The Music of the

Baroque Period
(1600- 1750)
 The word
Baroque came
from a
Portuguese
word “barocco”
which means a
“ pearl with
irregular shape”
BAROQUE
means:
• very fancy,
• elaborate,
• over
decorated,
• ornamented
.
Baroque Churches and Architectures
Baroque Churches and Architectures
Baroque Music
In royal courts
 Important Facts
• Baroque musicians served patrons, whether
nobles, state or church..
• However, by far the greatest number of
musicians and artists flourished under the
patronage of the church, the state or the
aristocracy.
• Baroque music was written on demand for
specific occasions, and musical scores were
often treated with utmost care
 Important Facts
• Baroque Music is generaly heavy, grand
and expansive
• Performance Media : chamber orchestra,
chorus plus chamber orchestra, chamber
ensembles (vocal and instrumental), organ,
harpsichord
• Rhythm : steady beats, running bass,
regular meters of 2, 3, 4, and 6 beats,
tempo of piece stays same throughout
except for slowing near end (there is no
shift in tempo)
 Important Facts
• Melody: using major and minor scales,
ornamentation, sequences, and imitation, first
real use of chromatic, continuous,
fortspinnung (Bach) , repetition elaborate and
ornamental, rapidious notes. Melody also
creates a feeling of continuity. An opening
melody will be heard again and again as it
expands, unfolds, and unwinds. Melodic
sequence (repetition of a musical idea at a
higher or lower pitch). Elaborate and
ornamental and not easy to sing or remember.
 Important Facts
• Harmony : strong harmonic movement; sequences of
harmony and recurring cadences; major and minor
harmonies used
• Dynamic Expression: contrasting (sudden drops and
increases: called “terraced dynamics”); echo
imitation used; no gradual increases or decreases in
loudness (crescendo or diminuendo), lack of detail in
scores-composers under pressure to produce a lot of
music in a short amount of time. The main
instruments of the day—organ and harpsichord could
not obtain a crescendo or decrescendo by finger
pressure on the keys (as pianists today can do)
 Important Facts
• Overview Texture: mainly polyphonic (Predominantly
polyphonic); thick texture with 1 or more melodies in
high parts and contrapuntal melodies in lower parts;
continuous bass line; occasional contrasting
homophonic sections to add interest. A melodic idea
heard in one voice is likely to appear in another voice
as well
• Unity of mood: One piece captures one mood, only
exception is vocal music, changes of text change the
mood of the music. (Renaissance music was
structured and rigid.)
 Important Facts
• Primary Forms : concerto, concerto grosso, suite,
oratorio, cantata, opera; trio sonata and other
sonatas for instruments; keyboard prelude, fugue,
and toccata
• Tonal System was developed (Middle Baroque) A
move from the medieval (church) modes: The tonal
system was developed—every note of the major or
minor scale bears a specific relationship to every
other note, and all of the pitches are specifically
related to the first note or tonic.
• The keynote ‘do’ became the most powerful force.
 Vocal Music

Secular Religious
Music Music
The human voice is the
oldest and, in some
ways, the most natural
of musical instruments
But the singing voice of
Baroque singers was
not the natural
untutored voice.
Rather it was highly
trained, and trained for
a musical sound
• CANTATA – A vocal
composition with
instrumental
accompaniment

• Italian word is
“cantare” which
means to sing

• CANTOR- music
teacher and choir
leader/musical
director
Secular Music
 The
Birth
of the
Opera
• Opera was invented in the
late Renaissance for the
Florentine Camerata, the
musicians who worked for
the Count Bardi in Florence.
Their ideals were based on
their perception of ancient
Greek musical drama, in
which the declamation of
the text was of utmost
importance. The first
important opera was The
Orfeo of Monteverdi (1607).
Opera is an art form in
which singers and
musicians perform a
dramatic work combining
text (called a libretto) and
musical score. Opera
incorporates many of the
elements of spoken theatre,
such as acting, scenery and
costumes and sometimes
includes dance. The
performance is typically
given in an opera house,
accompanied by an
orchestra or smaller musical
ensemble.
Religious Music
• An oratorio is a large musical
composition including an orchestra,
a choir, and soloists. The oratorio
and the opera were formally very
similar. However, opera is a musical
theatre composition, while oratorio
is strictly a concert piece. A
particularly important difference is in
the typical subject matter of the text.
Opera tends to deal with history and
mythology whereas the plot of an
oratorio often deals with sacred
topics, making it appropriate for
performance in the church. George
Friedrich Handel was the most
important oratorio composer of the
baroque period.
 Oratorio
• A passion is an oratorio about the suffering
of Jesus leading up to the Crucifixion.
• A cantata (literally 'sung', derived from the
Italian word 'cantare') is a vocal composition
with an instrumental accompaniment and
often containing more than one movement. It
doesn't tell a story and can be religious as
well as secular. The most important cantata
and passion composer was J.S. Bach.
Instruments
in this
period were
built to
sound full
and rich, but
in small
sized halls
 STRINGS
The principal ensemble instruments in Baroque music are
the bowed, string instruments of the violin family.
Violin reached its highest point during the Baroque period.
• VIOLA DE GAMBA-
a stringed - bass
instrument
• HARPSICHORD-
produces tone
by means of
strings that are
plucked
mechanically
when a key is
depressed. It
has 2 manuals.
 The music is
either
loud or soft.
Compared to a
piano, the
harpsichord has
NO PEDAL
 Woodwinds
Recorder
flute

BRASS
The main brass instruments of the
Baroque era were the trumpet
• PIPE ORGAN-originated in Egypt
around 250 B.C. It is a wind instrument
that is played by means of keyboards.
• Instrumental music grew in popularity but the
orchestra was not yet standardized as we know it
today.
 Some Great
Composers of the Baroque
Period and some of their
Work
Click the link below for composers and their
works during the Baroque Period
http://www.youtube.com/w
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http://www.youtube.com/w
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ture=bf_next&list=PL8CF2
D6EE9F8B8FC1