February 4, 2011 in Baroque Music by admin
Baroque Music – A Popular European Style of Classical Music
Baroque music is a well-known European style of classical music. The word ‘Baroque’ originated from the heavily ornamented architectural style that was popular during the era 1600 to 1750. It is a widely enjoyed music that expresses a single mood integrated with the musical language signifying love and warmth of different people. The musical pattern used at the beginning of a composition is repeated throughout the whole piece.
History:
Baroque music basically is a wide range of musical styles adapted from different geographic regions. It was in 1919 that the five characteristics of the Baroque theory was first attempted to be included in music. Now several musical concepts and terms developed from the renaissance and classical era is still being used. The history of the music can be classified into three different phases:
Early Baroque phase from 1600 to 1640:
The early 17th century witnessed the development of Baroque monody in which melody was provided to a single voice or instrument accompanied with the device ‘bass continuo’. Bass continuo comprises of a bass instrument and keyboard commonly used in both vocal and instrumental melody. During this period, music composers favored homophonic musical texture over polyphony. Since, the general belief among composers was that words could be projected in an effective manner with the use of a single melody complemented with harmonic or choral instrument. Caludio Monterveradi was the first composer to create the recitative style of music in Italy which also led to the making of opera.
Middle Baroque phase from 1640 to 1680:
In this era, free sheet music was nonexistent. New thoughts and ideas of music developed which spread from Italy to other countries worldwide. Both media and business establishments also established an international audience for different types of musical works. The knowledge of music was designed to be educated in a precise and organized manner. Further, the importance of instrumental music was also introduced. Some of the major contributions of music composers belonging to the Baroque period include Arcangelo Corelli for his achievements on developing varying techniques in the use of the string instrument, violin. Henry Purcell, a contemporary genius produced an array of musical tones while Dietrich Buxtehude presented music in an entrepreneurial manner.
Late Baroque phase from 1680-1750:
The late period launched Baroque music and its various forms to the world. Besides this, several facets of harmony were also produced. During this phase, instrumental music dominated over vocal music. Concerto grosso represented the leading form of key instruments. This period also led to the creation of the now popular entertainment shows oratorios and operas. The leading composers of this phase include Antonio Vivaldi, George Frideric Handel, Jean-Phillipe Rameau and Johann Sebastian Bach.