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)
-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
-Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
-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