Baroque Music: Forms, Dances, Composers and Key Works

Baroque Music: Characteristics and Forms

• Contrast: tempo, dynamics, timbre
• Ornamented melodic parts
• Basso continuo
• Textures: accompanied melodies and counterpoint
• Composers tried to express the affections.
• New musical forms: Concerto, suite, fugue
• Music stars: Castrati

Opera Elements

• Overture: instrumental introduction
• Aria
• Recitative
• Interludes: instrumental sections between different parts of the opera

Opera Seria

• Plots based on mythological and heroic topics, written in Italian language.
• For the aristocracy.
• It used castrati.
• "Rinaldo" (1711) - Handel

Opera Buffa

• Plots based on daily life.
• The characters are closer to the audience.
• Written in the main language of each country.
• "La serva padrona" (1733) - Pergolesi

Religious Music Forms

Cantata

• Vocal composition
• Instrumental accompaniment
• Usually more than one movement
• Can be religious as well as secular
• Main composer: J. S. Bach

Oratorio

• More elaborated and longer than the cantata
• Like an opera with a religious theme, but without stage performance.
• Written for orchestra, choir and soloists.
• Formed by a sequence of recitatives, arias and choruses.
• It tells stories based on texts from the Old and New Testaments.
• Main composer: G. F. Handel (he composed The Messiah)

Instrumental Music

• Achieved a definitive independence from vocal music.
• Musicians composed music specifically for instruments
• Appeared the orchestra
• Based on bowed string and basso continuo
• It also included woodwind instruments such as oboes and bassoons; and brass instruments such as natural trumpets.
• Percussion: timpani
• Conductor: harpsichord

Main Instrumental Forms

Suite

A Baroque form that consisted of a group of dances usually preceded by a prelude or overture.

Typical dances: Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gigue

Concerto

It is a composition for orchestra and soloist formed by a sequence of three contrasting movements: fast - slow - fast

• Concerto grosso: for a group of soloists (concertino) and the rest of the orchestra. A. Corelli
• Solo concerto: composed for a single soloist instrument that contrasts in constant dialog with the orchestra. J. S. Bach and A. Vivaldi

The Fugue

Counterpoint music based on a melody that changes from one voice to another. J. S. Bach

Most important Baroque dances: Allemande, Courante, Bourrée, Chaconne and Sarabande (Spanish), Gigue (English)