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The Baroque Era Adapted by Jennifer Cook from the IB Art Music Unit 6 The Baroque Spirit The Baroque Era (1600–1750) Came to a close with the death of JS Bach “baroque” derived from the Portuguese word barocco meaning an irregular shaped pearl. Turbulent change in politics, science, arts The conquest of the new world Middle class acquired wealth and power Empires clashed for world control Contradictions that defined the era Poverty and luxury Idealism and oppression Out of these contradictions evolved the pomp and splendor of Baroque art Elaborate decoration and grandeur A foreshadowing of the transition from Renaissance to Baroque was evident in the work of Michelangelo (1475-1564) with turbulent figures, twisted bodies in struggle and drama – color and movement were also apparent in other artists The Baroque was an era of absolute monarchy and modeled on the court at Versailles of Louis XIV in France He stated, “I am the State”, which summed up a way of life in which all art and culture served the ruler. Courts maintained elaborate musical establishments, including opera troupes, chapel choirs and orchestras. Baroque opera was the favorite diversion of the aristocracy. Middle classes created a culture of their own Music-making took place in the home, church, and university Collegium Musicum - still functions on some college campuses today The comic opera, and the prose novel came into being Painting turned to intimate scenes of Bourgeois life. The Dutch School reached its high point with Rembrandt and Bermeer Judith Leyster A bourgeois, or middle class, music scene With merchants and financiers, the culture of the city came to rival that of the palace. They embraced beauty, brocade and velvet, marble, and jewels. This aspect of Baroque life is expressed in the painting of Paul Rubens (1577-1640) His nudes established the 17th century ideal of feminine beauty Rubens The Garden of Love Age of Discovery Kepler- laws of planetary motion Galeleo – astronomy & physics Descartes – mathemetician & philosopher Spinoza – “philosophy of tolerance & benevolence” William Harvey - circulation of the blood Sir Isaac Newton – laws of motion & gravity Was also an intensely devout period. Religion a rallying cry on the bloodiest battlefields in history. Protestants in England, Germany, Scandinavia, and Holland Catholics in Spain, France, Italy, and Austria – French Bourbons and Spanish Hapsburgs In the new world – the colonies were founded on religious principles as Protestants New Spain in Catholicism John Milton (1608-1674) wrote Paradise Lost, a poetic epic of Protestantism The Counter-reformation of the Catholics were found in the canvases of El Greco (1541-1614) These paintings were the creations of a visionary mind that distorted the real in its search for a reality beyond Main Currents in Baroque Music The transition to the Baroque brought about a shift from several independent lines (polyphony) to one in which a melody stood out (homophony). Monody: originated in vocal music around the year 1600 and was a new style featuring solo song with instrumental accompaniment Monody first used by the Florentine Camerata – a group of writers, artists and musicians in Florence, Italy whose aim was to resurrect the music & dramatic art of the ancient Greeks. Vincenzo Galilei Giulio Caccini Jacopo Peri Monody focused on text and its emotional power Le nuove musiche the new music they named “the expressive style” They felt this style could be used in an entire drama thus leading to the invention of opera New Harmonic Structures Figured bass: shorthand notation for harmony Chords created through improvisation Basso continuo: bass part, performed by 2 instruments Chordal instrument (harpsichord, organ or lute) and bass instrument (cello or bassoon) Establishment of the major-minor tonality system was the outcome of this simpler style and less complex harmonies and was the most significant change in all of music history. Equal temperament: a new tuning system that mathematically equalized the distance between adjacent tones Made it possible to play in every major and minor key without experiencing unpleasant sounds It increased the harmonic possibilities available to the composer J.S. Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier (2 vols.) each contains 24 preludes and fugues, one in every possible key Baroque Musical Style Early Baroque (monody) rhythm was freer Late Baroque rhythm is more regular and vigorous Used dissonant chords more freely for emotional intensity Emotions expressed with subtle dynamic changes “Nuance” The Doctrine of the Affections Union of text and music “Text painting” the music vividly mirrored the words One mood or affection per movement or piece The Rise of the Virtuoso Musician Technical improvements in instrument making Composers challenging the performers Out of these developments came challenging harpsichord sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti And virtuosic violin works of Antonio Vivaldi Rise of virtuosity There was an emergence of instrumental virtuosity In vocal music the development of a phenomenal technique known as Castrato Countertenor or falsettist Improvisation played a significant role in Baroque music as in jazz and pop music today. Women in Baroque Music More professional women were singers & instrumentalists Francesca Caccini – first woman to compose an opera Barbara Strozzi – sacred and secular vocal music Faustina Bordoni Francesca Cuzzoni Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre – harpsichord music and cantatas Internationalism The Baroque was a culturally international period in which national styles existed. Free interchange among national cultures Jean-Baptiste Lully – Italian-born - created the French lyric tragedy G. F. Handel – A German who wrote Italian operas & English oratorios The Teatro Argentina in Rome Exoticism Looking to the Near East, the Americas, and elsewhere for ideas Operatic scenes were of far off lands of Persia, India, Turkey, The Near East, Peru, and the Americas In Rameau’s opera ballet “Les Indes galantes”, each act is set in a different corner of the world.