Baroque

Baroque Info

1600-1750 Baroque-Key Features

1600-1750 Baroque-Genres,Context,Composers

Baroque Composers

Baroque Period - Melody

General characteristics of melodies in the Baroque period

Melodies moved from being based on modes to major or minor scales. This took place over a long period of time, but by the end of the Baroque period the 12-key system that we know today was established.
Melodies were based on motifs, which were often repeated and developed.
Melodies became longer - especially those of Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederick Handel - and ends of phrases merged into the starts of new ones.

Motif

An example of a motif being central to a movement of work is in the third movement of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. The opening phrase - and excerpts from the phrase - can be heard throughout the movement.

Melodic devices

Sequence

Sequences were often used in Baroque melodies. This was one way composers made melodies longer. An example of a sequence can be found in the ground bass of Henry Purcell’s Music for a While. The four-quaver motif rises four times and is the foundation of this haunting piece of music.

Sequences can also be found in the first movement of Antonio Vivaldi’s Spring from The Four Seasons. At bar 48, the solo violin plays a virtuosic arpeggiated idea. This is repeated as an ascending sequence until it becomes a descending sequence starting in bar 53.

Imitation

Imitation is commonly used in Baroque melodies, particularly because a lot of the music was fugal, ie written in the style of a fugue. The opening of the third movement of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 is a good example of this. Many of the choruses in Handel’s Messiah also contain examples of imitation, including “And the glory of the Lord” and “And he shall purify”.

Ornamentation

Trills, mordents and turns were often used in Baroque melodies. These can be found in the solo violin part of the first movement of “Spring” from The Four Seasons by Vivaldi.

Baroque period - Harmony and tonality

General characteristics of harmony and tonality in the Baroque period

Music throughout the early to mid-Baroque was composed using modes. The move to establishing a system of 12 major and minor keys took place within the mid- to late Baroque period. By the end of the Baroque, moving into the early Classical period, composers were writing music in keys not modes.
Chords were usually diatonic - major or minor - with the occasional use of chromaticisms to give added ‘colour’ to chords.
The use of ground bass was common in many compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederick Handel.

Tonality

The development of equal temperament enabled the 12 major and minor keys to be established. This was the most significant thing to happen to the tonality of Baroque music.

Harmony

The chords used in major and minor tonalities were also major or minor - or diatonic.

Ground bass

The use of ground bass was common in the Baroque period. Composers would use a ground bass to structure their music. They made the harmonies above the ground bass change, and the placement of the phrases also varied. One of the most well-known examples of a ground bass is in “Dido’s Lament”, from Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas.

Henry Purcell’s Music for a while also contains a ground bass.

Passacaglia

The passacaglia is a type of composition which contains a ground bass. Bach wrote many such pieces, particularly for organ. Listen to this example.

Baroque period - Structure

A number of forms were developed in the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

Structures in the Renaissance period were mainly based on the text being used. Religious music was written to be sung by choirs in churches. It often took the form of masses or motets. The congregation would not have sung at all. Outside the church, the madrigal was a popular song form and there were also many types of dance music, eg the galliard or the pavane.

Binary form - AB

Binary form has two sections. It was commonly used by Baroque composers - especially in dances. Binary form also followed some conventions in terms of tonality:

Section A - begins in the tonic key, ends in the dominant key and is usually repeated.
Section B - begins in the dominant key and returns to the tonic key.

Ternary form - ABA

Ternary form is made up of three sections. It was commonly found in the minuet and trio in Baroque dances. It then evolved into a movement within the Classical symphony. The repeat of section A is not always exact, but is very close to the opening section.

Ritornello form - ABACA

In ritornello form, the section A returns between each new section. It was commonly used in the Baroque period. The ritornello section - A - would often return in keys related to the tonic, for example, the dominant or the relative minor. If the original section was long, it would often return in a shortened version. The sections between the ritornello sections are called episodes. Ritornello form evolved into rondo form in the Classical period. Ritornello form can be found in many concerti grossi, such as Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos.

Da capo aria - ABA

This was a common form found in several types of vocal music including operas by composers such as George Frederick Handel and oratorios - perhaps the most famous is Handel’s Messiah. A da capo aria is one where the voice returns to the top of the movement (da capo) and repeats the first section of the music. It was common for the soloist to add ornamentation when the first section was repeated. “He was despised” from Handel’s Messiah is an example of a da capo aria.

Ground bass

A ground bass is a repeated bass line over which harmonies and melodies change. Ground bass was popular in Baroque music. An example can be found in Henry Purcell’s Music for a While or “Dido’s Lament” from Dido and Aeneas.

What is Baroque Music?

https://www.baroque.org/baroque/whatis

Baroque Music Intro - Music Appreciation site - interactive w/listening examples

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/musicappreciation_with_theory/chapter/introduction-the-baroque-era-j-s-bach-2/

Introduction: Baroque Opera, Cantata, Oratorio, G. F. Handel

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/musicappreciation_with_theory/chapter/introduction-baroque-opera-cantata-oratorio-g-f-handel/

Introduction: Baroque Instrumental Music, A. Vivaldi

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/musicappreciation_with_theory/chapter/introduction-baroque-instrumental-music-a-vivaldi/