Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 and 1750. Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music Early music is commonly defined as European classical music from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Baroque. The term medieval music encompasses European music written during the Middle Ages. Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance, approximately 1400 - 1600 The common practice period, in the history of European Art music (broadly called Classical music) spanning the Baroque, Classical, and The dates of the Classical period in Western music are generally accepted as 1750 to 1810 Romantic Music is a Musicological term referring to a particular period theory compositional practice and canon in European music history from about 1815 to 1910 At the turn of the 20th century classical music was characteristically late Romantic in style while at the same time the Impressionist movement spearheaded by Claude Debussy Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to a period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music Music historians divide the European classical music into various eras based on what style was most popular as taste changed ^[1] This era is said to begin in music after the Renaissance and was followed by the Classical music era. Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance, approximately 1400 - 1600 The dates of the Classical period in Western music are generally accepted as 1750 to 1810 The original meaning of "baroque" is "irregular pearl", a strikingly fitting characterization of the architecture of this period; later, the name came to be applied also to its music. Baroque art redirects here Please disambiguate such links to Baroque painting, Baroque sculpture, etc Baroque architecture, starting in the early 17th century in Italy, took the humanist Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical Baroque music forms a major portion of the classical music canon, being widely studied, performed, and listened to. It is associated with composers such as Claudio Monteverdi, Antonio Vivaldi, George Frideric Handel, and Johann Sebastian Bach. WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section.2 This article is written in British English including maximised use of "-ise" The baroque period saw the development of diatonic tonality. Tonality is a system of Music in which specific hierarchical pitch relationships are based on a key "center" or tonic. During the period composers and performers used more elaborate musical ornamentation; made changes in musical notation, and developed new instrumental playing techniques. Baroque music expanded the size, range and complexity of instrumental performance, and also established opera as a musical genre. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto Many musical terms and concepts from this era are still in use today.

History of the name

Music conventionally described as Baroque encompasses a broad range of styles from a wide geographic region, mostly in Europe, composed during a period of approximately 150 years. The systematic application of the term "baroque", which literally means "irregularly shaped pearl", to music of this period is a relatively recent development. It was in 1919 that Curt Sachs was the first to attempt to apply the five characteristics of Heinrich Wölfflin’s theory of the Baroque systematically to music. Curt Sachs ( June 29, 1881 - February 5, 1959) was a German musicologist. Heinrich Wölfflin ( June 21 1864 &ndash July 19 1945) was a famous Swiss Art critic, whose objective classifying principles ^[2] In English the term only acquired currency in the 1940s, in the writings of Lang and Bukofzer. ^[3] Indeed, as late as 1960 there was still considerable dispute in academic circles whether it was meaningful to lump together music as diverse as that of Jacopo Peri, Domenico Scarlatti and J.S. Bach with a single term; yet the term has become widely used and accepted for this broad range of music. Jacopo Peri ( August 20 1561 &ndash August 12 1633) was an Italian Composer and singer of the transitional period between Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti (October 26 1685 – July 23 1757 was a Neapolitan Composer who spent much of his life in Spain and Portugal. WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section.2 This article is written in British English including maximised use of "-ise" It may be helpful to distinguish it from both the preceding (Renaissance) and following (Classical) periods of musical history. Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music A small number of musicologists argue that it should be split into Baroque and Mannerist periods to conform to the divisions that are sometimes applied in the visual arts. Mannerism is a period of European art which emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520.

Styles and forms

The Baroque Suite

The Baroque suite was often simply called an overture. The form is especially associated with Telemann, who wrote several hundred in diverse instrumentation. Georg Philipp Telemann (March 14 1681 &ndash June 25 1767 was a German Baroque music Composer, born in Magdeburg. They were scored with or without soloists; in Germany suites for two oboes and bassoon, such as the Darmstadt Overtures, were especially popular.

Overture

The Baroque suite was generally begun with a French overture ("Ouverture" in French) played da capo (ABA form) or extended as ABABA, where A is a slow section with dotted rhythms and B is a fast, often fugal section. Da Capo is a musical term in Italian, meaning from the beginning (literally to the head) In Western Musical notation, a dotted note is a Note with a small dot written after it In Music, a fugue (ˈfjuːg is a type of contrapuntal composition or technique of composition for a fixed number of parts, normally referred When the suite is scored with soloists, the fast section is generally in ritornello form. In Baroque music, ritornello was the word for a recurring passage for Orchestra in the first or final movement of a Solo concerto or Aria

Allemande

Often the first dance of an instrumental suite, the allemande was a very popular dance that had its origins in the Renaissance era, when it was more often called the almain. In Music, a suite is an ordered set of Instrumental or Orchestral pieces normally performed in a Concert An allemande (also spelled allemanda, almain, or alman) (from the French word for "German" is one of the most popular Instrumental The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere An allemande (also spelled allemanda, almain, or alman) (from the French word for "German" is one of the most popular Instrumental The allemande was played at a moderate tempo and could start on any beat of the bar. 2266-Tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl or TEMPO is the Chemical compound with the formula (CH23(CMe22NO

Courante

The courante is a lively, French dance in triple meter. The courante, corrente, coranto and corant are just some of the names given to a family of Triple metre dances from the late Renaissance Triple metre (or triple meter, also known as triple time) is a musical metre characterized by a primary division of 3 beats to the bar usually The Italian version is called the corrente.

Sarabande

The sarabande is one of the slowest of the baroque dances with a speed of about 40 to 66 beats per minute. In Music, the sarabande (It sarabanda) is a Dance in Triple metre. It is also in triple meter and can start on any beat of the bar, although there is an emphasis on the second beat, creating the characteristic 'halting', or iambic rhythm of the sarabande. In Music, the sarabande (It sarabanda) is a Dance in Triple metre.

Gigue

The gigue is an upbeat and lively baroque dance in compound meter, typically the concluding movement of an instrumental suite. The gigue ( {{IPA|/ʒig/}}) or giga is a lively Baroque dance originating from the British Jig. The gigue can start on any beat of the bar and is easily recognized by its rhythmic feel. The gigue is said to have originated in England, its counterpart in folk music being the jig. The jig (port is a Folk dance type as well as the accompanying dance tune type popular in Ireland.

These four dance types make up the majority of 17th century suites; later suites interpolate additional movements, sometimes termed intermezzi or gallanteries, between the sarabande and gigue:

Gavotte

The gavotte can be identified by a variety of features; it is in 4/4 time and always starts on the third beat of the bar, although this may sound like the first beat in some cases, as the first is a and third beats are the strong beats in duple time. The gavotte (also gavot or gavote) originated as a French Folk dance, taking its name from the Gavot people of the Pays de Gap The gavotte is played at a moderate tempo, although in some cases it may be played faster.

Bourée

The bourée is similar to the gavotte as it is in 2/2 time although it starts on the second half of the last beat of the bar, creating a different feel to the dance. This article is about various types of dance and music called "bourrée" The bourée is commonly played at a moderate tempo, although for some composers, such as Handel, it can be taken at a much faster tempo.

Minuet

The minuet is perhaps the best-known of the baroque dances in triple meter. A minuet, sometimes spelled menuet, is a Social dance of French origin for two persons usually in 3/4 time. It can start on any beat of the bar. The speed of the minuet is normally moderate, although this may vary. In some suites there may be a Minuet I and II, played in succession, with the Minuet I repeated.

Passepied

The passepied is a fast dance in binary form and triple meter that originated in Brittany. The passepied ( French for passing feet; pasˈpje is a 17th- and 18th-century Dance that originated in Brittany. Examples can be found in later suites such as those of Bach and Handel. WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section.2 This article is written in British English including maximised use of "-ise"

Rigaudon

The rigaudon is a lively French dance in duple meter, similar to the bourée, but rhythmically simpler. The rigaudon (also rigadoon) is a French Baroque dance with a lively Duple metre. It may have originated in Provence.

Baroque versus Renaissance style

Baroque instruments including hurdy gurdy, harpsichord, bass viol, lute, violin, and baroque guitar. A hurdy gurdy (also known as a wheel fiddle) is a stringed Musical instrument in which the strings are sounded by means of a Rosined wheel which the strings A harpsichord is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. The viol (also called viola da gamba) is any one of a family of bowed, Fretted stringed Musical instruments developed in the 1400s Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck (either Fretted or unfretted and a deep round back or more specifically to an instrument from A baroque violin is in common usage any Violin whose neck fingerboard bridge and tailpiece are of the type used during the Baroque period This article is about baroque guitars For the modern 10-string guitar see Ten-string guitar.

Baroque music shares with Renaissance music a heavy use of polyphony and counterpoint. In Music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent Melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice ( Monophony In Music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and Rhythm, and interdependent in Harmony However, its use of these techniques differs from Renaissance music. In the Renaissance, harmony is more the result of consonances incidental to the smooth flow of polyphony, while in the early Baroque era the order of these consonances becomes important, for they begin to be felt as chords in a hierarchical, functional tonal scheme. Tonality is a system of Music in which specific hierarchical pitch relationships are based on a key "center" or tonic. Around 1600 there is considerable blurring of this definition: for example essentially tonal progressions around cadential points in madrigals are noted, while in early monody the feeling of tonality is still rather tenuous. A madrigal is a type of Secular vocal music composition written during the Renaissance and early Baroque eras In Poetry, the term monody has become specialized to refer to a poem in which one person laments another's death Another distinction between Renaissance and Baroque practice in harmony is the frequency of chord root motion by third in the earlier period, while motion of fourths or fifths predominates later (which partially defines functional tonality). In Music theory, the term interval describes the relationship between the pitches of two Notes Intervals may be described as vertical In Music theory, the term interval describes the relationship between the pitches of two Notes Intervals may be described as vertical In Music theory, the term interval describes the relationship between the pitches of two Notes Intervals may be described as vertical In addition, baroque music uses longer lines and stronger rhythms: the initial line is extended, either alone or accompanied only by the basso continuo, until the theme reappears in another voice. In Music, accompaniment is the art of playing along with a soloist or ensemble, often known as the Lead, in a Supporting manner Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer Musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords and Nonchord tones in relation In this later approach to counterpoint, the harmony was more often defined either by the basso continuo, or tacitly by the notes of the theme itself.

These stylistic differences mark the transition from the ricercars, fantasias, and canzonas of the Renaissance to the fugue, a defining baroque form. A ricercar (or ricercare recercar; the terms are interchangeable is a type of late Renaissance and mostly early Baroque instrumental composition The fantasia (also fantasy fancy Fantasie fantaisie is a musical composition with its roots in the art of Improvisation. In music a canzona (also Canzone) was a 16th-century multipart vocal setting of a literary canzone and a 16th - and 17th-century instrumental In Music, a fugue (ˈfjuːg is a type of contrapuntal composition or technique of composition for a fixed number of parts, normally referred Claudio Monteverdi called this newer, looser style the seconda pratica, contrasting it with the prima pratica that characterized the motets and other sacred choral pieces of high Renaissance masters like Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Prima pratica, literally "first practice" refers to early Baroque music which looks more to the style of Palestrina, or the style codified by In Western music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choral musical compositions For the musical composition see Chorale. A choir, chorale, or chorus is a Musical ensemble of Singers Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (between 3 February 1525 and 2 February 1526 - 2 February 1594 was an Italian Composer of the Renaissance. Monteverdi used both styles; he wrote his Mass In illo tempore in the older, Palestrinan style, and his 1610 Vespers in the new style. For other uses see Mass (disambiguation The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that Vespro della Beata Vergine 1610 ( SV 206 and 206a Vespers for the Blessed Virgin 1610 or simply the Vespers of 1610, as it is commonly called

There are other, more general differences between baroque and Renaissance style. Baroque music often strives for a greater level of emotional intensity than Renaissance music, and a Baroque piece often uniformly depicts a single particular emotion (exultation, grief, piety, and so forth). The doctrine of the affections, also known as the doctrine of affects, or by the German term Affektenlehre (after the German Affekt; plural Affekten Baroque music was more often written for virtuoso singers and instrumentalists and is music, although idiomatic instrumental writing was one of the most important innovations of the period. Baroque music employs a great deal of ornamentation, which was often improvised by the performer. In Music, ornaments are musical flourishes that are not necessary to carry the overall line of the melody (or harmony but serve instead to decorate or "ornament" Expressive performance methods such as notes inégales were common and were expected to be applied by performers, often with considerable latitude. In music notes inégales (French unequal notes refers to a performance practice mainly from the Baroque and Classical music eras in which some notes Instruments came to play a greater part in baroque music, and a cappella vocal music receded in importance. A cappella (Italian or Latin "From the chapel/choir" Music is Vocal music or Singing without instrumental Accompaniment

Baroque versus Classical style

In the Classical era, which followed the Baroque, the role of counterpoint was diminished (albeit repeatedly rediscovered and reintroduced), and replaced by a homophonic texture. In Music, homophony (hoʊˈmɒfəni from Greek "homófonos" where ομοιο = the same and φωνή = a sound tone is a texture in which two or more The role of ornamentation lessened. Works tended towards a more articulated internal structure, especially those written in sonata form. Sonata form is a Musical form that has been used widely since the early Classical period. Modulation (changing of keys) became a structural and dramatic element, so that a work could be heard as a kind of dramatic journey through a sequence of musical keys, outward and back from the tonic. Baroque music also modulates frequently, but the modulation has less structural importance. {{Fact|date=June 2008 Works in the classical style often depict widely varying emotions within a single movement, whereas baroque works tend toward a single, vividly portrayed feeling. Classical works usually reach a kind of dramatic climax and then resolve it; baroque works retain a fairly constant level of dramatic energy to the very last note. Many forms of the Baroque served as the point of departure for the creation of the sonata form, by creating a "floor plan" for the placement of important cadences. This article treats the history of Sonata form in the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern eras In Baroque music, articulation was emphasized more than dynamics. Dynamics were still important, but baroque-era keyboards (harpsichords and organs) were incapable of producing the full range of dynamics possible in later eras. A harpsichord is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. The organ (from Greek όργανον – organon "organ instrument tool" is a Keyboard instrument of one or more divisions each

Other features

• Basso continuo - a kind of continuous accompaniment notated with a new music notation system, figured bass, usually for a sustaining bass instrument and a keyboard instrument
• Monody - music for one melodic voice with accompaniment, characteristic of the early 17th century, especially in Italy
• Homophony - music with one melodic voice and rhythmically similar accompaniment (this and monody are contrasted with the typical Renaissance texture, polyphony)
• Text over music - intelligible text with instrumental accompaniment not overpowering the voice
• Vocal soloists
• Dramatic musical expression
• Dramatic musical forms like opera, dramma per musica
• Combined instrumental-vocal forms, such as the oratorio and cantata
• New instrumental techniques, like tremolo and pizzicato
• Clear and linear melody
• Notes inégales, a technique of applying dotted rhythms to evenly written notes. Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer Musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords and Nonchord tones in relation Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer Musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords and Nonchord tones in relation In Poetry, the term monody has become specialized to refer to a poem in which one person laments another's death In Music, accompaniment is the art of playing along with a soloist or ensemble, often known as the Lead, in a Supporting manner In Music, homophony (hoʊˈmɒfəni from Greek "homófonos" where ομοιο = the same and φωνή = a sound tone is a texture in which two or more In Music, texture is the overall quality of sound of a piece, most often indicated by the number of voices in the music and by the relationship between In Music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent Melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice ( Monophony Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto An oratorio is a large Musical composition including an Orchestra, a Choir, and soloists The oratorio was somewhat modeled after the Opera A cantata (derived from the Italian word 'cantare' meaning 'to sing' is a vocal composition with an instrumental Accompaniment and often Tremolo, or tremolando, is a Musical term with several meanings A regular and repetitive variation in Amplitude for the duration Pizzicato (ˌpɪtsɪˈkɑːtoʊ is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a String instrument. In Music, a melody (from Greek μελῳδία - melōidía, "singing chanting" also tune, voice, or In music notes inégales (French unequal notes refers to a performance practice mainly from the Baroque and Classical music eras in which some notes
• The aria
• The ritornello aria (repeated short instrumental interruptions of vocal passages)
• The concertato style (contrast in sound between orchestra and solo-instruments or small groups of instruments)
• Precise instrumental scoring (in the Renaissance, exact instrumentation for ensemble playing was rarely indicated)
• Idiomatic instrumental writing: better use of the unique properties of each type of musical instrument
• Virtuosic instrumental and vocal writing, with appreciation for virtuosity as such
• ornamentation
• Development to modern Western tonality (major and minor scales)
• Cadenza- an extended virtuosic section for the soloist usually near the end of a movement of a concerto. This article is about the musical term "aria" For other meanings or uses of the word see Aria (disambiguation. In Baroque music, ritornello was the word for a recurring passage for Orchestra in the first or final movement of a Solo concerto or Aria Concertato is a term in early Baroque music referring to either a genre or a style of music in which groups of instruments or voices share a melody usually A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. In Music, ornaments are musical flourishes that are not necessary to carry the overall line of the melody (or harmony but serve instead to decorate or "ornament" In Music theory, the major scale or Ionian scale is one of the diatonic scales It is made up of seven distinct Notes plus an eighth Minor Scale was a test conducted by the United States Defense Nuclear Agency (now part of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency) involving the detonation

Genres

Baroque composers wrote in many different musical genres. Opera, invented in the late Renaissance, became an important musical form during the Baroque, with the operas of Alessandro Scarlatti, Handel, and others. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto Alessandro Scarlatti (May 2 1660 &ndash October 24 1725 was an Italian Baroque Composer especially famous for his Operas and chamber Cantatas The oratorio achieved its peak in the work of Bach and Handel; opera and oratorio often used very similar music forms, such as a widespread use of the da capo aria. An oratorio is a large Musical composition including an Orchestra, a Choir, and soloists The oratorio was somewhat modeled after the Opera The da capo aria was a musical form prevalent in the Baroque era

In other religious music, the Mass and motet receded slightly in importance, but the cantata flourished in the work of Bach and other Protestant composers. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Virtuoso organ music also flourished, with toccatas, fugues, and other works.

Instrumental sonatas and dance suites were written for individual instruments, for chamber groups, and for (small) orchestra. In Music, a suite is an ordered set of Instrumental or Orchestral pieces normally performed in a Concert The concerto emerged, both in its form for a single soloist plus orchestra and as the concerto grosso, in which a small group of soloists is contrasted with the full ensemble. The term Concerto (plural concertos or concerti) usually refers to a three part musical work in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an Orchestra The concerto grosso ( Italian for big concert(o, Plural concerti grossi) is a form of Baroque music in which the musical material The French overture, with its contrasting slow and fast sections, added grandeur to the many courts at which it was performed. The French overture is a Musical form widely used in the Baroque period

Keyboard works were sometimes written largely for the pleasure and instruction of the performer. These included a series of works by the mature Bach that are widely considered to be the intellectual culmination of the Baroque era: the Well-Tempered Clavier, the Goldberg Variations, and The Art of Fugue. The Well-Tempered Clavier ( Das Wohltemperirte Clavier in the original old German spelling BWV 846–893 is a collection of solo keyboard music composed by The Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 are a set of 30 variations for Harpsichord by Johann Sebastian Bach. The Art of Fugue or The Art of the Fugue (original German Die Kunst der Fuge) BWV 1080 is an incomplete masterpiece

Vocal

• Opera
  • Zarzuela
  • Opera seria
  • Opera comique
  • Opera-ballet
• Masque
• Oratorio
• Passion (music)
• Cantata
• Mass (music)
• Anthem
• Monody
• Chorale

Instrumental

• Concerto grosso
• Fugue
• Suite
  • Allemande
  • Courante
  • Sarabande
  • Gigue
  • Gavotte
  • Menuet
• Sonata
  • Sonata da camera
  • Sonata da chiesa
  • Trio sonata
• Partita
• Canzona
• Sinfonia
• Fantasia
• Ricercar
• Toccata
• Prelude
• Chaconne
• Passacaglia
• Chorale prelude
• Stylus fantasticus

History

Composers of the Baroque

Early baroque music (1600–1654)

For more details on this topic, see Transition from Renaissance to Baroque in instrumental music. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto Zarzuela (θarˈθwela in Spain in Latin America is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes the latter incorporating Operatic Opera seria (usually called dramma per musica or Melodramma serio) is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" Opéra comique (plural opéras comiques is a French genre of Opera that contains spoken dialogue Ballets de cour ( Court ballet) is the name given to Ballets performed in the 16th and 17th centuries at court The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment which flourished in sixteenth and early seventeenth century Europe though it was developed earlier in Italy An oratorio is a large Musical composition including an Orchestra, a Choir, and soloists The oratorio was somewhat modeled after the Opera Passion music are musical compositions reflecting the suffering of Jesus leading up to the Crucifixion. A cantata (derived from the Italian word 'cantare' meaning 'to sing' is a vocal composition with an instrumental Accompaniment and often For other uses see Mass (disambiguation The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music (in Music theory and religious contexts or more generally a song (or composition of In Poetry, the term monody has become specialized to refer to a poem in which one person laments another's death A chorale was originally a Hymn of the Lutheran church sung by the entire congregation The concerto grosso ( Italian for big concert(o, Plural concerti grossi) is a form of Baroque music in which the musical material In Music, a fugue (ˈfjuːg is a type of contrapuntal composition or technique of composition for a fixed number of parts, normally referred In Music, a suite is an ordered set of Instrumental or Orchestral pieces normally performed in a Concert An allemande (also spelled allemanda, almain, or alman) (from the French word for "German" is one of the most popular Instrumental The courante, corrente, coranto and corant are just some of the names given to a family of Triple metre dances from the late Renaissance In Music, the sarabande (It sarabanda) is a Dance in Triple metre. The gigue ( {{IPA|/ʒig/}}) or giga is a lively Baroque dance originating from the British Jig. The gavotte (also gavot or gavote) originated as a French Folk dance, taking its name from the Gavot people of the Pays de Gap A minuet, sometimes spelled menuet, is a Social dance of French origin for two persons usually in 3/4 time. Usage of sonata The Baroque applied the term sonata to a variety of works though most works in the Baroque Period were fugues and toccatas Sonata da camera is Italian for "chamber sonata" Sonata da camera is a type of Trio sonata intended for secular performance Sonata da chiesa ( Italian: Church sonata) is an instrumental composition dating from the Baroque period generally consisting of four movements The trio sonata is a Musical form which was particularly popular around the 17th century and the 18th century This is an article about the Musical Genre. For the game see Tarocchini. In music a canzona (also Canzone) was a 16th-century multipart vocal setting of a literary canzone and a 16th - and 17th-century instrumental Sinfonia is the Italian (Spanish and also Portuguese word for Symphony (see that article for etymology The fantasia (also fantasy fancy Fantasie fantaisie is a musical composition with its roots in the art of Improvisation. A ricercar (or ricercare recercar; the terms are interchangeable is a type of late Renaissance and mostly early Baroque instrumental composition Toccata (from Italian toccare, "to touch" is a Virtuoso piece of music typically for a keyboard or Plucked string instrument A prelude is a short piece of Music, which its form will vary from piece to piece In Music, a chaconne (ʃaˈkɔn Italian: ciaccona) is a Musical form whose primary formal feature involves variation on a repeated A passacaglia is a short usually slow and often grave musical work in any metre In music a chorale prelude is a short liturgical composition for organ using a Chorale tune as its basis The stylus fantasticus is a style of early Baroque music.The root of this music is organ toccatas and fantasias particularly derived from those of Claudio Merulo In the years centering around 1600 in Europe, several distinct shifts emerged in ways of thinking about the purposes writing and performance of music

The conventional dividing line for the Baroque from the Renaissance begins in Italy, with the Florentine Camerata, a group of academics who met informally in Florence in the palace of Count Giovanni de' Bardi to discuss arts, as well as the sciences. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Florentine Camerata was a group of humanists Musicians Poets and Intellectuals in late Renaissance Florence who gathered Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany Giovanni de Bardi ( February 5, 1534 – September 1612 Count of Vernio, was an Italian literary critic writer composer and soldier Concerning music, their ideals were based on their perception of ancient Greek musical drama, in which the declamation of the text was of utmost importance. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca As such, they rejected the complex polyphony of the late renaissance and desired a form of musical drama which consisted primarily of a simple solo melody, with a basic accompaniment. The early realizations of these ideas, including Jacopo Peri's Dafne and L'Euridice, marked the beginning of opera. Jacopo Peri ( August 20 1561 &ndash August 12 1633) was an Italian Composer and singer of the transitional period between Dafne is the earliest known work that by modern standards could be considered an Opera.

Musically, the adoption of the figured bass represents a larger change in musical thinking—namely that harmony, that is "taking all of the parts together" was as important as the linear part of polyphony. Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer Musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords and Nonchord tones in relation In Western music, harmony is the use of different pitches simultaneously and chords actual or implied in Music. Increasingly, polyphony and harmony were seen as two sides of the same idea, with harmonic progressions entering the notion of composing, as well as the use of the tritone as a dissonance. Harmonic thinking had existed among particular composers in the previous era, notably Carlo Gesualdo; however the Renaissance is felt to give way to the Baroque at the point where it becomes the common vocabulary. This article is about the composer for the Italian town see Gesualdo (town. Some historians of music point to the introduction of the seventh chord without preparation as being the key break with the past. This created the idea that chords, rather than notes, created the sense of closure, which is one of the fundamental ideas of what came to be known as tonality. Tonality is a system of Music in which specific hierarchical pitch relationships are based on a key "center" or tonic.

Italy formed one of the cornerstones of the new style, as the papacy—besieged by Reformation but with coffers fattened by the immense revenues flowing in from Hapsburg conquest—searched for artistic means to promote faith in the Roman Catholic Church. The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time One of the most important musical centers was Venice, which had both secular and sacred patronage available. Venice ( Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venesia or Venexia) is a city in Northern Italy, the capital of the

Giovanni Gabrieli became one of the important transitional figures in the emergence of the new style, although his work is largely considered to be in the "High Renaissance" manner. Giovanni Gabrieli (c 1554/1557 &ndash August 12 1612 was an Italian Composer and organist. However, his innovations were foundational to the new style. Among these are instrumentation (labeling instruments specifically for specific tasks) and the use of dynamics.

The demands of religion were also to make the text of sacred works clearer, and hence there was pressure to move away from the densely layered polyphony of the Renaissance, to lines which put the words front and center, or had a more limited range of imitation. This created the demand for a more intricate weaving of the vocal line against backdrop, or homophony.

Claudio Monteverdi became the most visible of a generation of composers who felt that there was a secular means to this "modern" approach to harmony and text, and in 1607 his opera Orfeo became the landmark which demonstrated the array of effects and techniques that were associated with this new school, called seconda pratica, to distinguish it from the older style or prima pratica. L'Orfeo ( L'Orfeo favola in musica, SV 318 or La Favola d'Orfeo, or The Legend of Orpheus) is one of the earliest Prima pratica, literally "first practice" refers to early Baroque music which looks more to the style of Palestrina, or the style codified by Monteverdi was a master of both, producing precisely styled madrigals that extended the forms of Marenzio and Giaches de Wert. Luca Marenzio (also Marentio) ( October 18 ? 1553? &ndash August 22, 1599) was an Italian composer of the late Renaissance Giaches de Wert (1535 &ndash May 6, 1596) was a Franco-Flemish composer active in Italy. But it is his pieces in the new style which became the most influential. These included features which are recognizable even to the end of the baroque period, including use of idiomatic writing, virtuoso flourishes, and the use of new techniques.

This musical language proved to be international, as Heinrich Schütz, a German composer who studied in Venice under both Gabrieli and later Monteverdi, used it to the liturgical needs of the Elector of Saxony and served as the choir master in Dresden. Heinrich Schütz (October 8 ( JC) 1585 Köstritz - November 6 1672 Dresden) was a German Composer and organist, generally regarded Dresden (etymologically from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the riverside forest, Drježdźany is the Capital city of the German

Middle baroque music (1654–1707)

The rise of the centralized court is one of the economic and political features of what is often labeled the Age of Absolutism, personified by Louis XIV of France. Absolutism is a Historiographical term used to describe a form of monarchical power that is unrestrained by any other institutions such as churches legislatures or social Early years Birth and ancestry Louis XIV was born in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on September 5 1638 and bore the Heir apparent This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The style of palace, and the court system of manners and arts which he fostered, became the model for the rest of Europe. The realities of rising church and state patronage created the demand for organized public music, as the increasing availability of instruments created the demand for chamber music. Chamber music is a form of Classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber This included the availability of keyboard instruments. A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a Musical keyboard.

The middle Baroque is separated from the early Baroque by the coming of systematic thinking to the new style and a gradual institutionalization of the forms and norms, particularly in opera. As with literature, the printing press and trade created an expanded international audience for works and greater cross-pollenation between national centers of musical activity. Literature is the Art of written works Literally translated the word means "acquaintance with letters" (from Latin littera letter A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a medium (such as paper or cloth thereby transferring an image

The middle Baroque, in music theory, is identified by the increasingly harmonic focus of musical practice and the creation of formal systems of teaching. Music was an art, and it came to be seen as one that should be taught in an orderly manner. This culminated in the later work of Fux in systematizing counterpoint.

One preeminent example of a court style composer is Jean-Baptiste Lully. Jean-Baptiste de Lully ( Giovanni Battista di Lulli) (ʒɑ̃batist də lyˈli in French (November 28 1632 &ndash March 22 1687 was a French Composer of Italian His career rose dramatically when he collaborated with Molière on a series of comedie-ballets, that is, plays with dancing. Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, also known by his Stage name, Molière, ( January 15, 1622 – February 17 1673) was a French He used this success to become the sole composer of operas for the king, using not just innovative musical ideas such as the tragedie lyrique, but patents from the king which prevented others from having operas staged. Tragédie en musique (French lyric tragedy also known as tragédie lyrique, is a genre of French opera introduced by Jean-Baptiste Lully and used Lully's instinct for providing the material that his monarch desired has been pointed out by almost every biographer, including his rapid shift to church music when the mood at court became more devout. His 13 completed lyric tragedies are based on libretti that focus on the conflicts between the public and private life of the monarch.

Musically, he explored contrast between stately and fully orchestrated sections, and simple recitatives and airs. In no small part, it was his skill in assembling and practicing musicians into an orchestra which was essential to his success and influence. Observers noted the precision and intonation, this in an age where there was no standard for tuning instruments. One essential element was the increased focus on the inner voices of the harmony and the relationship to the soloist. He also established the string-dominated norm for orchestras.

Arcangelo Corelli is remembered as influential for his achievements on the other side of musical technique—as a violinist who organized violin technique and pedagogy—and in purely instrumental music, particularly his advocacy and development of the concerto grosso. WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Arcangelo Corelli (February 17 1653 &ndash January 8 1713 was a French Violinist Whereas Lully was ensconced at court, Corelli was one of the first composers to publish widely and have his music performed all over Europe. As with Lully's stylization and organization of the opera, the concerto grosso is built on strong contrasts—sections alternate between those played by the full orchestra, and those played by a smaller group. Dynamics were "terraced", that is with a sharp transition from loud to soft and back again. Fast sections and slow sections were juxtaposed against each other. Numbered among his students is Antonio Vivaldi, who later composed hundreds of works based on the principles in Corelli's trio sonatas and concerti. The trio sonata is a Musical form which was particularly popular around the 17th century and the 18th century

In England the middle Baroque produced a cometary genius in Henry Purcell, who despite dying at age 36, produced a profusion of music and was widely recognized in his lifetime. Henry Purcell (ˈpɜrsəl 10 September 1659 (? – 21 November 1695 was an English Baroque Composer. He was familiar with the innovations of Corelli and other Italian style composers; however, his patrons were different, and his musical output was prodigious. Rather than being a painstaking craftsman, Purcell was a fluid composer who was able to shift from simple anthems and useful music such as marches, to grandly scored vocal music and music for the stage. His catalog runs to over 800 works. He was also one of the first great keyboard composers, whose work still has influence and presence.

In contrast to these composers, Dieterich Buxtehude was not a creature of court but instead was an organist and entrepreneurial presenter of music. Dieterich Buxtehude ( Dietrich, Diderich) (c 1637 &ndash 9 May 1707 was a German-Danish Organist, Lutenist Rather than publishing, he relied on performance for his income, and rather than royal patronage, he shuttled between vocal settings for sacred music, and organ music that he performed. His output is not as fabulous or diverse, because he was not constantly being called upon for music to meet an occasion. Buxtehude's employment of contrast was between the free, often improvisatory sections, and more strict sections worked out contrapuntally. This procedure would be highly influential on later composers such as Bach, who took the contrast between free and strict to greater limits.

Late baroque music (1680–1750)

The dividing line between middle and late Baroque is a matter of some debate. Dates for the beginning of "late" baroque style range from 1680 to 1720. In no small part this is because there was not one synchronized transition; different national styles experienced changes at different rates and at different times. Italy is generally regarded as the first country to move to the late baroque style. The important dividing line in most histories of baroque music is the full absorption of tonality as a structuring principle of music. This was particularly evident in the wake of theoretical work by Jean-Philippe Rameau, who replaced Lully as the important French opera composer. Jean-Philippe Rameau (ʒɑ̃filip ʀaˈmo in French (September 25 1683 – September 12 1764 was one of the most important French Composers and music theorists At the same time, through the work of Johann Fux, the Renaissance style of polyphony was made the basis for the study of counterpoint. Johann Joseph Fux ( pronounced) (1660 &ndash 13 February 1741 was an Austrian composer music theorist and pedagogue of the late Baroque era The combination of modal counterpoint with tonal logic of cadences created the sense that there were two styles of composition—the homophonic dominated by vertical considerations and the polyphonic dominated by imitation and contrapuntal considerations.

The forms which had begun to be established in the previous era flourished and were given wider range of diversity; concerto, suite, sonata, concerto grosso, oratorio, opera and ballet all saw a proliferation of national styles and structures. The overall form of pieces was generally simple, with repeated binary forms (AABB), simple three part forms (ABC), and rondeau forms being common. These schematics in turn influenced later composers.

Antonio Vivaldi is a figure who was forgotten in concert music making for much of the 19th century, only to be revived in the 20th century. Born in Venice in 1678, he began as an ordained priest of the Catholic church but ceased to say Mass by 1703. The Mass is the Eucharistic celebration in the Latin liturgical rites of the Roman Catholic Church. Around the same time he was appointed maestro di violino at a Venetian girls' orphanage with which he had a professional relationship until nearly the end of his life. Vivaldi's reputation came not from having an orchestra or court appointment, but from his published works, including trio sonatas, violin sonatas and concerti. They were published in Amsterdam and circulated widely through Europe. Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west It is in these instrumental genres of baroque sonata and baroque concerto, which were still evolving, that Vivaldi's most important contributions were made. He settled on certain patterns, such as a fast-slow-fast three-movement plan for works, and the use of ritornello in the fast movements, and explored the possibilities in hundreds of works—550 concerti alone. In Baroque music, ritornello was the word for a recurring passage for Orchestra in the first or final movement of a Solo concerto or Aria He also used programatic titles for works, such as his famous "The Four Seasons". The Four Seasons ( Le quattro stagioni in original Italian) is a set of four Violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi. Vivaldi's career reflects a growing possibility for a composer to be able to support himself by his publications, tour to promote his own works, and have an independent existence.

Domenico Scarlatti was one of the leading keyboard virtuosi of his day, who took the road of being a royal court musician, first in Portugal and then, starting in 1733, in Madrid, Spain, where he spent the rest of his life. Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti (October 26 1685 – July 23 1757 was a Neapolitan Composer who spent much of his life in Spain and Portugal. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. His father, Alessandro Scarlatti, was a member of the Neapolitan School of opera and has been credited with being among its most skilled members. Alessandro Scarlatti (May 2 1660 &ndash October 24 1725 was an Italian Baroque Composer especially famous for his Operas and chamber Cantatas Domenico also wrote operas and church music, but it is the publication of his keyboard works, which spread more widely after his death, which have secured him a lasting place of reputation. Many of these works were written for his own playing but others for his royal patrons. As with his father, his fortunes were closely tied to his ability to secure, and keep, royal favour.

But perhaps the most famous composer to be associated with royal patronage was George Frideric Handel, who was born in Germany, studied for three years in Italy, and went to London in 1711, which was his base of operations for a long and profitable career that included independently produced operas and commissions for nobility. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. He was constantly searching for successful commercial formulas, in opera, and then in oratorios in English. A continuous worker, Handel borrowed from others and often recycled his own material. He was also known for reworking pieces such as the famous Messiah, which premiered in 1741, for available singers and musicians. Even as his economic circumstances rose and fell with his productions, his reputation, based on published keyboard works, ceremonial music, constant stagings of operas and oratorios and concerti grossi, grew exponentially. By the time of his death, he was regarded as the leading composer in Europe and was studied by later classical-era musicians. Handel, because of his very public ambitions, rested a great deal of his output on melodic resource combined with a rich performance tradition of improvisation and counterpoint. The practice of ornamentation in the Baroque style was at a very high level of development under his direction. In Music, ornaments are musical flourishes that are not necessary to carry the overall line of the melody (or harmony but serve instead to decorate or "ornament" He travelled all over Europe to engage singers and learn the music of other composers, and thus he had among the widest acquaintance of other styles of any composer.

Johann Sebastian Bach has, over time, come to be seen as the towering figure of Baroque music, with what Bela Bartok described as "a religion" surrounding him. WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section.2 This article is written in British English including maximised use of "-ise" Béla Viktor János Bartók (March 25 1881&ndashSeptember 26 1945 was a Hungarian Composer and Pianist, considered to be one of the greatest During the baroque period, he was better known as a teacher, administrator and performer than composer, being less famous than either Handel or Georg Philipp Telemann. Georg Philipp Telemann (March 14 1681 &ndash June 25 1767 was a German Baroque music Composer, born in Magdeburg. Born in Eisenach in 1685 to a musical family, he received an extensive early education and was considered to have an excellent boy soprano voice. Eisenach is a city in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated between the northern foothills of the Thuringian Forest and the Hainich National Park A boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the Soprano range He held a variety of posts as an organist, rapidly gaining in fame for his virtuosity and ability. In 1723 he settled at the post which he was associated with for virtually the rest of his life: cantor and director of music for Leipzig. This sort of fix restores section edit linkpoints to where they belong His varied experience meant that he became the leader of music, both secular and sacred, for the town, teacher of its musicians and leading figure. Bach's musical innovations plumbed the depths and the outer limits of the Baroque homophonic and polyphonic forms. He was a virtual catalog of every contrapuntal device possible and every acceptable means of creating webs of harmony with the chorale. As a result, his works in the form of the fugue coupled with preludes and toccatas for organ, and the baroque concerto forms, have become fundamental in both performance and theoretical technique. Virtually every instrument and ensemble of the age—except for the theatre genres—is represented copiously in his output. Bach's teachings became prominent in the classical and romantic eras as composers rediscovered the harmonic and melodic subtleties of his works.

Georg Philipp Telemann was the most famous instrumental composer of his time, and massively prolific—even by the standards of an age where composers had to produce large volumes of music. Georg Philipp Telemann (March 14 1681 &ndash June 25 1767 was a German Baroque music Composer, born in Magdeburg. His two most important positions—director of music in Frankfurt in 1712 and in 1721 director of music of the Johanneum in Hamburg—required him to compose vocal and instrumental music for secular and sacred contexts. Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany He composed two complete cantata cycles for Sunday services, as well as sacred oratorios. Telemann also founded a periodical that published new music, much of it by Telemann. This dissemination of music made him a composer with an international audience, as evidenced by his successful trip to Paris in 1731. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Some of his finest works were in the 1750s and 1760s, when the Baroque style was being replaced by simpler styles but were popular at the time and afterwards. Among these late works are "Der Tod Jesu" ("The death of Jesus") 1755, "Die Donner-Ode" ("The Ode of Thunder") 1756, "Die Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt Jesu" ("The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus") 1760 and "Der Tag des Gerichts" ("The Day of Judgement") 1762.

Influence on later music

Transition to the Classical era (1740–1780)

The phase between the late Baroque and the early Classical era, with its broad mixture of competing ideas and attempts to unify the different demands of taste, economics and "worldview", goes by many names. The dates of the Classical period in Western music are generally accepted as 1750 to 1810 It is sometimes called "Galant", "Rococo", or "pre-Classical", or at other times, "early Classical". In music Galant was a term referring to a style principally occurring in the third quarter of the 18th century which featured a return to classical simplicity after the complexity It is a period where composers still working in the Baroque style were still successful, if sometimes thought of as being more of the past than the present—Bach, Handel and Telemann all composed well beyond the point at which the homophonic style is clearly in the ascendant. Musical culture was caught at a crossroads: the masters of the older style had the technique, but the public hungered for the new. This is one of the reasons Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was held in such high regard: he understood the older forms quite well and knew how to present them in new garb, with an enhanced variety of form; he went far in overhauling the older forms from the Baroque. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach ( March 8, 1714 &ndash December 14, 1788) was a German musician and composer the second of five sons

The practice of the baroque era was the standard against which new composition was measured, and there came to be a division between sacred works, which held more closely to the Baroque style from secular or "profane" works, which were in the new style. Composition can refer to Composition (logical fallacy, a fallacy of ambiguation in which one assumes that a whole has a property solely because its various parts

Especially in the Catholic countries of central Europe, the baroque style continued to be represented in sacred music through the end of the eighteenth century, in much the way that the stile antico of the Renaissance continued to live in the sacred music of the early 17th century. The masses and oratorios of Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, while Classical in their orchestration and ornamentation, have many Baroque features in their underlying contrapuntal and harmonic structure. The decline of the baroque saw various attempts to mix old and new techniques, and many composers who continued to hew to the older forms well into the 1780s. Many cities in Germany continued to maintain performance practices from the Baroque into the 1790s, including Leipzig, where J. S. Bach worked in the end of his life.

In England, the enduring popularity of Handel ensured the success of Charles Avison, William Boyce, and Thomas Arne—among other accomplished imitators—well into the 1780s, who competed alongside Mozart and Bach. Charles Avison (ˈeɪvɪsən February 1709 Tyne &ndash May 9 or May 10, 1770, Newcastle upon Tyne) was an English composer William Boyce ( September 11, 1711 &ndash February 7, 1779) is widely regarded as one of the most important English -born Composers Thomas Augustine Arne (12 March 1710 &ndash 5 March 1778 was an English Composer, best known for the patriotic Rule Britannia!. In Continental Europe, however, it was considered an old-fashioned way of writing and was a requisite for graduation from the burgeoning number of conservatories of music, and otherwise reserved only for use in sacred works. A university school of music or college of music, or academy of music or conservatoire ( French, but used in British English) &mdash

After 1760

Because baroque music was the basis for pedagogy, it retained a stylistic influence even after it had ceased to be the dominant style of composing or of music making. Even as Baroque practice fell out of use, it continued to be part of musical notation. In the early 19th century, scores by baroque masters were printed in complete edition, and this led to a renewed interest in the "strict style" of counterpoint, as it was then called. With Felix Mendelssohn's revival of Bach's choral music, the baroque style became an influence through the 19th century as a paragon of academic and formal purity. Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born and generally known as Felix Mendelssohn (February 3 1809 &ndash November 4 1847 was a German Composer Throughout the 19th century, the fugue in the style of Bach held enormous influence for composers as a standard to aspire to and a form to include in serious instrumental works.

In the 20th century, Baroque was named as a period, and its music began to be studied. Baroque form and practice influenced composers as diverse as Arnold Schoenberg, Max Reger, Igor Stravinsky and Béla Bartók. Arnold Schoenberg ( pronounced ˈʃøːnbɛrk (13 September 1874 &ndash 13 July 1951 was an Austrian and later American Composer, associated with Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger ( March 19 1873 &ndash May 11 1916) was a German Composer, conductor Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (Игорь Фёдорович Стравинский) ( &ndash 6 April 1971 was a Russian born Composer, considered by many to Béla Viktor János Bartók (March 25 1881&ndashSeptember 26 1945 was a Hungarian Composer and Pianist, considered to be one of the greatest There was also a revival of the middle baroque composers such as Purcell and Corelli.

There are several instances of contemporary pieces being published as "rediscovered" Baroque masterworks. Some examples of this include a viola concerto written by Henri Casadesus but attributed to Johann Christian Bach, as well as several pieces attributed by Fritz Kreisler to lesser-known figures of the Baroque such as Gaetano Pugnani and Padre Martini. Henri Casadesus ( September 30, 1879 &ndash May 31, 1947) was a Violist and music publisher Johann Christian Bach ( September 5, 1735 &ndash January 1, 1782) was a Composer of the Classical era the eleventh and Fritz Kreisler ( February 2, 1875 &ndash January 29, 1962) was an Austria -born American Violinist and Gaetano Pugnani ( 27 November 1731 &ndash 15 July 1798, full name Giulio Gaetano Gerolamo Pugnani was born in Turin. Giovanni Battista Martini, also known as Padre Martini ( April 24, 1706 – August 3, 1784) was an Italian Musician Alessandro Parisotti attributed his aria for voice and piano, "Se tu m'ami", to Pergolesi. Alessandro Parisotti ( July 24 1853 - April 4 1913) was an Italian Composer and music editor Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (January 4 1710 &ndash 16 or March 17 1736 was an Italian Composer, Violinist and organist. Today, there is a very active core of composers writing works exclusively in the Baroque style, an example being Giorgio Pacchioni. Giorgio Pacchioni (born July 16, 1947) is an Italian performer professor and composer

Various works have been labeled "neo-baroque" for a focus on imitative polyphony, including the works of Giacinto Scelsi, Paul Hindemith, Paul Creston and Martinů, even though they are not in the baroque style proper. Neo-Baroque is a term used to describe artistic creations which display important aspects of Baroque style but are not from the Baroque period proper around the 17th-18th Giacinto Scelsi (ʤaˈʧinto ˈʃelsi Count of Ayala Valva ( La Spezia, January 8, 1905 – Rome, August 9, Paul Hindemith (16 November 1895 &ndash 28 December 1963 was a German Composer, Violist, violinist teacher music theorist and conductor. Paul Creston (born Giuseppe Guttoveggio ( October 10, 1906 &ndash August 24, 1985) was an Italian American Composer Bohuslav Martinů ( (December 8 1890 – August 28 1959 was a prolific Bohemian Czech Composer, who wrote six symphonies, 15 Operas Musicologists attempted to complete various works from the Baroque, most notably Bach's The Art of Fugue. The Art of Fugue or The Art of the Fugue (original German Die Kunst der Fuge) BWV 1080 is an incomplete masterpiece Because the baroque style is a recognized point of reference, implying not only music, but a particular period and social manner, Baroque styled pieces are sometimes created for media, such as film and television. Composer Peter Schickele parodies classical and baroque styles under the pen name PDQ Bach. A parody (ˈpɛɹədiː US, [ˈpaɹədiː] UK) in contemporary usage is a work created to mock comment on or poke fun at an original work its subject P D Q Bach is a fictional composer invented by musical satirist "Professor" Peter Schickele.

Baroque performance practice had a renewed influence with the rise of "Authentic" or Historically informed performance in the late 20th century. The historically informed performance, period performance, or authentic performance movement is an approach by musicians and scholars to research and perform works Texts by Quantz and Leopold Mozart among others, formed the basis for performances which attempted to recover some of the aspects of baroque sound world, including one on a part performance of works by Bach, use of gut strings rather than metal, reconstructed harpsichords, use of older playing techniques and styles. Johann Joachim Quantz ( January 30, 1697 &ndash July 12, 1773) was a German flautist, flute maker and Composer Johann Georg Leopold Mozart ( November 14, 1719 &ndash May 28, 1787) was a composer conductor teacher and violinist A harpsichord is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. Several popular ensembles adopted some or all of these techniques, including the Anonymous 4, the Academy of Ancient Music, Boston's Handel and Haydn Society, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, William Christie's Les Arts Florissants and others. Anonymous 4 is a female A cappella quartet based in New York City. The Academy of Ancient Music ( AAM) is a period-instrument orchestra based in London re-founded by harpsichordist Christopher Hogwood in 1973 The Handel and Haydn Society is a chorus and period instrument orchestra in the city of Boston Massachusetts. The Academy of St Martin in the Fields is an English chamber Orchestra. Les Arts Florissants is a Baroque ensemble of singers and musicians founded in 1979 by William Christie and based in France. This movement then attempted to apply some of the same methods to classical and even early romantic era performance.

See also

• Baroque composers
  • List of Baroque composers
• Baroque instruments
  • Baroque guitar
  • Baroque trumpet
  • Baroque violin
  • Harpsichord
  • Lute
  • Oboe da caccia
  • Viol
  • Viola d'amore

Notes

References

• Palisca, Claude. "Baroque", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed August 21, 2007), (subscription access)
• Sachs, Curt. 1919. "‘Barokmusik". Jahrbuch der Musikbibliothek Peters 1919, 7–15.

Further reading

External links

• Renaissance & Baroque Music Chronology: Composers
• Orpheon Foundation in Vienna, Austria
• Baroque Music, articles, composer biographies, portraits, music samples
• Guide to Baroque period musical instruments
• An easy-to-understand guide to Baroque music

• Vox Saeculorum, an international society of contemporary composers writing in the Baroque style
• Baroque Music Collection