Baroque Music Essay

The Opera is described as the relationship between words and music. Opera is dramatic staged secular vocal work with orchestral accompaniment .Consisting of alternating recitatives, arias, and chorus numbers. Soloists, solo ensembles, choruses, dancing, dramatic action, costumes, staging are all components of opera. It was important because it added interest in dramas and music and it created interest is homophonic texture. Cantata was another important Baroque style. Cantata extended solo or choral work. It was created for Lutheran worship service. Cantatas include harmonized chorales, polyphonic choruses, arias, recitatives, solo ensembles, and instrumental accompaniment. Oratorio is dramatic work for chorus, solo voices, and orchestra. It is similar to cantata except it is longer and to a larger scale. Most were based on biblical texts to teach and entertain. Chamber music works for solo instruments performing together in small ensembles. Trio Sonatas were important chamber music pieces during the Baroque Period. Church sonatas would be performed in church. Chamber sonatas were meant for concert performance. Finally, orchestra varied in size and instrumentation. This style was favored by royalty and wealthy families. Most court orchestra were made up only bowed stringed instruments although woodwinds and others were gradually

The Baroque Era started in 1600 and lasted till 1750. Some of the famous composers from the Baroque Era include Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Handel, and JS Bach. Music in Baroque society became amusement for aristocrats, modern orchestra began to evolve, and the idea of opera are beginning to develop. In many Baroque pieces the use of a Basso Continuo, which is played by two instruments typically a keyboard and a member of the strings family was found in many pieces during this time. The Baroque period can be characterized with clear and distinct meter, repeated rhythmic patterns, homophonic texture, and terraced dynamics. The Baroque is also classified by its distinct genres including Fugue, Solo Concerto, and Cantata. The Ritornello form being introduced had an impact on Baroque music because it is outlined using harmonic progressions, key modulations, and motives from the main theme in order to give character to a piece.

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.

Claudio Monteverdi, who is considered an originator of opera who composed the earliest example of the genre called Orfeo. Based on ancient Greek mythology, which was the initial intention of opera, Orfeo is a drama about the mythical Greek god Orpheus. To rescue his bride Euridice, he goes down to Hades. In the prologue of Orfeo which is “Del mio Permesso amato”, the Greek muse La Música sets the stage for the drama. At first hearing La Música sing, her melodic voice captures my ears and attention, like letting me know to “listen up”. As was Monteverdi’s intention, I can hear how the harmony is the same while the melody changes throughout. The melismatic singing that accentuates certain words emphasize the importance of setting the mood of the opera (Wright, 6-3c).

During the Baroque period, instrumental music was written for every conceivable size of ensemble. On the smaller side, the Baroque sonata offers one of the finest examples of chamber music. Two types of sonata are found during this period: the sonata da chiesa (church sonata), and the sonata da camera (chamber sonata). The sonata da chiesa was more somber, while the sonata da camera was, much like the suite, usually comprised of dance forms. The gigue from Corelli's Sonata for 2 violins and lute is a fine example of the sonata da camera

Melody in baroque music creates a feeling of continuity. The opening melody will be repeated throughout a baroque piece. Although the melody is often repeated in an altered form using variation technique, its idea remains in a piece. Also, baroque melodies often sound elaborate and ornamental in baroque pieces.

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

Lasting from the mid-1600s to the mid-1700s, the Baroque period ushered in new styles of art and music. Music and art during that time exhibited a flowery, emotional feel. While the music may seem well-behaved, to the people living in that period it was music gone wild. The notes noodled up and down all over the sheet, such music and never been attempted before. Composers experimented with new styles and structures breaking many former rules of music. Prominent during this era was German-born composer George Frideric Handel.

Before discussing the styles and techniques that emerged and were reformed during the Baroque Period of music, first the cultural background must be discussed. The Baroque Period of Music lasted from 1650 to 1750, and really was heavily influenced by two particular countries: Italy and Germany (Sartorius). In Italy, architecture and the layout of the city of Rome had been completely revived because of the Renaissance period, and this new innovation in architecture inspired music (Sartorius). Musicians aspired to experiment with music, and try new innovations to make their compositions sound fresh and original (Sartorius). Meanwhile, up in Germany, composers were desperate to get in the various courts of royalty that existed at that time, due to the fact that Germany was broken up into many states (Sartorius). If composers could become the court musicians for nobility, it could insure great fame, job security, and profits (Sartorius). Thus, the Baroque period of Music was inspired by architectural advancement in Italy, and

The Baroque period of music is actually an era of music when its characteristics were focused on order and form so the music would give a symmetric sound to mimic the way writers, artists and musicians of the period viewed the order of the universe (Buelow, Pg. 9-27). The era brought on the development of functional tonality, new performance techniques and complex and elaborate compositions. Johann Sebastian Bach is an example of a composer who followed this design. Bach came from a musical family that went back for generations that were well known in the homeland of Thuringia.

Baroque music is characterized through contrasts as dramatic elements, monody and the advent of the basso continuo, and different instrumental sounds. Contrast is an essential feature in the production of baroque arrangements. The alternations between bold and flamboyant and soft, solo and ensemble, different instruments and timbres all constitute a key portion in various baroque compositions. Composers similarly created more precise instrumental arrangements regularly stipulating the instruments on a musical piece that ought to be executed instead of allowing the performing musician to select.

The genre known as baroque music earns its name from the Portuguese word meaning broken pearl. The phrase “broken pearl” is a way to describe the style of music. Baroque music began in the 1600s through the 1750s. There were many different composers but there a few that stood out more than others. The two that I chose to research and learn more about are Andrea Gabrieli and Anthonio Vivaldi who were both Italian composers. Their style of music was very intriguing to me and it was easy to listen to unlike some music that we have today. Both Vivaldi and Gabrieli’s music are very classical and most cultures that listen to this music are mainly in churches (Baroque Music, 2015).

Baroque music has many characteristics that set it apart. Early baroque music uses extreme instrument contrast to create a dramatic emotional climax. Later musicians developed a method of succinctly building a climax. The other noticeable difference is the key instruments are tuned to. The quality of instruments has significantly increased since the Baroque period, to mimic the original sound of baroque pieces orchestras often tune their instruments down about half a key. Melody and harmony were emphasized across the board instead of in individual genres. Another key characteristic was the attitude of the composers, in desperation to

Zadok the Priest is a piece by George Frideric Handel from the Baroque Era, and Missa Papae Marcelli "Gloria" is a piece by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina from the Renaissance Era.Baroque music broke away from the harshness of the Medieval and early Renaissance style with new emphasis on the use of vocal and instruments. Many musical forms were born out of this era including opera. Some composers of this time were Tomaso Albinoni ,Antonio Vivaldi, Johann David Heinichen,George Frideric Handel, Domenico Scarlatti , and Johann Sebastian Bach.The church was the most important place where Baroque and Renaissance were playing as a serve in the church . There are many changes happened between the renaissance and baroque period : The first crucial distinction is the texture the shift from the imitative polyphony in the renaissance era to treble-bass polarity,monody and the development of basso continuo . The second crucial distinction is the tone of the baroque music was of development of tonal architecture and formal principles; baroque, binary, ternary, fugue, etc. while the form of renaissance music was much of the systematic point imitation and Cantus Firmus structures.The third crucial distinction is the Baroque musical genres include both vocals and instrumentals, with the only difference being they were quite larger in number of categories than those of in the renaissance era . The fourth crucial distinction is Renaissance music consisted of smooth regular flow of

The baroque period of music commenced in the year 1600 and ended around 1750 (Fuller – “Baroque”). Its texture was mainly polyphonic (Fuller – “Classical”). Polyphonic means that two or more different melodies are played simultaneously (McComb). This provides an energetic rhythm, long melodies, and many ornaments. The most famous composers of this time period were Vivaldi, Corelli, Monteverdi, Purcell, Handel, J.S. Bach, and Couperin. Many new styles of music were introduced, such as operas, sonatas, oratorios, suites, fugues, and concertos. Orchestras began to develop, but it was not until the classical period when orchestral music was perfected (Fuller – “Baroque”).