The Baroque Era
Baroque music a style of western art music and was composed from approximately 1600s to 1750s. This era took place after the Renaissance era and before the Classical era. The word “baroque” is derived from the Portuguese barroco, or “oddly shaped pearl” (“About”). The term has been used a lot throughout the nineteenth century to describe the period. Some known music familiarities from the era are Pachelbel’s Canon and Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. This era not only connected to the art of music but it helped with the acceptance of Copernicus’s 16 the century theory. A theory that stated that “planets didn’t revolve around the earth” (“About”). A lot of important people with great accomplishments existed throughout this era. Baroque music expresses “order, the fundamental or of the universe” (Sartorius). Even though it expresses order it stills feels lively and tuneful. Different types of pianos used were Clavichord, Tangent piano, Fortepiano, Harpsichord, and the organ. The following paragraph will talk about some famous composers at the time.
For instance the most famous artist from the Baroque era is Johann Sebastian Bach born in 1685 from Germany. He is a mastered organ and harpsichord player. He was also a brilliant composer. He was one of the first artists to culminate the era, writing music for many types of musical forms. Some of his popular works are “Air on a G String, Double Violin Concerto” (Green). Another famous artist is George Frideric Handel. He was born the same year as Bach and also from Germany. Frideric showed his potential at a young age. He was encouraged to study law, but managed to get out of it to become a violinist. He later became a British citizen, his life was ve...
... middle of paper ...
...roque music changed music history forever.
References
About the Baroque Period | Music of the Baroque. (n.d.). About the Baroque Period | Music of the Baroque. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from http://www.baroque.org/baroque/
Green, A. (n.d.). Meet the 10 Best Composers of the Baroque Period. About.com Classical Music. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from http://classicalmusic.about.com/od/baroqueperiod/tp/baroquecomposer.htm
Harris, B., & Zucker, S. (n.d.). The Baroque:Art, Politics & Religion in 17th-century Europe. 1600-1700: The Baroque: Art, Politics & Religion in 17th-century Europe. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/1600-1700-the-Baroque.html#
Sartorius, M. (n.d.). BAROQUE MUSIC PAGE: biogs, pictures, music samples. BAROQUE MUSIC PAGE: biogs, pictures, music samples. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from http://www.baroquemusic.org/
Daum, Gary. "Chapter 12 The Baroque Era (1600-1750)." Georgetown Prep. 1994. Georgetown University. 12 July 2005 .
In the Baroque period, the performance venue usually was within churches and courts. These locations were not built to suit instrumental performances, and were more of just a venue to perform more than a designed venue like there is in the 21st century. Starting...
Atlas, Allan W. Renaissance Music: Music in Western Europe, 1400-1600. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1998.
The Baroque style of music was in prominence from the beginning of the 17th century until the mid-18th century. Some primary features of this style, particularly in the later years, include an emphasis on polyphonic textures and a continuity throughout the entire piece. Most compositions were created for specific events and sometimes written for particular instruments. (Kamien, 2015). The Trumpet Concerto for 2 Trumpets, composed by Antonio Vivaldi, is one example of these late Baroque style compositions and one we can use to analyze: the common elements, the overall effect, and the composer’s possible perspective.
This book by John Rupert Martin is a good introductory book in the understanding of Baroque artists and their tremendous variety. Martin defines the Baroque characteristics, but only very broadly leaving a significant amount of room for the reader to make his own deductions. In general, Martin believes that the typical definitions of the Baroque are "too restrictive and hence likely to create more problems of classification and interpretation than it solves." Even the time of the Baroque is left open to the reader when Martin says the Baroque is roughly comprehended by the seventeenth century. It is important to note at the outset that this is only a convenient approximation; for epoch as a whole can certainly not be fitted into such a strait-jacket." This helps to define the Baroque much more generally as a gradual change which can much easily be noticed from the present than the past.
Schulenberg, David. Music of the Baroque. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. ML193.S38 2001 c.2
The baroque has been called a theatrical style, one that deals in spectacle, grandeur, and dramatic contrast. Test these concepts in an essay that discusses the baroque as an expression of the Catholic Reformation, Protestant devotionalism, the Scientific Revolution, and the Age of Absolutism. Define your general statements with specific examples. The following essay will discuss the baroque period and how the Catholic Reformation, Protestant devotionalism, and the Scientific Revolution influenced it. The Baroque period generally refers to the years 1600 to1750. Classicism of the Renaissance has been replenished during the Baroque period. During the Baroque artistic period, the exploration of the fundamental components of human nature and the realm of senses and emotions were very crucial. The Baroque era was a very dynamic time that showed an abundance of radiance and color. Artists of this time were passionate and sensual. Their works were many times considered to have an overpowering emotional effect. The superficial form of light was fascinated during this period due to the thoughts of godlike sun or the truth of the Holy Spirit. The Baroque naturalism maintains the religious themes in content. The elements of perception in the Baroque art are how we perceived the natural human figures are in motion through space, time, and light. We present and analyze the extent of human actions and passions in all its degrees of lightness, darkness, and intensity. The scientific revolution also had a tremendous impact on art during this time. Scientists started to study the earth and it’s positioning in the universe. This was a time when the people started take more of an interest in astronomy and mathematical equations. During the time of the Catholic Reformation artists began to challenge all the rules that society has set for artistic design. Artist starting with Parmigianino, Tintoretto, and El Greco began to add a wide variety of colors into their paintings, challenging the way things have been done in the past. These artists also added abnormal figures or altered the proportions in paintings. This is displayed in Parmigianino’s painting, Madonna of the long neck. During this time the Catholic Church was in a transition period moving from their recent reputation and becoming a well-respected organization. During this reform, an autobiography written by Layola about Saint Teresa of Avila set a new tone for Catholics to follow. This influenced people to have a more spiritual outlook on life.
Taruskin, R., & Taruskin, R. (2010). Music in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Sherrane, Robert. “The Baroque Age: George Frideric Handel.” Music History 102. Accessed: 5/18/2010. Date: 2008.
McGee, Timothy J. Medieval and Renaissance Music: A Performer’s Guide. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1985.
Baroque era covers the period between 1600 and 1750 beginning with Monte Verdi (birth of opera) and ended with deaths of Bach and Handel. The term baroque music is borrowed from the art history. It follows the Renaissance era (1400-1600). It was initially considered to be a corrupt way of Renaissance by conservatives. The dominant trends in Baroque music correspond to those in Baroque art and literature. Some features of Baroque art included a sense of movement, energy, and tension (whether real or implied). Strong contrasts of light and shadow enhance the effects of paintings and sculptures. Opera is one of the types of music in the Baroque era. It represented melodic freedom. Baroque era was usually referred to as the thorough-bass period. In early Baroque era no tonal direction existed, but experiments in pre-tonal harmony led to the creation of tonality. [1] Baroque genre included instrumental suite, ritornello, Concerto grosso and chant. There were important composers of the Baroque period such as Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Antonio Vivaldi William Byrd Henry Purcell and George Phillip Telemann. Starting in northern Italy, the hierarchical state -- led by either the urban bourgeoisie or despotic nobles -- replaced the fluid and chaotic feudal system of the middle Ages. [2] For this reason, some historians refer to the Renaissance as the Early Modern Era. Sculptors, building on the techniques of artists such as Giovanni Bernini (1598-1680), found ways to create the illusion of energetic and even violent movement in their works. Painters created larger and more crowded canvases. Virtuosity was used in all the arts. The arts became an important measure of learning and culture. Music moved from the science of number to an expressive art viewed as an equal to rhetoric.
Sartorius, Michael. Baroque Music Perormance: "Authentic" or "Traditional": A discussion of the essential issues involved. Ed. Micahel Sartorius. n.dat. Baroque Music Pages. [17 October 2003] .
ohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). (2009, March 1). Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). Retrieved May 10, 2014, from http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/musicmanu/bach/
Larmann, R., & Shields, M. (2011). Art of Renaissance and Baroque Europe (1400–1750). Gateways to Art (pp. 376-97). New York: W.W. Norton.
There are 5 main eras of classical music which were in order: Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary. The Renaissance Period was a time where most of the music was sung by churches because it was the dark ages and they were asking god for forgiveness. The Baroque period had music that was very contrasting. Contrast is an important element in the drama of a baroque pieces. The distinction between soft and loud, group pieces and solo pieces, different instruments and timbres all play an important role in many baroque music. Compose...