Baroque Period: Music, Art, and Society

What Does Baroque Adjective Mean?

-Meaning “regularly shaped”. At first, the word in French was used mostly to refer to pearls. Eventually, it came to describe an extravagant style of art characterized by curving lines, gilt and gelt.

Musical Instruments of Baroque:

a) What is a Luthier? The composer who cares for the timbric richness of his works and the interpreter will specialize in his instruments, which will lead to the first virtuosos.

b) Who was the most famous luthier? Amanti, Stradivari and Guarnieri.

c) Where did he come from? Stradivari made palatino quartet and kept in the royal palace in Madrid.

d) Do you know interesting anecdotes about him?

Religious Music:

a) Cantata: is a simpler form composed by texts or popular religious themes.

b) Oratorio: can be regarded as an opera with a religious theme but without stage performance. It is more elaborate and longer than the cantata. It has a narrator who tells the action.

c) Passion: is an oratorio about the passion and death of Christ, inspired by Gospel.

Secular Music. The Opera.

a) Type of popular opera: Opera seria: makes use of plots based on mythological and heroic topics written in Italian. Opera buffa: it makes use of plots on daily life, with characters closer to the audience.

b) Typical Spanish version of the Italian Opera: Zarzuela: It alternates spoken and sung passages. Amongst the zarzuela composers José de Nebra can be highlighted. It is Spanish

Music and Society: Dances of Baroque Period

a) Ballet de Court: was a dance theatrical play, which started with an instrumental (ouverture) and ended with a (grand ballet), in which the king himself used to participate.

b) The Suite: The suite is a compound instrumental form composed by a group of dances. Is divided in two phrases or sections which are repeated: Allemande, Courante, Bourrée, Chaconne, Sarabande, Gigue.

4 Famous Composers of This Period

-Antonio Vivaldi, J.S. Bach, Claudio Monteverdi y Lully.

Tell Me All About “Castrati”

-Were male singers castrated before puberty in order to avoid voice change. This allowed them to obtain an extraordinary technical virtuosity and vocal power.

Anecdote: Women in Music

-Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677) became a Kapellmeister and published more works than many composers of her time. Most of her compositions are for solo voice and basso continuo.