MI: LIBRARY: HISTORY: BAROQUE

The Baroque era was a period of time where composers began revolting against the rules their music had been written under in prior eras. Monarchies all over were constantly trying to find methods to appear as better than another. One of the “tools” they used to do this, was the composer. 

Sad as it was, composers had become machines that churned out impressive music for one monarchy to wave in the face of another. One of the best and most well-known composers of this era, Johann Sebastian Bach, was such a “machine”.

During this time, the most successful composers were those who broke out and managed to bring new ideas to their art. During the early 17th century, Monteverdi wrote some of the earliest operas, Antonio Vivaldi became known for his wonderful instrumental concertos, and Scarlatti brought the Harpsichord repertoire to new levels. All these composers broke free and brought new ideas to their art.

Other important developments of the time, were the dances which most of the era’s composers wrote. The leader of the era, however, is considered the vocal/choral music of such composers as Handel.