Baroque Era1600-1750

ImportantHistorical Events

• 1600 – Shakespeare, Hamlet• 1605 – Cervantes, Don Quixote• 1607 Monteverdi, Orfeo• 1610 – Galileo confirms that the earth revolves around the sun• 1618-1648 – Thirty Years’ War• 1642 – Monteverdi, The Coronation of Poppea• 1689 – Purcell – Dido and Aeneas• 1692 – Salem, Massachusetts Witch Trials• 1709 – Bach, Organ Fugue in C Minor (Little Fugue)• 1721 – Bach, Brandenburg Concerto• 1725 – Vivaldi, La Primavera (Spring)• 1741 – Handel, Messiah

The Baroque Style(1600-1750)

• Baroque – bizarre, flamboyant, and elaborately ornamented• Today used to describe a particular style of arts• Fills space

• Aristocrats were very powerful and luxurious during 17th and 18th century• “Age of Absolutism”

• Rulers exercised absolute power over subjects• Johann Sebastian Bach – jailed for a month for asking to leave his post

• Elaborate castles and magnificent court entertainments

• Churches used emotional and theatrical qualities of art to make worship entertaining.• France, Spain, Italy, and Austria – Catholic• England, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany – Protestant

• Scientific Advancements• Galileo (1564-1642) and Newton (1642-1727)

• Union of math and science• Advancements in medicine, mining, navigation and industry

Baroque Music(1600-1750)

• Baroque Composing Greats – George Frideric Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach• Bach’s death in 1750 marks the end of the era

• Other Notable Baroque Composers – Monteverdi, Purcell, Corelli and Vivaldi • some were not considered notable until the 20th century• 1940s – baroque revival – long-playing records

• Dissonance Used Openly

Baroque Music(1600-1750)

• 3 phases• Early – (1600-1640)

• Most revolutionary period in music history• Unpredicted passion and dramatic contrast• Italian Opera developed• Text ruled music

• Composers favored homophonic texture• Words projected more clearly

• Middle - (1640-1690)• New style spread from Italy around the world• Modes gave away to major and minor scales

• Ruling device by 1690

• Compositions were written just for instruments

• Late – (1690-1750)• Most well known• Composers favored polyphonic texture returns to favor• Harmony – emphasis on dominant to tonic progression• Instrumental and vocal music were equally important

Baroque MusicCharacteristics

• Unity of Mood• Expression of 1 mood• Affections – moods expressed during the time• Joy, grief and agitation

• Certain rhythms or melodic patterns represented specific moods• Exception – vocal music• Changes of emotion in text changes emotion in music

Baroque MusicCharacteristics

• Rhythm• Conveys mood• Rhythmic patterns are repeated throughout works• Drives piece- forward motion rarely interrupted

• Beat emphasized more than in Renaissance music

Baroque MusicCharacteristics

• Melody• Feeling of continuance• Opening melody repeats• Expanding, unfolding, and unwinding• Melodic sequence – successive repetition of a musical idea at higher or lower

pitch

• Melody is elaborate and ornamented• Dynamic expansion not balance or symmetry• Short opening phrase followed by a longer phrase• Longer phrase is an unbroken flow of rapid notes

Baroque MusicCharacteristics

• Dynamics• Stay steady for a period of time• When they do change it is sudden• Terraced dynamics – stepping from one level to another• Crescendo and Decrescendo were not favored during the period

• Clavichord – keyboard instrument where brass blades struck the strings• Made gradual dynamic change – narrow range – ppp to mp• Popular with amateurs, specifically in Germany

Baroque MusicCharacteristics

• Texture• Late Baroque – polyphonic texture• Soprano and Bass most important• Imitation was common

• Not all were polyphonic • Some shifted – vocal music

• Composers differed in preference• Bach – consistently polyphonic• Handel – contrast between polyphonic and homophonic

Baroque MusicCharacteristics

• Chords and the Basso Continuo• Chords more important• Melodic lines were written and chords meshed with• New importance to bass line• Foundation of the harmony

• Basso continuo – continuous bass• Played by two instruments• Emphasized bass part• Saved time and paper

• Figured Bass – bass part with numbers• Numbers signify basic chords• Not how they are to be played giving freedom to performer

Baroque MusicCharacteristics

• Words and Music• Word painting was used• Quite standardized

• Wanted to show virtuosity of performers

Baroque MusicBaroque Orchestra

• Orchestra evolved from the violin family instrumentation• By modern standards it was small – 10-40 players• Instrumentation was flexible from piece to piece• Use of woodwind, brass, and percussion were variable

• Baroque trumpet had no valves• High complex melodic lines• Trumpeter was the aristocrat of the baroque orchestra• In some occasions they were treated like military officers

• Composers selected instrumentation carefully• Some would rearrange others works instrumentation and changed

the tone color

Baroque MusicBaroque Forms

• Most compositions include sets of pieces or movements that contrast

• Movement – piece that sounds fairly complete and independent but are part of a larger composition• Own theme• Definite end• Separated by a pause• Usually 3 movements• Fast opening, slow middle, quick and light conclusion

Music in Baroque Society

• Before 1800 music written for specific demands• Audiences desired “new music” constantly

• Music was a point of differentiation in courts• May employ orchestra, choir or opera singers• Size of staff was determined by the wealth of the court• Anywhere from 18-80 musicians

• Musical directors supervised performances and composed new music• Responsible for discipline of musicians, upkeep of instruments and music

library• Pay was high and all music was performed no matter quality• Still a servant and needed to seek patron’s permission on certain issues• Relationships varied between patron and composer

Music in Baroque Society

• Churches also sought musicians• Music director was expected to produce new music and responsible

for training of the church musicians• Cities would compete to attract the best musicians• Church musicians earned less than court musicians• Income could include firewood and grain• Funerals and weddings maybe brought some monetary fees

• Few public concerts during the time• Town musicians played for a variety of events• Play in church, processions, concerts for visiting dignitaries and

graduations• Some also played with amateurs for fun

Music in Baroque Society

• Composers for commercial opera houses• Most houses were in Italy• Venice (pop 125,000) had 6 opera companies between 1680-1700

• London also had an opera house until 1728• Handel was music director in 1719• When the opera house went bankrupt he created his own company and became

the first great “freelance” musicians

Music in Baroque Society

• How does one become a Baroque Musician?• Trade often passed from generation to generation• Sons of musicians – Bach Vivaldi, Purcell, Couperin, and Rameau

• Apprenticed with a town musician• Did odd jobs in exchange for instruction

• Choirboys• Learned music in choir schools or in Italy the orphanages (Ospedale)• Famous composers were hired to teach the students – Vivaldi• Some of the finest orchestras and choruses around

• Obtaining a job?• Difficult examinations• Performance and compositions• Some non musical requirements as well• Bach and Handel turned down the same job because of a marriage requirement