The Baroque Era

1600-1750

Copyright © 2005 - Frankel Consulting Services, Inc.

What was going on in the world?
 1607 - English settle Jamestown
 1517-1648 – The Reformation and
Martin Luther
 1610 - Galileo confirms the Earth is round
 1643-1715 - Louis XIV rules France
 1687 - Sir Isaac Newton publishes his Laws of
Universal Gravitation
 1732- George Washington born
 1744-1748 - French & Indian War
What does the word Baroque mean?

Baroque is a French word from Portugese

origins that means an irregularly shaped
pearl.
Originally the term Baroque was used for
the art works created during this period in
that there was an inherent strangeness and
extravagance associated with them. Only
recently has the term also been used to
include the music, which is anything but
slightly flawed.
Characteristics of Baroque Music
 Known as Europe’s Gilded
Age
 Musicians were employees of
the wealthy
 Returned to the Greek and
Roman ideals
Characteristics, cont.
Characteristics of Baroque Music
 Use of a Basso Continuo - harpsichord and cello
providing the base of the composition.
 Emphasized contrasts in texture, pace and
volume.
 Strong use of improvisation in both melodies, and
the embellishments of those melodies.
 Most importantly - if you hear a harpsichord,
it’s almost always Baroque.
Baroque Composers
Johann Sebastian
Bach
1685-1750

From Germany
Composed cantatas
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
 Famous for his fugues : Toccata
and Fugue in D Minor
 Wrote S.D.G. at the end of all his
pieces (to the Glory of God)
 His entire family was musical
George Frederic Handel
1685-1759

From England
Composed oratorios
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL
 Famous for oratorios
 Composed “Messiah” – “Hallelujah
Chorus” is in this piece
 Handel was a world traveler and man
of the world
 Antonio Vivaldi
1678-1741

From Italy
Composed concertos
Antonio VIVALDI

 Virtuoso violinist  Wrote over 800 concertos

(500 for solo violin & orch)
 Ordained priest
 Taught violin at a girls’
 Also wrote 100 operas
orphanage in Venice
 Majority of his works were
unknown until the 1920s
 Wrote over 800 concertos (500
(stored in a church archive)
for solo violin & orchestra)

 Majority of his works were

unknown until the 1920s

 The Four Seasons (c. 1725)

Baroque Instruments
Flute
Oboe
Recorder
Bassoon
Trumpet
Horn
Viola
Cello
Harpsichords & Claviers
Pipe Organ
 Baroque music differs greatly
from Medieval and Renaissance
music.
Uses of Baroque Music
 Church Music
 Other Religious Songs
 Secular Songs (love, politics…)
 Instrumental Dances
 Courtly Entertainment
Baroque Music Characteristics
 Tried to paint pictures – music portrayed
emotion. The stabilization of music as we know it
today.
 Instrumental music is popular. It gained equal
importance with vocal music.
 There was a transition from the church modes as
represented in Gregorian chants to a major-minor
system, as represented in the major and minor
scales we have today.
 Composers used mixed groups of instruments to
perform works of great complexity.
 Music was no longer only functional, it was made
to be enjoyed as it’s own entity.
 Composers began to search for inspiration for
their compositions in not only the church, but in
nature.
 Baroque music is very similar to jazz in it’s use
of improvisation and figured bass.
 Polyphony (“many sounds”) returned to a
high status.
 Composers employed key characteristics in
their music, including: 1)Unity of mood;
2)Continuity of rhythm; 3)The repeated use
of a melody; 4)The use of terraced
dynamics; 5)The use of polyphonic texture
Even More about Baroque Music
 The 1st opera of note was written in 1600 in
Florence, Italy.
 Operas often used text from Greek and
Roman mythology
 Orchestra, chorus, soloists, staging,
costumes, dancing
Baroque Music Vocabulary
Sonata
 Instrumental music with several
movements.
Oratorio
 Opera-length works with a clear storyline
but without the production elements.
Counterpoint
 Two different notes play simultaneously.
 This system began during the Renaissance.
Fugue
 This is a polyphonic composition
consisting of a series of successive melody
imitations or the restatement in succession
of identical or nearly identical musical
material in 2 or more parts. A theme is
introduced by one voice, repeated by other
voices, and developed throughout the
piece.
Cantata
 Designed specifically to be used in the
Lutheran church service. It is a work for
vocal soloists, chorus, orchestra, and organ.
 Various churches today use cantatas to
celebrate such holidays as Easter and
Christmas.