The Baroque Era
Style
- This is the period in which composers started to standardize the forms and styles of the music in which they wrote. Major and minor scales as well as homophonic writing emerged in this era.
- The harpsichord is often used and instrumental music was written less for dancing and more for listening.
- Many of the works are based on one rhythm and the tempo rarely changes.
- Melodies were flowing and the lyrics were often filled with emotion.
- The use of the basso continuo was common and important in this period. Harmonies were often improvised by the composer on the basso continuo.
- These compositions rarely changed moods in the middle of the piece and they were based on one subject.
Composers
Focus: Johann Sebastian Bach
- Bach wrote for the church and the worship of God.
- He never wrote opera in his carrer; he wrote for the harpsichord, string quartets and virtually every other Baroque form.
- Bach spent his entire life in Germany, which limited the influence of international composers in his works
- His father taught music and was a practicing musician: his entire family was involved with music in some way or another.
- Bach earned a choral sholarship to a reputed choir school where he furthered his study of music
- When playing organ for the church, Bach improvised organ passages. Many people disliked this style and complaned about the way he played.
- Bach was inspired by Handel
- After graduating from choir school and being a church organist, he became the court organist fo Duke Wilhelm Ernst.
- During this time, he discovered his love for teaching and dedicated his life to teaching.
- He was very experimental with instrumental music during the time he spent at Cothen.
- He spent a number of years as a Cantor of Leipzig. By this time, he had 20 children.
- He was buried in St. Johns Cemetary in 1750.
- Interesting fact: The Beatles used influences from Bach's music in thier song writing.
Other Composers include...
Claudio Monteverdi
Jean Baptiste Lully
Arcangelo Corelli
Henry Purcell
and
Antonio Vivaldi
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