Introduction to Baroque Arts and Music

by Elliott Jones of Santa Ana College

for Kaleidoscope Open Course Initiative shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

Barroco

Portugese term

Origin of “Baroque”

Pearl of irregular shape

Originally had negative connotation

Referred to excessive ornamentation in artBernini’s canopy in St. Peter’s

Altar at St. Peter’s

Baroque (1600 – 1750)

New sound emerges in northern Italy

Grows out of several trendsVirtuosic singing in Italian madrigals

Reaction against equal-voiced Renn. Polyphony

Growing desire for expressivity

Baroque style evolves greatly over 150 yrs.

Stylistic Variation

From early to late Baroque musical styles and tastes change dramatically.

Some 20th century scholars felt this couldn’t be considered a single historical period.

Though there is now consensus on using the term “Baroque” to describe this period, early Baroque music sounds very different from late Baroque music.

Doctrine of the Affections

Musical expression influences emotion

One emotion (or “affect”) per piece/mvmt.

Musical settings should reinforce the text

Especially relevant to vocal music

Monody

An early Baroque innovation in singing

Expressive, text-oriented solo vocal line

Sparse accompaniment – basso continuo

Homophonic textureDominant melody

Chordal accompaniment

Origin of monody in Florentine Camerata

Basso Continuo

An accompaniment by two instrumentsOne melodic bass: cello, bassoon

One chordal instrument: harpsichord, organ

Music not fully written outBass line with numbers written below indicating the harmony

This is called “figured bass”

Creates a top-bottom harmonic emphasis

Baroque Style Elements: Melody

Two kinds of melody developVocal – expressive, virtuosic

Instrumental – mechanical, sequential repetition

Vocal lines frequently shift dramatically from long to short notes

Melodic lines are typically long, expansive, and irregular (contrast w/Classical period)

Baroque Style Elements: Harmony

Conceived vertically – chords

Continuo is ubiquitous

Dominance of major and minor scales

Over time the chord progressions become more standardized

Baroque Style Elements: Rhythm

Rhythm generally uniform within a piece

Strong beat common in instrumental music

Rhythmic drive increases over the course of the Baroque

Baroque Style Elements: Texture

Early Baroque composers favored homophonic texture.

This was a reaction to late Renaissance polyphony that they felt impeded expression

Late Baroque composers embraced elaborate polyphonic textures.

J.S. Bach was a master of counterpoint.

Baroque Style Elements: Dynamics

Composers specify volume for first timeForte = loud

Piano = soft

Baroque composers preferred sudden changes in dynamic levels

Terraced dynamics

Virtuoso Musicians

Performance standards rise

Advanced playing/singing technique is demanded by the music

Domenico Scarlatti – harpsichord

Antonio Vivaldi – violin

The castratti – operatic vocalists