Introduction to Baroque Era Music

Baroque

The word Baroque is used to describe music that was made from about the year 1600 to 1750. The word ‘baroque’ is funny to say…Ba-Row-k…think of a sheep rowing a boat: Baa-ROW-k.

What is Baroque music like?

During this time period, composers wrote music in a certain style.

During the Baroque era, music was perfectly structured. Composers came up with all sorts of rules that they had to follow in order to make music. After they followed the rules, they decorated their music with ornaments like scales and trills.

Composers liked to add volume changes to their music. They wrote some parts that used very loud dynamics, and some parts that used very soft dynamics. Before this time, music was played without much dynamic change.

Where did musician work?

Baroque composers often worked in churches as organists and choir directors. They wrote music, like cantatas that were to be performed during church services.

Some composers worked for royalty or people who were very rich. These people, called patrons, would contract musicians to write music only for them. These were the best jobs for musicians to have because the pay was steady, and the musicians were usually treated well by the patrons.

Other composers worked in opera houses where they created music that told stories about myths and legends and featured the talents of the opera singers.

The Composers

There are many composers who wrote music during the Baroque era. Three of the most famous are…

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759). He was originally from Germany but moved to England to write music for royalty.

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741). He was a violin player and wrote a famous piece of music called The Four Seasons.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). He was the greatest composer of the age. He was a masterful organ player who wrote an enormous amount of music for both the church and for royal patrons.