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The Baroque Period
1600-1750
The word “Baroque”
 The word “Baroque” began as a term of disapproval.
 In 17th century it was used by philosophers to
describe tortuous forms of argument, and by jewelers
to describe oddly colored or misshapen pearls
 First applied to music in the 1768 by the French
philosopher Rousseau, who said, “the harmony is
confused, full of modulations and dissonances; the
melody is harsh and unnatural; the intonation is
remote; and the motion is constrained.
 Today, the word is not negative due to the grandeur,
depth, and technical mastery of works by such
composers as Bach, Handel and Vivaldi
Life in the Baroque Era
 Monarchs had total control over the economy,
content of books, style of art, and life and death.
 This model was set by Louis XIV, who raised the
power of the king.
 Life was characterized by a strict social hierarchy,
rigid laws, and elaborate codes of dress and
manners.
 No major wars
 Rulers supported the arts as a way of expressing
their cultivation and learning
Philosophical and Scientific thinking
 Radical change
 New technological developments; scientists
began to test their ideas by measurement
and mathematical analysis rather than by
relying on traditional ideas.
 Sir Isaac Newton – discovered the principle
of gravity, developed calculus and
determined that white light is made up of all
the colors of the spectrum.
Art and Architecture
 Order and organization were valued above all else in
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society and in the arts
Baroque artists thought that emotions could be
objectively classified and that art could be designed
to arouse specific emotions in its audience.
Art and architecture evoke intense reactions and
involve the viewer immediately.
Portraits stress the grandeur and personality of their
subjects
In art, contrast and illusion are dominant. Painters
discovered the contrasts between light and shade
Illusion was a commonly used device
Baroque Music
 Composers set out to portray specific states
of emotion
 Created contrast and illusion through the
use of dynamics (phrase is first played
loudly and then softly) and contrasting
performing groups
 Concertos- are built on the idea of
contrast: between the orchestra and a small
group, or the orchestra and a single
instrument.
General Characteristics of Baroque Music
 In the early Baroque stylistic trends
were established
 In the late Baroque musical forms
become more fixed and composers
become well-known masters
Early Baroque
 Opera is invented, which featured elaborate stage
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machinery, gorgeous costumes and beautiful stage
sets, moving stories, expressive acting and dramatic
music
Music was designed to evoke specific states of mind.
Certain melodic and harmonic patterns came to be
associated with particular feelings
Composers experimented with ways to make music
imitate the voice
Tendency toward more rigid formal design
More regular metric organization/composers began
to use bar lines to organize their music
Use of more straightforward major and minor keys
Transition to Late Baroque
 Organization and control began to replace
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experimentation
Forms in opera and instrumental music became
standardized
Rigid hierarchy of society was reflected in opera
plots
Growth of tonality, with its carefully organized
sequence of keys and harmonic patterns
With the Baroque fascination with structure and
organization came the development of fixed
musical forms.
Late Baroque
 Characterized by rhythmic vitality
 Emotions still present and essential in late Baroque, but
they were more organized and more formally presented
 All Baroque music has one characteristic: a strong bass
line.
 A strong bass line, known as the basso continuo
(continuous bass, or sometimes just continuo) forms the
harmonic underpinning, provides a strong foundation for
rhythmic momentum
 Basso continuo is often played by a combination of a
keyboard instrument (harpsichord) and a low melody
instrument (cello or bass viol)
Vocal Forms
 Opera: Large-scale stage productions featuring music,
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dance, costumes, and elaborate plots and settings
Cantata: Short, unstaged operas portraying a single
scene
Church Cantata – Dramatization of a religious
subject
Chamber Cantata - Short work on a secular
subject
Oratorio: Opera-like work on religious theme, but not
staged. The Passion is similar to an oratorio, but
describes the final days of Jesus’s life.
Chorale: Protestant hymn sung in unison by the entire
congregation, with a simple melody and regular rhythm
Instrumental Forms
 Concerto – Instrumental work based on opposition of
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two parts: full orchestra and soloist, or full orchestra and
a smaller subgroup within it
Concerto grosso – “Large concerto” Full
orchestra and small group of soloists
Solo Concerto – Full orchestra and a single soloist
Sonata: Chamber work for a small group
Sonata da camera “chamber sonata” Movements
based on dance rhythms
Sonata da chiesa “church sonata” More serious,
movements alternating slow and fast
Dance suite - Series of short, contrasting dance
movements