🎻Music of the Baroque Unit 13 – Baroque Performance: Instruments & Style

Key Baroque Instruments

• Harpsichord was a prominent keyboard instrument featured a set of strings plucked by quills or plectra
• Organ played a significant role in sacred music (church services, liturgical events)
• Violin family instruments (violin, viola, cello, double bass) became standardized and widely used
• Recorder was a popular woodwind instrument known for its sweet, mellow tone
• Baroque trumpet had no valves and required advanced technique to play in the upper register (clarino playing)
• Baroque oboe had a distinct, penetrating sound and was often used to double violin parts
• Bassoon served as a bass instrument in wind ensembles and provided continuo support
• Lute was a plucked string instrument used for solo performances and continuo accompaniment

Characteristics of Baroque Music

• Emphasis on contrast, such as dynamics (loud vs. soft), texture (polyphonic vs. homophonic), and mood (joyful vs. sorrowful)
• Basso continuo, a continuous bass line often played by harpsichord and cello, provided harmonic foundation
• Ornamentation and improvisation were integral to performances, allowing musicians to showcase their skills and creativity
• Terraced dynamics featured sudden changes in volume rather than gradual crescendos or decrescendos
• Polyphonic textures with multiple independent melodic lines interweaving
• Tonal harmony based on major and minor keys replaced modal harmony of the Renaissance
• Rhythmic drive and motoric qualities, often featuring steady pulse and rhythmic patterns
• Affective representation aimed to evoke specific emotions or convey extra-musical ideas (Doctrine of Affections)

Baroque Performance Techniques

• Historically informed performance (HIP) aims to recreate the original sound and style using period instruments and techniques
• Baroque string instruments used gut strings and shorter, lighter bows, resulting in a different sound and articulation compared to modern instruments
• Fingerings and hand positions differed from modern techniques to accommodate the instruments' design and limitations
• Baroque pitch was generally lower than modern pitch (A=415 Hz vs. A=440 Hz)
• Tempo and rhythm were often influenced by dance forms, such as the sarabande, gigue, and minuet
• Vibrato was used sparingly as an ornament rather than a continuous effect
• Phrasing and articulation emphasized rhetorical gestures and speech-like patterns
• Improvised ornamentation, such as trills, mordents, and turns, was expected from skilled performers

Notable Composers and Works

• Johann Sebastian Bach composed masterpieces in various genres (Brandenburg Concertos, The Well-Tempered Clavier, St. Matthew Passion)
• George Frideric Handel known for his operas, oratorios (Messiah), and instrumental works (Water Music)
• Antonio Vivaldi revolutionized the concerto genre (The Four Seasons) and influenced the development of the orchestra
• Claudio Monteverdi bridged the Renaissance and Baroque eras, pioneering opera (L'Orfeo) and innovating with new musical forms and techniques
• Henry Purcell, the most prominent English Baroque composer, known for his opera Dido and Aeneas and his sacred works
• François Couperin composed elegant keyboard works (Pièces de clavecin) and influenced the French harpsichord school
• Arcangelo Corelli's trio sonatas and concerti grossi set new standards for instrumental music
• Domenico Scarlatti pushed the boundaries of harpsichord technique in his 555 keyboard sonatas

Historical and Cultural Context

• The Baroque period (c. 1600-1750) was an era of great cultural, scientific, and political change in Europe
• The Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation influenced the development of sacred music
• The rise of absolute monarchies and the patronage system supported the arts and music
• The Age of Enlightenment emphasized reason, individualism, and progress, which influenced composers and their works
• The Baroque era saw the emergence of public concerts and the music publishing industry
• Improved instrument-making techniques led to advancements in instrument design and capabilities
• The Doctrine of Affections, an aesthetic theory, held that music should evoke specific emotions in the listener
• The Baroque period witnessed the birth of opera and the development of new musical forms (concerto, sonata, suite)

Ornamentation and Improvisation

• Ornamentation refers to the embellishment of a melodic line with various techniques (trills, mordents, turns, appoggiaturas)
• Improvisation was an essential skill for Baroque musicians, who were expected to add ornaments and variations to the written music
• Ornaments were used to emphasize important notes, create variety, and display the performer's virtuosity
• Treatises and manuals, such as those by Quantz and C.P.E. Bach, provided guidelines for proper ornamentation
• Cadenzas, improvisatory passages showcasing the soloist's skills, were a common feature in concertos and arias
• Figured bass, a shorthand notation for the continuo part, required the performer to improvise the harmonies based on the given numbers and symbols
• Ornamentation styles varied by region and genre (French agréments, Italian passaggi, German Manieren)
• Improvised counterpoint, such as the art of fugue and partimento playing, was a highly valued skill among keyboardists

Ensemble Practices

• The Baroque era saw the development of new instrumental ensembles, such as the orchestra and the concerto grosso
• The concerto grosso featured a small group of soloists (concertino) contrasted with a larger ensemble (ripieno)
• The trio sonata, typically for two violins and continuo, was a popular genre for chamber music
• The basso continuo, consisting of a keyboard instrument and a bass instrument, provided the harmonic foundation for most ensembles
• The role of the conductor began to emerge, with the keyboard player or the concertmaster often leading the ensemble
• Baroque orchestras were smaller than modern orchestras and had a different balance of instruments
• Wind instruments, such as oboes and bassoons, often doubled the string parts for added color and volume
• Improvised ornamentation and embellishments were coordinated among the ensemble members to create a cohesive performance

Legacy and Influence

• The Baroque period laid the foundation for the development of tonality, harmony, and musical form in Western classical music
• Baroque composers' works continue to be widely performed, studied, and admired for their technical brilliance and emotional depth
• The Baroque era's emphasis on rhetoric and affective expression influenced later composers, such as Mozart and Beethoven
• Historically informed performance (HIP) movement, which began in the mid-20th century, has renewed interest in Baroque music and performance practices
• Baroque music has been adapted and incorporated into various genres, such as jazz, rock, and film scores
• The Baroque period's cultural and intellectual achievements continue to inspire and inform contemporary artists and thinkers
• Many Baroque composers' works have become staples of the classical music repertoire and are regularly performed by orchestras, ensembles, and soloists worldwide
• The Baroque era's musical innovations and techniques, such as tonal harmony and the concerto form, continue to shape and influence the development of Western music to this day