Baroque Music: A Comprehensive Guide
The Baroque Period (1600-1750)
Chronology
The Baroque period spanned the 17th and the first half of the 18th century. It began with the premiere of the first opera, Euridice by Jacopo Peri, in 1600 and concluded with the death of Johann Sebastian Bach in 1750.
Social Scene
The power of kings increased to absolutist proportions, granting monarchs total control over their nations.
Artistic Scene
The term “Baroque” initially described something exaggerated or extravagant. Baroque art emphasized movement, contrasts, detail, and ornamentation. Music served the European monarchies, aristocracy, and the Church, reflecting their power. Composers worked under commission or catered to patrons’ preferences, rather than creating freely. This era introduced the first castrati, male singers with voices reaching female pitches due to pre-pubescent castration, and celebrated instrumental virtuosos who mastered vocal and instrumental techniques.
Profane Vocal Music: The Opera
The Birth of Opera
Opera originated in Florence in the early 17th century within the Camerata Fiorentina, a circle of intellectuals. They aimed to recreate Greek theatre by combining poetry, music, and dance. Jacopo Peri’s Euridice (of which only fragments survive) is considered the first opera. Claudio Monteverdi’s Orfeo, with its rich instrumental and vocal development, established the genre’s structure and is considered the first great opera. During this period, nearly all composers (except J.S. Bach) wrote operas. In Spain, a popular form called zarzuela emerged, blending singing and spoken dialogue with a folk character. It takes its name from the Palacio de la Zarzuela in Madrid, where these performances first took place.
Characteristics of Opera
Opera resembles a play where actors sing instead of speaking. It incorporates theatrical elements alongside musical components like orchestras and choirs. Its main parts include:
Vocal Parts
- Aria: Expressive melodies for emotional texts.
- Recitative: Declaimed text (between singing and speaking) for passages requiring faster action development.
- Choirs: Songs performed by a group of singers.
Instrumental Parts
- Overture: Instrumental introduction at the beginning of the piece.
- Interludes: Musical sections connecting different parts.
- Ballets: Occasional danced parts.
Religious Vocal Music
Religious music remained significant during the Baroque era. The Protestant church continued cultivating the motet and the mass. However, new forms like the cantata, oratorio, and passion emerged, emulating the grandeur of opera.
Cantata
A cantata is a multi-movement work for orchestra, choir, and soloists, comprising a sequence of recitatives and arias. Initially a secular form, it was later adopted for religious music. J.S. Bach, with over 200 religious cantatas, is the most renowned composer in this genre.
Oratorio
An oratorio can be considered a religious opera without staging, more elaborate and longer than a cantata. It introduces a narrator who develops the plot. George Friderich Handel is the most representative composer, with his Messiah being the most famous oratorio.
Passion
A passion is an oratorio depicting Christ’s suffering and death. The narrator, called the Evangelist, recounts the events in a recitative style. J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion and St. Matthew Passion are the most well-known examples.
Instrumental Music
Suite
A suite is a multi-movement instrumental form consisting of a sequence of dances of different characters. While the number and order of dances can vary, the most common Baroque suite structure is:
- Allemande: Binary meter, slow tempo
- Courante: Ternary meter, fast tempo
- Sarabande: Ternary meter, slow tempo
- Gigue: Ternary meter, fast tempo
Suites can be written for a solo instrument or an entire orchestra (e.g., J.S. Bach).
Sonata
A sonata is a multi-movement form typically divided into four sections with contrasting tempos (slow and fast). It can be composed for a solo instrument, a duo, or a trio.
Concerto
A concerto is a multi-movement form with three contrasting movements. Depending on the instrumental arrangement:
- Concerto Grosso: Features a group of soloists (concertino) and the orchestra (tutti).
- Solo Concerto: Showcases a single solo instrument.
Fugue
A fugue is a single-movement polyphonic composition for a solo instrument or multiple instruments. It involves the development and imitation of a theme (the subject) throughout the work. J.S. Bach’s fugues for clavichord and organ are particularly celebrated.
Composers
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
A deeply religious composer, Bach had over 20 children with his two wives, some of whom became musicians themselves. He was more recognized as an organist during his lifetime than as a composer.
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Handel, a German composer, explored all musical genres of his time and spent most of his life in England, where he composed the majority of his works.
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
Monteverdi’s work marked the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque period. He developed the basso continuo technique and wrote one of the earliest operas, Orfeo, a groundbreaking work that remains the earliest surviving opera.
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Vivaldi was a Venetian Baroque composer, virtuoso violinist, teacher, and cleric. Born in Venice, he is considered one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence extended throughout Europe. His most famous work is The Four Seasons, a set of four violin concertos.