MUS 1302 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Recitative, Opera Experiment, Gesamtkunstwerk
Document Summary
Literally one song and characterized by solo song with instrumental accompaniment. (homophony by definition) Melody plus accompaniment in a clearly hierarchical relationship. Usually one or two instruments that provide an accompaniment for a vocal or instrumental. Soloist, reading from a musical part that is called the figured bass. One of the basso continuo instruments plays the bass line as it was written by the composer, while the other improvises on that bass line (like the rhythm section in a jazz combo). Late renaissance italian composers began to designate dynamics, expressive markings, instrumentation, etc. to a degree much greater than before. But, there are numerous details of performance that are not captured in the notation of. There was a great deal of improvisation and much that was simply taken for granted because it was well known to the performers of the era.
