The Baroque Era1600-1750
Baroque Culture
• DefinitionsPortuguese for “irregularly-shaped” pearl
• Geographical Centers
England France Germany
The Times
• Science– Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
• Laws of gravity• Calculus
Sir Isaac Newton
• Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)
• Movement of the planets• Foundation of astronomy
• Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
Johannes Kepler
Galileo Galilei
• René Descartes (1596-1650)
– Analytical geometry– Applied scientific principles to philosophy– Applied methods of mathematics to the study of what
humans think and feel– Believed that human emotions could be classified in
the same way scientific phenomena are classified (Doctrine of Affections)
René Descartes
William Gilbert (1544-1603)• Properties of electricity
Sir William Harvey (1578-1657)• Circulation of the blood
Robert Boyle (1627-1691)• Chemistry
• Inventions
• Politics – Age of Absolute Monarchs
Charles II of England
Frederick II of Prussia
Louis XIV of France
Phillip IV of Spain
• Religion– Roman Catholic– Protestant– New Religions
• Deism– Influenced by the advances in scientific knowledge– Operated on reason alone without supernatural
manifestations– Ethan Allen, Thomas Payne, Thomas Jefferson,
Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, James Madison
• Everyday life in the Baroque
– Institutions with power• Court• Church
– Aristocratic Life
– Middle and Lower Class Life
Visual Arts
• Architecture– In the Renaissance:
simple, straight lines and detail
Bramante – St. Peter’s Cathedral Brunelleschi – Florence Cathedral
– In the Baroque: ornate, extravagant, showy
St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican
Palace of Versailles, Paris
• Painting
– Emotionally charged– Dramatic subjects– Contrast; play
between light and shadow
• Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)
Self-PortraitAssumption of the Virgin
• Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669)
Self-PortraitThe Night Watch
• Sculpture– Strong light and dark
contrasts– Dramatic tension– Subjects are never still but
moving, struggling, twistedGian Lorenzo Bernini
Self-Portrait
Apollo and Daphne Louis XIV Ecstasy of St. Theresa
Age of Paradox/Contrasts
• Church ↔ State• Monarchy ↔ Bourgeoisie
• Aristocracy ↔ Affluent Middle Class• Importance of Religions ↔ Rise of Secular
• Scientific Research ↔ Superstition, Witchcraft
• Importance of humanity ↔ Religious Persecution
Music’s Response to Paradox/Contrast
• Vocal ↔ Instrumental
• 8 Church Modes ↔ Tonality (Major, minor)
• Sacred Music ↔ Secular Music
• Polyphonic Texture ↔ Homophonic Texture
The Composer’s Life
• Patronage System
• Church ↔ Court
• Deterioration of the Patronage System
• Other Music Achievements:– Audience of the common people– Development of music for its own sake
Music of the Baroque
• Doctrine of Affections
• Elements of Music– Melody
• Long, instrumental in conception• Use of sequences• Monothematic• Use of ornamentation
– Harmony• Tonal• Use of Major and minor scales
– Rhythm• Metric• Motoric
– Texture• Homophony and Polyphony equal in importance (Late
Baroque)• Thorough Bass or Basso Continuo
– Form• Binary• Ternary• Fugue• Ritornello
– Dynamics• Terraced• Not written into the score
– Timbre• Vocal• Instrumental
Keyboard Instruments
Pipe Organ
Painted Organ Pipes
Harpsichord
String Instruments
Viol Family
Lute
Stradivarius Violins
Guarnerius ViolinComposite of String Instruments
Woodwind Instruments
Recorder Family
Wood Flute
Early Clarinets
Oboe da Caccia
Brass Instruments
Long Trumpet
Trombones
Percussion Instruments
Kettledrums
Vocal Genres• Opera
– Began as court entertainments in Italy– Includes a story (libretto), solo singing, choral singing, dancing,
costumes and sets– Forms: recitative, aria , chorus
Claudio Monteverdi(1567-1643)
Orfeo, 1607
Tu se’ morta
• Cantata– Short, unstaged operas (secular and sacred)– Used operatic forms (recitative, aria, chorus)– Sacred cantatas often based on a chorale
Johann Sebastian Bach(1685-1750)
Cantata 140: Wachet Auf, 1731
Awake, A Voice is Calling Us
First Movement: Chorus and Orchestra
Fourth Movement: Tenor Chorale
Wachet Auf
• Oratorio– A sacred, large-scale opera
– Always based on a biblical story
– No staging or constuming
– Larger role for the chorus
– Uses opera forms (recitative, aria, chorus)
George Frideric Handel(1685-1759)
Messiah, 1741
Recitative: The Voice of Him
Aria: Every Valley Shall Be Exalted
Chorus: Hallelujah
“Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah (1741)
• Perhaps one of the world’s most famous choral pieces
• Text is from the Revelation of St. JohnHallelujah!
For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth
The kingdom of this world is become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ
And he shall reign for ever and ever
King of Kings and Lord of Lords
Hallelujah!
• Combines monophonic, polyphonic and homophonic textures
Instrumental Genres
• Dance Suite– Originally a series of dances played for dancing– By the Baroque, suites became independent instrumental pieces no longer
intended for dancing– Usually contained four dances– Often unified by key– Differed by tempo and international background– Used binary form
J.S. Bach
Suite No. 3 in D Major, 1729-1731
Air
Bourée
Gigue
• Sonata– Originally a “sound piece” for one instrument – Became a chamber music genre in the Baroque (from 2 to 6
players)– Four movements: fast, fast, slow, fast– Trio sonatas were popular
Arcangelo Corelli(1653-1713)
Trio Sonata in A Minor, Op. 3, No. 10 (1689)
First Movement
• Concerto Grosso– “friendly contention”
– Contrasts a larger ensemble (ripieno or tutti) with a solo group (concertino)
– Three movements: fast, slow, fast
– Often uses ritornello form
Antonio Vivaldi(1678-1741)
Spring Concerto The Four Seasons, 1725
First Movement: Allegro
Spring has come, and joyfully,The birds greet it with happy song.
And the streams, fanned by gentle breezes,Flow along with a sweet murmur.
Covering the sky with a black cloak,Thunder and lightning come to announce the season.
When these have quieted down, the little birdsReturn to their enchanting song.
Ritornello Form
Vivaldi - Spring Concerto, Allegro
• Keyboard Music– Organ and harpsichord
– Often paired a “free” piece with a contrapuntal fugue [Prelude and Fugue]
– Toccata: added elements of virtuosic “touch” keyboard technique
J.S. Bach
The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, 1722
Prelude and Fugue in c minor
J.S. Bach – Fugue in g minor, BWV 578
Composers
• Johann Sebastian Bach
• George Frideric Handel
• Antonio Vivaldi
• Henry Purcell
• Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677)
• Elizabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre (1667-1729)
