Characteristics
of baroque music
1- Opera was born
One of the most important events in the history of music was that opera appeared in 1600. Before 1600 nobody had composed opera. Nobody had thought about singing and performing a play at the same time. A mixture of music and theatre had never happened before.
The first opera (Orfeo) was written by Monteverdi. It was performed for the first time in Italy in 1600. That is why 1600 is considered the begining of a new period in the history of music: the baroque period.
When opera was born, SPONSORS (MECENAS) appeared as well. They were rich people who paid the musicians for their job. This fact was very important for composers because it meant that they could write music for a living.
2- Basso continuo appears (new texture: melody with accompaniment).
Basso continuo (baixo continuo) is a form of musical accompaniment used in the baroque period.
Basso continuo was played on a keyboard instrument or other types of bass instruments such as cello, guitar, etc. The keyboard instrument was normally a harpsichord (clave).
3- Orquestra was born
Instruments were more and more important.
Luthiers worked to get improvements in the instruments, especially in the string ones.
A Luthier is a person who makes musical instruments.
New musical forms were born: instrumental compositions, in which only instruments take part (no voices) for example CONCERTOS; the most famous ones are Vivaldi's concertos.
4- TONALITY appears
Musicians discovered chord and tonalily. It means that every musical theme can be played in different tones: C major, A major, E minor, D minor, etc.
TONALITY would be very important for music in the future, for example for rock and roll. All the music written in the 20th Century could not exist without tonalily.
Escoita o Canon en Re Maior de Pachelbel. É unha peza para orquestra na que se toca todo o tempo a mesma serie de acordes.
REM LAM Sim Fa#m SOLM REM SOLM LAM
5- Ornament and contrast
- Ornament was very important not only in music but also in arts in general during the baroque period.
- Different types of CONTRAST:
instruments (wind-string),
intensity (forte-piano),
speed (fast-slow), etc.
Neste concerto: Primavera de Vivaldi podes apreciar todos estes contrastes dos que falamos.