What was the Baroque Period?The baroque period was a time in history in which art and architecture in the world was ornate and fancy. In this period, royalty and religious leaders were trying to be the best, constantly trying to show off their finest- including hiring artists for personal gain. They often hired musicians to write for them pieces that were better than anything of the past. It was because of this avarice that a lot of music became showy and complex.
"As poetry is the harmony of words, so music is that of notes." -Henry Purcell DID YOU KNOW?!BACH HAD TWENTY CHILDREN. FIVE OF WHICH WERE NAMED JOHANN AND ONE WAS NAMED JOHANNA.
OperaIn the last years of the 16th Century, a group of musicians and literati in Florence started experimenting with a new method of composing dramatic vocal music. They modelled their ideas after the precepts of ancient Greek theatre. The intent of this new music was to provide a more direct and communicative to an audience, a change from the complexities of polyphonic music of the Renaissance. The group of musicians set a single melodic line against a basic chordal accompaniment. This notion of homophony created a new era of music. the new musical-dramas called Opera were private affairs at first, composed for Italian courts. In 1637 the first public opera house opened in Venice, making opera a commercial industry.
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Baroque Music Characteristics and ComposersBaroque music is often described as polyphonic or contrapuntal; two or more melodies are used to make harmonious, musical sense. This differs from later music, where melodic interest was usually homophonic or consisted of one voice or part, other parts being accompaniment.
In baroque music, instruments and voices were equally important, as the two weaved in and out creating complex and often rather dense texture. Baroque music most always has balance and symmetry. Unlike later music, there is usually one main mood that prevails throughout a piece. This was part of a philosophy of this time that certain emotions were affected by specific rhythmic patterns and harmonic progressions. Combining a variety of moods or rhythmic patterns was viewed as emotionally confusing.
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DID YOU KNOW?!BAROQUE COMES FROM THE ITALIAN WORD "BAROCCO" WHICH MEANS BIZARRE.
DID YOU KNOW?!HANDEL FOUGHT A DUEL WITH THE COMPOSER MATTHESON OVER THE ACCOMPANIMENT TO ONE OF MATTHESON'S OPERAS.
Great Fire of LondonOn the night of September 2, 1666, a small fire started in a bake-shop in London. The fire quickly spread, a strong wind at its back to propelling it towards wooden buildings, hay and feed piles, and warehouses full of combustibles. The fire-fighting brigades had little success controlling the fire, as it continued to spread. A royal command was carried down to demolish houses to slow the fire. The fire, however, consumed much of London for three days until it suddenly stopped near Temple Church. The fire sprang back to life, continuing on a treacherous path until brigades were able to control it. Loss of life from the fire was minimal, accounts stating only sixteen perished, but the property loss was staggering. Approximately 430 acres, 80% of the city of London, was destroyed. This included 13,000 houses, 89 churches, and 52 Guild Halls. The only real positive side of the Great Fire was the mass death of plague-carrying rats in the blaze.
DID YOU KNOW?!VIVALDI WAS A PRIEST, MAKING HIM UNABLE TO MARRY OR HAVE A GIRLFRIEND, BUT HE SET TONGUES A WAGGING BY TOURING WITH TWO WOMEN, ANNA AND PAOLINA GIRO. IT WAS LARGELY BELIEVED THAT HE WAS DATING BOTH THESE WOMEN AT THE SAME TIME!
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