History of Music

History of Music Baroque Period 1600-1750 A.D. If one relates musical periods to architecture, the Medieval period might be symbolized by Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, the Renaissance by the Duomo in Florence, and the Baroque by Louis XIV's palace at Versailles. Baroque music is often highly ornate, colorful and richly textured when compared with its predecessors. Opera was born at what is considered to be the very beginning of the Baroque era, around 1600. This unique form combines poetry, theater, the visual arts and music. It came about because a group of Italian intellectuals wanted to recapture the spirit of ancient Greek drama in which music played a key role. The first great opera was Orfeo, by Claudio Monteverdi, first performed in 1607. Music's ability to express human emotions and depict natural phenomenon was explored throughout the Baroque period. Vivaldi's famous set of concertos, The Four Seasons, is a famous example. Although imitative polyphony remained fundamental to musical composition, homophonic writing became increasingly important. Homophonic music features a clear distinction between the melody line and an subsidiary accompanimental part. This style was important in opera and other solo vocal music because it focused the listener's attention on the expressive melody of the singer. The homophonic style gradually became prevalent in instrumental music as well. Many Baroque works include a continuo part in which a keyboard (harpsichord or organ) and bass instrument (cello or bassoon) provide the harmonic underpinning of chords that accompanies the melodic line(s). New polyphonic forms were developed, and as in the Renaissance, composers considered the art of counterpoint (the crafting of polyphony) to be essential to their art. Canons and fugues, two very strict forms of imitative polyphony, were extremely popular. Composers were even expected to be able to improvise complex fugues on a moment's notice to prove their skill. The orchestra evolved during the early Baroque, starting as an "accompanist" for operatic and vocal music. By the mid-1600s the orchestra had a life of its own. The concerto was a favorite Baroque form that featured a solo instrumentalist (or small ensemble of soloists) playing "against" the orchestra, creating interesting contrasts of volume and texture. Many Baroque composers were also virtuoso performers. For example, Archangelo Corelli was famous for his violin playing and Johann Sebastian Bach was famous for his keyboard skills. The highly ornamented quality of Baroque melody lent itself perfectly to such displays of musical dexterity.

Sound
-Instruments take over. They are the main source of music.
            -Strings
            -Double Reeds
            -Flute
            -Harpsichord
            -Horn
            -Percussion- Timpani
            -Trumpet
            -String Bass
            -Clarinets

Texture
-sometimes thick, sometimes thin
-chage in texture a lot
-it is both polyphonic and homophonic
-it is mostly polyphonic

Harmony
-There are 3rds. Starting to stack eggs. Triad exist.
-There is major and minor.
-Harmony is no longer modal. It is now the Major Minor Tonal System.
-There are chord progressions.
-V to I finish in this period. (started in Renaissance)
-ii---V---I came out of this period. (Jazz uses ii---V---I)
-Equal Temperament tuning started in this period.
-octave is divided evenly into 12 half steps.
-Before, they used different tuning systems that didn’t work.
-Equal temperament allowed changing of keys very easily.
-Chromatics introduced because of equal temperament.
-Simple 7th chords (major, minor, dominant, half diminished, fully diminished)

Form
-Fugue
            -used a lot in this period.
            -very structured
            -has a subject which is one melody
            -First part is exposition
                     -Exposition is from the beginning until all the voices are finished playing the subject
                     -All fugues start with subject alone.
            -After the exposition comes the development
                     -This is a development of the subject.
            -First voice goes into counter subject after it states the subject.
            -When subject overlaps, it is called Streto
-Toccata
             -purpose is to show off
             -usually introduction
             -usually done by Piano or Harpsichord
             -rhythms are irregular
             -there is room for improvisation
-Suite
             -collection of Dance music
             -Theme and Variations is introduced
             -One melody is played over and over in different ways
-Sonata- not modern Sonata
-Solo Concerto
             -a solo instrument with orchestra accompaniment (mainly interaction)
             -3 movements (fast, slow, fast)
             -usually a cadenza in the last movement
Concerto Grosso
             -features a group of instruments
             -popular at the beginning of the Baroque
Fantasia
             -one theme that is developed with imitation

Melody
-melodic ideas are strongly related throughout the whole piece
-shorter phrases than Renaissance
-bigger contour of line than Renaissance
-very decorated music
-There is some room to improvise.
-Not modal. It is major and minor.

Rhythm
-more difficult than Renaissance
-more 16th and 32nd notes
-tempo changes
-less syncopated than Renaissance

Composers
-Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
            Brandenburg Concerto No. 3
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            Toccata and Fugue in D minor
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            Jesus Christ, I Implore Thee
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            Partita No. 2 in D-minor B.W.V. 1004
                Allemande
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                Courante
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                Sarabande
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                Gigue
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                Chaconne
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            Invention No. 1 in C major, BWV 772
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            Invention No. 7 in E minor, BWV 778
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            Invention No. 13 in A minor, BWV 784
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            Invention No. 9 in F minor, BWV 780
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            Invention No. 10 in G major, BWV 781
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            Invention No. 6 in E major, BWV 777
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            Invention No. 3 in D major, BWV 774
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-Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
-Heinrich Schutz (1585-1672)
-Archangelo Corelli (1653-1713)
-Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
-Francois Couperin (1668-1733)
-Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
-Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
-Jean Phillipe Rameau (1683-1764) - Realized the formation of triads
-George Frederic Handel (1685-1759)
-Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)

Miscellaneous
-Bach dies in 1750
-Around 1725, most people moved on to the next time period.
-Most of the music before this was written from chant.
-In Baroque, the chant and flowing line was broken.
-notation is almost standardized
-they had triplets
-dynamics were written on music