The Baroque Era

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The Baroque Era

• c.1600-1750

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Portuguese for Pearl

• Referring to the ornate architecture, art,
  melodies.
• This period saw many new ideas and innovations

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Characteristics of Baroque Music

• Unity of Mood a piece usually expresses one
  mood or affection
• Rhythm
• patterns are repeated through out
• the beat is emphasized
• Melody repeated, ornamented
• Use of Diatonic chords of I,IV,V,II,VI

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Characteristics of Baroque Music continued

• Terraced Dynamics
• alternation between loud and soft dynamics
• organ and harpsichord could not crescendo

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Musical textures

• Monophonic
• Homophonic
• Polyphonic

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Ornaments

• Trill
• Turn
• Mordent
• Acciaccatura/Appoggiatura
• Grace note

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Basso Continuo

• Common type of accompaniment
• Bass line with improvised chords
• cello or bassoon on bass
• harpsichord or organ on harmony

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Basso continuo
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The Baroque Orchestra

• small (10 to 40 players)
• basso continuo and violin family strings
• brass, woodwinds and percussion used
  occasionally, but vary from piece to piece.
• tone color was subordinate to the melody, rhythm
  or harmony

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Music in Baroque Society

• Music written to order demand for new music.
• Main source of diversion in the courts of the
  aristocracy.
• Music Directors job
• Pay and prestige were high
• compositions were performed
• Still a servant of the patron

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Music in Baroque Society

• Church musicians
• earned less than the court and lower status
• supplemented with weddings and funerals
• Town musicians
• Opera houses

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Important composers

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
• George Frederick Handel (1685-1759)
• Henry Purcell (c.1659-1695)
• Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

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George Friderick Handel
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George Frideric Handel

• b. Halle, Germany (one month before Bach) in 1685
• Devoted his life to music from age 18
• First Opera Rodrigo- was performed in 1710
• Appointed Kapellmeister to Elector Georg Ludwig
  of Hanover (Later becoming George I of England)
• Promoted with George I to Royal Composer

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Handel in London

• Favorite of Queen Anne
• Wrote Water Music in 1717
• English Oratorios after failure of Italian Opera
• Blind - from cataracts
• Died in 1759 and Buried in Westminster Abbey

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Handel - Music

• Instrumental
• suites
• organ concerti
• concerti grossi
• Vocal Music
• 39 Italian operas
• Oratorios (mostly in English)

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The Oratorio

• a large-scale composition for chorus, vocal
  soloists, and orchestra
• uses choruses, arias, duets, recitatives, and
  orchestral interludes
• chorus acts as commentary
• last approximately 2 hours

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The Oratorio

• Set to a narrative text
• No acting or scenery
• Based on the Bible
• Originally performed in prayer halls called
  oratorios

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Handel - Oratorios

• generally Old Testament
• for the paying public, not church
• have plots, but no scenery or acting
• chorus is the focus

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Listening Messiah

• lasts 2 1/2 hours
• composed in 24 days
• Premiered in Dublin, Ireland in 1742 as a benefit
  for people in debtor's prison
• later tradition as London orphanage benefit
  concert
• Only one to use New Testament verses

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Messiah - Three Acts

• Part 1
• Prophesies telling of the coming of Christ
• His Birth

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Easter

• Part 2
• The Passion of Christ
• Set mainly to words from the Old Testament

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Pentecost

• Part 3
• The Resurrection

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Pentecost

• Part 3
• The Resurrection

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Structure of an Oratorio

• Recitative
• Aria
• Chorus

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And the Glory of the Lord

• Idea 1

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And the Glory of the Lord

• Idea 2

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And the glory of the Lord

• Idea 3

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And the glory of the Lord

• Idea 4