History of Western Classical Music Lecture 13: Intro to Baroque

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MUSIC OF THE BAROQUE (1600-1750) - INTRODUCTION

Historical Background Barocco: originally, this is a Portuguese term for an uneven shaped pearl and it was meant as a derogatory (critical) term, meaning distorted, strange, un-natural. The visual arts of the Baroque period can be characterized as magnificent and ornate. Painters and sculptors were filling artistic space with action, movement and drama. Ar-chitects built elaborate palaces to display the wealth of rulers, incorporating painting and sculpture into their buildings. While the movement is considered to have originated in Rome, Italy, a good example is the royal palace in Versailles, near Paris in France, the court of the emperor Louis the 14th, a famous patron of the arts and employer of the com-poser Lully.

Versailles Castle near Paris, France Melk Abbey in Austria is a famous example of Baroque

religious architecture

Beginnings of the Age of Reason: Kepler and Galileo (agreeing with the earlier Koper-nicus) challenged the view that put the earth at the center of the universe. Isaac Newton discovered the mathematical laws governing the motion of bodies and identified the phe-nomenon of gravity. Descartes and Spinoza developed detailed and elaborate metaphysi-cal theories about the meaning of the universe, the nature of god, and the relationship be-tween mind and body. New scientific methods of research and discoveries gradually de-veloped the sciences of medicine, (William Harvey explained the circulation of blood) of mining, of navigation which began to facilitate and promote early beginnings of the de-velopment of industry. While above mentioned ideas were not always in accordance with religious doctrine, the Baroque era nevertheless was also an age of intent devotion; cruel wars were fought in the name of religion (Thirty Years War 1618-1648). Trade with distant places grew and the merchants’ and middle class expanded ever more, competing with the aristocracy for wealth and influence. The Dutch School of painting was influenced by the rising middle class, its most famous painter was Rembrandt (1606-1669). Also from Holland was Peter Paul Rubens (1577 -1640) who painted more in the magnificent, elaborate style favored by the aristocracy with objects from antiquity and featuring the nobility.

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Rembrandt, The Storm on the Sea of Galilee Self portrait

Music in the Baroque The most important composers were J.S. Bach (1685 – 1750) and Georg Friedrich Handel (1685 -1759). Other composer, such as Henry Purcell (England), Claudio Monteverdi, Arcangelo Corelli, Antonio Vivaldi (Italy), or Jean Baptiste Lully (France) were largely forgotten until the 20th century, when renewed interest in their works revived the performance of their works. There are three phases in Baroque music, early (1600 -1640), middle (1640 – 1680), and late Baroque (1680 – 1750). Baroque music developed during the early period in Italy, later on spread and then flourished through all of Europe. Best known composi-tions of Baroque music are mostly from the late period. Texture: early period composers favored homophonic texture, they felt that the mean-ing of the words could be best heard in a piece with a melody and chordal accompani-ment. But later on, polyphony became more popular. Johann Sebastian Bach was more consistent in his inclination towards polyphonic texture, while Georg Friedrich Handel would like to use sections that contrast polyphonic and homophonic texture (Halleluia). Harmony: Renaissance modal harmony gave way to tonal, functional harmony based on major and minor scales and with chords having specific functions in a harmonic progression. While early Baroque composers still thought of sonorities in terms of in-tervals piled up above a low voice, chords became increasingly important in Baroque music. Before, the importance of the melodic line (horizontal element) had generally been greater than the importance of the sounds that are produced by sounding these mel-odies together (vertical element). In the Baroque era, melodies were sometimes com-posed to fit a specific harmonic progression of chords, which means that the harmony took precedence over the melody. This gave increased prominence to the bass part as

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the foundation of harmony (this prominence had been foreshadowed by homophonic compositions in the Renaissance). Baroque composers used a technique called figured bass, where a melody in the bass would be written with small numbers indicating the chords to be placed above it. Performers were expected to improvise these chords and had a certain freedom in playing them, as long as they used the right notes. This tech-nique helped busy composers to preserve time and paper, which at the time was expen-sive. Dissonances were used with a new freedom in order to depict the dramatic emo-tions that Baroque composers much loved. Instrumentation: Generally, instrumental music gained much in importance: for the first time, it became equally important to vocal music. Baroque composers liked to use contrast of sounds: one or more soloists versus the chorus, voices “against” instruments. Whereas in the Renaissance instruments often and easily doubled or replaced vocal parts, in the Baroque era human voices were accompanied by parts written specifically for instruments. Many pieces were composed for specific instruments, the violin family being the most popular besides keyboard instruments. The orchestra developed, a performing group based on the instruments of the violin family. Its center was formed by the basso continuo (harpsichord plus cello or bas-soon) and the upper strings. The use of woodwinds, brass and percussion was variable, added could be recorders, flutes, oboe, trumpets, horns, trombones or timpani. Compos-ers such as Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and others now chose their instruments carefully to get specific tone colors. However, other aspects of music were still more important, such as melody, harmony and rhythm; and composers often would rearrange their own and others’ compositions for different instrumentation. The beginnings of public concerts fall in this time period. Unity of mood: a baroque piece generally had one single mood throughout a move-ment. These moods were called affections. However, there is an exception in vocal mu-sic, where changes of mood in text could cause corresponding changes of mood in the music. However, these changes would occur not too sudden (not as specific and short as text / word painting in the Renaissance era). Baroque rhythm: the beat is much more emphasized than in most Renaissance mu-sic and meter is firmly established. Unity of mood was to a large extent realized by unity of rhythm. Forward drive was generated by rhythmic continuity and certain rhythmic patterns would be repeated and varied throughout a movement. But also, there were pieces that had a varied rhythm in improvisatory style, called fantasia, prelude, toccata. A Baroque melody is repeated and varied throughout a composition to generate a sense of unity. It expands through the use of sequences and imitation. Baroque melodies carry more an impression of dynamic expansion, rather than the flowing continuity of the Re-naissance style with overlapping phrases and different from the balance and symmetry that became popular in the Classical era. Baroque music is highly ornamented, much of this ornamentation was improvised, and how this was done would reflect on the skills and good taste of the performer. Terrace dynamics: dynamic changes on keyboards instruments generally occur in steps, rather than changing gradually. Keyboard instruments of the period were not able to produce crescendo and decrescendo like modern pianos through gradual changes

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of pressure on the keys. Instead, a set of strings could be added or taken away with a lev-er. Crescendo effect in orchestra could be created by using more instruments. However, with woodwinds and strings there were gradual changes possible and used. Musicians: musicians would (still) work for patrons from the nobility, for the church, and for cities. They were better paid at courts, but had the status of servants. (In his con-tract the composer Johann Quantz was explicitly “granted the privilege” to shout “Bravo” after a performance of his employer, emperor, Frederick the Great.) Bach delivered the Brandenburg Concertos, which are today considered among the finest compositions known (!), to a nobleman with the following dedication

“Begging your highness most humbly not to judge their imperfection with the ri-gor of the fine and delicate taste which the whole world knows Your Highness has for musical pieces; but rather to infer from them, in benign Consideration, the profound respect and the most humble obedience which I try to show to your highness”.

Composers employed by the church got extra pay for funerals and weddings. And thus, Bach once complained about a financial pinch (lack of income) when there was a short-age of funerals “due to a healthy wind.” The phenomenon of the virtuoso musician emerged, where highly skilled performers were needed to play certain parts, as for example solo parts in concertos. Baroque forms and genres: vocal music was written in form of operas (staged) and or-atorios (not staged, often religious operatic works), as well as masses. Instrumental music saw the rise of the concerto (soloist / orchestra) and the concerto grosso (group of soloists / orchestra), the suite or partita (a succession of several dance movements) and the sonata in its early form with two types: “sonata da chiesa” (church) and “sonata da camera” (chamber). The trio sonata was performed by four – not three! – instruments, since the basso continuo group consisted of a keyboard instrument and a low instrument that could sustain its tone, like for example the gamba = early cello, or bassoon. Forms written for keyboard include the prelude, toccata, fantasia and partita (also for violin!). (New) instruments: Chalumeau (early clarinet, basically a recorder with a reed mouthpiece), the bassoon developed out of the Renaissance dulcian, the oboe was developed out of the Renaissance shawm; in bowed strings the violin family was developed and used besides the existing gamba family (which has a more slanted body and frets = metal bars, like the guitar), the piano was developed around 1700, harpsichord and clavichord were popular, extensive development was done on systems of tuning to allow for playing keys with more accidentals (Bach’s Well-tempered Clavier).

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Dulcian bassoon viola da gamba violin