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Baroque

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  • Braulio Kshlerin
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Meaning of Baroque in Music

Baroque music refers to a period and style of Western classical music that was composed from approximately 1600 to 1750. The term "baroque" comes from the Portuguese word "barroco," which means "misshapen pearl". Initially, the term was used in a derogatory manner by nineteenth-century critics who found the music of the Baroque era to be overly ornamented and exaggerated. However, it has since shed its negative connotations and is now used as a convenient catch-all for one of the richest and most diverse periods in music history.

Characteristics of Baroque Music

Baroque music is characterized by several distinct features. Some of the key characteristics include:

1. **Ornamentation**: Baroque music is known for its elaborate ornamentation, which involves the embellishment of melodies with trills, turns, and other decorative elements.2. **Contrast**: Baroque compositions often feature sharp contrasts in dynamics (volume) and tempo (speed), creating dramatic and expressive effects.3. **Polyphony**: Baroque music frequently employs polyphony, which is the simultaneous combination of multiple melodic lines. This creates intricate and complex textures.4. **Basso continuo**: A prominent feature of Baroque music is the use of a basso continuo, which consists of a bass line played by a bass instrument (such as a cello) and a keyboard instrument (such as a harpsichord) that provides harmonic support and fills in the harmonies.5. **Terraced dynamics**: Baroque music often utilizes terraced dynamics, where the volume abruptly shifts between loud and soft without gradual transitions.

Major Composers of the Baroque Era

The Baroque period produced many influential and celebrated composers. Some of the most notable composers of the Baroque era include:

- Johann Sebastian Bach: Bach's compositions are considered masterpieces of the Baroque period. His works span various genres, including organ music, choral music, and instrumental music.- George Frideric Handel: Handel was a German-born composer who achieved great success in England. He is renowned for his operas, oratorios, and instrumental compositions.- Antonio Vivaldi: Vivaldi, an Italian composer, is best known for his concertos, particularly "The Four Seasons." His music is characterized by its virtuosic violin writing and vivid programmatic elements.- Claudio Monteverdi: Monteverdi was an Italian composer who played a crucial role in the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque era. He is considered one of the pioneers of opera.

These composers, along with others such as Alessandro Scarlatti, Domenico Scarlatti, and Jean-Baptiste Lully, made significant contributions to the development and richness of Baroque music.

Influence and Legacy

Baroque music forms a major portion of the classical music canon and continues to be widely studied, performed, and listened to today. The works of Baroque composers are considered timeless masterpieces and are regularly performed in concert halls worldwide. The influence of Baroque music can also be heard in subsequent musical periods, such as the Classical and Romantic eras, as composers built upon the innovations and techniques of the Baroque period.

In conclusion, Baroque music refers to a period and style of Western classical music that was composed from approximately 1600 to 1750. It is characterized by ornamentation, contrast, polyphony, basso continuo, and terraced dynamics. The major composers of the Baroque era include Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, and Monteverdi. Baroque music continues to be highly regarded and appreciated for its richness and diversity in the present day

The music of the period c. 1600 - 1750 C.E., directly following the Renaissance and preceding the Classical era. This style is characterized by a lot of ornamentation, thus the name; it is also distinguishable by its use of basso continuo and application of the doctrine of the affections. The main composers of this era include Giovanni Gabrieli, Claudio Monteverdi, Antonio Vivaldi, Dominico Scarlatti, Johann Sebastian Bach, and George Frederick Handel.

Popular questions related to Baroque

The term Baroque, derived from the Portuguese 'barocco' meaning 'irregular pearl or stone', refers to a cultural and art movement that characterized Europe from the early seventeenth to mid-eighteenth century. Baroque emphasizes dramatic, exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted, detail.

The Baroque style spread throughout Europe over the course of the seventeenth century, with notable Baroque composers emerging in Germany, Italy, France, and England.

ART: Compositions are often asymmetrical. MUSIC: Forms of the Baroque era grew directly from the dramatic nature of the music such as the opera, the oratorio and the cantata. These elaborate forms were elongated with a wide range in mood, tempo, texture, rhythm, dynamics and ornaments. ART: Strong emotional content.

In the Baroque, much of the music was written in polyphonic counterpoint(with several complex independent melodic lines occurring simultaneously within a work). Harmonymoved towards tonality(centered around a single "home-key" pitch called a "tonic").

Derived from the Portuguese barroco, or “oddly shaped pearl,” the term “baroque” has been widely used since the nineteenth century to describe the period in Western European art music from about 1600 to 1750.

Its origins outside of music lay in jeweling, from the Portuguese barroco, applied to pearls that were misshapen. “Baroque” captured a sense of deep disappointment: The idea that one hoped to encounter something beautiful, something pristine, and instead encountered something affronting, bizarre, even ugly.

The Baroque era created common practice tonality, essentially an approach to composition that was centered on writing in a particular key. This idea is still used in the present in every form of music, and especially popular Top 40 music.

The Baroque is a highly ornate and elaborate style of architecture, art and design that flourished in Europe in the 17th and first half of the 18th century. Originating in Italy, its influence quickly spread across Europe and it became the first visual style to have a significant worldwide impact.

The Baroque was a movement that exhibited tremendous themes as monumental spectacles: intense light, grand visions, ecstasies and death, religious conversions, martyrdom, and a commitment to religious commemoration.

synonyms for baroque On this page you'll find 26 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to baroque, such as: florid, ornate, rococo, flamboyant, gilt, and grotesque.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Baroque music – and all music, as far as we're concerned – can start and end with Bach if forced to pick one composer.

Johann Sebastian Bach German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity.

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