7. Chapter Summary

As we have seen, the Baroque period introduced the rise of musical superstar composers such as G. F. Handel and his contemporary, J. S. Bach, who, although he may have not been the most famous musician of his day, since then has become one of the most appreciated composers of Western classical music. The period between roughly 1600 and 1750 also saw the birth of musical genres such as opera, oratorio, cantata, concerto, and fugue. In many cases these new genres were propelled by a focus on instrumental music written for the increasingly sophisticated instruments such as harpsichords and organs of the keyboard family. The violin family also flourished and formed the foundation of the new ensemble: the orchestra.

Genres such as opera, oratorio, and concerto will continue to have their important roles in the Classical period, as will keyboard music. Orchestral music will become even more important, with the opera overtures and orchestral suites of the Baroque period giving way to the symphonies of the Classical period.