The Baroque

J.S. Bach

The Baroque period lasted from 1600-1750. The composers were influenced by the ancient Greeks. The affections, rationalized emotional states or passions in which the Greeks believed, were used as the basis for their works. Compositions depicted emotions like anger and fear. A composition depicted one affection which was the unifying aspect of the piece. Certain musical figures came to stand for ideas or emotions.

The music had harmonically based counterpoint, a diatonic or chromatic melody, and planned, deliberate harmony, which was created through chord progressions based on the principles of key tonality. The major-minor key tonality system was developed late in the Baroque. Modern time signatures, barlines, measures and clef signs also began to be developed.

Instrumental music gained more importance, as composers began to write specifically for instruments. The main types of instrumental compositions were the sonata, the suite, and the concerto. Violins and instruments in the violin family became very popular. Some of the finest violins ever, such as Stradivari’s and Guarneri’s, were built during this time.

“One of the most important new musical developments in the seventeenth century was the origin, growth, and dissemination of opera.” (Stolba) The first opera, Dafne, was composed in 1594. It, like other early operas, used recitative for narratives and fast passages. The recitative was used between soliloquy-type songs.

Today, Vivaldi, Bach and Handel are the most famous composers of the Baroque. Vivaldi wrote numerous concertos, which are his most important contribution. His most famous work is the Four Seasons. Johann Sebastian Bach came from a musical family. He is one of the most important composers of all time. He composed music in almost all genres; he wrote secular and sacred music. He composed fugues, theme and variations, organ chorales, chorale preludes, harpsichord partitas, sonatas, suites, cantatas and Passions. He wrote for numerous instruments and had an understanding of the range and capabilities of the instruments for which he wrote. He liked to use symbolism in his works. For example, he put an alphabetical, numerological signature in some of his pieces. He also made suggestions that led to the improvement of the forte piano. George Frideric Handel is most famous for his oratorio, the Messiah. Handel created the English oratorio; the innovation being that it was in English rather than Italian. However, his “career was principally in the field of opera.” (Stolba) Other famous pieces of his are Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks. He composed four anthems for the coronation of George II; for every subsequent British coronation at least one of these anthems has been played.