UNTc18
Recitativo accompagnato (accompanied recitative) involves the orchestra as a means of accompanying a vocal line in eighteenth-century large scale vocal works, both sacred and secular. It is often characterized as emotional in quality and songlike with wide vocal leaps and extended high or low notes. This musical feature is often employed to emphasize important dramatic moments.
Violins play tremolo over moving ensemble line. Tremolo is a bowing technique for effect achieved by rapidly switching the direction of the bow while sustaining a specific pitch.
Serenades are typically calm, light music. In this clip,the solo flute begins a simple sweet phrase, with the solo cello answering back, and functions as a secondary melody. A gentle pizzicato accompaniment pulsing through, the conversation between the solo cello and flute continues until 8 measures later, the cello takes over, as the primary melody, filled with such tenderness and delight, melting into the night.
This clip presents a melodic interchange between solo brass (horn and trombone) and the violins, while other voices join force establish harmony, and rhythmically push forward. It also shows the musical contrast between the solos and tutti.
Secco recitativo (“dry” recitative) is a means of accompanying a vocal line in eighteenth century large scale vocal works, both sacred and secular, utilizing only continuo, the group of instruments that plays the basso continuo part, usually cello and harpsichord. It is often characterized as chordal, simple, and encompassing a small range. Sometimes referred to as "recitativo semplice" (simple recitative), it is typically sung in rhythm dictated by linguistic accents.
A half cadence is a musical gesture which can begin with any chord, in this case the tonic chord of D Major, and ends on the dominant chord, A Major (I-V). Usually the half cadence calls for a continuation of the piece, due to its sounding incomplete or unfinished. The first movement of Carlos Seixas' Overture in D Major ends with a half cadence, continuing into the second movement in D minor. This is a rare occurrence, as a half cadence usually happens in the exposition of a sonata form, or at the end of the first part of a binary form.
The violins play the complete initial statement of the main theme for this movement of the sinfonia. The main theme is the melodic idea which forms the compositional foundation of the movement; portions of it will be repeated in isolation, transposed, and varied with some repetitions of the complete idea over the course of the movement.
This typical string section of a galant/classical orchestra consists of first and second violins, viola, cello and bass. The string section of the orchestra plays an interlude between episodes of a movement. The first violins and violas play moving line in unison punctuated by second violins, cellos, and basses playing in unison.
In the galant and classical periods, taste moved away from the layered polyphony of the Baroque period toward homophony, which the melody is played over a subordinate harmony. In this clip, a dreamy lyrical melody played by a solo cello float on top, while a string quartet supports homophonically.