Grade 11 Music History
AMI 3M1
Baroque Period (1600-1750)
 Social and Cultural Background
 Important Musical Developments
 Johann Sebastian Bach
 George Friederich Handel
 Antonio Vivaldi
Social and Cultural Background
The Baroque Age
- Baroque music was between 1600 and 1750
- 1600 opera began to rise in Florence
- Opera was one of the main types of music formed
during the Baroque Age
- 1750 Bach died and therefore ended the Baroque Age
Science and Thought
- The age of magnificence discovery and confidence
- Scientific discoveries
- Galileo and Kepler founded astronomy
- Harvey founded circulation of blood
- Newton founded the laws of physics
- In 1607 the first successful opera Orfeo by Monteverdi
was presented at the Court of Matuna in North Italy
Monarchs and Politics
- The age of magnificent absolute Monarchs
- Louis XIV of France the “Sun King”, he ruled from
1643-1713
- He lived in Versaille in Paris (still stands a monument of
the Baroque idea of a king)
- Germany had no Monarchy (remained independent)
The first monarch in Germay was Fredrick the Great of
Prussia.
- At this time England was unstable (politically and
religiously) and very little opera was written here
Regional Style and National Pride
- Baroque age was a time of great national awareness and
pride.
- They tried to create national culture or regional style
unlike any other
The Baroque Asthetics
- The excitement and magnificence - grandeur of kings,
focus of man as the master of the universe, and high
drama
- The Baroque period was mirrored in the architecture,
sculpture, and paintings
In Architecture
- A great example of baroque architecture is St. Peter’s
Church in Rome, which was designed by Michelangelo
during the Renaissance period
- It was made larger and more ornate to fit the new
aesthetic. All the details work together to convey the
notion that the king dealt with here is mightier ever than
the world’s most powerful monarchs
In Sculpture and Painting
- They are never still; they are twisted, moving,
struggling and dramatically lighted and deal with
dramatic subjects
- Michaelangelo was one of the most famous sculptures
In Church Structure
- Designed to impress those observing
- Dramatic versions of religious scenes painted on
ceilings
- Catch your attention on decorations of gold,rich
textures and surfaces to have the effect of drama and
excitement.
In Music
- There was concern for drama, it was shown in a new
form Opera
- Baroque period was heroic and exciting age of music
that reflected excitement
Important Musical Developments
Kapellmeister
- Musicians at the time had to compete for their positions
as performers in churches and courts.
- The most successful were the composers who were
also performers who achieved the position of
Kapellmeister.
- They had great power since they were responsible for
all the music played in the courts
- These positions were still insecure since the positions
were scrambled up if the political situation changed
Church Musicians and Performers
- Bach was a famous Church composer
- The music was written for worship services/purposes
and was composed of singers and instrumentals
- The most successful people were Castrati’s (vocal male
singers) who had surgery on their voices to stop them
from changing
- Composers at the time wrote music for small groups and
to showcase their soloist abilities
- Music was written for special occasions and performed
right after the composition
Performers Responsibility
- Composers had to write a lot of music to meet demand,
(Bach would write at least one cantata per week)
- Cantata: a work for soloists, chorus and orchestra 2030 minutes long
- The music was written in “shorthand” with basic
specifications like the bass line, and the performers
filled in the details.
- Each performance was therefore different with
musicians playing their own versions of one basic
melody
Baroque Style
Color:
- A prominent element in the Baroque Period
- Composers wrote in different styles or idioms for
different voices and instruments and the violin was
prominent because of its expressive quality which is
similar to the human voice
Dynamics:
- The functions of the capabilities of baroque instruments,
they did not have a great dynamic range
- Changing dynamics means changing color because the
only way to increase sound is to increase the number of
instruments
Rhythm and Texture
- These are the most prominent elements
- The prevailing texture is polyphonic, (combining several
melodic lines)
- In slow movements there is a combo of a prominent
melody and bass line, in fast movements there are 4 or
more melodic lines going at once
Melody
- Less prominent in Baroque music then in more recent
and familiar music
- Lyric melodies are absent in baroque and are more
simple with strong rhythm and clever harmonic
inclinations
Harmony and Tonality
- The gradual rise of tonality was the major minor system
that stayed the basic harmonic framework until the 20th
century
- By 1700 eight modes were reduced to major and minor
and chord progression moved towards how they are
today
- Tonal system lasted until the 20th century
Idiom and National Style
- In the late Renaissance, composers began to write
specifically for some instruments and by the last
Baroque period national styles were clearly established
also and composers could write in any of them
Idiom and National Style Contd.
- Modern performers must be able to switch styles from
Italian to French to German as readily as performers did
200 years ago
Popularity
- This music is more preformed now then it was before
- Baroque music is being taken up by modern performers
- It has been attempted in some popular styles, such as
adding jazz bass and drums
Baroque Forms
Vocal Forms
- Opera:
- Was one of the most important developments, it began
in Florence around 1600’s
- Baroque Opera is seldom performed nowadays
- Cantata:
- Denotes any dramatic religion’s vocal music featuring
soloists and/or chorus
- Later in North Germany it denoted the form written for
soloists, chorus, and orchestra for Lutheran Sunday Service
- Oratorio:
- Developed by Handel in Latin, though more famous in
English, is a work for soloists, chorus and orchestra
Instrumental Forms
- Prelude and Fugue – a popular form for solo keyboard
- Prelude/toccata – the first movement and is improvised
and is filled with passage work, chromatically bold chords
and dramatic effects
- Fugue – the second movement and is learned
(4 voices and regular structure
- Trio Sonata – chamber music for more than one
- Basso continuo – rhythm section made up of bass string
instruments harpsichord or organ to fill in the chords
Fugue
- Latin for “flight” or “chase”
- Derived from Renaissance motet but more strict in
organization
- Monothematic (one theme)
- Designed to work harmonically against itself and the
counter subject (what the first voice plays after it
presents the subject)
- Exposition – opening section of a Fugue
- After all the voices enter with subject a contrasting
section follows called the episode
Fugue Continued
- Episode – lighter in texture, one or more voice may rest
- Expositions and Episodes alternate throughout
- During the last exposition tension is usually concluded
quickly
Johann Sebastian Bach
(1685-1750)
Life of Bach
- Born at Eisenach in North Germany on March 21st
1685
- Was raised by his brother after his parents died
- Trained for the family profession of church organist
- Most important position began in 1723 and lasted until
his death on January 28th 1750
Music of Bach
- Bach wrote for an orchestra in the cothen period
- Several suites and examples of the concerto grosso
- He wrote sonatas and concertos for various
instruments
- He also wrote suites for unaccompanied violins and
cellos
- Bach wrote cantatas in the Weimar period
- We know of 200 cantatas that he wrote in operatic
style; some using chorale, in every movement and
some freely composed
- Also he wrote secular cantatas
Concerto Grosso Form
- Based on the principle of contrast between two groups
or sounds of different colors and dynamic levels
- Two groups alternate
- Small groups of soloists virtuoso levels
- Larger group of journey man orchestral players
- Small groups are called concertino
Solo Instruments
- Harpsichord – Generally regulated to service as the
continuo keyboard instrument, in the fifth Brandenburg
Concerto the harpsichord tends to dominate
- Violin – Member of solo group, Baroque violin is not like
the violin today
- Flute – made of wood with a few holes for fingers and
none of the keys of the modern instrument, sound was
soft and more mellow and less brilliant then that of the
modern day flute
- “Orchestra of Strings” – was made up of the violin, flute
and harpsichord
Movements
- Concerto grosso has three movements (fast slow fast)
- First movement : contrast between small groups and
orchestra
- Second movement : Lyrical and more vocal
- Third movement : fast often times a dance
George Fredrick Handel
(1685-1759)
Life of Handel
- Man of huge ego and fiery temper
- Specialized in instrumental music and opera
- Developed in the English oratorio
- Music director at the Court of George
- 1710 journeyed to England and spent the rest of his life
and became court composer
- Music director to the Duke of Chandos
Handels Music
- Large body of solo sonatas, concerti grossi usually for
strings and ceremonial music for English Court
- English Court – water music – for Kings orchestra to
play as they traveled Thames on a barge
- Royal fireworks – large wind ensemble to be played at
a lavish outdoor gala which featured fireworks
- Rarely performed
- Hard to gather groups of wind instruments
- People in the past were burned by fireworks
Operas
- Handels vocal works include nearly 40 Italian operas of
which Rinaldo and Gulio Cesare are best known
- Opera was based on the solo singers
- Males sang the lead roles and females sang the
castrato roles
Oratorios
- Wrote 25
- Most frequently performed in messiah who’s “Hallelujah
Chords” from the end of one section is perhaps the
best known piece of Baroque music
(1678Vivaldi’s Life
- Born in 1678
- His father was a violinist at the important church of St.
Mark’s in Venice
- Educated for priesthood and musical career and served
one year as a priest
- From 1704-1740 he was the musical director at the
Ospedale Della Pieta
Vocal Works
- Vivaldi was a famous opera composerIn
- Venice was the centre of opera
- Like Handel, Vivaldi’s operas were written according to
the conversation of the time period
Instrumental
- He was most known for his instrumental works
- He wrote many solo concertos, solo sonatas and
concerti grosso
- He used the strings a lot with new techniques that were
used by many composers in Italy
- Usually three violins made up the small group in
concerti grosso
The Four Seasons
- Works are a combination of both solo concerto and
concerto grosso
- The only player designated as a soloist is a violin
- One contrast that resembles Bach is the contrast
between the solo material and the orchestral material
- The solo violin also functions as the first violin of the
orchestral sections
CLASSICAL PERIOD
1750-1825
 Social and Cultural Background
 New Musical Developments
 Elements of Classical Music
 Forms of Classical Music
 Joseph Haydn
 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Social and Cultural
Background
 Started by Bach's sons around 1725-wanted to reject
class system, and the excess of the Baroque
 French Revolution: Some monarchs were there at the
start, but all were gone by the 1780's -America's
constitution was based on logic, reflected mindset of
the time
 Industrial Revolution: This led to the rise of the middle
class
 Aesthetic:- ancient Greeks influenced architecture,
literature, and visual arts
New Musical Developments
 Music: was not as emotional, dramatic as the Baroque
music
 New Developments: new middle class provided outlets
beside the church, courts, i.e: public concerts, opera houses
 Piano: had dynamic change- became more important over
time than the harpsichord
 Classical Orchestra: in Baroque had had two levels of
written music: one for court and church musicians and one
for the other professional soloists- in Classical period:
virtuoso players made up whole orchestra, because of this
standards for musicians increased across Europe and
performance levels were raised
Elements of Classical Music
 Texture: used Baroque contrapuntal texture to build
drama and tension
 Melody: rejected polyphonic because it was illogical
 Rhythm: There was no drive like Baroque
 Dynamics: very important for composers to use, and
performers to do correctly
Forms of Classical Music
 Symphony: 1st movement was sonata allegro form, 2nd AB-A form, 3rd minuet and trio, and last movement was a
rondo or sonata allegro like the first- minuet and trio was the
remnant of the Baroque dance form, being repetitive and the
least dramatic
 Sonata Allegro form: Exposition has two themes, in tonic key
and then a contrasting one- Development has material
based on themes in Exposition, goes into new, remote
areas, and ends with a dominant pedal- ends with
Recapitulation made up of false recapitulation, and a return
to first movement in the covered recapitulation
Forms of Classical Music
(con’t)
 Concerto: includes cadenzas-improvised solo
passages- commonly composed for piano, violin but
also for others such as french horn and clarinet- only 3
movements: no minuet and trio
 Divertimento or Serenade:- lighter mood- used sonataallegro and rondo forms but were loosely written
movements
 String Quartet:- 2 violins, viola, and cello- minisymphonies with 4 movements- lot of creativity to
compose
Forms of Classical Music
(con’t)
 Chamber Music:
 Sonata:- lots of sonatas written- for piano soloists, or
soloist with piano accompaniment - 3 movements like
Concerto: sonata-allegro, lyric, and fast movements
 Opera in the Classical period:
 Many kinds: opera seria, opera buffa, and new German
Singspiel- Christopher Gluck helped to reform Italian
opera, wrote Orfeo- Mozart was the master of opera,
mastered all forms - even invented his own kind with the
Magic Flute, and Don Giovanni, a dramma goo Asa
(comic drama)
Joseph Hadyn
(1723-1809)
 Born in 1732 in a south Austrian village
 Fist a part of a choir in Vienna, but his voice broke so he
became a violinist
 Held various court positions, including highest honor of
Kappelmeister
 Wrote music for princes, that were published and performed
all over Europe and New York
 Visited London twice where he was called a genius
 Retired in Vienna, and died 1809
 Was modest, appreciative, calm, professional, used "Godgiven talent" these traits were common for composers in the
Classical period
Haydn’s Music
 Wrote a many of operas, that were for an aristocratic
audience and lacked universal appeal
 He also wrote coral and instrumental works
 Wrote for the obscure baryton of the viol family
 His mass music is most famous, specifically his
oratorios: The Seasons, and The Creation
 Famous for his 80 string quartets, and 100 symphonies
Haydn’s String Quartet
 Basic unit was for 4 strings, though could add
woodwind for a "clarinet"or "flute" quintet
 Can sound bigger through wide ranges and rapid
melodies, and double-stops: playing simultaneous
notes on two or more strings
 Performance: had to get along/work as a unit, friends,
because there are so few people, some of these
groups stayed together for many years (like a modern
rock band)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756-1791)
 Died a young man in his prime, begging for money on the
streets
 Played harpsichord by age 3, composing by 5; was taught
by his dad Leopoldo on violin, piano, composition
 In his teen years he toured Europe, performing for nobility
 Unique, musical "genius" composed entire symphonies in
his mind and wrote them down later as a the last minute
chore
 Was not appreciated in his lifetime
 Liked to party, outrageous personality due to pressure of
dad in childhood
Mozart’s Music
 Composed over 600 compositions: solos for keyboard
instruments, 49 symphonies, 18 operas, 25 piano
concertos, 5 violin concertos, and many serenades
 Divertimento ("entertainment"), Serenade ("evening
music"), and Cassation ("outdoor music”)
 For court occasions, were lighter background musicmix of marches and minuets for smaller ensembles
 Mozart wrote many of them including the famous Eine
kleine Nachtmusik (a little night music)
Mozart’s Piano Concertos
 Used legato runs, rapid passage-work, lyric melodies that
require perfect control and sensitivity
 Structure
 minuet not included as does not pit the soloist vs symphony
 Orchestration
 wind section used by Mozart to contrast with strings- with piano
had endless variety
 Has a double exposition, and cadenza which provides dramatic
closing and solo display
 They are balanced with collaborative portions
Mozart’s Operas
 Gluck wanted realistic middle-class, upper-class division,
and stock characters- focus on character, plot and music
 Had exaggerations in music to match characters
 Singspiel: nationalistic, German development, with spoken
dialogue, believable characters
 Carl Maria Weber's Der Freischutz was forerunner of
Romantic opera
 Mozart's have great ensembles of 5-6 people
 His were The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosi
fan tutte, working with Lorenzo da Ponte