Genres of Baroque Instrumental Music Efford Major Mus223 Prof. Crowley Introduction The Baroque era in music presented the time when instrumental music became as successful as vocal music. In this time, the instruments could be played to imitate and sometimes surpass vocal renditions. The most popular instruments in this era were the keyboard, harpsichord and the pipe organ. This paper looks at the genre known as the Fugue. This genre has some distinctive characteristics that can be seen in the composition known as “The Little Fugue” or the “Fugue in G minor” by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Music was an essential part of civic, religious, and courtly life in the Renaissance. The rich interchange of ideas in Europe, as well as political, economic, and religious events in the period 1400–1600 led to major changes in styles of composing, methods of disseminating music, new musical genres, and the development of musical instruments. The most important music of the early Renaissance was composed for use by the church—polyphonic (made up of several simultaneous melodies) masses and motets in Latin for important churches and court chapels. By the end of the sixteenth century, however, patronage was split among many areas: the Catholic Church, Protestant churches and courts, wealthy amateurs, and music printing—all were sources of income for composers. The rich interchange of ideas in Europe, as well as political, economic, and religious events in the period 1400–1600 led to major changes in styles of composing, methods of disseminating music, new musical genres, and the development of musical instruments.
These are within dynamics, tone colours, techniques, textures and range . The larger ranges of dynamics was due mainly too…….? Expanded tone colours were added through new instruments, and larger sections giving more diverse colours and patterns. Techniques came from players having greater ability, and instruments having more intricate and complex systems, and for playing in a virtuoso style as seen with the solo viola which would have required a highly skilled player . Textures… ……Is this due to new textures being created, and used in the pieces in the monophony bars at the end???
However, some writings from Ptolemy discuss what he learned of ancient tunings. The writings describe groups of ratios based off of the perfect fifth referred to as Pythagorean tuning. The practice of system continued into the Middle Ages, as Boethius wrote of this tuning. As thirds and sixths become more prominent features of composition, the history of tuning becomes more interesting. Possibly the most important period to discuss tuning in, however, is directly following the Baroque period.. During the Baroque period, tuning theory flourished and made its mark in music history with its experimentation at its highest in history and thus being an integral part composition and performance.
History Essay Word Count: 1,184 Discuss the historical, cultural, and musical aspects of one of Bach’s Passions. Include musical examples when necessary, and place the works within the larger context of German sacred music of the mid–late Baroque era. Johann Sebastian Bach’s Passions, based on the gospels of John and Matthew, mark the pinnacle of his vocal works. I will be focussing on the St. Matthew Passion, a work that “left behind all that had been customary or even conceivable in sacred music at the time.” I will be discussing the historical and cultural impacts this Passion had and also examine its musical aspects within the context of the era of the Baroque that Bach was active in, where he stood out as a master of his art. To understand how this Passion fits into the history and culture that it was conceived in, one must first understand what the Passion is, in this context.
This work is unique in that the harpsichord participates in both sections of the orchestra, and it eventually plays a florid and highly decorated solo cadenza in the first movement. It is thought that this concerto may have been written for the two-manual harpsichord Bach was sent to Berlin to purchase for Prince Leopold, and played by Bach as the soloist. The first movement sees the three soloist dialogue with each other, with the harpsichord gradually garnering more of the spotlight with its music becoming more and more complex and decorated. The harpsichord becomes more and more demanding until the rest of the instruments give in and turn silent while the harpsichord gives us one of the best examples of Bach's prowess and improvising skills at the keyboard. The second movement is a gentle song played by the soloists only.
Composers throughout the ages have used distinctive voices for a number of things. To raise awareness on a certain issue, to give the audience a sense of belonging and intimacy on some level with the character, the list goes on. Similarly, the composers of the texts ‘The Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender’ and ‘Weapons Training’ shape our perceptions of the world, via the distinctive voices of their characters, to help effectively communicate their own thoughts, beliefs and perhaps even morals. Marele Day, author of "The Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender" shows a prime example of this, by using her characters Claudia Valentine and Harry Lavender as mediums in which to voice her opinions by basing certain traits of their characteristics upon her own beliefs, most notably sexism and the search for truth. This in turn effectively conveys her perceptions to the readers, and allows them to compare and challenge their own perceptions of society and the world.
The first difference in the two would be the time period. Baroque music was used from 1600 to 1750, whereas Classical music was used from 1750 to 1820. Baroque music was usually for smaller, chamber ensembles, but still used larger ensembles and classical music was for larger ensembles. The Classical ensembles were mainly used to show the virtuosity of certain performers, while Baroque ensembles showed skill of all performers. Classical music was much more technical, and Baroque music was more minimalist and left more room for the performers to take liberty.
The music provoked new ideas, “often in dramatic ways, and underlies its manifestations. Some of the qualities most frequently associated with the Baroque are grandeur, sensuous richness, drama, vitality, movement, tension, emotional exuberance, and a tendency to blur distinctions between the various arts.” (“Encyclopedia Britannica,” 2013, para. 1) Baroque music essentially developed by desires, such as a composer’s aspiration to accompany music with the voice. Several notable composers developed a new form of music to not necessarily overshadow the theatre or productions, but to highlight and emphasize the emotional purpose. One of the most notable composers during this period, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) composed some of the greatest masterpieces in the baroque period.
There must be a scheme for generating even the simplest sentence. Hale explains that “We don’t want them (sentences) to stay the same, day after day.” Straightforward and spare, or wordy and expansive, each sentence must have a purpose and a place. The third section of Sin and Syntax is “Music.” Here Hale is concerned with more than sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation. She is grasping for the melody of words, the feelings writing can engender, and the atmosphere prose can create. Hale explains that “prose can be more than just ordered output.