Music Unit 2 Baroque Period

Baroque dates

1600-1750

What does Baroque mean in other languages

Pearl used in jewelry at the time

What was highlighted in the Baroque period

Religious wars and exploration, Royalty, monarchy, courts

Art in Baroque period

Very popular, art to impress the weathly and power

What did Baroque mean in art

To impress people of power and wealth

Start of opera

Composers looked at 1 voice with instruments to tell a story

Virtuosity

Highly skilled and difficult music written by composers. Where we see the difference between composers and musicians

Who was music for

For the royal courts, churches, as it was a sign of wealth and political power

Who made Opera

Italians in 1600, made for aristocracy but moved into general public

What was the supreme genre of Baroque period

Opera

Parts of an Opera

Recitative, Aria, Chorus, Overture

Musical changes in Baroque

Shift from independent musical lines to one melody with accompaniment, use of dissonance, using dynamic contrasts, tension, and emotional parts.

Styles of music in Baroque

Excoticism and Concerto:

Musical representation of lands and cultures

2 opposing forces between different groups of instruments

Recitative (part of opera)

Sung form of speech to advance the plot with simple orchestral accompaniment

Aria (part of Opera)

Emotional outlet for a character, the emotional songs within an opera story

Chorus (part of opera)

Used in many ways, backing up soloists, used in the action of the story

Overture (part of Opera)

Instrumental piece heard before opera begins, contains melodies from opera to introduce the musical ideas

Oratorio

Large scale work similar to a sacred cantata but tells a bible story, bigger than a cantata and more grand

Who’s associated with Oratorio

George Handel

Johann Bach 1685-1750

Music family in Germany, Organist, greatest post in St. Thomas church. Was there 27 years. Laid foundation for music at the time

What was Bach known for

Virtuoso organist, not a composer. He would be shocked to know his fame as a composer now

What is Bach the master of

Fugue, a form of imitation

What is Sacred Cantata

Based on religious text and choral tunes, movement work with many parts

What’s the core foundation of sacred cantata

Choral tunes

Choral tune

From Gregorian chant, 4 part harmony and melody easy to sing and chant. Part of Reformation by Martin Luther

Why did oratorio become so popular

Comic opera was popular but public taste changed

Who wrote oratorio

George Handel, he didn’t need high paid singers or high production costs, words were in English so the Brits loved it

Baroque instrumental music

Rich polyphony, bass lines, virtuosic expression

How was harpsichord played in the Baroque

The strings were plucked as it would keep the same volume no matter how hard you plucked it

Who we’re important people to the Baroque period

Johann Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Henry Purcell, George Handel

Antonio Vivaldi

Red Priest from Italy cause of his hair, famous virtuoso violinist that wrote a lot of music

Henry Purcell

Put England on music map using styles of Europe in English. One of the greatest English composers

George Handel

Violinist in Germany found Italian Opera, wrote popular Opera Seria then Oratorio in England