https://youtu.be/cnn3TVBDtcA?t=48m20s The Baroque Period
The Classical Music Periods There were no such things as musical periods when the music was written and performed in the last 1500 years; only music that was in style and music that was not. Since then, historians have grouped similar-sounding styles into periods according to their time and characteristics.
The Baroque Period of Music An artistic and intellectual movement that began in Rome, Italy about 1600 and quickly spread to most of Europe, lasting until about 1750. The Baroque style emphasized movement and drama in art, sculpture, architecture, literature and music.
Contemporary Events in America 1607: Jamestown, Virginia established—first permanent English colony on American mainland. Pocahontas saves life of John Smith. 1620: Pilgrims in Mayflower land at Plymouth Rock. 1732: Benjamin Franklin begins publishing Poor Richard's Almanack.
Contemporary Events in Europe 1611: King James Version of the Bible published in England. 1618-48: Thirty Years' War German Protestants revolt against Pope. 1642-58: English Civil War. King is executed and Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector. 1661: Louis XIV “Sun King” begins rule as absolute monarch. 1685: “Glorious Revolution” in England. William & Mary become co-King-Queen
Contemporary Events in Science 1610: Galileo sees the moons of Jupiter through his telescope 1618: Kepler proposes last of three laws of planetary motion. 1644. Descartes's Principles of Philosophy. 1684: Leibniz's calculus published. 1740: Capt. Vitus Bering discovers Alaska. https://youtu.be/ajh-L6mKDnA?t=7s
Patrons: Church & Nobles A patron is a wealthy person or institution that pays for an artist or musician’s living so they can focus on doing their art. Since Medieval times, Churches and Nobles were the only patrons who paid musicians to create and perform music. Churches paid organists, choir directors, soloists and composers to write and perform music for their worship services. Nobles paid musicians and composers to write and perform dance music for their private balls and concerts.
Entrepreneurial Composers Towards the end of the Baroque additional patrons began to emerge from the growing middle class. Composers began to publish and sell sheetmusic books (mostly keyboard) for instruction and leisure. Instead of just performing them for nobles, composers opened opera companies in large cities, selling tickets to middle-class public.
Baroque Textures Musical texture is the way the song’s different performers go together. Counterpoint: When a song has multiple parts that are different but interact together. (A kind of polyphony) Example: Rose Red/Ah Poor Bird Homophony: When one or more parts play the melody and the other parts play accompaniment. Example: “Jesu, Joy of My Desiring”
Italian Music Terms Because Italy was the major center for music in the Renaissance & Baroque, many composers went down there to study and perform. For this reason, many musical terms are in Italian, even today.
Dynamics Dynamics is the level of loud/softness in music. “Piano” = soft “Forte” = loud “Mezzo” = medium “--issimo” = very. (pianissimo = very soft) “pp” = pianissimo “p” = piano “mp” = mezzo piano “mf” = mezzo forte “f” = forte “ff” = fortissimo Dynamics is the level of loud/softness in music.
Tempo Grave = extremely slow Largo = very slow Adagio = slow Andante = “walking” Moderato = moderate Allegro = fast Presto = very fast Tempo means “time” in Italian and indicates the speed of the beat.
Instrument Families
Baroque String Instruments From smallest & highest to biggest and lowest: Violin Viola Cello (sometimes called “violincello”) Bass https://youtu.be/pzlw6fUux4o
Baroque Woodwind Instruments From left to right: Flute Oboe English Horn Clarinet Bassoon https://youtu.be/FVVtFU6K9RQ?t=25s
Baroque Brass Instruments French Horn (round) Trumpet (highest) https://youtu.be/HMDKVHldiIM Trombone (long slide) Tuba (hadn’t been invented yet)
Baroque Keyboard Instruments Organ (oldest keyboard instrument) Harpsichord (plucked strings) Clavichord (small, house-hold instrument) Piano (aka. Pianoforte; invented 1700s) https://youtu.be/Nnuq9PXbywA
Old Instruments Still in Use During the Baroque Recorders (came in different sizes) Lute (ancestor of the guitar) https://youtu.be/WalnGMAjFHQ