Gottfried Heinrich Stolzel's Treatise on Recitative: on the History of Baroque Music Theory

Main Article Content

Denis G. Lomtev

Abstract

For the first time in Russian musicology, the treatise by the composer Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel (1690–1749) on recitative is analyzed in detail. The manuscript was probably written between 1739 and 1749, i.e. in the last decade of his life. This scientific and practical guide represents a unique source that systematizes the then common norms of the melodic and harmonic structure of the recitative used in German church music.
The analysis notes an adaptation of some provisions from the works of Johann Mattheson, Christian Friedrich Gunold, Johann Joseph Fuchs and Johann David Heinichen; taking into account Stölzelʼs earlier written treatise on composition, the principle of the melodic embodiment of the so-called clauses is explained. The chapter “On certain freedoms of the recitative style”, which deals entirely with the rules of its harmony, is treated in detail. Finally, the connection between Stölzelʼs treatise and the practice of musical performance at that time is evaluated.


Keywords: Baroque music, recitative, structure of the german verse, clausula, figured bass.

Article Details

How to Cite
Lomtev Д. Г. (2024). Gottfried Heinrich Stolzel’s Treatise on Recitative: on the History of Baroque Music Theory. Music Scholarship / Problemy Muzykal’noj Nauki, 55(2), 184–195. https://doi.org/10.17674/2782-3601.2024.2.184-195
Section
International Division
Author Biography

Denis G. Lomtev, Independent Researcher, Music Editor, Dresden, Germany

PhD (History of Arts)