Carl Heinrich Graun : Harpsichord Concerto in C Minor (Complete) - Rare Baroque Music. Radu Marian, Male Soprano. Bononcini, Vorrei Pupille Belle con Violini, Andante (video version 1) Antonio Caldara (c.1670-1736) Chiacona in B flat major. Cantata. A cantata (literally "sung", derived from the Italian word "cantare") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir.
The meaning of the term changed over time, from the simple single voice madrigal of the early 17th century, to the multi-voice "cantata da camera" and the "cantata da chiesa" of the later part of that century, from the more substantial dramatic forms of the 18th century (including the 200-odd church and secular cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach) to the usually sacred-texted 19th-century cantata, which was effectively a type of short oratorio.[1] Several cantatas were written for special occasions, such as Christmas cantatas.
Historical context The term originated in the early 17th century simultaneously with opera and oratorio. Prior to that all "cultured" music was vocal. A cantata consisted first of a declamatory narrative or scene in recitative, held together by a primitive aria repeated at intervals. Cantata. Historical context[edit] The term originated in the early 17th century simultaneously with opera and oratorio. Prior to that all "cultured" music was vocal. With the rise of instrumental music the term appeared, while the instrumental art became sufficiently developed to be embodied in sonatas. From the beginning of the 17th century until late in the 18th, the cantata for one or two solo voices with accompaniment of basso continuo (and perhaps a few solo instruments) was a principal form of Italian vocal chamber music.[2] A cantata consisted first of a declamatory narrative or scene in recitative, held together by a primitive aria repeated at intervals.
Differences from other musical forms[edit] The Italian solo cantata tended, when on a large scale, to become indistinguishable from a scene in an opera, in the same way the church cantata, solo or choral, is indistinguishable from a small oratorio or portion of an oratorio. Baroque[edit] Classical and romantic period[edit] References[edit]