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Musical Fire: Literal and Figurative Moments of "Fire" As Expressed in Western Art Music from 1700 to 1750 Sean M

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Musical Fire: Literal and Figurative Moments of Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2003 Musical Fire: Literal and Figurative Moments of "Fire" as Expressed in Western Art Music from 1700 to 1750 Sean M. Parr Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC MUSICAL FIRE: LITERAL AND FIGURATIVE MOMENTS OF “FIRE” AS EXPRESSED IN WESTERN ART MUSIC FROM 1700 TO 1750 by Sean M. Parr A Thesis submitted to the School of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2003 The members of the Committee approve the thesis of Sean M. Parr defended on August 20, 2003. ________________________ Charles E. Brewer Professor Directing Thesis ________________________ Jeffery Kite-Powell Committee Member ________________________ Roy Delp Committee Member The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Musical Examples...................................................................................................iv Abstract................................................................................................................................v 1. MUSIC, AFFECT, AND FIRE.......................................................................................1 2. KINDLING FIRE: MONTEVERDI AND THE STILE CONCITATO........................19 3. THE FLAMES OF FRANCE AND GERMANY........................................................36 4. INFLAMED WITH PASSION: ITALY AND ENGLAND.......................................55 5. BEYOND THE BAROQUE TRAILBLAZERS..........................................................79 BIBLIOGRAPHY..............................................................................................................87 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.............................................................................................90 iii LIST OF EXAMPLES 1.1 Morley “Fyer, fyer!” 1595..........................................................................................18 2.1 Monteverdi “Luci serene” 1603..................................................................................22 2.2 Monteverdi “Quell’augellin che canta” 1603.............................................................23 2.3 Monteverdi from Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda 1624..............................24 2.4 Monteverdi from Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda 1624..............................25 2.5 Handel from Jephtha 1751.........................................................................................26 2.6 Schütz from Historia der Auferstehung 1623.............................................................29 2.7 Lully from Atys 1676..................................................................................................30 2.8 Lully from Atys 1676..................................................................................................31 2.9 H. Purcell “Let the dreadful engines of eternal will” 1696.........................................34 2.10 H. Purcell “Let the dreadful engines of eternal will” 1696........................................35 2.11 H. Purcell “Let the dreadful engines of eternal will” 1696........................................35 3.1 Rameau from Scene 5 of Pygmalion 1748.................................................................38 3.2 Rameau from Act II, Scene 3 of Platée 1745.............................................................39 3.3 Rameau from Act III, Scene 1 of Platée 1745............................................................40 3.4 Rameau from Act III, Scene 7 of Platée 1745............................................................41 3.5 Royer Le Vertigo 1746................................................................................................43 3.6 Rebel “Le chaos” from Les Eléments 1737-8.............................................................45 3.7 Rebel “Le feu” from Les Eléments 1737-8.................................................................46 3.8 J.S. Bach from first movement of O ewiges Feuer, Cantata No. 34 1746-7..............47 3.9 J.S. Bach “Sind Blitze” from Matthäus-Passion 1727 ......................................49-50 3.10 Telemann No. 4 from Die Donner Ode 1756…........................................................51 3.11 Telemann No. 5 from Die Donner Ode 1756............................................................52 3.12 Telemann No. 6 from Die Donner Ode 1756............................................................53 4.1 A. Scarlatti No. 67 from La principessa fedele 1709.................................................57 4.2 A. Scarlatti No. 62 from La Statira 1690 ...................................................................58 4.3 D. Scarlatti “Inflammatus et accensus” from Stabat Mater 1713-1719.....................60 4.4 Pergolesi “Fac ut ardeat” from Stabat Mater 1730-1736................................62-63 4.5 Vivaldi “Armatae face” from Juditha Triumphans 1716...........................................65 4.6 Vivaldi first movement of “Summer” from Le Quattro Stagioni 1730s....................66 4.7 Vivaldi second movement of “Summer” from Le Quattro Stagioni 1730s................67 4.8 Vivaldi third movement of “Summer” from Le Quattro Stagioni 1730s...........…....68 4.9 Eccles from Act III, Scene 1 of Semele 1707............................................................71 4.10 Eccles from Act III, Scene 6 of Semele 1707...........................................................71 4.11 Eccles from Act III, Scene 4 of Semele 1707...........................................................72 4.12 Eccles from Act III, Scene 7 of Semele 1707...........................................................72 4.13 Pepusch “By great Cecilia” from The Union of the Three Sister Arts 1723..........74 4.14 Handel “Why do the nations” from Messiah 1742...................................................76 4.15 Handel “But who may abide” from Messiah 1742...................................................77 5.1 Weber final section of Max’s aria from Der Freischütz 1821...................................84 iv ABSTRACT This thesis will describe the quality of musical fire and how the representation of fire in music began and progressed during the Baroque period. In addition to hearing beautiful sonorities, experiencing a visceral thrill is one of the basic aesthetics that makes music such an affecting art in Western culture. For the purposes of this thesis, I will define a “musical fire moment” as a musical passage in which the composer’s language elicits the quality of some fiery context. These contexts will be defined in this thesis. In music of the Baroque period, I consider fire to be an affect which is utilized by composers to attain moments of heightened, fire-like intensity. There are certain musical works which have texts, characters, or titles including the actual word, “fire,” or related words, such as “burn,” “flame,” etc. Composers set such words in different ways in attempting to reflect the appropriate dramatic meaning or emotion musically. These techniques usually yield feelings of excitement, heightened intensity, and/or agitation in the listener. Clearly, such feelings are not limited to vocal music. Purely instrumental music can and does similarly affect listeners. However, these instrumental fiery moments are not as immediately evident without the word cues of fiery moments in vocal music. Nevertheless, one can certainly feel moments of musical “fire” in high intensity moments in pieces such as the “Summer” concerto of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. The origins of the musical expression of fire lie in the stile concitato of Monteverdi and the generally rhetorical approach to the expression of passion in music during the Baroque period. Early representations of fire represented in music show that a key fire-like word was more often painted by itself rather than presented as an affect lasting for an entire section of a piece. By the late Baroque, fire is presented more affectively, in complete sections, movements, and entire arias. This thesis will propose a framework which will serve to categorize musical examples of fiery affect. v CHAPTER 1 MUSIC, AFFECT, AND FIRE Introduction During particularly dramatic musical moments performers often feel their eyes widen with intensity. At the same time members of the audience feel their skin tingle with anxiety and excitement. Personally identifying such a feeling is much easier than writing about moments that cause such visceral responses. However, the study of music requires that we describe these moments in prose. Why do critics often describe performances and pieces as “fiery”? When did such intensely affective music become commonplace? This thesis will describe the quality of such musical fire and how the representation of fire in music began and progressed during the Baroque period. In addition to hearing beautiful sonorities, experiencing a visceral thrill is one of the basic aesthetics that makes music such an affecting art in Western culture. For the purposes of this thesis, I will define a “musical fire moment” as a musical passage in which the composer’s language elicits the quality of some fiery context. These contexts will be defined in this chapter. In music of the Baroque period, I consider fire to be an affect which is utilized by composers to attain moments of heightened, fire-like
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