The Baroque Era1600-1750

Baroque Culture

• DefinitionsPortuguese for “irregularly-shaped” pearl

• Geographical Centers

England France Germany

The Times

• Science– Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)

• Laws of gravity• Calculus

Sir Isaac Newton

• Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)

• Movement of the planets• Foundation of astronomy

• Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)

Johannes Kepler

Galileo Galilei

• René Descartes (1596-1650)

– Analytical geometry– Applied scientific principles to philosophy– Applied methods of mathematics to the study of what

humans think and feel– Believed that human emotions could be classified in

the same way scientific phenomena are classified (Doctrine of Affections)

René Descartes

William Gilbert (1544-1603)• Properties of electricity

Sir William Harvey (1578-1657)• Circulation of the blood

Robert Boyle (1627-1691)• Chemistry

• Inventions

• Politics – Age of Absolute Monarchs

Charles II of England

Frederick II of Prussia

Louis XIV of France

Phillip IV of Spain

• Religion– Roman Catholic– Protestant– New Religions

• Deism– Influenced by the advances in scientific knowledge– Operated on reason alone without supernatural

manifestations– Ethan Allen, Thomas Payne, Thomas Jefferson,

Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, James Madison

• Everyday life in the Baroque

– Institutions with power• Court• Church

– Aristocratic Life

– Middle and Lower Class Life

Visual Arts

• Architecture– In the Renaissance:

simple, straight lines and detail

Bramante – St. Peter’s Cathedral Brunelleschi – Florence Cathedral

– In the Baroque: ornate, extravagant, showy

St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican

Palace of Versailles, Paris

• Painting

– Emotionally charged– Dramatic subjects– Contrast; play

between light and shadow

• Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

Self-PortraitAssumption of the Virgin

• Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669)

Self-PortraitThe Night Watch

• Sculpture– Strong light and dark

contrasts– Dramatic tension– Subjects are never still but

moving, struggling, twistedGian Lorenzo Bernini

Self-Portrait

Apollo and Daphne Louis XIV Ecstasy of St. Theresa

Age of Paradox/Contrasts

• Church ↔ State• Monarchy ↔ Bourgeoisie

• Aristocracy ↔ Affluent Middle Class• Importance of Religions ↔ Rise of Secular

• Scientific Research ↔ Superstition, Witchcraft

• Importance of humanity ↔ Religious Persecution

Music’s Response to Paradox/Contrast

• Vocal ↔ Instrumental

• 8 Church Modes ↔ Tonality (Major, minor)

• Sacred Music ↔ Secular Music

• Polyphonic Texture ↔ Homophonic Texture

The Composer’s Life

• Patronage System

• Church ↔ Court

• Deterioration of the Patronage System

• Other Music Achievements:– Audience of the common people– Development of music for its own sake

Music of the Baroque

• Doctrine of Affections

• Elements of Music– Melody

• Long, instrumental in conception• Use of sequences• Monothematic• Use of ornamentation

– Harmony• Tonal• Use of Major and minor scales

– Rhythm• Metric• Motoric

– Texture• Homophony and Polyphony equal in importance (Late

Baroque)• Thorough Bass or Basso Continuo

– Form• Binary• Ternary• Fugue• Ritornello

– Dynamics• Terraced• Not written into the score

– Timbre• Vocal• Instrumental

Keyboard Instruments

Pipe Organ

Painted Organ Pipes

Harpsichord

String Instruments

Viol Family

Lute

Stradivarius Violins

Guarnerius ViolinComposite of String Instruments

Woodwind Instruments

Recorder Family

Wood Flute

Early Clarinets

Oboe da Caccia

Brass Instruments

Long Trumpet

Trombones

Percussion Instruments

Kettledrums

Vocal Genres• Opera

– Began as court entertainments in Italy– Includes a story (libretto), solo singing, choral singing, dancing,

costumes and sets– Forms: recitative, aria , chorus

Claudio Monteverdi(1567-1643)

Orfeo, 1607

Tu se’ morta

• Cantata– Short, unstaged operas (secular and sacred)– Used operatic forms (recitative, aria, chorus)– Sacred cantatas often based on a chorale

Johann Sebastian Bach(1685-1750)

Cantata 140: Wachet Auf, 1731

Awake, A Voice is Calling Us

First Movement: Chorus and Orchestra

Fourth Movement: Tenor Chorale

Wachet Auf

• Oratorio– A sacred, large-scale opera

– Always based on a biblical story

– No staging or constuming

– Larger role for the chorus

– Uses opera forms (recitative, aria, chorus)

George Frideric Handel(1685-1759)

Messiah, 1741

Recitative: The Voice of Him

Aria: Every Valley Shall Be Exalted

Chorus: Hallelujah

“Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah (1741)

• Perhaps one of the world’s most famous choral pieces

• Text is from the Revelation of St. JohnHallelujah!

For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth

The kingdom of this world is become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ

And he shall reign for ever and ever

King of Kings and Lord of Lords

Hallelujah!

• Combines monophonic, polyphonic and homophonic textures

Instrumental Genres

• Dance Suite– Originally a series of dances played for dancing– By the Baroque, suites became independent instrumental pieces no longer

intended for dancing– Usually contained four dances– Often unified by key– Differed by tempo and international background– Used binary form

J.S. Bach

Suite No. 3 in D Major, 1729-1731

Air

Bourée

Gigue

• Sonata– Originally a “sound piece” for one instrument – Became a chamber music genre in the Baroque (from 2 to 6

players)– Four movements: fast, fast, slow, fast– Trio sonatas were popular

Arcangelo Corelli(1653-1713)

Trio Sonata in A Minor, Op. 3, No. 10 (1689)

First Movement

• Concerto Grosso– “friendly contention”

– Contrasts a larger ensemble (ripieno or tutti) with a solo group (concertino)

– Three movements: fast, slow, fast

– Often uses ritornello form

Antonio Vivaldi(1678-1741)

Spring Concerto The Four Seasons, 1725

First Movement: Allegro

Spring has come, and joyfully,The birds greet it with happy song.

And the streams, fanned by gentle breezes,Flow along with a sweet murmur.

Covering the sky with a black cloak,Thunder and lightning come to announce the season.

When these have quieted down, the little birdsReturn to their enchanting song.

Ritornello Form

Vivaldi - Spring Concerto, Allegro

• Keyboard Music– Organ and harpsichord

– Often paired a “free” piece with a contrapuntal fugue [Prelude and Fugue]

– Toccata: added elements of virtuosic “touch” keyboard technique

J.S. Bach

The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, 1722

Prelude and Fugue in c minor

J.S. Bach – Fugue in g minor, BWV 578

Composers

• Johann Sebastian Bach

• George Frideric Handel

• Antonio Vivaldi

• Henry Purcell

• Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677)

• Elizabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre (1667-1729)