BAROQUE ERA

BASIC INFORMATION

The Baroque period was from

ca. 1600-1750 which lies in the
17th and 18th century. The
music was expressive; a term
known as "affects" explained
that each piece was to
CHARACTERISTICS
describe the represented
emotion. The most common
instruments were the
harpsichord and the
pianoforte. The Baroque era
was considered over with the
death of J.S Bach.

CHARACTERISTICS

1. Dynamics:
a. The invention of the COMPOSERS
pianoforte allowed
music to contain both
loud and soft dynamics. The most famous composer was Johann
2. Instrumental Music: Sebastian Bach. Here are a few other
a. Previous periods composers:
specialized in vocal Antonio Vivaldi
music.
COMPOSERS George Handel
b. The Baroque period
introduced orchestral
music and solo piano
pieces. FAMOUS PIECES
3. Ornamentation:
a. Piano solo pieces
involved lots of
The most famous collection of pieces is J.S
ornamentation.
Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier". There are
b. Examples are the trill
two books in this collection, mostly made of
and the mordent.
preludes and fugues. His most famous piece
c. Bach invented his own
is the first prelude of the first book.
ornamentation table to
Other pieces:
organize the symbols for
Antonio Vivaldi's "Four Seasons"
each ornament.
George Handel's "Messiah"

Philosophers of the Baroque period believed that music was a powerful tool of
communication and could evoke any emotion in its listener.