Baroque – A period of music history from approximately 1600 to 1750, characterized by ornate melodies and complex harmonies.
Baroque music refers to a style of Western classical music that was popular from about 1600 to 1750. This period followed the Renaissance and was followed by the Classical period. Baroque music is divided into three major phases: early, middle, and late. The term “baroque” comes from the Portuguese word barroco, meaning “misshapen pearl”.
During the Baroque era, composers experimented with finding a fuller sound for each instrumental part and developed new instrumental playing techniques. The music was characterized by dense, complex polyphonic textures, where multiple independent melody lines were performed simultaneously. The Baroque period also saw the establishment of important musical forms such as the opera, cantata, oratorio, solo concerto, and sonata.
Professional musicians during this era were expected to be skilled improvisers, and concerts were typically accompanied by a basso continuo group while a group of bass instruments played the bassline. A characteristic Baroque form was the dance suite, which was designed purely for listening.
The works of George Frideric Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach are considered the pinnacle of the Baroque period. Other important composers of this era include Claudio Monteverdi, Antonio Vivaldi, Henry Purcell, and Jean-Philippe Rameau. Overall, Baroque music was a tool for expression and communication, and it continues to be widely studied, performed, and listened to today.
Example
Examples of Baroque music include:
- Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos
- George Frideric Handel’s Messiah
- Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
- Arcangelo Corelli’s Concerto Grosso in G Major
- Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D
- Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas
- Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo
- Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie
- Alessandro Scarlatti’s Il primo omicidio
- Tomaso Albinoni’s Adagio in G minor
These works showcase the various genres and styles of Baroque music, including instrumental and vocal music, concertos, operas, and dance suites. They also highlight the use of common-practice tonality, the role of improvisation, and the complexity of polyphonic textures that are characteristic of Baroque music.
References
Baroque music – Wikipedia.org – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque_music
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