Baroque Period

Baroque Period1600-1750

Architecture

Painting

SacredSecular Court musicians

TonalityMajorMinorModal

OrchestraViol familyViolin familyFlutes/RecordersOboesBassoonsHornsTrumpetsKettle Drums/ TimpaniHARPSICHORD!

OperaCamerata: words shouldnt be obscuredSimple melody lines, bass line, chords on topStagedMonteverdi, Orfeo

OratorioSacredUnstaged, no costumesRecitatives, arias and chorusesHandel, Messiah

SuiteCollection of dance movements

Allemande: 4/4, moderate tempo

Courante: 3/2 or 6/4 moderately fast

Sarabande:1 2 3, slow

Gigue/Jig: usually in compoud time

Minuet. Bouree, Gavotte, Passepied

ConcertoNew development3 movementsSoloist and OrchestraVivaldi and Telemann

Concerto GrossoGroup of soloists and orchestraHarpsichord continuoBach Brandenburg ConcertiVivaldi

FugueProfile of instrumental music raisedContrapuntal, based on imitation

Main subject begins, imitated at timed intervals by other partsMain subject recurs throughout piece in different instruments, and in different keys

ContinuoBass line played throughout a piece of musicBassoon or cello

Ground BassRepeated tune in bass linePlayed many timesPurcell, Dido and Aeneas

Features of the StyleTerraced dynamicsMelodies built from short, one-bar motifs instead of longer phrasesDriving sense of rhythmHighly ornamented