BAROQUE MUSIC

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BAROQUE MUSIC
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Baroque

• DATES
• BAROQUE

The Baroque period stretches roughly from 1600 to
1750 (coincides with the death of J.S. Bach.)
From the Portuguese word barroco meaning an
ornamented piece of jewellery. First used to
describe the highly decorative style of
architecture at the time.
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Fingerprints of musical style

• Early Baroque composers favour a light,
  homophonic musical texture melody plus simple
  chordal accompaniment but before long, there is
  a return to polyphonic (contrapuntal) textures.
• The basso continuo, or figured bass, becomes the
  musical foundation for most types of piece
  providing a purposeful bass-line (sometimes a
  walking bass) making the music move steadily
  onwards.
• The same musical mood is usually kept throughout
  an entire piece.
• The violin family takes over from the viols the
  orchestra begins to take shape, with the string
  section as a firm basis always with keyboard
  continuo (harpsichord or organ) filling out the
  harmonies above the figured bass and decorating
  the musical texture.

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Fingerprints 2

• The system of modes falls out of use by the end
  of the 17th century music is now based on major
  and minor scales.
• Typical forms used by Baroque composers binary,
  ternary (including the da capo aria), rondeau,
  variations (including the ground bass, chaconne,
  passacaglia), ritornello form, fugue.
• Main types of Baroque music
• vocal chorale, recitative and aria, opera,
  oratorio, cantata
• instrumental Italian overture, French
  overture, toccata, prelude, chorale prelude,
  dance suite, trio sonatas (sonata da camera,
  sonata da chiesa), concerto grosso, solo
  concerto.
• Often, energetic rhythms drive the music forward
  melodies are frequently long and flowing, and
  decorated with ornaments (eg appoggiaturas,
  trills) contrasts (particularly in concertos),
  of instrumental timbres, of few instruments
  against many, of loud contrasted against soft
  (terraced dynamics, sometimes echo effects),
  and blocks of sound of different timbres (eg
  strings and wind alternately, then together).

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Instruments-Harpsichord

• A harpsichord is the general term for a family of
  European keyboard instruments, including the
  large instrument nowadays called a harpsichord,
  but also the smaller virginals and the spinet.
• All these instruments generate sound by plucking
  a string rather than striking one, as in a piano
  or clavichord. The harpsichord family is thought
  to have originated when a keyboard was affixed to
  the end of a psaltery, providing a mechanical
  means to pluck the strings.

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Baroque Orchestra

• Typical features include
• Strings to which composers would add 1 or 2
  flutes (or recorders), oboes, bassoons, perhaps
  horns, occasionally trumpets and kettle drums.
• Organ or harpsichord continuo to build up chords
  on a bass line (figured bass),
• Effects of contrast- dynamics and textures.
• Ribbons of sound- oboes and trumpets against
  strings, or
• Blocks of sound- contrasting groups- strings then
  wind then tutti (all) resulting in terraced
  dynamics rather than crescendo or diminuendo.

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Baroque Orchestra

• The Baroque Orchestra is the earliest example of
  a true orchestra which came into existence in the
  mid-late 1600s. Its origins were in France where
  Jean-Baptiste Lully added oboes (hautboys) and
  transverse flutes to his vingt-quatre violons du
  Roy. As well as violins and woodwind, the baroque
  orchestra would have still contained continuo
  instruments such as the harpsichord or theorbo
  (lute). The new-fangled instrumentation and
  orchestration soon spread to the rest of Europe
  and soon became the standard solo instrumental
  grouping.

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Typical forms used by Baroque composers

• Binary (AB)
• Ternary (including the da capo aria) (ABA)
• Rondo (ABACADA)
• Variations (including the ground bass, chaconne,
  passacaglia)
• Ritornello form
• Fugue

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Main types of Baroque music

• VOCAL OPERA, ORATORIO, chorale, recitative and
  aria, cantata
• INSTRUMENTAL CONCERTO GROSSO, SOLO CONCERTO,
  FUGUE, Italian overture, French overture,
  toccata, prelude, chorale prelude, dance suite,
  trio sonatas (sonata da camera, sonata da
  chiesa),

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OPERA

• Opera refers to a dramatic art form, originating
  in Italy, in which the emotional content or
  primary entertainment is conveyed to the audience
  as much through music, both vocal and
  instrumental, as it is through the lyrics. From
  the beginning of the form (about 1600), there has
  been contention whether the music is paramount,
  or the words
• The drama is presented using the primary elements
  of theatre such as scenery, costumes, and acting.
  However, the words of the opera, or libretto, are
  customarily sung rather than spoken. The singers
  are accompanied by a musical ensemble ranging
  from a small instrumental ensemble to a full
  symphonic orchestra.

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ORATORIO

• An oratorio is a large musical composition for
  orchestra, vocal soloists and chorus. It differs
  from an opera in that it does not have scenery,
  costumes, or acting. Oratorio closely mirrored
  opera in all ages in musical style and form,
  except that choruses were more prominent in
  oratorio than in opera. The peak period for
  composition of oratorios was the 17th and 18th
  centuries.
• Most oratorios from the common practice period to
  the present day have biblical themes, but a
  number of composers, notably George Frideric
  Handel, wrote secular oratorios based on themes
  from Greek and Roman mythology. Whether religious
  or secular, the theme of an oratorio is meant to
  be weighty, and can include such topics as the
  creation of the world, the life of Jesus, or the
  career of a classical hero or biblical prophet.

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CONCERTO GROSSO

• The concerto grosso (plural concerti grossi)
  (Italian for big concert) was a popular form of
  baroque music using an ensemble and usually
  having four to six movements in which the musical
  material is passed between a small group of
  soloists (the concertino- little ensemble) and
  full orchestra (the ripieno- filling).
• Other major composers of concerti grossi were
  Georg Friedrich Händel, who expanded the ripieno
  to include wind instruments. Several of the
  Brandenburg Concerti of Johann Sebastian Bach
  also loosely follow the concerto grosso form,
  notably the 2nd Concerto, which has a concertino
  of recorder, oboe, trumpet, and solo violin.

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SOLO CONCERTO

• In classical music, the word concerto (pl.
  concerti or concertos from the Italian concerto,
  which means concert) is a label for a piece in
  which a small musical group and a large musical
  group are given distinct roles, with the smaller
  group to the fore.
• The most common kind of concerto pairs a solo
  instrument with a full orchestra. The term also
  implies the musical form of a piece, as most
  pieces called "concerto" have three movements, of
  which the first is typically in sonata form and
  the last typically a rondo.
• The term apparently arose in the beginning of the
  17th century, and came to describe chiefly
  compositions which bring unequal instrumental or
  vocal forces into opposition.

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Ritornello form

• In both types of concerto, movements are built
  up in ritornello form.
• The music starts off with the ritornello (little
  return) played by the ripieno group (tutti
  meaning all) with the soloist(s) joining in.
  This is the main theme and it returns at various
  points throughout the movement. It may reappear
  in full or in shortened form.

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Ritornello structure

• Between appearances of the ritornello there are
  contrasting sections of music called episodes.

Ritornello Tutti Episode1 Soloist(s) Ritornello Tutti Episode2 Soloist(s) Ritornello Tutti
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FUGUE

• In music, a fugue is a type of contrapuntal
  composition. It begins with a theme stated by one
  of the voices playing alone. A second voice then
  enters and plays the same theme, while the first
  voice continues on with a contrapuntal
  accompaniment. The remaining voices enter one by
  one, each beginning by stating the same theme.
  The remainder of the fugue develops the material
  further using all of the voices and, usually,
  multiple statements of the theme.
• Middle and late Baroque composers such as
  Dieterich Buxtehude (16371707) and Johann
  Pachelbel (16531706) contributed greatly to the
  development of the fugue, and the form reached
  ultimate maturity in the works of Johann
  Sebastian Bach (16851750).

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IDENTIFY THE FORM

• 1)
• 2)
• 3)
• 4)
• 5)

CONCERTO GROSSO
ORATORIO
FUGUE
OPERA
SOLO CONCERTO
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What is ornamentation?

• In music, ornaments are musical flourishes that
  are not necessary to the overall melodic (or
  harmonic) line, but serve to decorate or
  "ornament" that line. They are performed as "fast
  notes" around a central note. The amount of
  ornamentation in a piece of music can vary from
  quite extensive to relatively little or even
  none.
• In the baroque period, it was common for
  performers to improvise ornamentation on a given
  melodic line. A singer performing a da capo aria,
  for instance, would sing the melody relatively
  unornamented the first time, but decorate it with
  additional flourishes the second time.

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Trill

• The trill is a musical ornament consisting of a
  rapid alternation between two adjacent notes of a
  scale (compare tremolo).
• In modern musical notation a trill is generally
  indicated with the letters tr above the trilled
  note. This has sometimes been followed by a
  squiggly line, and sometimes in the past, the
  squiggly line on its own was used. The following
  two notations are equivalent

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Trill

• The usual way of executing a trill is to rapidly
  alternate between the note indicated and the note
  directly above it in the given scale

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Acciaccatura

• From the Italian word acciaccare, "to crush" The
  acciaccatura, is perhaps best thought of as a
  shorter, less melodically significant type of
  ornament. It is written using a grace note (often
  a quaver, or eighth note), with an oblique stroke
  through the stem

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Acciaccatura
The exact interpretation of this will vary
according to the tempo of the piece, but the
following is possible
Main types of ornaments - ACCIACCATURA
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TURN
A short figure consisting of the note above the
one indicated, the note itself, the note below
the one indicated, and the note itself again. It
is indicated by a mirrored S-shape lying on its
side above the staff. An inverted turn (the note
below the one indicated, the note itself, the
note above it, and the note itself again) is
usually indicated by putting a short vertical
line through the normal turn sign, though
sometimes the sign itself is turned upside
down. If the turn symbol is placed directly above
a note, it is performed exactly as outlined
above. If it is placed between two notes,
however, the note before the symbol is played,
then the turn, and then the following note. So
the following turns
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TURN
might be played like this
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MORDENT
The mordent is thought of as a rapid single
alternation between an indicated note, the note
above (called the upper mordent) or below (called
the lower mordent or mordent) the indicated note,
and the indicated note again. The upper mordent
is indicated by a short squiggle the lower
mordent is the same with a short vertical line
through it
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MORDENT
As with the trill, the exact speed with which the
mordent is performed will vary according to the
tempo of the piece, but at moderate tempi the
above might be executed as follows
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APPOGGIATURA
From the Italian word appoggiare, "to lean upon"
The appoggiatura is important melodically and
often suspend the principal note by taking away
the time-value of the appoggiatura prefixed to it
The added note (the unessential note) is one
degree higher or lower than the principal note.
The appoggiatura is written as a grace note
prefixed to a principal note and printed in small
character, usually without the oblique stroke
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APPOGGIATURA
This would be played as follows
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Baroque composers
Vivaldi
J.S. Bach
A.Scarlatti
Handel
D. Scarlatti
Telemann
Purcell
Couperin
Monteverdi
Rameau
Corelli
Lully
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J.S. Bach 1685-1750

• J.S. Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany. He came
  from a long family history of professional
  musicians including church organists and
  composers.
• Johann Sebastian Bach was a prolific German
  composer and organist whose sacred and secular
  works for choir, orchestra and solo instruments
  drew together the strands of the baroque genre
  and brought it to its ultimate maturity.
• Although he introduced no new forms, he enriched
  the prevailing German style with a robust
  contrapuntal technique, a control of harmonic and
  motivic organisation from the smallest to the
  largest scales, and the adaptation of rhythms and
  textures from abroad, particularly Italy and
  France.
• Many people consider him to be the greatest
  Baroque composer, and one of the greatest
  composers of all time. He was one of the leading
  figures, along with the likes of George Frideric
  Handel, in the transition from baroque to
  Classical music

Mass in B minor Brandenburg Concertos St Matthew
Passion St John Passion Suites (English,
French) 48 Preludes and Fugues Christmas
Oratorio Solo Concertos Organ Works Cantatas
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G.F. Handel 1685-1759

• He was a German/British Baroque composer who
  was a leading composer of concerti grossi, operas
  and oratorios.
• Born in Germany as Georg Friedrich Händel he
  lived most of his adult life in England, becoming
  a subject of the British crown in 1727.
• His most famous piece is Messiah, an oratorio
  set to texts from the King James Bible other
  well-known works are Water Music and Music for
  the Royal Fireworks. He deeply influenced many of
  the composers who came after him, including
  Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, and his work helped
  lead the transition from the Baroque to the
  Classical era.

Oratorios- Messiah Acis and Galatea 14
Operas-incl. Lotario Ariodante, Alcina and
Rodelinda. Water Music Royal Fireworks 18 Organ
Concertos 12 Concerto Grossi Sonatas and Suites.
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Monteverdi 1567-1643

• His work marks the transition from Renaissance to
  Baroque music. During his long life he produced
  work that can be classified in both categories,
  and he was one of the most significant
  revolutionaries that brought about the change in
  style. Monteverdi wrote the earliest dramatically
  viable opera, Orfeo, and was fortunate enough to
  enjoy fame during his lifetime.

Operas- Orfeo, Arianna Motets Madrigals Vespers
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Alessandro Scarlatti 1659-1725

• Italian composer who had written his first opera
  by the age of 12.
• He was especially famous for his operas and
  chamber cantatas. He is considered the founder of
  the Neapolitan school of opera. He was the father
  of two other Baroque composers, Domenico
  Scarlatti and Pietro Filippo Scarlatti.
• The first composer to strongly differentiate
  between the singing styles of aria and recitative
  and used advanced harmonic procedures for the
  time.
• Credited with popularising the Da Capo Aria form.

Opera- Pompeo Cantatas- over 600 6 Concerto
Grossi Oratorios
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Domenico Scarlatti 1685-1757

• He was an Italian composer and harpsichordist.
  He was extremely influential in the development
  of keyboard music, especially in Spain, Portugal
  and England, through his individual style.
• A harpsichord virtuoso from a young age, he
  revolutionised keyboard technique. First to use
  rapid arpeggios, repetition of the same note and
  the crossing of hands.
• He wrote a lot of works with a Moorish/ Arabic
  flavour as the result of living in Portugal and
  Spain for long periods of his life.

Over 500 harpsichord sonatas. 14
Sinfonias Harpsichord Concerto
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Telemann 1681-1767

• He was a German composer, and organist.
  Self-taught in music, he studied law at the
  University of Leipzig. The most prolific composer
  of his era, he was a contemporary of Johann
  Sebastian Bach and a friend of George Frideric
  Handel. While in the present day Bach is
  generally thought of as the greater composer,
  Telemann was widely renowned for his musical
  abilities during his lifetime.
• Telemann traveled widely, absorbing various
  musical styles and incorporating them into his
  own compositions. He is known for writing
  concertos for unusual combinations of
  instruments, such as multiple violas or trumpets.
• He held a series of important musical positions,
  culminating in that of music director of the five
  largest churches in Hamburg, from 1720 until his
  death in 1767. He was succeeded by his godson
  Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.

Opera- Pimpone (46) St Luke Passion St Mark
Passion St Matthew Passion 1043 Cantatas Over 25
Solo Concertos Over 600 Suites
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Corelli 1653- 1713

• Italian composer, teacher and violinist.
• His playing and composing were an influence on
  Bach and he taught Vivaldi.
• He is known as The father of Concerto Grosso
  for his work in defining the style.
• Despite being influential he was not a prolific
  composer.

12 Concerto Grossi 5 sets (of 12) Trio Sonatas
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Purcell 1659-1695

• English composer and organist.
• He is generally considered to be one of England's
  greatest composers indeed, he has often been
  called England's finest native composer. Purcell
  incorporated Italian and French stylistic
  elements but devised a peculiarly English style
  of Baroque music
• Composed an enormous amount of theatrical music
  for plays including The Fairy Queen, a masque for
  A Midsummer's Night Dream, King Arthur and Indian
  Queen.
• One of his favourite styles of writing was the
  Ground Bass.

Opera- Dido and Aeneas 15 Fantasies Trio
Sonatas Anthems- My heart is inditing for James 2
Coronation
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Vivaldi 1678-1741

• Italian priest, composer and violinist.
• He is one of the composers credited with helping
  the Baroque style evolve into the Classical style
  by his use of harmonic contrasts and innovative
  melodies and themes.
• Bach was deeply influenced by his concertos and
  arias and transcribed many of Vivaldi's works for
  harpsichord.
• He was an extremely prolific composer.

Over 500 Concertos 46 Operas 73 Sonatas Oratorios
and sacred music The Four Seasons
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Lully 1632-1687

• Italian born French composer, guitarist,
  violinist and dancer.
• Spent most of his working life in the service of
  Louis 14th where he composed ballets and later
  operas. He transformed the often stately court
  dances into lively, rhythmic affairs and added
  many instruments to the orchestra of the time.
• He favoured variation forms such as Passacaglias
  and Chaconnes.

Opera- Atys Ballets Dance Suites
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Rameau 1683-1764

• Composer, organist and harpsichordist
• He was one of the most important French composers
  and music theorists of the Baroque era. He
  replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant
  composer of French opera, and was attacked by
  those who preferred Lully's style.

Operas Ballet Music Pieces de Clavecin (for
harpsichord)
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Francois Couperin

• François Couperin (born in Paris November 10,
  1668 died September 12, 1733 in Paris) was an
  esteemed French Baroque composer, organist and
  harpsichordist. François Couperin was known as
  "Couperin le Grand" (Couperin the Great) to
  distinguish him from the other members of the
  musically talented Couperin family because of his
  immense virtuosity on the organ and the
  harpsichord.
• He was indebted to Corelli whose Trio Sonata form
  he introduced to France.
• J.S. Bach was an admirer of his harpsichord
  technique and compositions.

Harpsichord and organ works Suites
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QUIZ

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  INTERACTIVE QUIZ.
• JUST CLICK ON THE ANSWER AND FIND OUT IF YOU ARE
  RIGHT.

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• Italian composer, teacher and violinist. 1653-
  1713
• He is known as The father of Concerto Grosso
  for his work in defining the style.

TELEMANN HANDEL COUPERIN PURCELL VIVALDI LULLY J.S
.BACH A.SCARLATTI RAMEAU MONTEVERDI D.SCARLATTI CO
RELLI
12 Concerto Grossi
45
TELEMANN HANDEL COUPERIN PURCELL VIVALDI LULLY J.S
.BACH A.SCARLATTI RAMEAU MONTEVERDI D.SCARLATTI CO
RELLI
1688- 1733 Baroque composer, organist and
harpsichordist. Harpsichord and organ works Suites
46
TELEMANN HANDEL COUPERIN PURCELL VIVALDI LULLY J.S
.BACH A.SCARLATTI RAMEAU MONTEVERDI D.SCARLATTI CO
RELLI
He was an Italian composer and harpsichordist.
1685- 1757
Over 500 harpsichord sonatas. 14
Sinfonias Harpsichord Concerto

• He wrote a lot of works with a Moorish/ Arabic
  flavour as the result of living in Portugal and
  Spain for long periods of his life.

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TELEMANN HANDEL COUPERIN PURCELL VIVALDI LULLY J.S
.BACH A.SCARLATTI RAMEAU MONTEVERDI D.SCARLATTI CO
RELLI
1681- 1767
Opera- Pimpone (46) St Luke Passion St Mark
Passion St Matthew Passion 1043 Cantatas Over 25
Solo Concertos Over 600 Suites
48
1659-1695
TELEMANN HANDEL COUPERIN PURCELL VIVALDI LULLY J.S
.BACH A.SCARLATTI RAMEAU MONTEVERDI D.SCARLATTI CO
RELLI

• Composer and organist.
• One of his favourite styles of writing was the
  Ground Bass.

Opera- Dido and Aeneas 15 Fantasies Trio
Sonatas Anthems- My heart is inditing for James 2
Coronation
49
1567-1643
TELEMANN HANDEL COUPERIN PURCELL VIVALDI LULLY J.S
.BACH A.SCARLATTI RAMEAU MONTEVERDI D.SCARLATTI CO
RELLI
His work marks the transition from Renaissance to
Baroque music.
Operas- Orfeo, Motets Madrigals Vespers
50
1659-1725
TELEMANN HANDEL COUPERIN PURCELL VIVALDI LULLY J.S
.BACH A.SCARLATTI RAMEAU MONTEVERDI D.SCARLATTI CO
RELLI

• Italian composer who had written his first opera
  by the age of 12.
• Credited with popularising the Da Capo Aria form.

Opera- Pompeo Cantatas- over 600 6 Concerto
Grossi Oratorios
51
1632-1687
TELEMANN HANDEL COUPERIN PURCELL VIVALDI LULLY J.S
.BACH A.SCARLATTI RAMEAU MONTEVERDI D.SCARLATTI CO
RELLI

• Spent most of his working life in the service of
  Louis 14th where he composed ballets and later
  operas. He transformed the often stately court
  dances into lively, rhythmic affairs and added
  many instruments to the orchestra of the time.
• He favoured variation forms such as Passacaglias
  and Chaconnes.

Opera- Atys Ballets Dance Suites
52
1685-1750
TELEMANN HANDEL COUPERIN PURCELL VIVALDI LULLY J.S
.BACH A.SCARLATTI RAMEAU MONTEVERDI D.SCARLATTI CO
RELLI
Mass in B minor Brandenburg Concertos St Matthew
Passion St John Passion Suites (English,
French) 48 Preludes and Fugues Christmas
Oratorio Solo Concertos Organ Works Cantatas
53
1683-1764
TELEMANN HANDEL COUPERIN PURCELL VIVALDI LULLY J.S
.BACH A.SCARLATTI RAMEAU MONTEVERDI D.SCARLATTI CO
RELLI

• Composer, organist and harpsichordist

Operas Ballet Music Pieces de Clavecin (for
harpsichord)
54
1685-1759
TELEMANN HANDEL COUPERIN PURCELL VIVALDI LULLY J.S
.BACH A.SCARLATTI RAMEAU MONTEVERDI D.SCARLATTI CO
RELLI
Oratorios- Messiah Acis and Galatea 14
Operas-incl. Lotario Ariodante, Alcina and
Rodelinda. Water Music Royal Fireworks 18 Organ
Concertos 12 Concerto Grossi Sonatas and Suites.
55
1678-1741
TELEMANN HANDEL COUPERIN PURCELL VIVALDI LULLY J.S
.BACH A.SCARLATTI RAMEAU MONTEVERDI D.SCARLATTI CO
RELLI
Over 500 Concertos 46 Operas 73 Sonatas Oratorios
and sacred music The Four Seasons
56
Quiz

• What is a concerto grosso?
• What is a solo concerto?
• What is an oratorio?
• What is an opera?
• What is a fugue?