I chose Louis Couperin- Prelude from Suite in C Major. After listening to the music, it almost sounds like he’s warming up before he goes into virtuosic piece. A prelude is a brief keyboard piece that is either an independent composition or it’s an introduction to another piece. They almost sound like an improvisation piece. (Ferris, pp. 127-128, 2014)
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)
The earliest references date back to about 1400 and the oldest harpsichords date back from the 1500’s and it was during that time that the mechanism had been perfected. (http://www.philharmonia.org/learn-and-listen/baroque-instruments/harpsichord/)
It became very popular throughout Europe, Italy, Flander, France, Germany and England. There were different configurations for keyboards, foot pedals, and hand stops. The cases that housed the mechanisms were often exquisite work which featured inlays, paintings and other decorations. (http://www.philharmonia.org/learn-and-listen/baroque-instruments/harpsichord/)
The demand for the harpsichord was steady until the 18th century when it was replaced by the fortepiano. The transition was complete by the ear...
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...and a heavier case and also a very slender and responsive spruce soundboard. The Italian makers made only single-manual instruments that were very light in construction and very little string tension. (http://www.ukpianos.co.uk/harpsichord-history)
Sometime around the middle of the 16th century is when the first music was written specifically for a solo harpsichordist. There were a lot of harpsichord composers during the Baroque era in Italy, Germany and France. The most favorite genres for harpsichord compositions were the dance suite, the fantasia and the fugue. The harpsichord was widely used in the basso continuo style which is a function that was maintained in opera well into the 19th century. In the 18th century the harpsichord was considered to have advantages and disadvantages with respect to the piano. (http://www.ukpianos.co.uk/harpsichord-history)
Daum, Gary. "Chapter 12 The Baroque Era (1600-1750)." Georgetown Prep. 1994. Georgetown University. 12 July 2005 .
Batrolomeo Cristofori brings the piano into the musical arena around 1709 in Florence, Italy. One of Cristoforis previous instruments, the harpsichord, actually brought about the idea of the piano. Cristofori wanted to develop a more dynamic instrument, because the harpsichord had such a small dynamic range. His answer to that problem was the ‘gravicembali col piano e forte,’ which meant harpsichord with soft and loud. This long name was shortened to pianoforte, and then eventually forte was dropped, and now these modern instruments are known as pianos. As the keeper of instruments in Prince Ferdinand’s court in Florence, Cristofori reinvented the harpsichord into the piano. The actual date that he created the piano is unknown, but
In the Baroque period, the performance venue usually was within churches and courts. These locations were not built to suit instrumental performances, and were more of just a venue to perform more than a designed venue like there is in the 21st century. Starting...
Antonio Stradivari, a man known by many as on of the greatest luthiers of all time. The question at hand is why? From as early as the early 1700’s Stradivari was well known in the music world and still is. His instruments are reproduced in order to fool consumers into buying an instrument that has the same design as a Strad. There are also luthiers that try to replicate Stradivari’s beautiful design for their own satisfaction. Antonio Stradivari’s instruments have become socially and technically popular over time due to his superior craftsmanship, and for others, its large price tag. Stradivari’s life, affecting how his instruments were made, changed the perception of his instruments technically and socially.
The next logical step in this evolutionary chain was as sure as a spoiled child’s demands. Now that I have what I want I want more of it. Thus came the psaltery (diagram 2). The psaltery was a great leap fourth from the monochord. It was a small trapezoid shaped box with many strings stretched over it. However unlike the monochord the psaltery did not have movable bridges to change the pitch while playing and furthermore these bridges were much more like the bridges of modern string instruments. The psaltery was played by picking the strings (which were obviously tuned to different pitches) with the fingers or with a pick. This was an extremely popular instrument in the Middle Ages but as the music got more complicated and simple accompaniment wasn’t enough it was soon swallowed by progress.
Due to the different eras between the Harpsichord and the Piano, a significant difference in their design, function and role is presented. In order to understand how each instrument developed, an analysis of each era needs to be provided first.
<td width="50%">Baroque OrchestrasClassical OrchestrasString section and basso continuo central to the orchestra. Other instruments are occasional additions.Standard group of four sections: strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion. Different instruments treated individually.Fairly small; generally 10- 40 players.Larger than baroque; great variation to the numbers of players.Flexible use of timbres, e.g. Timpani and trumpets used generally just for festive music.Standardised sections. Most sections used regularly.Tone colour is distinctly secondary to other musical elements.Greater variety of tone colour and more rapid changes of colour. Timbre is unimportant and therefore a piece written for harpsichord could easily be rearranged for a string section.Each section of the classical orchestra has a special role. And each instrument is used distinctively.Wind instruments mainly used as solo instruments or as part of the basso continuo.The wind section had become a separate unit capable of contrast and distinct colour.The harpsichord generally plays an ostinato under the orchestra. Piano not invented.The piano introduces a third colour-tone to be contrasted with the orchestra
The major classes of musical instruments used in the High and Late Renaissance include plucked strings, bowed strings, brass, double reeds, other winds, keyboards, and percussions (McGee, 1985). Lutes, drums, and trumpets were often used, but the instruments that were especially popular during the Renaissance include the bass viol, treble viol, viola, violin, tenor sackbut, cornetto, bass sackbut, curtal, tenor shawm, bass recorder, and harpsichord (McGee, 1985).
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.
Gottfried Silbermann, a German keyboard builder who was already famous for his accomplished work on the clavichord, took Cristofori’s design and improved it. Although Silbermann and Cristofori were both keyboard makers, Silbermann had further knowledge of mechanical systems which allowed him to advance Cristofori’s design. Silbermann was friends with J. S. Bach, who would deliver critiques on the newest mechanical tests Silbermann was working on at the time. Bach thought that the keys were too heavy to the touch, and that the high notes were too quiet (Sartorius). Piano designs up until this point resembled the harpsichord which are now called grand pianos. Later mechanical improvements fixed the sensitivity of the keys and the tonality of the higher notes. Accordingly the work on the piano continued well past Gottfried Silbermann’s time and ended up blossoming in
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.
Sartorius, Michael. Baroque Music Perormance: "Authentic" or "Traditional": A discussion of the essential issues involved. Ed. Micahel Sartorius. n.dat. Baroque Music Pages. [17 October 2003] .
Music has shaped the lives of people throughout history. Even in its earliest forms, music has included use of instruments. One of the oldest musical instruments known is a variation of the flute; the original flute is thought to date back nearly 67,000 years ago. Tonight we are going to move throughout the eras with a history of instrumental music. This concert will begin with the Renaissance Era and continue through time until we have reached modern instrumental music.
While Baroque art is almost its own style, one can compare it to the styles of Renaissance and Neoclassicism. In terms of music, it is believed that Baroque brought about new music styles, including Cantatas, Operas, Canons and Concertos. It is said that the Baroque period ended in 1750, at the time of Bach’s death. How was society back in the Baroque era? Well for starters all countries (in Europe) were run by a monarchy.
Baroque is nowadays mainly famous for the French baroque era and due to Louis XIVs palace in Versailles. During the 1700s, rulers were anxious to show off with their power and wealth, which was fully accomplished by the time Versailles was finished.