Baroque music
The French word baroque is derived from the Portuguese barroco, meaning an irregularly-shaped pearl. Although it was long thought that the word as a critical term was first applied to architecture, in fact it appears earlier in reference to music. An anonymous satirical review of the première in October 1733 of Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie appeared in the Mercure de France in May 1734. The critic implied that the novelty in this opera was du barocque, complaining that the music lacked coherent melody. He noted the piece was filled with unremitting dissonances and constantly changed key and meter. Speedily running through every compositional device, the work seemed strange to contemporary ears. Other authors in the 18th and 19th centuries used the term as a pejorative to describe works which were extravagant or dissonant. Noel Antoine Pluche wrote of a concert directed by Jean-Baptiste Anet that Anet would wrest laboriously from the bottom of the sea some baroque pearls when diamonds could be found on the surface of the earth. Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote in 1768 in the Encyclopédie that Baroque music was harmony confused and loaded with modulations and dissonances.
The systematic application by historians of the term baroque to music of this period is a relatively recent development. In 1919, Curt Sachs became the first to apply five characteristics of Heinrich Wölfflin's theory of the Baroque to music. Critics were quick to question the attempt to transpose Wölfflin's categories to music. Robert Haas argued that in music it could not begin earlier than 1594, the year that Palestrina and Lassus died. Manfred Bukofzer and others made independent attempts in the 1940s to use autonomous technical analysis rather than comparative abstractions. All of these efforts resulted in appreciable disagreement about time boundaries of the period. The term gradually gained acceptance to describe a period between Renaissance music and the Classical period. It is often split into three approximate phases: early Baroque from 1580 to 1630, middle Baroque from 1630 to 1680, and late Baroque from 1680 to 1730. Clercx instead separated them into primitive Baroque mid-late 16th century, full Baroque during the 17th century, and tardy Baroque from 1700 to 1740 or 1765.
Concerning music theory, the more widespread use of figured bass represents the developing importance of harmony as the linear underpinnings of polyphony. Harmony is the result of counterpoint, and figured bass is a visual representation of those harmonies commonly employed in musical performance. With figured bass, numbers, accidentals or symbols were placed above the bassline that was read by keyboard instrument players such as harpsichord players or pipe organists. The numbers indicated what intervals are to be played above each bass note. The keyboard player would improvise a chord voicing for each bass note. Composers began concerning themselves with harmonic progressions and also employed the tritone to create dissonance. An interest in harmony had existed among certain composers in the Renaissance notably Carlo Gesualdo. However the use of harmony directed towards tonality marks the shift from the Renaissance into the Baroque period. This led to the idea that certain sequences of chords could provide a sense of closure at the end of a piece. Claudio Monteverdi furthered the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period by developing two individual styles of composition.
One pre-eminent example of a court style composer is Jean-Baptiste Lully. He purchased patents from the monarchy to be the sole composer of operas for the French king. He completed 15 lyric tragedies and left unfinished Achille et Polyxène. Lully was an early example of a conductor who beat the time with a large staff to keep his ensembles together. Arcangelo Corelli is remembered as influential for his achievements on violin technique and pedagogy. As a violinist he organized violin technique and developed the concerto grosso. Whereas Lully was ensconced at court, Corelli was one of the first composers to publish widely and have his music performed all over Europe. Numbered among his students is Antonio Vivaldi who later composed hundreds of works based on principles in Corelli's trio sonatas. Dieterich Buxtehude was not a creature of court but instead was church musician holding posts of organist and Werkmeister at the Marienkirche at Lübeck. His duties included playing for all main services sometimes in collaboration with other instrumentalists or vocalists. Entirely outside official church duties he organised and directed a concert series known as Abendmusiken which included performances of sacred dramatic works regarded by contemporaries as equivalent to operas.
Over the course of the 17th century composers began to specify individual instruments in their scores and write idiomatically for them. Both the recorder and transverse flute date to the early Renaissance each could only be played easily in limited number of keys. By 1700 the oboe had replaced the shawm as main woodwind instrument in an ensemble due to need for more elegant sound in opera and ballet. The natural horn became common in orchestras around this time leading to its standard specification as accompaniment to Italian string orchestra by 1750. The harpsichord had become pre-eminent keyboard instrument for domestic music-making by late Baroque. Changes in musical style led to gradual obsolescence of the harpsichord. It was replaced by fortepiano perfected by Bartolomeo Cristofori around 1700 and widely used after 1750. In churches organs grew in complexity and size especially in France Spain and northern Germany expanding available range of pitches and timbres. Composers specified individual instruments often dictating articulation and ornaments as instrument-building technology developed.
A characteristic of the Baroque form was the dance suite. While pieces were inspired by actual dance music, suites were intended for listening not accompanying dancers. A dance suite commonly has these movements: Overture followed by four different types of dances. Allemande was very popular dance that had origins in German Renaissance era played at moderate tempo. Courante is second dance in triple meter either fast and lively or slow and stately. Sarabande is Spanish dance third of basic dances one of slowest baroque dances in triple meter with emphasis on second beat creating halting rhythm. Gigue is upbeat and lively baroque dance in compound meter typically concluding movement of instrumental suite. Later suites interpolate additional dances between sarabande and gigue such as Gavotte bourrée minuet and passepied. The four dance types make up majority of 17th-century suites. Some dance suites by Bach are called partitas although term also used for other collections of pieces.
The Baroque period saw formalization of common-practice tonality an approach to writing music in particular key. This type of harmony continued to be used extensively in Western classical and popular music. Baroque composers experimented with finding fuller sound for each instrumental part leading to creation of modern orchestra. Modernised musical notation including developing figured bass enabled new instrumental playing techniques. Baroque music expanded size range and complexity of instrumental performance. It established mixed vocal-instrumental forms of opera cantata and oratorio and instrumental forms of solo concerto and sonata. Dense complex polyphonic music in which multiple independent melody lines performed simultaneously remained a hallmark. During era professional musicians expected to be accomplished improvisers of both solo melodic lines and accompaniment parts. Baroque concerts typically accompanied by basso continuo group while group of bass instruments played bassline. Today the style continues to be widely studied performed and listened to across global concert halls and recording studios.
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Common questions
What is the origin of the word Baroque music?
The French word baroque derives from the Portuguese barroco, meaning an irregularly-shaped pearl. The term first appeared in reference to music in a satirical review published in May 1734 regarding Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie.
When did historians begin applying the term Baroque music systematically to this period?
Curt Sachs became the first historian to apply five characteristics of Heinrich Wölfflin's theory to music in 1919. This systematic application established the period boundaries between Renaissance music and the Classical period.
Who were the key composers associated with the development of Baroque music styles?
Jean-Baptiste Lully served as sole composer for the French king while Arcangelo Corelli developed violin technique and the concerto grosso. Dieterich Buxtehude organized Abendmusiken concerts and Antonio Vivaldi composed hundreds of works based on Corelli's principles.
How did instrument specifications change during the Baroque music era?
By 1700 the oboe replaced the shawm as the main woodwind instrument due to the need for more elegant sound in opera and ballet. The harpsichord was eventually replaced by the fortepiano perfected by Bartolomeo Cristofori around 1700 and widely used after 1750.
What are the standard movements found in a Baroque dance suite?
A dance suite commonly features an Overture followed by four different types of dances including Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, and Gigue. Later suites sometimes interpolate additional dances such as Gavotte, bourrée, minuet, or passepied between the sarabande and gigue.