1600-1750 Baroque = “irregularly shaped pearl” The terms was first used as derogatory to describe the music at that time The music changed from

THE BAROQUE PERIOD 1600-1750

1600-1750 Baroque = “irregularly shaped pearl” The terms was first used as derogatory

to describe the music at that time The music changed from being flowing,

and songlike to being fast, pulsating, and noisy

The term is also used in art history to describe the more elaborate, ornamented, lavish style

Age of Exploration, Colonization, and Scientific Discovery Isaac Newton – 1642-1727 Rene Descartes – 1596-1650

Technologies Telescope, microscope, thermometer,

syringe, slide rule, barometer, wind gauge, pressure cooker, tuning fork, and steam engine



Two Practices, Three Styles First Practice (Old Style)

The music dominates the text Second Practice (New Style)

The text dominates the music Three Styles

Ecclesiasticus (church) Cubicularis (chamber) Scenicus seu theatralis (scenic or theater)


After taking the time to read and explore the writing of the Greeks, composers of the Baroque period being writing for the affections

Affections – rationalized emotional states or passions (anger, fear, happiness, love)

If a listener was unaware of the affections that a composer was using in a song, that person would consider the song grotesque


Music Theory Key Tonality

The evolution of the major and minor scales becomes defined and used as the standard in Western music

Rhythm The pulse of music remained the same as that of the

style of the Renaissance Definitions of tempos begin to appear in musical

pieces – allegro, andante, presto, moderato, etc. Notation

As the printing of music became more refined, bar lines and measures were created to help organize music


Time signatures begin to be used define the number of beats in each measure

Clef signs begin to be used to define the range of the notes that are used on a staff – also helps determine the instrument that was to be played

F Clef – Modern day Bass Clef C Clef – Modern day moveable Clef G Clef – Modern day Treble Clef


Vocal music and instrumental music continue to be written together and separate

Instrumental music begins to gain ground as an independent musical form

Composers and musicians begin to write and perform instrumental music – compositions and performances begin to accumulate and gain a heightened status


Monody Italian solo song that is accompanied

Intermedio Musical interlude between acts of plays

Opera Italian drama presented musically Combined scenery, costumes, literature,

acting, with vocal and instrumental music Teatro – theater, performance venue for

operas. Begin popping up in major cities in Italy


Libretto A book of text that is set to music Important in creating operas

Oratorio Similar to an opera except without stage

action, scenery, or costumes Has a narrator Mainly deals with religious subjects, in Latin

Oratorio Volgare Oratorio in the native language


Dafne – 1598 The first opera ever written and performed In Florence Jacopo Corsi (1561-1602) Composer Ottavio Rinuccini (1562-1621) Librettist Moral of story – to demonstrate the dangers that await

those who scorn love’s power Story – Dafne, a nymph, complains about a monster

hunting their sheep, Apollo slays the monster, makes fun of Cupid, Cupid shoots Apollo with arrow and falls in love with Dafne, Dafne wants to escape so she prays to the gods who turn her into a laurel tree, Apollo grieves for Dafne, declares his love for her in front of the tree, and promises to wear laurel leaves in his hair.


Claudio Monteverdi 1567-1643 Italian composer Composed 3 operas, a ballet, 12 volumes of

250 madrigals, 5 volumes of sacred music, and 20 sacred pieces

Famous for integrating the old style and new style of music together – creating a balance

Opera flourishes from Florence, to Mantua, to Rome, to Venice, to Naples, then to Europe


Alessandro Scarlatti 1660-1725 Composed operas, oratorios, intermedios,

and even comedic works Shifted center of music to Naples Used the new “Italian Overture” in operas

Italian Overture – orchestral piece played at the beginning of an opera, with no musical relation to the opera, three sections, tempo was fast-slow-fast


Jean-Baptiste Lully 1632-1687 French composer of Ballets and Operas Adopted the Italian Opera and created the

French Opera Used the “French Overture” in operas

French Overture – orchestral piece played at the beginning of an opera, with no musical relation to the opera, two sections, tempo was slow-fast


England Masque – an aristocratic entertainment

blending the art of poetry, dance, song, and instrumental music into a dramatic form with elaborate staging

Henry Purcell 1659-1695 Greatest English composer, composed vocal

and instrumental secular and sacred music Composed the first English opera “Dido and

Aeneas” in 1689. This opera started with a French Overture


Germanic Lands German opera has a slow start, French and

Italian operas are popular instead Singspeil – German opera Reinhard Keiser

1674-1739 The most important composer of German

operas

Russia Italian operas did not reach Russia until

1730 due to their isolation


Spain Pedro Calderon de la Barca

1600-1681 Credited with inventing the Spanish opera

Zarzuela Spanish opera – Spanish dramatic form with

singing, dancing, and spoken language Spanish America

First opera ever written in America was in Peru in 1658, to honor King Philip V on his 18th birthday and first year of his reign


Instrumental Music Four Principal Styles

Dance music Improvisatory Variations Imitative counterpoint

Dance Music music for dancing Allemande – duple meter, moderate tempo Courante – French dance, triple meter, moderate

tempo Saraband – triple meter, slow tempo Gigue – duple or triple meter, fast tempo


Suite Grouping of dance pieces compiled into a

single, complete work Improvisatory

improvised, made up without preparation Fantasia – composition evoking free style

improvisation Toccata – sectional composition for a

keyboard Prelude – self contained movement in an

improvisatory style


Variations a melody that was repeated throughout a

song, but the supporting parts of the melody were changed

Imitative Counterpoint one melody starts at the beginning of a

song and then the same melody starts at a different part in the song

Example: canons and rounds


Sonata Piece of instrumental music

Cantata Piece of vocal music

Sonata da chiesa Church sonata – instrumental church music

Sonata da camera Court sonata – instrumental court music


Concerto Vocal music accompanied by instrumentalists

Concertino Small ensemble of instruments

Concerto Grosso Large ensemble of instruments

Strophic Same music for each stanza of text

Through-composed New music for each stanza of text


Arcangelo Corelli 1653-1713 Italian violinist and composer Famous for composing music mostly for

violin


Antonio Vivaldi 1678-1741 Italian composer, violinist Composed 49 operas, 90 sonatas, 500 concertos Expanded the concerto style of music,

used fast-slow-fast movements Well known for “The Four Seasons” and his

“Gloria’s”


Jean-Philippe Rameau 1683-1764 French musician, composer, and theorist Attempted to compose operas – not very

successful Composed instrumental music, secular and

sacred Studied music theory as a science –

believed that all music came from harmony and studied its effects in nature – vibrations (compared to modern day sound waves)


Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750 German composer and great keyboard

performer Musical genius in composition of keyboard

music and performance Composed mainly for instruments, no

operas Baroque period ends at the death of Bach

because he begins to incorporate “Classical” features in his musical style


George Frideric Handel 1685-1759 German composer, but became British

citizen Composed operas, oratorios, instrumental

music Best known for the “Messiah” and “Water

Music” Invented the Organ Concerto


Documents

1600-1750 Baroque = “irregularly shaped pearl” The terms was first used as derogatory to describe the music at that time The music changed from