The Baroque Era: Introduction

The Baroque Era

What Do You Already Know?

Open Ended

Can you name any composers from the 1600s or 1700s?

Poll

Have you heard of opera before?

• Yes

• No

The Baroque Period: Setting the Stage

Time frame: Approximately 1600-1750

A time of artistic flourishing in Europe

Name comes from Portuguese word "barroco" meaning "oddly shaped pearl"

Known for grandeur, drama, and ornate style in art and music

Fill in the Blank

The Baroque Era lasted from 1600 to around

? (What year?)

Multiple Choice

True or False?: The word for "Baroque" meant a "beautiful pearl" in Portuguese?

• True

• False

Meet the Maestros

Famous Baroque composers:

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)

​See if you can remember the names of these composers!

Multiple Choice

Which is NOT a composer from the Baroque era?

• George Frederic Handel

• Johann Sebastian Bach

• Claudio Monteverdi

• Arnold Schoenberg

Features of Baroque Music

Complex and ornate melodies

Use of counterpoint (multiple melodies played
simultaneously)

Emphasis on contrast (loud vs. soft, solo vs. group)

Basso continuo (continuous bass line)

Multiple Choice

True or False?: Music of the Baroque Era was more complex than earlier music.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Music in the Baroque Era was ____________

• Monophonic (only one part)

• Polyphonic

  (multiple different parts at the same time)

Virtuosity in Baroque Music

Virtuosity: exceptional skill in music performance

Baroque era saw rise of virtuoso performers

Composers wrote challenging pieces to showcase skills

Example: Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" for violin

Question: What instruments do you think might have been
popular for virtuosos in the Baroque era?

Multiple Choice

Virtuosity meant____________

• Difficulty performing because they didn't practice enough

• Performing virtually using Zoom

• Exceptional skill in musical performance

• Music was played very loud all the time

Ornamentation

Ornamentation: decorative notes added to a melody

Common in Baroque music to show off performer's skill

Types of ornaments: trills, turns, mordents

Added drama and emotion to the music

Fill in the Blank

This word meant decorative notes added to a melody. (Starts with "o")

Multiple Choice

Listen to the 2 examples of "Jingle Bells" Ms. Wakefield plays, and pick which one used ornamentation.

• Example 1

• Example 2

Contrast

Contrast was a key element in Baroque music

Examples of contrast:

Loud vs. soft (dynamics)

Solo vs. ensemble sections

Fast vs. slow tempos

Created drama and kept listeners engaged

Multiple Choice

True or False?: Contrast was an important part of Baroque music.

• True

• False

Birth of Opera

Opera emerged in Florence, Italy around 1600

Combines music, drama, and spectacle

Early operas based on Greek myths

Claudio Monteverdi's "L'Orfeo" (1607) - one of the first
great operas

Multiple Choice

Which is NOT one of the things that opera combines?

• Music

• Sculpture

• Drama

• Spectacle

Baroque Era Music: Overview

More complex and ornate than Renaissance music

Greater emphasis on instrumental music

Development of new musical forms (e.g., concerto, sonata)

Open Ended

What are some of the characteristics of Baroque Era music? How would you describe it based on what you learned today?