Chapter 8
Prelude: The Late
Baroque Period
Style Features of
Late Baroque Music
Key Terms
Walking bass
Harmonic rhythm
Basic Baroque
orchestra
Festive Baroque
orchestra
Sequence
Ornamentation
Ritornellos
Continuo
Figured bass
Style Features of Late Baroque
Music
Extravagance
• Many large-scale works for large ensembles
• Intense, dramatic emotional expression
Control
• Thorough, methodical expression of emotion
• Composers extract maximum effect from small
amount of basic material
• Many elements unite to create single “affect”
Rhythm
Rhythmic vitality & energy
• Strong influence of dance rhythms
Distinctive, recurring patterns play against
a steady beat & strong meter
Freer rhythms in upper instruments
Beat often emphasized by harpsichord &
walking bass
Steady harmonic rhythm, too
Dynamics
Subtle expressive nuances common
Overall dynamic level steady for a section
or an entire piece
When indicated, dynamics were either loud
or soft (f or p)
Composers preferred abrupt, dramatic
dynamic changes, not gradual ones
• Terraced dynamics
Tone Color
New interest in sonority, instrumental
colors
Distinctive sounds of harpsichord, organ,
recorder, & “festive” Baroque orchestra
Idiomatic writing–takes advantage of
unique capabilities of each instrument
Yet some works treated flexibly—
• Works for violin or oboe or flute
• Bach & Handel rewrote earlier works (or works
by others) for different performing forces
The Baroque Orchestra
Violin family instruments core of orchestra
Louis XIV’s orchestra was influential
• Called The Twenty-Four Violins of the King
• 6 violins, 3 groups of 4 violas, 6 cellos
Continuo a standard part of orchestra
Basic Baroque orchestra essentially a
string orchestra
Festive Baroque orchestra added winds,
brass, & even percussion
Basic vs. Festive
Baroque Orchestra
Basic Orchestra—
Violins in 2 groups:
• Violins 1
• Violins 2
Violas
Continuo
• Cellos & Bass Viol
(both play bass line
an octave apart)
• Harpsichord or organ
(play chords)
Festive Orchestra may
add—
2 Oboes
1 Bassoon
Up to 3 Trumpets
2 Timpani
(kettledrums)
Basic Baroque Orchestra
Festive Baroque Orchestra
Melody
Often complex, ornate, virtuoso melodies
• Often difficult to sing or play
Extended range, reaching high & low
Great variety of rhythmic note values
Intricate, unpredictable twists & turns
Irregular phrase lengths
Infrequent repetition, sequences common
Ornamentation
Addition of fast notes, motives, or effects
to a melody
Ornaments were improvised
• Added spontaneously in performances by
virtuoso solo singers & players
Enough improvisations were written down
to show us how they did it
• Even simple tunes were lavishly ornamented
Other examples of improvisation—
• Cadenzas or chording continuo instruments
Texture
Standard Baroque texture is polyphonic
• Frequent use of imitative polyphony
• Composers may use homophonic texture for
contrast (cf. ritornellos or chorales)
• But this texture appears in pieces that feature
polyphony elsewhere
Sounds feel alive because every line is in
motion, even in dense orchestral works
Simple works for solo and continuo still
feel contrapuntal due to active bass
The Continuo (1)
Melody or polyphony supported by solid
harmonic scaffold–basso continuo
“Polarized” texture results–strong bass in
low register vs. clear, high melodic line(s)
Continuo used in most Baroque works
• Except those for one instrument
Continuo provides same advantages as
rhythm section in jazz or rock band
• Keeps steady beat, provides bass line, &
fleshes out harmonies
The Continuo (2)
Includes both bass line & accompanying
harmonies
• Bass line played by cello or bass viol, etc.
• Chords played by keyboard or plucked strings
• Chords must follow figured bass (Baroque
chord symbols)
The Continuo (3)
Chording keyboard instruments—
• Play bass line with left hand
• Improvise chords with right hand
• Performers can “realize” chords in simple or
complex manner, according to ability
Musical Form
Forms clearer, more regular than earlier
Standardized formal patterns made it
easier to provide music for patrons ASAP
• Fugue, ritornello form, dance form, etc.
“Scientific” urge to fill patterns in orderly,
logical manner
• Entire fugues constructed from single theme
• Often symmetrical ordering of movements
Baroque works could sustain rich musical
experience over long time span