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Development of instruments during the baroque period
Baroque period music
Baroque period music
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Solo Concerto & Concerto Grosso
The Baroque period of European musical history falls between the late Renaissance and early Classical periods, roughly between 1600-1750. The era of Baroque music was an age of spectacular process of knowledge, this was the age of the scientific discoveries of Galileo and Newton; a new era of intellect, art and music, which shaped modern day Europe. Music from the Baroque period is the earliest European music which is still recognized by many today. Most of the musical instruments which were introduced during the Baroque period are still around and in use today. In this particular period of time, music was commonly an orchestral desire as not many solo artists, like today, were around. Baroque music was such
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Vivaldi created a piece of music in 1723 called 'The Four Seasons' which still remains today as one of the most amazing pieces of music ever created. Handel and Bach also created spectacular pieces of music for orchestras. Baroque music was usually very religious, but with this came such a beautiful combination of instruments which played together to create somewhat mind-blowing pieces of music. Baroque music tends to have a few stylistic elements, two of them being continuo and ornamentation. Both of these concepts consisted of the difference between what the composer wrote down and what the performer played. Continuo is also found within Baroque music. Continuo consisted of a harpsichord and a cello, providing the rythmic and harmonic foundation of the Baroque ensemble. A concerto is a "large-scale compsition" between a soloist (or group of soloists) and an orchestra, found in Baroque music. The soloists alternate, playing along with or alongside the larger ensemble to create opposition and contrast. Solo-concertos often have brilliant and technically demanding passages for the soloist to play. Ritornello is often found in solo …show more content…
Concerto Grossos are also found in Baroque music. They were characterised by contrast between a small group of soloists and the full orchestra. A concerto grosso is very similar to that of a solo concerto as it may contain a ripieno, although concerto grossos do not have to stick to a strict amount of movements, as you do in a solo concerto. However, although very alike, both concepts have differences. For example, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, solo concertos tend to stick to what is known as
The Baroque style of music was in prominence from the beginning of the 17th century until the mid-18th century. Some primary features of this style, particularly in the later years, include an emphasis on polyphonic textures and a continuity throughout the entire piece. Most compositions were created for specific events and sometimes written for particular instruments. (Kamien, 2015). The Trumpet Concerto for 2 Trumpets, composed by Antonio Vivaldi, is one example of these late Baroque style compositions and one we can use to analyze: the common elements, the overall effect, and the composer’s possible perspective.
The harpsichord was very detrimental to the Baroque era. The harpsichord is a piano like instrument that is plucked instead of hit with a hammer and it has a distinctive sound. When a harpsichord key is depressed, a small piece called a plectrum plucks a string above the soundboard which produces a distinctive sound. As soon as the key is released, a very tiny piece of felt falls to stop the vibration which causes the sound to stop. The tones of the harpsichord cannot last for more than a brief moment, unlike that of a piano or organ. The sound from a harpsichord is associated with the baroque era. (Ferris, pp. 36, 2014)
This research deals with the Baroque style of the seventeenth and early eighteenth century and its influence on French courts and culture, and how the French court exemplified this style. Many studies have been done on this style period, and it still has a strong influence art and interior design today. The Metropolitan Museum of art has countless articles pertaining to this time period and fashion, and Karla Neilson references its influence in her book about interior textiles. This iconic style took hold of Europe and would be in vogue for more than one hundred years. France became a powerhouse of Baroque style and with the help of its monarch at the time, Louis XIV, helped it establish its place in history.
He produced over five hundred concertos for almost every combination of instruments including solo, trio sonatas, instrumental sinfonias and an impressive body of sacred music which included oratorios, masses and motets. He also composed 46 operas and 73 sonatas in addition to chamber music and sacred music. Twenty-one of his operas have made their way to today, but their full artistic and dramatic power is yet to be determined. Vivaldi's highly distinctive and recognizable musical style had a profound impact on many contemporaries and future composers. One of them was Giuseppe Tartini. His greatest influence was in the development of the concerto. Vivaldi has been credited with inventing or at least regularizing "ritornello form." This usually employed fast movements in which a "refrain" played by the full ensemble alternates with freer, modulatory episodes played by the solo instruments. Vivaldi’s deft coordination of melody and harmony was much admired by Johann Sebastian Bach who absorbed the Italian style through his study and transcription of his concertos and trio-sonatas. This influence is particularly apparent in Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. Other distinctive elements of Vivaldi's style included a fluid alternation of major and minor tonalities, a highly progressive use of dissonance and rich harmonies, and an innate melodic gift particularly in slow movements. His vocal music has been criticized for perfunctory text-setting and violinist vocal writing, but there are examples of great skill and inspiration in this genre such as his Gloria or Magnificat and his virtuosic and highly expressive motets for solo voice. Vivaldi was unquestionably a master orchestrator who explored the idiomatic potential of the many instruments for which he wrote. The Four Seasons for example, not only illustrates his skills in writing for the virtuoso violinist, but also his ability to depict extra musical or programmatic ideas in a manner that
<td width="50%">Baroque Concerto FormClassical Concerto Form Concerto grosso (use of string orchestra set against a number of solo instruments) is the most popular concerto form of this period. Other forms include The ripieno concerto and the solo concerto.Symphony form develops from baroque concerto forms and becomes the new form. Shorter movements than classical form.Concerto longer than baroque from. Fairly strict structure and prerequisites, e.g. Traditional ritornello form, virtuostic displays etc.More freedom and experimentation with traditional form. First movement has solo passages extending into long sections; alternated between four or five ritornello sections. First movement constructed in a variant of ritornello form with a double exposition. Violin is preferred concerto solo instrument although the harpsichord becomes more and more popular throughout the century.The newly prominent piano tak...
Baroque era covers the period between 1600 and 1750 beginning with Monte Verdi (birth of opera) and ended with deaths of Bach and Handel. The term baroque music is borrowed from the art history. It follows the Renaissance era (1400-1600). It was initially considered to be a corrupt way of Renaissance by conservatives. The dominant trends in Baroque music correspond to those in Baroque art and literature. Some features of Baroque art included a sense of movement, energy, and tension (whether real or implied). Strong contrasts of light and shadow enhance the effects of paintings and sculptures. Opera is one of the types of music in the Baroque era. It represented melodic freedom. Baroque era was usually referred to as the thorough-bass period. In early Baroque era no tonal direction existed, but experiments in pre-tonal harmony led to the creation of tonality. [1] Baroque genre included instrumental suite, ritornello, Concerto grosso and chant. There were important composers of the Baroque period such as Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Antonio Vivaldi William Byrd Henry Purcell and George Phillip Telemann. Starting in northern Italy, the hierarchical state -- led by either the urban bourgeoisie or despotic nobles -- replaced the fluid and chaotic feudal system of the middle Ages. [2] For this reason, some historians refer to the Renaissance as the Early Modern Era. Sculptors, building on the techniques of artists such as Giovanni Bernini (1598-1680), found ways to create the illusion of energetic and even violent movement in their works. Painters created larger and more crowded canvases. Virtuosity was used in all the arts. The arts became an important measure of learning and culture. Music moved from the science of number to an expressive art viewed as an equal to rhetoric.
The Baroque Period was a very unique time period when the arts flourished, especially music. New techniques and ideas began to become more prominent during this time and changed the rules of how music was being written. Also, new composers appeared and gave their own input and style to Baroque music. However, one of the most prolific and well known composer during this time was Johann Sebastian Bach. It is also no surprise that he was an excellent musician and composer. Bach was born into a life of music. Musicians had been in his family for generations and continued with him, his siblings, and his children. However, he was one of the more well-known musicians in his family. His music became very prominent and defined an era. People from all
Unlike the concertos of the baroque period, the classic era mainly emphasized the solo concerto. The choice of solo instrument, however, was somewhat broader then in the baroque era. There was more of a trend during the classical period towards keyboard concertos. This style was originated in North Germany, by C.P.E. Bach, and gradually spread to other areas. Mozart took the concerto to its greatest heights. "His incomparable ability to weave the complex strands of the concerto fabric without entangling or obscuring either soloist or orchestra has never been surpassed.
The classical example of a concerto form is a sonata with an orchestral accompaniment for an instrumental soloist. The classical concerto form generally consists of three movements, with the first being fast, second slow, and the third fast. The exposition of the concerto would be, “a double exposition played first by the orchestra alone and then with the soloist. The orchestral exposition presents all of the thematic material,” This would continue throughout the piece. Cadenzas were also used to give the soloist an opportunity to show off. During this time period, “it was customary to improvise the cadenzas at the performance.”
Over the past several years, some amateur musicians have developed specific ideas about 'correct' performance practice of Baroque music. In an essay concerning the issues of Baroque music performance, Michael Sartorius notes that:
During the Baroque period, most symphonies were used in operas, sonatas, and concertos because they were usually involved with a larger piece of music to make the music longer or to have a piece of music that can be smoothly integrated in the larger piece of music. This type of music was originated in the 18th century from opera sinfonia. This kind of music was made up of a fast, slow, and dance-like movement that everyone would see when they went to see an opera, cantata, and a suite. Unlike sinfonias which can be “played in less than ten minutes, a classical symphony can take thirty or more minutes to play an entire work of music” (Green, par.2). Throughout the 18th century, the symphony changed forms from a three-movement form to a four-movement form. The three-movement form was a fast, slow, and then fast movement. The four-movement form was an opening sonata or allegro, slow movement, a
The Four Seasons composed by Vivaldi was one of the earliest examples of program music and was also the most famous of all his concertos. Vivaldi wanted to depict the various seasons in the four concerti in Italian. When you listen to the Four Season, you feel as though he has created a whole another atmosphere with its own feelings. He seems to have used only the four major instruments that are usually present in an orchestra, which are the violin, viola, cello and bass, to depict this atmosphere effortlessly.
The baroque period was known for its “unity of mood” and lasted from 1600 to 1750. The classical period was known as the “age of enlightenment” and lasted from 1750 to 1820. Music in the baroque period was composed to order for specific events and important dates while music in the classical period was created for freelance musicians. Rhythm between both periods differs greatly, in the baroque period the rhythm was steady, regular, and constant, while in the classical period the rhythm provided variety and contrast with its unexpected pauses and frequent changes between notes. Dynamics between both periods are vastly different as well, during the baroque period the dynamics would change suddenly rather than gradually and during the classical period they could change either gradually or suddenly. Tone color of the baroque period consisted of the use of the basso continuo, however, in the classical period, the basso continuo ended and instead, wind and brass instruments were used to provide contrast. Melodies of the baroque period were often complex and hard to remember, unlike the classical period where they were the melodies were tuneful and easy to remember. In both, the harmonies were based on major and minor scales, however, in the classical period dissonance was used to provide
A huge misconception with classical music is that it is all categorized into one big group. There are actually four main musical periods of classical music. They are the Baroque, classical, romantic, and the modern eras. The first major era of classical music is the Baroque era. This period started around 1600 and ended around 1750. The Baroque time period was particularly important as it was a foundation for classical music to develop and grow. Many musical forms were created and developed as well. Some examples are the sonata, the concerto, and the fugue. There were many well know composers who lived in this time period as well, including Vivaldi, Handel, Telemann, Lully, Corelli, and the arguably most important Johann Sebastian Bach. J.S.
The Baroque era presented music that experimented with different textures and harmonies. Composers of this era had a way of intertwining old and new styles. Composers were given the option of constructing an acapella or concerto scoring. The concerto scoring could be enhanced with independent instrumental parts that worked to complement instead of double the