The Baroque Composers and Baroque music and instruments.

3. BAROQUE MUSIC
0 The music of Europe between 1600 & 1750
UNCERTAIN ETYMOLOGIES
-“barocco” (Italian, “contradictory” or
“paradoxical”)- philosophical term
-“barocco” (Portuguese, “a crooked round
pearl”)
-”parucca” (Italian, “wig” or “false hair”)

4. BAROQUE MUSIC
The term Baroque got its name from a
term used to describe over-decorated
church architecture.
For a long time, many people thought
that baroque was a poor descendant of the
art of Renaissance period. Now it is
recognized for what it was – the beginning of
almost all present musical styles.

5. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
1. It was dominated in Germany by the Religious
political war known as the “Thirty Year’s War.”
2. It was dominated by the cultures of Louis XIV
of France and its court.
3. In Science, the principal names were Newton,
Galileo, Bacon and Leibniz.
4. The leading Philosophers of the period were
Milton, Dryden, Defoe, Addison, Swift, Pope
and Johnson.
5. In painting, we saw the rise of Rembrandt,
Rubens, Van Dyck, El Greco and Velasquez.

6. MUSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
1. Harmonic theory and figured bass came into
being.
2. It is the period that saw the beginning of
orchestra – composers specified which
instruments will play what tune of music.
3. Major and minor scales replaced old church
modes.
4. Italian words were used to tell how a music is
to be played.
5. Musical decorations such as trills and
mordents were used.

7. MUSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
6. Music was written mostly for voices.
7. Melodic lines were interwoven and used little
dissonance.
8. Music was extremely expressive and deals with
passionate emotions.
9. Rhythm was free flowing.
10. Thematic variations occurred in all aspects of
instrumental music.
11. Sequencing was also used. This was the repetition
of melodic patterns on successively higher or
lower pitches. It became a typical part of
instrumental music during mid-Baroque period.

10. VIENNA, AUSTRIA

11. MUSICAL FORMS
0 Shifted from polyphonic music to homophonic –
named later as monody – literally, “one song” or
solo song with instrumental accompaniment.
0 Monodic Style – first cultivated by a group of
Florentine writers, artists and musicians named
as Camerata, a name derived from the Italian
word for “salon.”
0 Opera – a large scale drama that is sung. It
combines the resources of vocal and
instrumental music: soloist, ensembles, chorus,
orchestra and sometimes ballet – with poetry
and drama, acting and pantomime.

13. MUSICAL FORMS
POPULAR MUSICAL FORMS
1. Recitatives – a type of dramatic singing for
voice that lies between ordinary speech and
pure singing (dramatic declamation). Its
rhythm is free-flowing.
2. Aria da capo – a melody sung by a soloist in
opera, oratorio or cantata. It follows the
recitatives.
3. Bel canto – Italian “beautiful music.”
4. Figured bass – use of numerals below: a bass
melody to indicate what chords are to be used.

14. MUSICAL FORMS
5. Castrato – type of dinging where young boys
are castrated before they reach puberty to
maintain the soprano or alto vocal registers
and avoid the deepening of their voices.
6. Basso-continuo – refers to a performance
group with a bass, chordal instrument
(harpsichord, organ) and one bass melody
instrument (cello, bassoon).

15. MUSICAL FORMS
DRAMA FORMS
1. Opera – a drama in which the moods and emotions are
heightened by combining the singing of the words with
orchestral accompaniment, stage action and scenic effects.
2. Oratorio – a dramatic but unstageable telling of a biblical
or religious story. It uses no scenery or costumes and no
dramatic action. It uses a narrator, soloist, chorus and an
orchestra. It’s usually performed in churches and concert
halls.
3. Cantata – a short, lyric form similar to the oratorio often
limited to a soloist and using few instruments of the
orchestra.
4. Passion – a dramatic presentation of the story of Easter.

16. INSTRUMENTS OF
THE PERIOD
0 Harpsichord, clavichord and the organ –
still the main keyboard instruments.
0 The violin family reached its highest
development making it the queen of the
instruments.
0 The oboe and the bassoon still dominated
the woodwinds family.

17. HARPSICHORD

18. HARPSICHORD

19. HARPSICHORD

20. CLAVICHORD

21. ORGAN

22. ORGAN

23. ORGAN

24. OBOE

25. OBOE

26. BASSOON

27. BASSOON