3.9 The Late Baroque Period

The Late Baroque Period

Encompasses %%1700-1750%%

Absolutism and the Age of Science

• The %%Age of Absolutism%% was from 1600-1750 (from the belief that the power of kings was absolute)- this is the term used by art/music historians- others call it the A%%ge of Science%% (Newton, calculus, philosophy)
• Dualism between “pomp and extravagance” and “system and calculation”

Art and Absolutism

• European %%rulers sponsored%% the arts, especially if they “symbolized the %%majesty of the state%%”
  • Louis XIV (the “sun king”) ruled France with an emphasis on pomp and ceremony, and he is a great example of this (built Versailles palace)
• Art is derived from competitive political functions, created %%to impress%%

The Music of Absolutism

• Nobility had %%different instruments for different events%%
• Opera was and is %%expensive and extravagant%%, but then it was a tribute to “glory and virtue” of those that paid for them

Art and Theatricality

• %%Opera%% was Italy’s “great contribution”
• Strong %%emotion%% on display in the theater, which is mirrored in most Baroque arts

Science and the Arts

• %%Gardens%% were important and tailored
• Artists sans kings were influenced more by science and new discoveries

Science and Music

• Scales were %%tempered%% (tuned), so all 24 keys were available
• Harmony was %%more logical%%, rhythm and form were ideally regular
• Music theorists made %%checklists%% of techniques/devices to use for peak emotional impact

Musical Life in the Early 18th Century

• Institutions where composers could earn money were…
  • %%The church%%- organists/choirmasters composed, played, and conducted music for church services and (more elaborately) special occasions
  • %%The court%%- demand of musicians varied greatly based on the preference of the patron, but they often traveled with their employers for diplomacy
  • %%The opera house%%- many were attached to courts, but others were made by entrepreneurs and hosted public concerts, with composers conducting their own operas from the harpsichord

Style Features of Late Baroque Music

• Repetition and variation were plentiful
• %%Thorough and homogenous sections%%, with obviously contrasting counterparts

Rhythm

• Lots of regular energy, and a %%clear meter%% emphasized by one instrument, generally the harpsichord
• %%Steady harmonic rhythm%%, a piece tends to change chords at every measure of other set interval

Dynamics

• Loud and soft %%indications%% were infrequently included
• Dynamics typically remained at the %%same level%% for entire sections or even pieces (if this was not true, it was surprising)
  • Instrumentalists brought these changes themselves, it just wasn’t in the music
• In concertos, there is a clear forte/piano contrast, with alternating blocks of music
• More on the %%scientific side%%!

Tone Color

• New interest in %%sonority%%, but also a sense of sophistication..?
• There as often %%choices%% in what instruments could be used for a piece (like a or b), so %%tone color could vary%% greatly between performances of the same piece
• Tone color %%wasn’t particularly critical%% then

The Baroque Orchestra

• %%Violin family%% was at the core
• Keyboard instrument served as %%continuo%%
• Woodwinds/brass were sometimes added, generally for special occasions
• Today, this would be referred to as a %%string orchestra%%

Melody

• Often %%complex%%, can extend over 2 octaves
• Many “decorations,” hard to sing
• Frequent use of %%sequence%%

Ornamentation

Addition of fast notes and vocal effects to a melody, often %%improvised%% at the time (riffs, etc.)

Texture

• Polyphony was the standard
• There were homophonic orchestra sections, called the ritornellos, in concertos (exception)

The Continuo

• %%Universal practice%%, acting as the foundation for harmony and therefore counterpoint
• %%Numerical shorthand%% used to notate chords below bass line, leading to the term figured bass for continuo
  • It was the job of the continuo players to interpret all of this, and add their own touches
• Texture could be described as %%polarized%% between strong bass and clear soprano
• Presence is a clear indicator of Baroque music

Musical Form

• %%Clearer%% and more regular than before
  • Caused by a social factor (patronage system required formulaic structures for quick composition) and scientific factor (indirect influence, mostly just involving ambition?)

The Emotional World of Baroque Music

• Powerful and impersonal emotion, mirroring a wide range
• Fascination with %%theatre%%
• %%Grand gestures, high passion%%

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