The Baroque Period

1. The Baroque Period 1600-1750

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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.

5. Art and Architecture • Order and organization were valued above all else in 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

6. 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.

7. 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

8. Early Baroque • Opera is invented, which featured elaborate stage 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

9. Transition to Late Baroque • Organization and control began to replace 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.

10. 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)

11. Vocal Forms • Opera: Large-scale stage productions featuring music, 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

12. Instrumental Forms • Concerto – Instrumental work based on opposition of 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 dachiesa “church sonata” More serious, movements alternating slow and fast • Dance suite - Series of short, contrasting dance movements