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Music Literature : Baroque Period

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MUSIC OF BAROQUE PERIOD 1600-1750

A. Origin / Background History

Baroque was derived from the Portuguese word barroco which means oddly shaped or misshapen
pearl
Baroque in its era means overly ornamented and exaggerated
The Baroque period is divided into three major phases: early, middle, and late. Although they overlap in
time, they are conventionally dated from 1580 to 1630, from 1630 to 1680, and from 1680 to 1730.
Comparing some of music historys greatest masterpieces to a misshapen pearl might seem strange to us
today, but to the nineteenth century critics who applied the term, the music of Bach and Handels era
sounded overly ornamented and exaggerated. Having long since shed its derogatory connotations,
baroque is now simply a convenient catch-all for one of the richest and most diverse periods in music
history.

Baroque Music Style Characteristic

Timbre

new emphasis on instrumental music & instrumental accompaniment to voices

Rhythm

beat is emphasized; lots of forward motion

Melody

elaborate, ornamented, continuously expanding, long and winding

Form

one main theme repeated over and over

Dynamics

sudden changes from loud to soft and soft to loud called terraced dynamics

Texture

more rapid changes in texture (homophony, imitative polyphony) throughout a single movement
or piece of music

Harmony

new emphasis on chords; orchestra mainly consists of strings and basso continuo (bass melody
instrument like cello or bassoon + chord generating instrument harpsichord, organ, or lute)

Mood

the same mood throughout movement; this heightened emotional state called affect (vocal music
is exception; vocal music has many changes of mood, but closely follows text)

Genres in the Baroque Music

Vocal

Opera
Zarzuela
Opera seria
Opra comique
Opera-ballet
Masque
Oratorio
Passion (music)
Cantata
Mass (music)
Anthem
Monody
Chorale

Instrumental
Chorale composition
Concerto grosso
Fugue
Suite
Allemande
Courante
Sarabande
Gigue
Gavotte
Minuet
Sonata
Sonata da camera
Sonata da chiesa
Trio sonata

Partita
Chamber Music
Canzona
Sinfonia
Fantasia
Ricercar
Toccata
Prelude
Chaconne
Passacaglia
Chorale prelude
Stylus fantasticus

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Music Literature : Baroque Period

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Instruments of the Baroque Music

Strings

Violino piccolo
Violin
Viol
Viola
Viola d'amore
Viola pomposa
Tenor violin
Cello
Bass violin
Contrabass
Lute
Theorbo
Archlute
Mandora
Bandora
Anglique
Mandolin
Cittern
Guitar
Harp
Hurdy-gurdy

Woodwinds

Brasses

Keyboards

Percussions

Baroque flute

Cornett

Clavichord

Timpani

Chalumeau

Natural horn

Tangent piano

Tambourine

Cortol (also known

Baroque trumpet

Fortepiano an

Castanets

as Cortholt,

Tromba da

early version of

Curtall, Oboe family)

tirarsi (also

the piano invent

Dulcian

called tromba

ed ca. 1700

Musette de cour

spezzata)

Harpsichord

Baroque oboe

Flatt trumpet

Organ

Rackett

Serpent

Recorder

Sackbut (16th- and

Bassoon

early 17th-century
English name for
FR: saquebute, saque
boute; ES: sacabuche;
IT: trombone;
MHG: busaun, busne,
busune / DE (since
the early 17th
century) Posaune)

Trombone (English
name for the same
instrument, from the
early 18th century)

Notes for:
Music Literature : Baroque Period
Timeline of Baroque Composers

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Notes for:
Music Literature : Baroque Period

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B. Famous Composers and their Contributions

1. Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi was an Italian composer, gambist, singer, and Catholic priest.
Monteverdi's work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the change from the Renaissance style of
music to that of the Baroque period.
Born: May 9, 1567, Cremona, Italy
Died: November 29, 1643, Venice, Italy
Spouse: Claudia Cattaneo (m. 15991607)
The most important developer of the then new genre, the opera. He also did much to bring a modern
secular spirit into church music.
He is known for his musical works that can be categorized into three categories: madrigals, operas and
church-music
2. Jean Baptiste Lully
He was an Italian-born French composer, instrumentalist, and dancer who spent most of his life working in
the court of Louis XIV of France. He is considered a master of the French baroque style. Lully disavowed
any Italian influence in French music of the period. He became a French subject in 1661.
Born: November 28, 1632, Florence, Italy
Died: March 22, 1687, Paris, France
He is known for his sacred music, ballet de cour, Music for the theatre and operas and tragedies in music.
3. Arcangelo Corelli
He was an Italian violinist and composer of the Baroque era. His music was key in the development of the
modern genres of sonata and concerto, in establishing the preeminence of the violin, and as the first
coalescing of modern tonality and functional harmony.
Born: February 17, 1653, Fusignano, Italy
Died: January 8, 1713, Rome, Italy
He is known for his contributions to the violin conferred him many titles like World's First Great Violinist",
"Father of the Concerto Grosso and "Founder of Modern Violin Technique". He conducted extensive
concert tours all over Europe and gained immense popularity.
4. George Frederic Handel
Georg Friedrich Hndel was a German, later British baroque composer who spent the bulk of his career in
London, becoming well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, and organ concertos. Handel received
critical training in Halle, Hamburg and Italy before settling in London in 1712; he became a naturalized
British subject in 1727. He was strongly influenced both by the great composers of the Italian Baroque and
the middle-German polyphonic choral tradition.
Born: 23 February 1685
Died: 14 April 1759
He was considered a dramatic genius as he initiated three commercial opera companies to supplement
the English nobility with the Italian opera. Regarded as one of the prominent composers of all time,
Handels works gained much popularity as he composed over forty operas in thirty years. The audiences
for Handels operas increased in number due to the renewal of Baroque music and the essence of original
instrumentation in his works.

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Music Literature : Baroque Period

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5. Johann Sebastian Bach

a. He was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period. He enriched established German styles
through his skill in counterpoint, harmonic and motivic organization, and the adaptation of rhythms,
forms, and textures from abroad, particularly from Italy and France.
b. Born: March 31, 1685, Eisenach, Germany
c. Died: July 28, 1750, Leipzig, Germany
d. He is known for his compositions include the Brandenburg Concertos, the Goldberg Variations, the Mass in
B minor, two Passions, and over three hundred cantatas of which around two hundred survive. His music
is revered for its technical command, artistic beauty, and intellectual depth. His abilities as an organist
were highly respected during his lifetime, and regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time.

C. Different Genres
1. Opera

Sung theatrical work with orchestral accompaniment

Vocal soloists and chorus
Staged with costumes and sets
Example: HENRY PURCELL "Dido's Lament" from Dido and Aeneas CD#1/69-70

Recitative
Vocal line in an opera, oratorio, or cantata that imitates the rhythms and pitch fluctuations of
speech, often serving to lead into an aria
Recitative often gets across mostly plot information in the opera, while the Aria communicates
the characters emotions
Aria
Song for solo voice with orchestral accompaniment, usually expressing an emotional state
through its outpouring of melody; found in operas, oratorios, and cantatas
2. Oratorio

Like opera - [Sung theatrical work with orchestral accompaniment for vocal soloists and chorus] , but
unstaged [without acting, scenery, or costumes]
Uses a religious story
Example: GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDELs Messiah
"Hallelujah" CD#2/11-16
Listen for
Changes in texture
Emphasis of beat

"Ev'ry Valley Shall Be Exalted" CD#2/10

Listen for
Terraced dynamics
Abrupt alternation between loud and soft dynamic levels;
characteristic of Baroque music
Emphasis of beat
Ornamented melody

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3. Cantata

Like opera, but unstaged,

it means to be sung
Usually with religious text & mostly performed in churches
The church cantata for the Lutheran service in Germany during the baroque period often
includes chorales
Chorales are hymn tunes set to a German religious text
Example: J.S. BACH Sleepers Awake

4. Chamber of Music
Uses a small group of musicians, with one player to a part
Meant for smaller, more intimate performance venues
Includes music for solo instruments
J.S. Bachs Organ Fugue in G Minor The Little
5. Concerto Grosso
Composition for several instrumental soloists and small orchestra; common in late baroque music
Tutti vs. Soli groups
o Tutti = all, the entire ensemble
o Soli = a small group of featured soloists (2 or 3)
Examples:

J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major

Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra, Op. 8, No. 1, La Primavera [Spring]