preview

The Baroque Era Of Music Essay

Better Essays

The Baroque chamber orchestra, a type of ensemble today that can vary greatly from group to group, is involved in a type of performance many musicians remain confused about. For a modern musician, the confusion surrounding the Baroque style stems from a notion that spending time learning a style of instrument that is no longer commonplace is something that is not worthwhile or is even detrimental to a modern instrumental career. Much of this stems from the idea that the romantic era of music is the most valid and academic form of music studied and performed. This has to do with the intense exposure that classically trained musicians are given in the field of romantic and modern era music.
Today it is very common for violinists to insist on playing the music of Bach, like the 6 sonatas and partitas, romantically without consideration of the performance practices in the time the music was written. The avoidance of authentic baroque performance being included in the modern interpretation stems from the natural aversion modern players have to the “baroque sound.” What many people consider to be a baroque sound is one that sounds unpolished and underdeveloped, most likely due to the lack of vibrato and varying bow and articulation techniques from today’s playing. When looking at baroque music that is commonly played on modern instruments, there is no better example than the music of J.S. Bach. In the case of the 6 Sonatas and Partitas, today and especially in the middle to late

Get Access