Baroque Music: Contrast, Instruments, and the Rise of the Concerto

Question-and-answer flashcards covering major themes from the lecture notes on Baroque contrast, instrumental development, texture, and the early concerto.

What aesthetic principle is especially celebrated in Baroque art and music?

A love of strong CONTRAST between elements.

What does the term “Stile Concertato” refer to in Baroque music?

Music written for groups of instruments or voices whose sonorities are deliberately contrasted with one another.

At which Venetian church was Stile Concertato particularly cultivated?

St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice.

Which late-Renaissance/early-Baroque composer is most closely linked with Stile Concertato at St. Mark’s?

Giovanni Gabrieli.

During the Baroque period, what two related areas saw rapid improvement that enhanced instrumental music?

Instrument construction and performance technique.

Name three celebrated Baroque violin-makers whose instruments set new standards.

Stradivari, Amati, and Guarneri.

Which three violinist-composers were central to the early history of the concerto?

Arcangelo Corelli, Antonio Vivaldi, and Giuseppe Tartini.

What fundamental idea lies at the ORIGINS of the Baroque concerto?

Exploiting contrast between different instrumental forces (soloist vs. ensemble).

How were harmonic sequences often embellished in Baroque music?

With florid solo figuration placed above the sequence.

What structural device allowed composers to build larger forms by shifting between key areas such as I and V?

Systematic tonal contrast, paving the way for modern tonality.

Which stylistic development replaced modal thinking with a focus on major and minor keys?

The development of functional TONALITY.

What typical three-part pattern (Fast-Slow-Fast) derived from opera overtures was adopted in instrumental works?

The Italian overture (sinfonia) pattern.

Which formal design featuring recurring orchestral passages alternates with solo episodes in concertos and arias?

Ritornello form.

In the new Baroque texture, which two lines became the main structural pillars?

A florid, often independent Treble line and a Bass line realized as continuo.

How does Baroque texture differ from Renaissance polyphony?

Instead of equal, interweaving voices, Baroque music emphasizes contrast and hierarchy, spotlighting treble melody over a harmonic bass foundation.