2. Music in the Baroque Period: An Overview

2.1 Style Comparison: Renaissance Music vs. Baroque Music

2.2 General Trends of Baroque Music

The characteristics highlighted in the chart above give Baroque music its unique sound and they appear in the music of Monteverdi, Pachelbel, Bach, and others. To elaborate:

1. Definite and regular rhythms in the form of meter and motor rhythm appear in most music. Bar-lines become more prominent.
2. The use of polyphony continues with more elaborate techniques in the music of Handel and Bach.
3. Homophonic textures emerge including the use of basso continuo.
4. Homophonic textures lead to increased use of major and minor keys and chord progressions.
5. The accompaniment of melodic lines in homophonic texture is provided by the continuo section: a sort of improvised “rhythm section” that plays the basso continuo and features instruments such as lutes, viola da gambas, cellos, and harpsichords. The continuo sections are used widely in various musical forms in the Baroque period.
6. Instrumental music featuring the violin family, such as suites, sonatas, and concertos, emerge and grow prominent. These compositions are longer, often with multiple movements that use defined forms comprising multiple sections, such as ritornello form and binary form.
7. Composers start to notate dynamics and often write abrupt changes between loud and soft, which are called the terraced dynamics.

2.3 Genres of the Baroque Music

Much great music was composed during the Baroque period and many of the most famous Baroque composers were extremely prolific. We can break this historical era into the early period (the first 75 years or so) and the late period (from roughly 1675 to 1750). The main genres of the early Baroque vocal music are madrigal, motet, and opera. The main genres of early Baroque instrumental music include the canzona (sometimes used interchangeably with “sonata”) and suite. In the late Baroque period, we find vocal music composed in the forms of Italian opera seria, oratorio, and the church cantata (which was rooted in the Lutheran chorale, discussed in the previous chapter); and instrumental music in the forms of concerto, fugue, and suite.

Solo music of the Baroque era was composed for all different types of instruments but with a major emphasis on the violin and keyboard instruments. The common term used for a solo instrumental work is sonata. Note that the non-keyboard solo instrument is usually accompanied by a keyboard instrument, such as the organ, harpsichord, or clavichord.

Small ensembles are basically named in regard to the number of performers involved (i.e. a trio is a group of three performers). The most common and popular small ensemble during the Baroque period was the trio sonata. These trios feature two melody instruments (usually violins) accompanied by the basso continuo section, which is considered the third single member of the trio.

The music genre for large ensembles can be divided into two subcategories, orchestral and vocal. The concerto was the leading form of large-ensemble/orchestral music. A concerto features two parts, that of the orchestra and that of either a solo instrument or a small ensemble of soloists. The two parts will play together and independently, through conversation, imitation, and in contrast with one another. A concerto that pairs the orchestra with a small ensemble of soloists is called a “concerto grosso” and a concerto that pairs the orchestra with a solo instrument is called a “solo concerto.”

The two large vocal music genres of the Baroque period are sacred works and opera. Opera synthesizes theatrical performance and music. The opera cast members sing, act, and interact with each other on stage, fully costumed. Types of vocal selections composed in an opera include recitative (speech-like) and aria (melodic) for solo singers; duets, trios, etc., for smaller solo ensembles; and pieces for choruses. An opera production is fully staged, similar to a theatrical production. The Baroque sacred choral works include the mass, oratorio, and cantata. The mass continues to serve as the core of the Catholic religious service and commemorates the Last Supper. Oratorios—like operas but without the acting and staging—tell stories (usually biblical) using a cast of characters who sing their parts and typically include recitatives and arias. The cantata is a composition for voices and instruments. Many of J. S. Bach’s cantatas were composed for Lutheran church services during his time in Leipzig serving as church music director. Both oratorio and cantata can be non-religious, such as those written for special events or based on stories not from the Bible.