THE BAROQUE PERIOD

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1700

BAROQUE MUSIC0The music of Europe between 1600 & 1750

UNCERTAIN ETYMOLOGIES-“barocco” (Italian, “contradictory” or “paradoxical”)- philosophical term-“barocco” (Portuguese, “a crooked round pearl”)-”parucca” (Italian, “wig” or “false hair”)

BAROQUE MUSIC The term Baroque got its name from a term used to describe over-decorated church architecture.

For a long time, many people thought that baroque was a poor descendant of the art of Renaissance period. Now it is recognized for what it was – the beginning of almost all present musical styles.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

1. It was dominated in Germany by the Religious political war known as the “Thirty Year’s War.”

2. It was dominated by the cultures of Louis XIV of France and its court.

3. In Science, the principal names were Newton, Galileo, Bacon and Leibniz.

4. The leading Philosophers of the period were Milton, Dryden, Defoe, Addison, Swift, Pope and Johnson.

5. In painting, we saw the rise of Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck, El Greco and Velasquez.

MUSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

1. Harmonic theory and figured bass came into being.

2. It is the period that saw the beginning of orchestra – composers specified which instruments will play what tune of music.

3. Major and minor scales replaced old church modes.

4. Italian words were used to tell how a music is to be played.

5. Musical decorations such as trills and mordents were used.

MUSICAL CHARACTERISTICS6. Music was written mostly for voices.7. Melodic lines were interwoven and used little

dissonance.8. Music was extremely expressive and deals with

passionate emotions.9. Rhythm was free flowing.10. Thematic variations occurred in all aspects of

instrumental music.11. Sequencing was also used. This was the repetition

of melodic patterns on successively higher or lower pitches. It became a typical part of instrumental music during mid-Baroque period.

VIENNA, AUSTRIA

MUSICAL FORMS0Shifted from polyphonic music to homophonic –

named later as monody – literally, “one song” or solo song with instrumental accompaniment.

0Monodic Style – first cultivated by a group of Florentine writers, artists and musicians named as Camerata, a name derived from the Italian word for “salon.”

0Opera – a large scale drama that is sung. It combines the resources of vocal and instrumental music: soloist, ensembles, chorus, orchestra and sometimes ballet – with poetry and drama, acting and pantomime.

MUSICAL FORMSPOPULAR MUSICAL FORMS

1. Recitatives – a type of dramatic singing for voice that lies between ordinary speech and pure singing (dramatic declamation). Its rhythm is free-flowing.

2. Aria da capo – a melody sung by a soloist in opera, oratorio or cantata. It follows the recitatives.

3. Bel canto – Italian “beautiful music.”4. Figured bass – use of numerals below: a bass

melody to indicate what chords are to be used.

MUSICAL FORMS5. Castrato – type of dinging where young boys

are castrated before they reach puberty to maintain the soprano or alto vocal registers and avoid the deepening of their voices.

6. Basso-continuo – refers to a performance group with a bass, chordal instrument (harpsichord, organ) and one bass melody instrument (cello, bassoon).

MUSICAL FORMSDRAMA FORMS

1. Opera – a drama in which the moods and emotions are heightened by combining the singing of the words with orchestral accompaniment, stage action and scenic effects.

2. Oratorio – a dramatic but unstageable telling of a biblical or religious story. It uses no scenery or costumes and no dramatic action. It uses a narrator, soloist, chorus and an orchestra. It’s usually performed in churches and concert halls.

3. Cantata – a short, lyric form similar to the oratorio often limited to a soloist and using few instruments of the orchestra.

4. Passion – a dramatic presentation of the story of Easter.

INSTRUMENTS OF THE PERIOD

0Harpsichord, clavichord and the organ – still the main keyboard instruments.

0The violin family reached its highest development making it the queen of the instruments.

0The oboe and the bassoon still dominated the woodwinds family.

HARPSICHORD

HARPSICHORD

HARPSICHORD

CLAVICHORD

ORGAN

ORGAN

ORGAN

OBOE

OBOE

BASSOON

BASSOON