Baroque Period

Periods of music often blend into each other. Dates are arbitrary or used as guides.
There are no “exact” dates

for musical styles.
There are 5 generally recognized periods of music in the Western European tradition:
• Renaissance 1450- 1650
• Baroque 1650-1750
• Classical 1750-1825
• Romantic 1825-1900
• 20th Century 1900-
The Baroque Period 1650-1750

Major Composers: Claudio Monteverdi, 1567-1643, Italian
Henry Purcell, 1659-1695, English
Antonio Vivaldi, 1678-1741, Italian
George Friedric Handel, 1685-1759, German (English)
Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685-1750, German
Bach Purcell Handel Vivaldi Monteverdi
Gian Battista Tiepolo Prelude in C, Bach Church in Baroque style, Antwerp
As the economic and political power of Europe moved away from the hegemony of the Catholic Church, so did
its artistic culture. A new base of patrons made up of the aristocracy of Europe demanded more music than
ever. Although this music had a relatively small audience, composers had to be prolific by necessity as new
music had to be composed on demand and for different occasions: celebrations, festivals, dances, as well as for
the church. The art, fashion, and architecture of this period was very ornate and detailed. The music of this
period followed this trend as well; music can be generalized as being complex, highly ornamented, florid, and
elaborate.
The main developments of music of the Baroque period were the increased prominence of instrumental music,
the development of the standard orchestra, and the development of chordal harmony. The solo voice became the
preferred way for communicating text meaning rather than the complexity of several voices singing at once.
The simplified vocal part gave rise to the continuo (an accompaniment of instruments) to support the vocal part.
The vocal forms that evolved from this period were the cantata, mass, opera, oratorio, and recitative. The
mass was an elaborate musical setting of the Catholic mass (religious service). The opera was an elaborate
staging of a play with most of the action being carried by music. Characters either sang-spoke their lines
(recitative) or sang a solo melody (aria). Choruses were added to the action. Oratorios were musically similar
to operas, but lacked sets, costumes, dancing, and were written about a Biblical story. A cantata is a multi
movement work for chorus and/or vocal soloist with an instrumental accompaniment. The instrumental forms
that evolved were the concerto grosso, prelude, toccata, fugue, sonata, and suite. The word toccata comes
from the word touched. It is a keyboard piece that features fast arpeggios and scales. The word fugue comes
from the German word for chase. A fugue is a form where the melody is imitated and the entrances are
staggered. The main theme of a fugue is called the subject and the imitation is called the answer. The suite is a
collection of associated smaller pieces that are written in the forms of dances. The concerto grosso, and later
the concerto, is piece for a solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra.
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) first ushered in this new style and is credited with the development of the
opera. He was best known for his opera Orfeo (1607) about the ancient Greek tragedy of Orpheus’ descent into
Hell to take back his bride Eurydice. The opera contains solos, recitative (chanting) arias, madrigals, and
orchestral interludes.
Henry Purcell (1659-1695) was in the service of England’s King Charles II. Purcell was the organ master of
Westminster Abbey. As such, he was required to perform and compose music for the court, the stage, and the
Church of England. He is best known for his opera Dido and Aeneas.
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was a priest, violinist, and harpsichordist. He left the clergy in 1700 to and went
to Venice to direct a girls orphanage. For the next 40 years, he composed music for their orchestra. He is best
known for his work and development of the concerto, of which he wrote over 500. In his concerti, the soloist
took on a more prominent and virtuosic role. The Four Seasons, and the Gloria are two of his best known
works.
George Freidrich Handel (1685-1759) was born in Germany but made his way to England in 1712 after
studying music in Italy. He played the violin, harpsichord, and was a composer. In England, he composed
music for the English royalty which included Music for the Royal Fireworks and Water Music. He wrote 40
Italian style operas, but as operas became more in vogue, the influence of the church was still prominent enough
to halt performances during Great Lent (a Christian period of fasting & reflection lasting 40 days before Easter).
Composers turned to writing oratorios, which were musically similar to operas, but which lacked sets,
costumes, dancing, and were written about a Biblical story. Handel’s Messiah remains the most popular
oratorios ever written. Like Purcell, he is buried at Westminster Abbey.
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was actually born less than 100 miles from Handel in the same year, but
interestingly enough, they never met. Bach came from a musical family and played the violin, organ, and
harpsichord. He was actually better known during his lifetime as an organist than a composer. Bach became
the director of music at St. Thomas’ Church in Leipzig in 1723 and remained there for the rest of his life. He
composed over 1000 works in his lifetime, much of which was vocal music composed for his church. Among
his best known works are his Preludes and Fugues, the Well Tempered Clavier, the Brandenburg Concertos,
Goldberg Variations, Mass in B minor, St. Matthew’s Passion, Christmas Oratorio, and his Concerto for 2
Violins.
The orchestra during the Baroque Period became standardized in the way we would recognize today: violins,
violas, and cellos made up the string section, flutes, oboes, and bassoons made up the woodwind section, and
valveless trumpets and horns made up the brass section. The harpsichord and organ were the popular keyboard
instruments of the day and the timpani was the only percussion instrument used in compositions.

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Periods of music often blend into each other. Dates are arbitrary or used as guides.

There are no “exact” dates

The Baroque Period 1650-1750

Bach Purcell Handel Vivaldi Monteverdi

Gian Battista Tiepolo Prelude in C, Bach Church in Baroque style, Antwerp

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