Argumentative Essay On Baroque Music

2. What was going historically during this era?  What was life like? The Baroque was a period of absolute monarchs. The monarchs had total control over every aspect of their realms: the economy, the books, the style of art, and even life and death. Louis XIV became the model and he set the stage for many things going on during this period. In many parts of Europe, a strict social hierarchy, rigid laws, and elaborate codes of dress and manners characterized life. There were no major wars. There were knew technological developments that led to scientists and philosophers open up to new ideas and a new way of thinking rather

Music during the Baroque period was diverse and composers began to rebel against the styles that were popular during the Renaissance. In the Baroque era music was driven by the text and the emotions behind it. Vocal and sacred music developed greatly during the Baroque period. During the mid-17th century the Italian phenomenon opera dominated most of the theatres in Europe. Sacred music was deeply influenced by the opera, contributing to the development of the oratorio and cantata genre. The opera, oratorio, and cantata contain musical similarities; among all three genres they feature recitative, soloist orchestras, and duet arias.

Renaissance and Baroque composers were faced with the task of creating complex pieces that express both human emotion and ideas. While this is primarily one of the main purposes of all forms of music itself, including genres today, in the 15th through 18th centuries, this was largely done through the musical composition of a piece rather than the lyrics. Composers utilized several different techniques in order to portray to the listener the purpose and meaning of the piece. Renaissance composers were focused on furthering the texts in music, fully developing the lyrics Therefore, the use of word painting, the musical representation of a literal word, phrase, or poetic image, is clearly seen in many pieces. Baroque music, with the

The Baroque music period was during the 17th century. Baroque music was and still is popular because of its “rhythmic vitality and attractive melody”. In fact, many people in this day and age have listened to Baroque music without even realizing it. Composers during the Baroque period were some of the original composers to create immense amounts of music for people to enjoy. A Baroque composition contains contrast elements. Another type of music popular during the Baroque period is oratorio, which is stories from the Bible that are arranged to music.

The Baroque era was about everything being elaborated and over-embellished. The Baroque style of music was extremely different from the type of music that came before it, such as renaissance music. Music during the renaissance period was, a majority of the time, sung in a cappella choral style, using no instruments, just voices. In the baroque era instruments played a more prominent role. An important style of music introduced in the baroque period was the opera, a dramatic work in one or more acts, set to music for singers and instrumentalists. The first operas of the baroque period were written by Claudio Monteverdi. The music of this era contained a remarkable emotional appeal. As Hans Christian Andersen once said, “Where words fail, music

Music during the Baroque era was regarded as a powerful form of communication that could invoke any emotion in the audience members. This philosophical belief was derived from a revival of the ideas of the Greco-Roman culture. As a result of these ideas, composers believed that they could also affect their listeners through the power of melody, harmony, rhythm, and stylistic details. The emphasis on communication was reflected in the major styles and components that were used throughout Baroque compositions. Baroque music is characterized by the composers’ attention to detail, such as contrast in dynamics, ornamentation, and the emphasis on bass line. These characteristics of the Baroque era of music are reflected in Antonio Vivaldi’s compositions. Known as one of the most popular pieces in Baroque repertoire, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons reveals how composers of the Baroque period used different techniques, such as ritornello and contrast, to invoke emotion through the powerful communication of music. The Four Seasons perfectly represents the Baroque period because of Vivaldi 's style, techniques, and theme.

Baroque is important in regards of European philosophical art history, generating identifiable and stylistic changes in: painting, sculpture and architecture throughout the periods of the late sixteenth century to the early eighteenth. Dominant particularly in the regions of southern Europe such as: Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria and southern Germany. Baroque is a stylistic movement that often exaggerated motion to: illustrate drama, tension and grandeur features such as exaggerated lighting, intense emotions, release from restraint, and even a kind of artistic sensationalism” through various art forms.

The Baroque time period was a time of artistic style extravagant motion and clear, simply interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, excitement, and magnificence in sculpture, painting, architecture, literature, dance, theater, and music. Opera is an arrangement in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining libretto (text) and musical score, typically in a theatrical setting. Opera came out of the baroque period of people wanting to make music that was more expressive. A group of people in Italy decided that a single line of melody with simple accompaniment would be much more expressive than words. This caused the creation of recitatives, which early operas consisted entirely of. This also caused arias, duets, and

The Baroque Period (1600-1750) was mainly a period of newly discovered ideas. From major new innovations in science, to vivid changes in geography, people were exploring more of the world around them. The music of the baroque period was just as extreme as the new changes. Newly recognized composers such as Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, and Monteverdi were writing entirely new musical ideas and giving a chance for new voices to be heard that were normally not thought of sounds. Their musical legacy is still recognized today, and is a treasured discovery of outstanding compositions being reiterated with every performance of them.

The term ‘Baroque’, like many period designations, is not a complementary one. It had the connotation of meaning ‘bizarre taste’ that does not follow the rules of the classical. This provides one basic definition of the Baroque; its contrast to classicism, despite the fact that Baroque was a reaction to, and an adaption of, the classical tradition. ‘The word ‘Baroque’ was a term employed by critics of a later period who fought against the tendencies of the seventeenth century, and wanted to hold them up to ridicule. Baroque really means… grotesque, and it was used by men who insisted that the forms of classical building should never have been used or combined except in the ways adopted by the Greeks and Romans…’

Music style during the Baroque era had a rhythmic freedom that became more vigorous. Continuous melody was now a part of music and incorporated the use of dissonance. Composers used these for emotional intensity and color. They also used a contrast between a soft passage and a loud one to show terraced-dynamics.

The period following the Renaissance Period, the Baroque era, lasted from 1600-1750. Throughout this historical age, “the foundations were laid for the following 300 or so years of musical expression: the idea of the modern orchestra was born, along with the opera (including the overture, prelude, aria, recitative, and chorus), the concerto, sonata, and modern cantata,” (History of Classical Music). These advances caused choral music to appear lackluster compared to the newly brilliant instrumental works composers were creating. Individuals such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Handel, Telemann, Rameau, Francois Couperin, Domenico Scarlatti, and Vivaldi were at their peak at this time, creating various sophisticated works to be spread amongst society (History of Classical Music).

Baroque is addressed objectively but also in a lot of detail in this reference entry. From the definition to the different aspects of the movement in Europe, this encyclopedia brings the historical background and general characteristics of baroque art that can be used as a foundation for arguments concerning the influence of the

The Baroque Period lasted from 1600 to 1750. This period is where studies of classical music began. During this time period, artists would make their music as intricate as possible to make it sound as elegant as possible. This was a great time for royalty and nobility. The wealthiest households would hire musicians, but depending on the household they might would have an entire orchestra. The households would hire composers to compose songs for parties, balls, and ceremonies. The church would also hire musicians, because of the general public’s love for music. (Craig)

Baroque was an interesting period of time. It was originally originated from Rome, as a way to glorify the Counter-Reformation Catholic Church, and then spread beyond Italy to Spain, France, Germany, Austria, the Low Countries, and England. In Baroque musicians started to practice multiple instruments being used at the same time. As opposed to Renaissance era, Baroque art mainly worked for pope, and important ruler throughout Europe.