Baroque Era Research Paper

Essay Topic:

The Baroque era was a period of development and innovation in the field of music. Give a detailed description of three music genres that developed during this time period. Describe the stylistic characteristics of these new Baroque music genres as well as the names of composers and titles of compositions that represent them. The Baroque genres you can write about include opera, oratorio, cantata, organ chorale, concerto, and concerto Grosso.

Concerto Grosso, is a common genre of orchestra of the Baroque timeframe (c.1600-c.1750), this style of music characterized by soloists and the orchestra. Some early works from the Concerto Grosso reflect the locations where they played. Examples include concerto da

Opera is performed in a dramatic fashion by musicians and singers alike. Opera combines text as well as a musical score that will normally take place in a theater. Traditional opera, there are multiple types of singing which include recitative and arias. Opera has many parts that make it popular amongst an audience. Opera can include acting, scenery, costumes and will sometimes include a dance component. Composers of the Opera/Baroque era did more to be more concise in their scores. More so then composers of music prior to this era. Utilizing instruments that paired well with each scene of the opera catering to the emotional tone of the performance. A time progressed individual instruments were becoming more modern and carried distinct but favorable sounds to accompany the opera. Opera of the Baroque era was greatly influenced in many ways both musically as well as non-musically. Opera began to rise in the latter stages of the 16th century, it was derived from a previous style of Italian music where an individual vocalist recited the primary melody while “background singers” or “musicians” accompanied the main vocalist with cohesive melodies or tones. A story in an Opera would include multiple songs performed in a manner which aligned with the tone or nature of the story. Concurrently, Roman and Greek literature was increasingly becoming more popular during the Renaissance. This led to the rejuvenation of classic Greek drama that included musical elements. The first piece of Opera that is widely considered to be an Opera was Daphne. Daphne, composed by Jacob Peri c.1597. This came during the transition of the Baroque era. Claudio Monteverdi, the firs composer of Baroque era opera composed L’Orfeo in 1607 which at the time was his first