The Baroque Period

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The Baroque period lasted from approximately the year 1600 to 1750. This era of music came between the Renaissance and the Classical periods, and led to the rise of many famous composers and the development of new musical techniques and styles.
One of the most prominent Baroque styles was the oratorio. An oratorio is a large musical work written for soloists, a chorus, and an orchestra. It is similar to an opera, but without any costumes, scenery, or stage movement. One of the most famous oratorios was one written by George Frideric Handel, called “The Messiah.” Oratorios were developed to tell biblical stories. They contained an overture, various arias (solo parts), choruses, and a recitative (the wordy, rhythmless part sung by a narrator to move the story along.) Another famous oratorio is “The Passion,” a musical setting of the story of Jesus’ suffering and crucifixion. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote two versions of it, the St. John version and the St. Matthew version.
Another popular musical style in the Baroque period was the opera, a theatrical musical performance. Claudio Monteve...

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