Baroque1600-1750

What was happening?

• 13 colonies were formed

• Galileo, Newton discovering new ways to explain the universe

• New rule of fancy decorations in music, art, architecture, fashion,

• Men and woman wore wigs, coats with lace

• Buildings were trimmed with decorations

Baroque Music

• J.S Bach reacted to all the fancy decorations of the time and added them into his music…..layering melodies and making them complex with fast moving notes and trills

• Composers starting to add dynamics and tempo markings

• Improvisation became common, even in church

• Music used to express emotions such as joy and anger

Baroque Composers

• Were employed by church and the wealthy class…patronage system

• Wealthy person or patron paid the composer to write a piece of music (they decide)

• Composers were limited in the freedom of writing

Vocal Music

• The birth of Opera

• First opera was Orfeo, by Claudio Monteverdi

• Opera combines music, acting, scenery, costumes, and props

Instrumental music

• Became as important as vocal music

• Instruments were flute, oboe, basson, trombone, valveless trumpets and horns, harpsichord and organ

• Recorders became less popular

• Viols replaced with violins, violas, cellos

• Timpani was used in serious music

Instrumental Scores

• Contained several contrasting movements or sections, for example, Concerto grosso

• Concerto Grossos were written for a group of solo instruments and orchestra with typically 3 movements (fast-slow-fast)

Baroque Composers

• Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Pachelbel, George Frideric Handel, J.S. Bach