The Late Baroque Period

Encompasses 1700-1750

Absolutism and the Age of Science

• The Age of Absolutism was from 1600-1750 (from the belief that the power of kings was absolute)- this is the term used by art/music historians- others call it the Age of Science (Newton, calculus, philosophy)

• Dualism between “pomp and extravagance” and “system and calculation”

Art and Absolutism

• European rulers sponsored the arts, especially if they “symbolized the majesty of the state”

  • Louis XIV (the “sun king”) ruled France with an emphasis on pomp and ceremony, and he is a great example of this (built Versailles palace)

• Art is derived from competitive political functions, created to impress

The Music of Absolutism

• Nobility had different instruments for different events

• Opera was and is expensive and extravagant, but then it was a tribute to “glory and virtue” of those that paid for them

Art and Theatricality

• Opera was Italy’s “great contribution”

• Strong emotion on display in the theater, which is mirrored in most Baroque arts

Science and the Arts

• Gardens were important and tailored

• Artists sans kings were influenced more by science and new discoveries

Science and Music

• Scales were tempered (tuned), so all 24 keys were available

• Harmony was more logical, rhythm and form were ideally regular

• Music theorists made checklists of techniques/devices to use for peak emotional impact

Musical Life in the Early 18th Century

• Institutions where composers could earn money were…

  • The church- organists/choirmasters composed, played, and conducted music for church services and (more elaborately) special occasions

  • The court- demand of musicians varied greatly based on the preference of the patron, but they often traveled with their employers for diplomacy

  • The opera house- many were attached to courts, but others were made by entrepreneurs and hosted public concerts, with composers conducting their own operas from the harpsichord

Style Features of Late Baroque Music

• Repetition and variation were plentiful

• Thorough and homogenous sections, with obviously contrasting counterparts

Rhythm

• Lots of regular energy, and a clear meter emphasized by one instrument, generally the harpsichord

• Steady harmonic rhythm, a piece tends to change chords at every measure of other set interval

Dynamics

• Loud and soft indications were infrequently included

• Dynamics typically remained at the same level for entire sections or even pieces (if this was not true, it was surprising)

  • Instrumentalists brought these changes themselves, it just wasn’t in the music

• In concertos, there is a clear forte/piano contrast, with alternating blocks of music

• More on the scientific side!

Tone Color

• New interest in sonority, but also a sense of sophistication..?

• There as often choices in what instruments could be used for a piece (like a or b), so tone color could vary greatly between performances of the same piece

• Tone color wasn’t particularly critical then

The Baroque Orchestra

• Violin family was at the core

• Keyboard instrument served as continuo

• Woodwinds/brass were sometimes added, generally for special occasions

• Today, this would be referred to as a string orchestra

Melody

• Often complex, can extend over 2 octaves

• Many “decorations,” hard to sing

• Frequent use of sequence

Ornamentation

Addition of fast notes and vocal effects to a melody, often improvised at the time (riffs, etc.)

Texture

• Polyphony was the standard

• There were homophonic orchestra sections, called the ritornellos, in concertos (exception)

The Continuo

• Universal practice, acting as the foundation for harmony and therefore counterpoint

• Numerical shorthand used to notate chords below bass line, leading to the term figured bass for continuo

  • It was the job of the continuo players to interpret all of this, and add their own touches

• Texture could be described as polarized between strong bass and clear soprano

• Presence is a clear indicator of Baroque music

Musical Form

• Clearer and more regular than before

  • Caused by a social factor (patronage system required formulaic structures for quick composition) and scientific factor (indirect influence, mostly just involving ambition?)

The Emotional World of Baroque Music

• Powerful and impersonal emotion, mirroring a wide range

• Fascination with theatre

• Grand gestures, high passion