Carmel Charles

Telemann was a German Baroque composer who became a musician against his family’s wishes as they wanted him to study Law He played many instruments such as the recorder and the violin He was a friend of Bach’s and Handel two other famous Baroque composers Telemann incorporates several musical nationalities into his music such as French, Italian and Polish Telemann was also the first composer to compose a piece for Solo Viola and Orchestra GEORG PHILLIP TELEMANN

Being of course the best family in the orchestra, (!) the whole string family was being used at the time after the development of the Violin in Italy at the end of the Renaissance Era As well as being used as solo instruments in chamber orchestras (Bach Brandenburg concertos) They were sometimes used as unaccompanied solo instruments This is probably the most famous out of all the Brandenburg concertos using a string orchestra, harpsichord basso continuo and the four solo instruments. STRING INSTRUMENTS IN THE BAROQUE ERA

The music was usually virtuosic and made to show off what the instrument could do without being clouded by an accompaniment. Both of these examples use the whole range of the instrument by use of techniques such as double stopping, harmonics and string crossings. UNACCOMPANIED STRING INSTRUMENTS

Baroque Opera was a mix of comedy blended with tragic elements. Handel’s Opera, Julius Cesar was taken from Roman myth and history It tells the story of Cesar in Egypt with Cleopatra. It ends with him and Cleopatra declaring their love for each other and Cesar proclaims Egypt as a free nation and he promises to help her make Egypt a prosperous country under Roman rule OPERAS IN THE BAROQUE ERA

A musical composition for a group of solo instruments accompanied by an orchestra This is Corelli’s Christmas Concerto for string orchestra with two violins and a cello solo. The rest of the orchestra are playing an obbligato or accompaniment for the three instruments with some tutti (together) passages. CONCERTO GROSSO

SECULAR MUSIC

In addition to the Baroque bow, Baroque instrumentalists also used to hold the bow at the balance point rather than the tip of the bow which is where string players now hold it. EXPLANATION ON THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BAROQUE STRING INSTRUMENTS AND MODERN INSTRUMENTS