The word Baroque has at times meant bizarre, flamboyant and elaborately ornamented.

A simple characterisation of baroque style is that it fills space (eg, sound, stone, canvas) Painters, sculptors and architects became interested in creating total illusions just like a stage setting Famous artists: Bernini, Rubens, Rembrandt Artists exploited their materials to expand the potentials of colour, detail, ornament and depth. Artists of the day wanted to create totally structured worlds.

 This

style suited the wishes of the aristocracy. Louis XIV held court in the Palace of Versailles (France). This palace was a magnificent setting that fused baroque painting, sculpture and architecture into a symbol of royal wealth and power.

Louis XIV

Palace of Versailles

Berninis David Slaying Goliath

Peter Paul Rubens The Fall of Phaeton

 The

baroque style was also shaped by the needs of churches, which used the emotional and theatrical qualities of art to make worship more attractive and appealing. The middle class also influenced the development of the baroque style as many commissioned realistic depictions of landscapes and scenes from everyday life. Baroque art is a complex mixture of rationalism, sensuality, materialism and spirituality.

Galileo

The

work of Galileo (1564-1642) and Newton (1642-1727) represented a new approach to science based on the union of mathematics and experiment. They discovered mathematical laws governing bodies in motion. These advances led to new invention and the gradual improvement of medicine, mining, navigation and industry during the baroque era.

 two

big composers of this period were:

George Frideric Handel Johann Sebastian Bach

Bachs

death in 1750 marks the end of the period! Other Baroque composers include: Claudio Monteverdi, Henry Purcell, Arcangelo Corelli, Antonio Vivaldi these composers were largely forgotten until the 20th Century.

J.S. Bach G.F. Handel

 The

baroque period can e divided into three phases:

Early (1600-1640) Middle (1640-1680) Late (1680-1750)

The

best known baroque music today comes from the latest phase, the earliest was one of the most revolutionary.

Early baroque phase

Middle baroque phase

Late baroque phase

Homophonic texture The new importance May aspects of One main melody of instrumental harmony- emphasis with choral music of the dominant accompaniment Written for specific chords attraction to Used dissonances instruments, the the tonic with a new Violin being the Instrumental music freedom most popular became as More solo singers important as vocal against a chorus, or music. voices against instruments Voices were accompanied by melodic lines designed for instruments

Unity of Mood:

Expresses one basic mood Emotional states like joy, grief, and agitation were represented Molded a musical language to depict the specific moods Drastic changes of emotion in a text may inspire corresponding changes in the music but one mood is maintained at some length before yielding to another

Rhythm

is conveyed by continuity of rhythm Rhythms at the beginning of a piece are often repeated throughout a piece= this provides a compelling drive and energy Beats are emphasized drastically

Melody

Creates a feeling of continuity An opening melody will be heard numerous of times Melody can be presented in a varied theme but it remains constant Repetition or melodic sequences occur at either higher or lower note ranges Use of dynamic expansion rather than symmetry and balance Short opening followed by a longer phrase with continuous flow of rapid notes

Terraced Dynamics

Paralleling continuity of rhythm and melody Consistency of dynamic levels- volume stays similar for a stretch of time Dynamic shifts are sudden

Texture

Predominantly polyphonic in texture: two or more melodic lines Imitation between the various lines, or voices, of the texture is common

Chords and the Basso Continuo (Figured Bass)

Chords became increasingly important Chords were by-products of the motion of melodic lines but chords became significant in themselves Chords gave new prominence to the bass part, the foundation of the harmony= musical structure rested on this bass part Bass part together with numbers which specify the chords to be played above it Basso Continuo is played by two instruments: an organ or a harpsichord Offered the advantage of emphasizing the all-important bass part, besides providing a steady flow of chords

Words and Music

Used music to depict the meaning of specific words. Rising scales represented upward motion; descending scales depicted the reverse Descending chromatic scales were associated with pain and grief. Emphasized words by writing many rapid notes for a single syllable of text; this technique also displayed a singers virtuosity Individual words and phrases of a text are repeated over as the music continuously unfolds