Chapter 17 – Important Composers,Music, and Events of the Baroque Era

1600 -- 1750 C.E.

SOME IMPORTANT EVENTS OF THE BAROQUE ERA

Jamestown 30 Years War King James Version of the Bible Louis XIV Beginning of the age of Enlightened Despots Reign of Peter the Great Herculaeum and Pompeii rediscovered Beginning of Classical Revival

Illustration 1: Hallelujah! One of the most celebrated pieces ofWestern music in Handel's own handwriting, on display in the

British Museum

REPRESENTATIVE COMPOSERS AND MUSIC OF THE BAROQUE ERA

ANTONIO VIVALDI (1675 – 1741)

Vivaldi was one of the most prolific of the Baroque composers. It is estimated that a complete library of his music would run into 600 printed volumes.

Vivaldi also held the distinction of being one of the few major composers who was also ordained as a Roman Catholic priest. His nickname "the Red Priest" reflects not only hislesser known profession, but his distinguished red hair.

Vivaldi was very widely traveled. His music was influential in many ways to many people. J.S. Bach paid homage to his talent by "borrowing" and arranging several of his compositions for organ, transcribing some of his violin concerti into harpsichord concerti. Today, such a practice of of borrowing is deeply frowned upon (and generally known as plagiarism), but at that time (when copyright laws and the concept of intellectual property didn't exist), it was considered a tribute.

Vivaldi is admired for his many violin concerti, and to a lesser extent his other concerti for diverse instruments. He was also noted for his ability to compose music very rapidly.Vivaldi could compose a piece of music in less time than it would take for someone to copy off the individual parts. Among his most famous compositions are four concerti for violin, each one dealing with one of the four seasons, appropriately called "The Four Seasons".

RECOMMENDED MUSIC: The Four Seasons; Gloria; other concerti from L'Estro Armonico.

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (J.S. BACH) (1685 – 1750)

Bach was the greatest Baroque composer--so influential that music historians consider the date of his death to be the end of the era. Many even consider him to be the greatest composer who ever lived. With his list of compositions numbering well over 1000, Bachstill had the time to be the greatest organist of his time, an outstanding string player, and the father of over 20 children. He also had the astounding ability to compose complex polyphonic compositions on the spot. In addition, Bach was known as an excellent teacher. Proof of this is the fact that about a third of his children are remembered as

outstanding composers of the next generation, although none came close to achieving the historical status of their father.

Bach was a very religious man, so religious that he thought music to be a sacred expression of joy. In his own thinking, Bach considered all of his compositions to be sacred, even if they were never intended to be performed in church.

For nearly 100 years after his death Bach's music was all but forgotten by the public. A lot of the traditional thinking has been that he was just ignored, but musicologists are finding that most of the greatest musicians in his "forgotten period" were well acquainted with his music. The answer possibly lies in the fact that until the early 1800s,music was generally written for a specific time and event, and once it was performed, it was put on the shelf. The early 19th century seems to be the first major era where the public began to be interested in the best of past eras, sort of a "golden oldies" movement.After some of Bach's major compositions were reintroduced to the public in a concert byFelix Mendelssohn they became permanent staples of concert music. A century later, Bach has the distinction of being the most studied composer who ever lived.

"The Speakers of Mathematics" at the beginning of this describes a spaceship with the music of Bach on it--that part of the story is true. When NASA scientists decided to put sound recordings on the Voyager spacecraft, they chose the Second Brandenburg Concerto of Bach to be the greeting should any alien civilization find the craft. For having published less than ten pieces of music in his lifetime, he would be quite shockedto find where his music has gone over the last 300 years.

Bach composed many concerti, over 300 cantatas (a religious composition with choir, orchestra, and vocal soloists) at the rate of one per week--each one roughly a half hour long. He also composed many organ and harpsichord works, sonatas for various instruments, etc.

RECOMMENDED MUSIC: The Six Brandenburg Concerti; Toccata and Fugue in D minor (and other organ music); Mass in B minor; Cantata No. 140; Violin Concerti; Harpsichord Concerti Nos. 1 and 2.

GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL (1685 – 1759)

A contemporary of Bach, Handel represents a more urban, grandiose side to Baroque music, as opposed to Bach's deeply religious musical aura. Born in Germany, Handel eventually emigrated to England where he wrote the most beloved English language music to date.

Handel was an extraordinarily prolific composer, successful in nearly all of the major forms of the time--sonatas, concerti, operas, chamber music, and his specialty, the oratorio. An oratorio is very similar to an opera, in that it tells a story, has recitative (parts that tell a story using little music), aria (very little text, but musically developed), choruses, and beginning with an overture. It differs from an opera in that there is no staging or action--being sung by a stationary chorus and soloists. His most famous oratorio is "Messiah", using text from the Bible; Messiah has become the most famous and beloved English language oratorio. Although it was meant as secular music, it is deeply religious in feeling. It is hard to imagine a piece of music more fervent in its faiththan the "Hallelujah Chorus".

Born in the same year as Bach, the other musical great of the late Baroque, Handel also went blind at the end of his life, and like Bach, dictated his last few compositions. Unlike Bach, he was widely celebrated at his death, extremely wealthy for the time, and his music remained popular.

RECOMMENDED MUSIC: Water Music; Royal Fireworks Music; Messiah; Organ Concerti; ConcertiGrossi

OTHER RECOMMENDED BAROQUE MUSIC

Concerti Grossi -- A. CorelliOrfeo -- C. MonteverdiCanon and Gigue -- J. PachelbelDido and Aeneas -- H. Purcell

Material copyright 2016 by Gary Daum, all rights reserved. All photos and illustrations by Gary Daum unless otherwisenoted. Unlimited use granted to current members of the Georgetown Prep community.

Illustration 2: Manuscript of one of Vivaldi'sconcerti for cello (courtesy of Petrucci Music

Library)