baroque & classical

Byrd

transition into Baroque from Renaissance, best known for English keyboard music

Palestrina

transition into Baroque from Renaissance, best known for his use of polyphony in masses and motets

Josquin des Prez

transition into Baroque from Renaissance, best known for his use of polyphony and was called “the master of the notes”

Victoria

transition into Baroque from Renaissance, best known for his contributions to sacred music, especially his requiem mass. He is involved in the counter reformation era.

Gabrielli

Italian composer and instrumentalist of the late Renaissance and early Baroque period, known for his contributions to sacred music and the development of orchestral textures in ensemble music.

Morley

English composer and key figure in the development of the madrigal, known for his lively and expressive vocal music during the late Renaissance and early Baroque.

Gesualdo

Late Renaissance and early Baroque composer known for his madrigals and experimental harmonic language. He is infamous for his dramatic life, including the murder of his wife and her lover.

Monteverdi

Italian composer and singer of the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods, noted for his operas, sacred music, and the development of the modern opera genre.

Cavalli

Best known for his contributions to Venetian opera during the Baroque period. He composed over 30 operas.

Couperin

Best known for keyboard technique during the Baroque period as well as his influential works for harpsichord, including four volumes of pieces (over 230 individual pieces).

Lully

French composer and conductor of the Baroque period, recognized for being an “opera reformer” and for establishing the French overture style.

Gabrielli (Domenico)

Italian late Baroque composer and one of the earliest known virtuoso cellists. He was a pioneer in writing music specifically for the cello, contributing significantly to its development as a solo instrument. 

Purcell

English composer of the late Baroque period, celebrated for his dramatic vocal music and contributions to opera, including works like "Dido and Aeneas".

Scarlatti

Best known for his 555 keyboard sonatas, primarily for the harpsichord.

J. S. Bach

Best known for his prolific output and mastery across various musical forms of the Baroque era, particularly his contributions to organ music, keyboard music, and sacred choral works.

J. C. Bach

Often called the "London Bach," is best known for his significant influence on the development of the Classical style and for his operas and symphonies.

Handel

German-British composer of the late Baroque period, renowned for his operas, oratorios, and especially the famous work "Messiah," showcasing his ability to blend various musical styles.

What was music modeled after in the Baroque period?

Dances

What kind of things drove the Baroque period?

Hymns, chorales, passions (story of christ/church music), harpsichord, string trios, figured bass, avoidance of cadences

Compositional techniques and devices in the Baroque

Lots of borrowed chords, sonatas contained ternary forms, pianoforte at the end of the era

Haydn

Austrian composer of the Classical era, known as the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" for his pivotal role in the development of these forms.

Mozart

Austrian composer and pianist of the Classical era, celebrated for his operas, symphonies, and chamber music, significantly influencing Western classical music.

Gluck

Austrian composer of the late Baroque and early Classical periods, known for his operas and reforming the operatic style to emphasize drama and emotional expression.

Rossini

Italian composer known for his operas, especially "The Barber of Seville" and "William Tell." His works are characterized by their melodic inventiveness and rhythmic energy. Also known for “bel canto”, a style of Italian vocal technique.

Donizetti

Best known for his operas, particularly those in the bel canto style. He was a prolific composer, creating nearly 70 operas, and is considered one of the leading figures of the Italian Romantic period.

Beethoven

German composer and pianist, a crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras, celebrated for his symphonies, sonatas, and string quartets.

Schubert

Austrian composer known for his lieder (art songs) and symphonies, particularly "The Unfinished Symphony." He wrote over 600 songs and is a key figure in the late Classical/early Romantic music era.

Genres in the Classical period

Symphonies, operas, masses, chamber music, keyboard music, string quartets

What was happening in history during the Baroque?

30 years war between Germany and France, rise of middle class, new philosophies arising such as reason and science, Galileo and Newton were inventing and experimenting

Size of Sonatas in Baroque

Small, about 8 players

Mood during Baroque

One mood per movement, not a lot of expressivity, terraced dynamics, no cadences, elaborate and ornamental melodies

More details on Handel

Born in Germany, composed and lived in England, wrote oratorios during lent, bridged baroque and classical

More details on Bach

Born in Germany, church musician, teacher of organ, harpsichord, and clavichord

Concerto grosso

3 movements, 1 instrument highlighted (mainly piano), large section included ritornello form

Fugue

4 voices, written in counterpoint, includes things like subject, countersubject, answer, and episodic moments

Doctrine of affections

Theory in the baroque that music could evoke specific emotions in listeners by using certain musical devices. This affected things like keys, tempos, rhythmic patterns, and movement of pieces.

Libretto

Text that someone else writes, typically taken from scripture

Pedal point on organ

A note continuing in the bass, has the ability to change, similar to a vocal “drone”

Secco recitative

“dry” or unaccompanied, sometimes with rolled chords

Castrati

Highly sought after famous male singers in the Baroque that had the vocal range of a woman

Baroque suites

Based on dances from the Renaissance. Contained Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, and Gigue, though other dances like Minuet, Gavotte, or Bourrée

Aspect of late Baroque

Instrumental music became bigger than vocal music

String quartet in the Classical era

2 violins, a violist, and a cellist. No conductor

More details on Mozart

Born in Austria, child prodigy, big sight-reader, “master of all things classical”, composed things in his head, many of his operas are still performed today, died very young

More details on Haydn

Did not compose a single opera, but composed many string quartets and symphonies

More details on Beethoven

Piano master, wrote his own dynamics (which was uncommon), bridged classical to romantic, self educated, became deaf at the age of 29 yet still wrote music like piano sonatas and string quartets

Chamber music had

One person on a part

What was huge in the classical era

Opera! Seria, buffa, and comique

Melodies in the classical era

Tuneful and easy to remember. They relied on folk and popular tunes, and cared a lot about balance

Rise of symphonies

Same key in all 3 movements, last movement is typically faster

Favored instrument in a classical concerto

Piano

Minuet

3/4 or 6/8, an optional movement in a string quartet or symphony, but was typically 3rd out of 4

What in history was taking place during the Classical period?

Revolutionary war, America became a nation, war of 1812, enlightenment, Nepolianic wars

Vivaldi

Primarily known for his violin concertos, but was also considered the “master of the Baroque instrumental concerto”

What was introduced during the Baroque?

Figured bass, major/minor system, bar lines, terraaced dynamics

Secular music in the classical period

Solo concertos, arias and duets for voice, trio sonatas, string quartets, featured virtuoso soloists

Instruments in the classical period

Timpani, trumpet, trombone, woodwinds, strings

Instruments in the Baroque

Harpsichord, organ, oboe, bassoon, cello, contrabass, fortepiano, violin, viola

Compositional techniques in the classical period

Formal structure, restricted ornamentation, little counterpoint, tuneful melodies, structurally clear