1. The World of Music 7th edition
Part 4
Listening to Western Classical Music
Chapter 10: Music of the Baroque Period
( )

2. Baroque newbies Location, location, location
Italy
France
Germany
England
Its not what you know, its who …
Galileo
Newton
Descartes
Spinoza
Milton
Rubens
Rembrandt

3. Slip Slidin’ Away…
A decline of the church’s influence and a rise of K+Q
A rise of secular music …
A rise of sponsorship outside of the church
A rise of Protestant church music
Many based on the Lutheran Chorale
Hymn-like singing within the congregation
Polyphonic creations based on a LC melody
Simple, new harmonizations in strophic form

4. New Terms Chorale Opera Oratorio Chamber Music Aria / Recitative
Ornamentation / Embellishment
Homophonic
Tonality (Major/Minor)
Modulation
Terraced Dynamics
Basso Continuo
Figured Bass
Word Painting
Strophic
Da Capo Aria (ABA form)
Fugue
Concerto

5. Musical Characteristics
Texture
Rise of Homophonic (Melody-harmony)
Polyphonic still a “biggie” throughout the era
Major-Minor Tonal system
A change from the church modes
Established the tonic-dominant chordal relationships in music
Modulation concept established
Continuo
2 instruments
Bass – Cello, bassoon, or similar
Keyboard playing chords
Figured Bass
aka Basso Continuo
Word Painting
Music emulating the text
More prominent in Baroque era
Contrasts
Terraced Dynamics
Da Capo
Modulations
More steady rhythm

6. Baroque Instrumental Music
Support Voices
Orchestra Created
Violin Family…plus
Trumpets
Oboes
Flutes
Much smaller than today’s orchestra in numbers
Other Important Instruments
Lute
Harpsichord
Organ
Fortepiano (invented, but still rare)

7. Reasons for the Creation of Opera
Interest in the famous Greek Tragedies
More Theatrical Music and dramatic interest
Word Painting in Music
Shifting to a Homophonic Aesthetic from a Polyphonic tradition
Creation of Aria and Recitative
One a tune to show-off, the other to carry the plot
The first one was in Italy about 1600 A.D.
Late Baroque saw the rise of Ballad opera (A satirizing of current Opera ( the SNL of Opera)

8. Orchestral Concepts Concerto vs. Concerto Grosso Overture Dance Suite
Fast … Slow … Fast pattern
Overture
Slow intro (Homophonic) … Fast finish (Polyphonic) pattern
Dance Suite
Allamande
Courante
Sarabande
Gigue
Sonata (Church vs. Chamber)
Solo (3 peoples, soloist + continuo (Bass inst. + keyboard))
Trio Sonata (4 peoples, 2 soloists + continuo)
Church Sonata = 4 mvmts. S…F…S…F
Chamber Sonata = Dance suite played by ensemble format with options to add stuff
+ Prelude
+ Aria
+ Other dances

9. Solo Keyboard Forms Fugue (The king of the forms) Toccata Prelude
Imitative Counterpoints’ end result..
Included Modulation(s)
1 or 2 themes used
Toccata
Prelude
The above 3 can be combined in performances i.e. Toccata and Fugue, Prelude and Fugue, etc.
Theme and Variations
Fantasia (A freer, but more complex form of T + V on one theme)
Passacaglia
Chaconne
P + C used a repeated Bass Line (Ground Bass)
Dance Suite (As in Orchestral forms)
Usual Instruments
Harpsichord
Clavichord
Organ

10. Choral Music Cantata Oratorio Sacred Subject Material
Worship service (perf.)
Integral to the Lutheran service
Contained Arias, Recitatives, Choruses, Instrumental only sections
Accompanied by an Organ
Oratorio
Sacred Subject Material
Concert Performance
Longer, Larger
Contained Arias, Recitatives, Choruses, Instrumental only sections
Accompanied by an Orchestra or Organ

11. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
German (traveled and worked all over the country)
Composer, Choirmaster, and Organist
Big Family (2 wives over time)
J. C. Bach and C. P. E. Bach developed into composers too
+ 8 others that survived to adulthood
Phenomenal Skill with Counterpoint
His music is still studied today!
Prolific Output at the Highest Level
Master of Polyphony and Tonal Harmony
Bach’s genius was neglected for a time, but was rediscovered in the 19th Century. (Typical – you gotta be dead to be famous)
Biggies:
Well-Tempered Clavier
Art of the Fugue
Goldberg Variations
Brandenburg Concerto(s) … all 6 of them
St. Matthew Passion
Mass in B minor
Cantatas, cantatas, cantatas …

12. George Frederic Handel (1685 – 1759)
International Man
Born in Germany
Studied/Developed in Italy (Opera)
Lived (with great fame) in England for 50 Years
The Messiah
Oratorio
His Most Famous Piece
The “Hallelujah Chorus” is from this work.
Water Music (FYI premiered ) written to be performed on 2 barges (Royalty + Musicians)
Music for the Royal Fireworks Guess why this music was written…
Celebrating the end of a war and the eventual treaty

13. Other Baroque Composers
Arcangelo Corelli ( )
Italian
Violin Virtuoso and featured this instrument in his compositions
François Couperin ( )
French
Harpsichord Virtuoso and featured this instrument in his compositions
Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre ( )
Henry Purcell ( )
English
Famous Opera: Dido and Aeneas
Antonio Vivaldi ( )
Concertos and Concerto Grossos were his speciality
George Philip Telemann ( )
German
Church music
Masses + Motets
Oratorios + Cantatas
Instrumental works as well
Concertos
Sonatas
Overtures
Chamber music