Baroque School And The Baroque Era

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The Effect of the Venetian School and its Composers on the Music of the Baroque Era
Introduction
The Venetian school of the sixteenth century firmly influenced many composers from all musical genres after the renaissance. In term “venetian-school” refers to composers who were active in the city between 1550 and 1610 and whose creative musical accomplishments are the reason why Venice became a significant cultural centre in the sixteenth century (Димитриу, 2012). The Venetian music school whose style was cori spezzati, was popular in Europe at the time and the development of monody as well as the development of the opera marked the end of renaissance and the beginning of baroque (Димитриу, 2012). Composers such as Adrian Willeart, Adrian Gabrieli and Giovani Gabrileli were instrumental in producing new époque associated with baroque era (Perkins, 1999). This paper will discuss how Venetian school and its composers influenced the music of baroque era.
The baroque period emerged after composers rebelled against musical styles that were common during high renaissance. The renaissance is thought to be from 1420 to 1600 and it was a time of remarkable cultural awakening in arts and sciences throughout Europe (Kamien, 2010). This was also a time of increased humanism, a condition that led to the break of sacred music from the boundaries of the church for the first time (Sherrane, 2012). Additionally, a group of composers trained in the Netherlands mastered the art of polyphony from where they played sacred music (Sherrane, 2012). Secular music thrived during the renaissance period and vocal, dances as well as instrumental music were performed in profusion.
The baroque, named after a famous ornate of the time was a period t...

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...ed the style of music that was common during the renaissance period. The Baroque era was one that articulated harmony and mood all through the composition. Initially, music was polyphonic in nature, but it later changed during the baroque period to be more harmonic. Venice became the core of musical bustle and with the development of opera music; an unrestricted opera house was constructed within the city. St. Mark’s Basilica developed into an essential site for melodic experiments. Music composition played a significant function in Baroque society since it served as musical expression for creative composers, a basis of entertainment for the upper class, an occupation for composers and a brief escape from habits of daily life for the public. Baroque era instigated a society that appreciates music, not only at the upper class level but middle class level as well

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