Stile antico

Stile antico, literally 'ancient style', is a term describing music from the sixteenth through the twentieth centuries. It refers to a manner of composition which is historically-conscious, as opposed to "stile moderno". It has been associated with composers of the high Baroque and early Classical periods of music, in which composers use controlled use of dissonance, modal effects and the avoidance of overtly instrumental textures and lavish ornamentation to imitate the compositional style of the late Renaissance. "Stile antico" was deemed appropriate in the conservative confines of church music, or as a compositional exercise as in J. J. Fux's "Gradus Ad Parnassum" (1725), the classic text-book on strict counterpoint. Much of the music associated with this style looks to the music of Palestrina as a model.

In the early Baroque Claudio Monteverdi and his brother coined the term "prima pratica" to refer to the older style of Palestrina, and seconda pratica to refer to Monteverdi's music.

The great composers of the late Baroque all wrote compositions in this style, especially Bach. His Mass in B minor has sections written in "stile antico" which jostle with up-to-date Baroque idioms. Later composers such as Haydn and Mozart also used "stile antico". Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, written after the composer's study of Palestrina, is a late flowering of the style.

References

Stephen R. Miller. "Stile antico", "Grove Music Online", ed. L. Macy (accessed March 19 2006), [http://www.grovemusic.com/ grovemusic.com] (subscription access).Claude V. Palisca. "Prima prattica", "Grove Music Online", ed. L. Macy (accessed March 19 2006), [http://www.grovemusic.com/ grovemusic.com] (subscription access).