Lesson 3

Music of the Baroque

Period
• The Baroque style flourished from about
1600-1750.
• This era followed the
Renaissance music era, and was followed
in turn by the Classical era.
• A period that begins the popularity of
orchestra and opera.
• Two Giants in this period:
1. Johann Sebastian Bach
2. George Frideric Handel
- Other four masters known:
1. Antonio Lucio Vivaldi
2. Henry Purcell
3. Arcangelo Corelli
4. Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi

- The alteration between loud and soft is called

“terraced dynamics”.
- Crescendo & Decrescendo are not prominent
characteristics of Baroque music.
 Baroque Musical Texture
POLYPHONIC TEXTURE is predominant in the Baroque
era.

- more than one melodic line combined to make

counterpoint.
- contains two or more active melodies.

~ Bach was into polyphony.

~ Handel used more contrast between homophonic &
polyphonic texture.
 Concerto Grosso
- term used to refer to many types of music.
(vocal & instrumental music)

• Concerto (pronounced “kƏn-cher’-tō”)

• grosso literally means “big group”
Concerto = group & grosso = big

SOLO CONCERTO
-Is written for one solo instrument with the orchestra.
- Soloist and Orchestra (typically piano or violin)
- Soloist is accompanied with larger group of
musicians called ripieno.
- Multiple soloist is called the concertino together
with the ripieno.
Johann Sebastian Bach’s six Brandenburg Concertos are
well-known examples of the Baroque concerto grosso.

In the opening part of the Brandenburg

Concerto No. 4, the solo group of violin and
flutes are prominent at the beginning and are
joined by the ripieno strings.
Brandenburg Concerto No. 4
THREE MOVEMENTS OF CONCERTO GROSSO:
fast-slow-fast

1. Fast – is usually energetic and

determined, displaying the contrast
between the soloist and tutti.
2. Slow – is quieter than the first,
usually intimate at romantic.
3. Fast – is dynamic and lively,
sometimes dancelike.
The first and last movements of the concerto
grosso are frequently in ritornello forms.

- Ritornello Form is a form characterized by

an alternation between the tutti and soloists
in the orchestra.
 Baroque Orchestra
-The orchestra was small, consisting of around thirty
players.
-There was varied use of woodwind, brass,
percussion.
- The trumpet had difficult melodic lines to be
performed in a high register. Because of this difficulty
in playing, the trumpet player was the star of the
Baroque orchestra.
 Fugue
• It is one of the highlights of Baroque Music.
• From a Latin word fugere meaning “to flee”.
• Is a contrapuntal piece that can be used for
voices, group of instruments, or single
keyboard istruments.
• Is polyphonic in texture based on one primary
theme called a subject.
• Melodic lines in fugue:
SOPRANO, ALTO, TENOR, BASS
 TOCCATA
• Is a composition for keyboard instruments

COUNTERPOINT
• Consists of two or more melodies played at the
same time that establish a harmonic relationship.
 Invention and Prelude
• Invention was the name given by Bach to
pieces of small dimensions written in rather
loose fugal imitation.
• Various free styles and forms called preludes
were combined with a contrasting strict fugue.
 ORATORIO
• Oratorio came after the name of a church
room called the oratory where prayers were
offered.
• In one of the churches in Rome, a parish priest
named Father Philip Romolo Neri (1515-1595)
paved the way for the first oratorio.
 CANTATA
• Derived from the Italian word cantare
meaning “to sing”.
• It is similar to oratorio except that it is short
lyrical form dealing with a secular or sacred
theme.
• Oftentimes, is written for a small number of
performers.
 Baroque Keyboard Music
• ORGAN Primary keyboard instruments of
• HARPSICHORD the Baroque Period.
CHORDS AND THE BASSO CONTINUO
• Chords became more important during the
Baroque period.
• The bass served as the foundation of the
harmony.
• The new emphasis on chords and the bass
part that gave a new characteristic feature in
this period is called basso continuo or figured
bass.
 JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685-1750)
-Was heir to the polyphonic art of the
past.
-He is the culminating figure of Baroque
music and one of the titans in the
history of Western music.
-He was born at Eisenach, Germany.
-He came from a family of musicians
that had supplied musicians to the
churches and town bands of the region
for almost a century and a half.
 George Frideric Händel (1685-1759)
• Was a German born composer.
• Studied works of Italian opera composers
and applied some of their styles to his
own.
• He lived and studies in Italy to learn the
style.
• He moved to London and became a
British citizen and stayed there for the
rest of his life.
• He did not only write opera but also
created oratorios and performed them.
• His world famous piece is the “Hallelujah
Chorus” from his oratorio Messiah.
 Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
• Was a virtuoso violinist, prolific
composer, and a teacher.
• Known as the “Red Priest”
because of his red hair.
• Vivaldi’s music became widely
known and performed
throughout Europe.
• Today, Vivaldi is perhaps best
known for The Four Seasons.
The end.