The concerto grosso, for example, alternates a small group of soloists with a larger ensemble.
Popular secular forms such as the chanson and madrigal spread throughout Europe. Secular vocal genres included the caccia, rondeau, virelai, bergerette, ballade, musique mesurée, canzonetta, villanella, villotta, and the lute song. Mixed forms such as the motet-chanson and the secular motet also appeared. Secular music became more self-sufficient with its availability in printed form, existing for its own sake.
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Opera
In the Baroque era (1600-1750), opera was characterised by ornate stage sets with moving parts and florid arias. The first public opera houses opened in Venice in 1637, and the genre was altered to suit the preferences of the audience. Solo singers became celebrities, and greater emphasis was placed on arias. Librettos were constructed to take advantage of stock scenic devices, and recitative grew less important.
In the early eighteenth century, two subgenres of opera emerged: opera seria, which focused on serious subjects and the da capo aria, and opera buffa, which had a lighter, sometimes comic tone and used duets, trios, and larger ensembles. Opera seria originated in Venice and other Italian cities and was characterised by the da capo aria, which became popular and obligatory by the mid-eighteenth century. Opera buffa, or "funny opera", emerged in early-eighteenth-century Naples.
In the eighteenth century, opera continued to spread throughout Europe, with new opera houses in Spain, Portugal, Scandinavia, England, and Moscow. The expansion was most pronounced in Central Europe, particularly in the Holy Roman Empire, where rulers used opera to compete for cultural glory. Italian opera, in particular, dominated most European countries, with composers and librettists from the peninsula travelling to cities such as Vienna, Berlin, and Dresden. German composers, however, also began to write operas, often after training in Italy.
In the Classical period (1750-1830), opera content changed due to the Enlightenment, with less elaborate musical forms and more realistic plots. This period saw the rise of castrati, or male singers who were castrated as boys to preserve their soprano voices. The few who survived became the singing stars of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
In the nineteenth century, French composer Georges Bizet's Carmen became one of the most popular operas of all time. Italian Giuseppe Verdi and German Richard Wagner also dominated this period, with Wagner revolutionising opera by expanding the role of the orchestra and introducing new ideas in harmony and structure.
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Orchestra size
In the early seventeenth century, operas were often performed in aristocratic circles and combined singers and musicians in a dramatic work. Opera alternates between recitative (speech-like song that advances the plot) and arias (songs in which characters express their feelings). They also frequently include choruses and dances. Opera originated in Italy at the end of the sixteenth century and spread through Europe, with national traditions established in the seventeenth century by composers such as Lully in France and Purcell in England.
The first public opera theatre opened in Venice in 1637, and while audiences were still aristocratic, opera became dependent on the sale of admissions rather than solely on royal patronage. Sacred works for voices and instruments were often called concertos, while secular works were termed arie (airs), cantatas, or musiche. Concertos were compositions uniting diverse ensembles of voices, instruments, or both. Later in the seventeenth century, the concerto began to assume its modern definition: a multi-movement work for an instrumental soloist (or group of soloists) and orchestra.
In the early 17th century, a wide variety of continuo instruments were used, including the lute, theorbo, harp, harpsichord, and organ. The continuo group was often left to the discretion of the performers, but at least one instrument capable of playing chords (such as a harpsichord or organ) was required. Other instruments that play in the bass register, such as the cello, double bass, bass viol, or bassoon, could also be included.
In the late seventeenth century, the concerto grosso emerged, alternating a small group of soloists with a larger ensemble. The works of Corelli are perhaps the best-known examples of this form from the late 17th century. The violin and its family became the standard ensemble instruments, especially in Italy, due to their passionate brilliance and versatility.
By the eighteenth century, the standard orchestra ensemble—a body of strings supplemented by winds—was established in Vienna, with a typical orchestra size of about 25 musicians. However, war and economic inflation in the eighteenth century halted the trend toward larger orchestras, leading to the disbanding or reduction of many theatre orchestras. This shift towards smaller ensembles and technical challenges is what came to be known as chamber music.
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Frequently asked questions
A large ensemble work is a musical performance with a high number of performers.
In the seventeenth century, large ensembles were typically made up of a diverse group of voices, instruments, or both. Sacred works for voices and instruments were often called concertos, while secular works were termed arie (airs), cantatas, or musiche. In the late seventeenth century, the concerto began to assume its modern definition: a multimovement work for an instrumental soloist or group of soloists with an orchestra.
In the seventeenth century, the violin and its family became the standard ensemble instruments, especially in Italy. Other instruments used in large ensembles included the viola d'amore, fretted viols, lute, theorbo, harp, harpsichord, and organ.
Large ensembles were used for a variety of compositions in the seventeenth century, including operas, oratorios, and concertos. Operas typically included recitative (speech-like song that advances the plot) and arias (songs in which characters express their feelings). Oratorios were similar to operas but were strictly concert pieces without interaction between characters or elaborate costumes. Concertos united a diverse ensemble of voices, instruments, or both.
