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Baroque Period
1600-1750
Robert Copeland
1
Historical Background
• Reformation
• Warfare—Protestants stormed Catholic
churches, destroying beautiful works of art
and musical instruments they considered
profane.
• Catholics established the infamous court of
the Inquisition, which tried and condemned
dissenters according to its own harsh rules.
• Tension between Protestants in the north and
Catholics in the south
• Cool, detached emotional atmosphere of the
renaissance was soon replaced by the vivid,
passionate expression of the affectionshuman emotions or “states of the soul”.
Robert Copeland
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Historical Background
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Three fifty-year periods
Early (1600-1640)
Middle (1640-1680)
Late (1680-1750)
Known as the Age of Reason or Age of
Absolutism because many rulers exercised or
had absolute power over their subjects.
The earliest period was the most
revolutionary—but our focus will be on the
late period. The Baroque period begins with
Monteverdi (birth of opera) and ends with the
deaths of Bach and Handel.
Robert Copeland
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Transition
• Baroque society revolved around the idea of
the absolute monarch. King and Queen had
all-powerful status in their domain. This
resulted in the increased separations
between classes.
• Between the Renaissance and Baroque
artists discarded the boundaries that
controlled expression in classical art.
• Distortion and exaggeration enhances their
newly dramatic approach. Baroque is
considered to mean distorted or irregular—
term applied by the Classicists.
Robert Copeland
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People Bytes
• Galileo-the scientific man of reason and
science, ran up against the religious
dogma.
• He studied the effects of gravity –and
therefore made important experiments
with the measurements of time.
• Newton-developed the scientific method.
• People were extremely superstitious
(witchcraft, astrology and alchemy).
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Characteristics and Elements
• Mood: Affectations (to impress the mind or
move the feelings of –human emotions,
emotional response). The philosophy of the
era is that it represents the affections of real
life and in doing so, excites the listener’s
emotions. Music must move the listener.
• Baroque music expresses one basic mood—
and remains throughout. [Renaissance
music was structured and rigid.]
• Composers of the time shaped or molded a
musical language to depict the affectations
[similar to word painting of the Renaissance]
• Tonal System was developed (Middle
Baroque) A move from the medieval (church)
modes
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Tonal System
• One of the most significant changes in all music
history: the transition from medieval church
modes to major-minor system of tonality [Middle
Baroque]
• The tonal system was developed—every note of
the major or minor scale bears a specific
relationship to every other note, and all of the
pitches are specifically related to the first note or
tonic.
• The keynote ‘do’ became the most powerful force.
• Now each chord could assume a function in
relation to a key center.
• Church modes gradually replaced by major and
minor scales.
• By 1680, major & minor scales were the tonal
basis for most compositions.
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Characteristics
Rhythm
• The unity of mood is conveyed by the
continuity of rhythm.
• Rhythmic patterns heard at the
beginning of a piece, are repeated
throughout it—which provides a
compelling drive and energy—a forward
and perpetual motion. This motion is
continuous—no rests.
• The beat is emphasized to a greater
degree.
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Characteristics
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Melody
Melody also creates a feeling of
continuity
An opening melody will be heard again
and again as it expands, unfolds, and
unwinds.
Melodic sequence (repetition of a
musical idea at a higher or lower pitch)
Elaborate and ornamental and not easy
to sing or remember
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Characteristics
Dynamics
• Terraced dynamics: Volume stays
constant for a length of time and then
immediately shifts to another level
(which is usually sudden)
• The main instruments of the day—organ
and harpsichord could not obtain a
crescendo or decrescendo by finger
pressure on the keys (as pianists today
can do)
Robert Copeland
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Characteristics
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Texture
Predominantly polyphonic.
Soprano and bass lines most important
Imitation between the various lines or
“voices” of the texture is common.
A melodic idea heard in one voice is
likely to appear in another voice as well.
A piece could shift in texture—because
not all late Baroque music was
polyphonic.
Robert Copeland
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Basso Continuo
• Chords became increasingly more important
• The emphasis on chords and the bass part resulted
in this new feature.
• Basso continuo (figured bass) made up of a bass part
with numbers (figures) which specified the chords to
be played with the bass line.
• The continuo (abbreviation for basso continuo) is
usually played by at least two instruments: an organ
or harpsichord and a low melodic instrument like a
cello or bassoon.
• With the left hand the organist plays the bass part,
which is also performed by the cellist or bassoonist.
• With the right hand the keyboard player improvises
chords or even a melodic line following the
indications of the numbers.
• [The numbers only indicate a basic chord, and not
the exact way it should be played].
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Baroque Orchestra
• Evolved into a performing group based on the
instruments of the violin family.
• The violin became the most popular solo
instrument of the era.
• Small - 10-30 players
• Nucleus: Consisted of the basso continuo
(harpsichord plus cello, double bass, or
bassoon) and upper strings (first and second
violins and violas)
• Winds: recorders, flutes, oboes, trumpets,
horns, trombones—and timpani
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Violin Makers (extra)
• The late 17th and early 18th centuries were
the age of the great violin makers at Cremona.
• Amati, (1596-1684), Stradivari (1644-1737),
and Guarneri (1698-1744)
• Stradivarius - Secrets were in the chemistry.
Soaked maple wood, the use of fruit gums,
and a concoction of chemicals from the local
drug store.
• Made instruments for the famous-James II
(England). Charles III (Spain), also acquired
names for buyers. Yo-Yo Ma plays the
Davidov (1712).
• Two of Stradivari’s sons continued his work
after his death.
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Baroque Musicians
• Music was the main source of diversion in the courts
of the aristocracy
• Music director supervised performances and
composed most of the required music including
operas, church music, dinner music, and pieces for
court concerts—and the upkeep of the instruments.
• Good & bad features: Pay and prestige were high—
and anything the composer wrote would be
performed—but no matter how great the composer
was—he was still a servant who could neither quit
or take a trip without the patron’s permission.
• Musicians had to curry favor with the aristocracy—
like everyone else in society.
• The art was handed down from father to son and they
had to pass a difficult examination, perform, and
submit compositions as an audition for a position.
Robert Copeland
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Baroque Forms
• Movement – a piece that sounds fairly
complete and independent but is part of
a larger composition.
• Concerto Grosso-a small group of
soloists (2-4) is pitted against a larger
group of players called the tutti.
• Has several movements-usually three
(fast, slow, fast)
• Ritornello form-based on the alteration
between tutti and solo sections. The tutti
opens with a theme called the ritornello
(refrain)
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Baroque Forms
• Fugue: A polyphonic composition based on
one main theme, called a subject.
• Throughout the fugue, different melodic lines,
or “voices” imitate the subject.
• The subject may be announced by any voice
• An independent fugue often times is
introduced by a short piece called a prelude.
• Pedal Point – is when a single tone, usually
in the bass, is held while the other voices
produce a series of changing harmonies
against it.
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Elements of Opera
• A drama sung to orchestral accompaniment.
• One of the foremost innovations of the era because it
allowed the realism of extreme emotions.
• Fusion of music, poetry, acting, dance, scenery,
costumes—that offers a theatrical experience.
(chorus and extras)
• Originated in Italy.
• Characters and plot are revealed through song—
rather than the speech used in ordinary drama.
• Performers have to sing and act simultaneously
• Created by composer and dramatist.
• Libretto is the text, written by the librettist or
dramatist.
• Music is created by the composer.
Robert Copeland
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Opera
• Serious and comic operas
• May contain spoken dialogue, but most
are entirely sung.
• Aria- a song for solo voice with
orchestral accompaniment (the main
attraction)
• Recitative- a vocal line that imitates the
rhythms and pitch fluctuations of speech
• Prelude/Overture-most operas open
with an orchestral composition
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Opera Origins
• The Camerata (Italian for fellowship) wanted
to create a new vocal style modeled on the
Greek tragedy
• Euridice-Earliest opera that has been
preserved was created by Jacopo Peri
• Composed for the wedding of King Henry of
IV of France.
• Monteverdi (7 years later) composed
Orfeo—the first great opera—for the court of
the Gonzaga family.
• Most opera was composed for ceremonial
occasions at court and was designed as a
display of magnificence and splendor.
Robert Copeland
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Opera Origins
• First public opera house opened in Venice in
1637.
• There were 17 opera houses in Venice alone
between 1637 and 1700.
• Venetian opera houses became a great
tourist attraction.
• Baroque opera marked the rise of virtuoso
singers.
• Major star was the castrato (a male singer
who had been castrated before puberty—a
common practice between 1600-1800).
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Opera Composers
• Monteverdi (1560-1643)
• Recognized as a leading composer in Mantua
but received little pay or respect.
• Created the earliest operatic masterpiece—
Orfeo in 1607.
• Considered a monumental figure in the
history of music—and his works form a
musical bridge between the Renaissance and
the Baroque (16th and 17th centuries) and
greatly influenced composers of his time.
• All of his music—madrigals, church music,
and opera is all for voices, ordinarily
supported by a basso continuo and other
instruments.
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Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
• He used dissonances and with
unprecedented freedom to create music
of emotional intensity. To evoke the
angry or warlike feelings in some of his
texts, he introduce new orchestral
effects including pizzicato and tremolo
[the “special effects” of the day]
• He frequently used word painting
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Composers
• Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
• Called the greatest of English composers.
• Age 18 became composer to king’s string
orchestra; the organist of Westminster Abbey
• He was the last English composer of
international rank until the twentieth century
• He mastered all the musical forms of lateseventeenth-century England.
• Wrote church music, secular choral music,
music for small groups of instruments, songs,
and music for the stage
• Died at age 36, buried beneath the organ in
Westminster Abbey
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Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
• Ground bass; basso ostinato—a
repeated musical idea. The ground bass
pattern can be as short as four notes or
as long as eight measures.
• You will hear a ground bass in his opera
which is considered a masterpiece of
Baroque opera—written for students at
a girl’s boarding school. (One hour in
length)
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Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677) Italy
• Composer and singer [side bar]
• Published eight collections of songs.
• More music in print in her lifetime than even
the most famous composers of her day
• No support from church or patronage of a
noble house.
• She is sometimes credited with the genesis of
an entire musical genre—the cantata.
• Died in obscurity with little wealth or property
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Barbara Strozzi
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Other Women Composers
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Francesca Caccini (1587-1640?) Italy
Father-prolific composer; Mother-singer.
Played keyboard, lute and guitar and harp.
Well trained inn composition, well versed in literature.
Made a living as a singer and composer.
Offered a salaried job at the court of King Henry IV of
France, but her current employer (Grand Duke
Ferdinand of Florence) would not release her .
Il primo libro delle musiche (first surviving
independent work) 1618.
Known as the first female composer of opera.
One of the most prolific composers of her time.
Considered one of the greatest female composers of
all time.
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Women Composers
• Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre (1665-1729)
France. Father was an organist
• Great reputation as a singer and
harpsichordist
• Composer of one opera, cantatas, church
music, and works for harpsichord
• At age 22, published her Premier Livre de
Pieces de Clavessin and dedicated it to Louis
XIV who received it with “his usual goodness”
• This was one of the few volumes of
harpsichord music to be published in 17th
century France.
• She enjoyed a successful career and her
abilities and compositions were highly praised
by the king and his court.
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Forms (1653-1713)
• Main development in instrumental music was
the sonata (a composition in several
movements for one to eight instruments).
Took on a new meaning during the next era.
• Trio sonatas: they had three melodic lines:
two high ones and a basso continuo—and
involves four instrumentalists.
• Usually two high instruments (flutes, violins,
oboes) and two instruments for the basso
continuo—a keyboard instrument (organ or
harpsichord) and a low instrument (cello or
bassoon)
• Originated in Italy.
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Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)
• Most prominent Italian violinist and
composer of string music around 1700.
• Eminent teacher who laid down the
foundations of modern violin technique.
• Wrote only instrumental music—60
sonatas and 12 concertos all for strings.
• Trio sonatas had four movements –fast,
fast, slow, fast.
• Therbo-bass lute (a plucked string
instrument that is capable of producing
chords as well as the bass line.
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Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
• Known as the “Red Priest”
• Virtuoso violinist and composer, violin
teacher, and conductor at the music
school of the Pieta (all girl orphanage
with extremely talented musicians-one
of the finest orchestras in Italy)
• He was famous and influential.
• Wrote 450 concerti grosso and solo
concertos
• A solo concerto is a piece for single
soloist and an orchestra.
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Vivaldi (1678-1741)
• He also composed operas and church
music
• His most popular work is the concerto
La Primavera (Spring) from the Four
Seasons (a set of four solo concertos
for violin, string orchestra, and basso
continuo.
• Has three movements like most of his
concertos: fast, slow, fast
• A favorite piece of Louis XV, King of
France
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Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
• His masterpieces mark the high point of
baroque music.
• Most important and prestigious position was
as a court conductor of the prince of Cöthen.
He directed and composed for his orchestra
for six years.
• He created masterpieces in every baroque
form except opera.
• Eminent teacher of organ and composition
and organ recitalist.
• Recognized as the most eminent organist,
harpsichordist, and improviser. (improvisation
is the term used for music created a the same
time it is performed.)
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Bach (1685-1750)
• His vocal music (the bulk of his output) was
written primarily for the Lutheran church and
often based on familiar hymns.
• By his time there was little difference in style
between sacred and secular music.
• Baroque Suites: sets of dance-inspired
movements. Written for solo instruments,
small groups, or orchestra.
• Comprised of movements that are all written
in the same key but differ in tempo, meter,
and character. Typical movements
• Moderately paced-Allemande (Germany); a
fast Courante and moderate Gavotte
(France); solemn Sarabande (Spain); and a
fast Gigue (England)
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Chorale and Cantata
• Chorale: or hymn tune was sung to a German
religious text. Easy to sing and remember. One note
to a syllable and moved in a steady rhythm.
• Cantata: principal means of musical expression in
the Lutheran service, and one that used chorales.
• It originally meant a piece that was sung, as distinct
from a sonata which was played.
• We are focusing on the cantata designed for the
Lutheran church service (there were many kinds of
cantatas written during the day)
• The cantata was written for chorus, vocal soloists,
organ, and a small orchestra with a German religious
text drawn from the Bible or familiar hymns.
• Sermon in music that reinforced the minister’s
sermon, also based on the readings.
• Included different movements with choruses,
recitatives, arias, and duets.
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Cantata
• The cantata closely resembled the
opera of the time
• The cantor or music director had to
provide church cantatas for every
Sunday and holiday.
• Bach wrote about 295, and 195 are still
in existence.
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Oratorio
• Major development in baroque vocal music
• Large-scale composition for chorus, orchestra,
vocal soloists, and orchestra; usually set to a
narrative text.
• Different from opera in that it has no scenery,
costumes, or acting.
• Based on biblical stories but usually not
intended for religious services.
• Today they are performed in concert halls or
churches. First appeared in 17th century Italy
as musical dramatizations ob biblical stories.
• During this period it spread to other countries
• Most famous, best known, and best loved
Oratorio—is Handel’s Messiah.
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George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
• Master of Italian opera and English Oratorio (German)
• Traveled to Italy when he was 21 years old and wrote
widely acclaimed operas and mingled with the nobility
• Returned to Germany in 1710 and took a well-paid
position as a music director for the Elector of
Hanover
• Requested a leave for London—where his opera
Rinaldo was a great success, and requested a
second leave for London and never returned
• He became England’s most important composer and
a favorite of the Queen (Anne)
• Became Director of the Royal Academy of Music (a
commercial opera company) and composed a
number of brilliant operas.
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Handel
• When opera fell out of favor he parlayed his
musical ability into composing oratorios.
• The core of his huge output consists of English
oratorios and Italian operas (39).
• He also wrote quite a bit of instrumental music
including suites, organ concertos, and concerti
grossi.
• His oratorios are based on the Old Testament.
• His first performance of Messiah—was a
benefit for people in debtors’ prisons. A
newspaper wrote that the Messiah “by the
greatest Judges to be the finest Composition
for Musik that ever was heard”
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Handel
• Messiah is Handel’s only English
oratorio that uses the New Testament
as well as the Old.
• It has over 50 movements and No. 44,
Hallelujah Chorus is monophonic,
homophonic, and polyphonic in texture.
• One of the world’s most famous choral
pieces.
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