Download Baroque - Leo Hayes High School

Baroque
1600-1750
• 13 colonies were formed
• Galileo, Newton discovering new ways to explain the
universe
• New rule of fancy decorations in music, art, architecture,
fashion,
• Men and woman wore wigs, coats with lace
• Buildings were trimmed with decorations
What was happening?
• J.S Bach reacted to all the fancy decorations of the time
and added them into his music…..layering melodies and
making them complex with fast moving notes and trills
• Composers starting to add dynamics and tempo markings
• Improvisation became common, even in church
• Music used to express emotions such as joy and anger
Baroque Music
• Were employed by church and the wealthy
class…patronage system
• Wealthy person or patron paid the composer to write a
piece of music (they decide)
• Composers were limited in the freedom of writing
Baroque Composers
• The birth of Opera
• First opera was Orfeo, by Claudio Monteverdi
• Opera combines music, acting, scenery, costumes, and
props
Vocal Music
• Became as important as vocal music
• Instruments were flute, oboe, basson, trombone, valveless
trumpets and horns, harpsichord and organ
• Recorders became less popular
• Viols replaced with violins, violas, cellos
• Timpani was used in serious music
Instrumental music
• Contained several contrasting movements or sections, for
example, Concerto grosso
• Concerto Grossos were written for a group of solo
instruments and orchestra with typically 3 movements
(fast-slow-fast)
Instrumental Scores
• Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Pachelbel, George Frideric
Handel, J.S. Bach
Baroque Composers