Baroque notes

Renaissance Instruments

Classified into families: Winds, Plucked Strings, Bowed Strings, Keyboard, and Percussion, and organized by loud (haut) and soft (bas) categories.

Baroque

A period of art and architecture characterized by dramatic focus; the term was used in the 18th century to describe the bizarre style of the time.

Doctrine of Affections

A principle in Baroque music where composers aimed to evoke specific emotions through various musical elements.

Seconda pratica

A compositional style employed during the Baroque that allowed for freer treatment of dissonance to express human emotion.

Claudio Monteverdi

A significant composer of both madrigals in the Renaissance and operas in the Baroque; he was a proponent of seconda pratica.

Basso continuo

A method of musical accompaniment involving a composed bass line and figured bass notation for continuous interpretation by keyboard and other instruments.

Toccata

An improvisational piece typically for keyboard or lute, showcasing virtuosic play.

Ricercare

A type of contrapuntal keyboard piece that introduces new musical material with each entrance.

Fugue

A composition based on a principal subject that is developed in imitation; all entrances present the same subject.

Johann Sebastian Bach

A prominent composer of the Baroque era renowned for his organ works, chorale harmonizations, and major compositions like the St. Matthew Passion.

Cantata

A vocal composition with instrumental accompaniment, typically comprising several movements including choruses, arias, and recitatives.

Oratorio

A large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists that combines narrative text and dramatic forms without staging.

Ritornello form

A structure used in concertos where the main theme (ritornello) alternates with contrasting episodes, a hallmark of Vivaldi's concertos.

George Frideric Handel

A composer known for synthesizing national styles into the English oratorio; notable works include the Messiah.

Da Capo Aria

A musical form in arias consisting of an initial section (A), a contrasting section (B), and a return to the A section typically ornamented.

Text painting

A compositional technique in which the music reflects the literal meaning of the text, often used in vocal compositions.

Denis Gaultier

A leading lute composer of the 17th century known for emphasizing the qualities between major and minor in his works.

Johann Joseph Fux

A composer and theorist known for his counterpoint teachings and contributions to both operatic works and church music.

Frescobaldi

An influential keyboard composer of the early Baroque era known for his improvisational pieces and works that served as models for later composers.

Canzona

A type of instrumental composition that borrows from cantata forms and typically includes multiple contrasting sections.

French Overture

A standard convention in Baroque music characterized by a slow introduction followed by a lively section, commonly used in opera and oratorio.

Ornamentation

The embellishments added to music in performance, common in the Baroque period to enhance the expressiveness of a piece.

Italian Vocal Music

Dominated by opera and cantata, characterized by the use of alternating recitatives and arias during the Baroque period.

Sonata de chiesa and sonata de camera

Two types of sonatas; sonata de chiesa for church performance and sonata de camera more suited for the chamber setting.

Trio Sonata

A popular sonata form featuring two violins and a basso continuo, which became a significant chamber music configuration.