Baroque Part II

1
Baroque Part II
The Rise of Instrumental Music
2
Background

• For a long period of time, all instrumental music
  was improvised similar to todays Jazz music
  
• In the late renaissance, instrument builders
  began gathering a higher reputation
  
• Instruments were built and organized into
  Consorts or groups (i.e. Soprano, Alto, Tenor,
  Bass divisions of Recorders / Strings / Brass
  etc.)
• Many of the vocal works of the renaissance were
  transcribed into works for instruments.
  
• The history of dance music, would prevail as the
  main source for instrumental music inspiration.

3
Baroque Style

• Rhythm
• Systematic
• precise
• exciting
• energetic
• Steady
• Clear
• Harmonic Rhythm

4
Baroque Style

• Dynamics
• Subtle
• steady
• dependant on the number of instruments playing
• terraced dynamics p and f
• Tone Colour
• bright
• dynamic
• (would not work well with voices)

5
Baroque Style

• Melody
• Long, twisting
• huge range (high to low)
• frequent leaps far different than renaissance
  melody
  
• Texture
• Mix of Homophony and Polyphony
• Form
• Ritornello form.
• Key, mode, harmony
• Major and Minor scales firmly in place
• functional harmony systematic use of chord
  progressions, whereby each choir plays a specific
  role in relation to a tonic chord.
  

6
Baroque Style

• The Baroque standardized
• Rhythm
• Dynamics (terraced dynamics)
• Tone colour
• Melody
• Texture
• Harmony
• FORM

7
Review of Form

• Aspects of Form
• Exact Repetition A A or A
• Variation A A
• Contrast A B
• Return A B A
• Exact repetition cannot create the interest
  needed to sustain a piece of music.

8
Review of Form

• Variation extremely important in musical
  composition. Plays with your memory gives you
  something familiar, but changes it to sustain
  your interest
• Contrast most profound different melodies
  new material. Gives a piece of music
  personality. Can be overdone, too confusing if
  there are to many.
• Return prominent in most musical forms.
  Repetition after contrast, gives music a feeling
  of completion.
  
• Imitation requires two melodic lines
  (polyphony), whereas repetition requires only one.

9
Ritornello Form

• Created in the Baroque Era used in many
  instrumental genres in particular the concerto
  
• A repeated theme or main idea (Ritorno
  Return) is alternated with new melodic ideas.
  
• The Ritornello is often varied throughout the
  work to add interest.

10
The Concerto

• Concerto
• The most important orchestral genre of the
  baroque era
  
• from the Italian Concetare to contend. In
  this case, a contest between solo and orchestra.
  
• Naturally Contrast comes into play with two
  different forces.
  
• soloist(s) showcases in improvisational roles,
  and demonstrations of virtuosity.
  
• Concerto Grosso
• Contest between full orchestra, and a smaller
  group of instrumental soloists.
  
• Concertino soloists Tutti full orchestra.

11
Ritornello Form and the Concerto

• The alternation between full orchestra and
  soloist sets itself up well to Ritornello Form
  
• Ritornello Solo 1 Ritornello Solo 2
  Ritornello Solo 3 Ritornello Solo 4 etc
  
• The Ritornello sections would be heard by the
  full orchestra