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Baroque Music Discovery Activity
The Baroque PerioD
Subtopics:1. Characteristics
2. Trends
3. Vocal
4. Instrumental
5. Composers / The Baroque period was an important time in the history of the world. Galileo, Kepler and Newton were discovering new ways to explain the universe. In music, art, architecture, and fashion, fancy decoration and ornamentation became the rule. Both men and women wore wigs and coats with lace.
Throughout the Baroque period, composers continued to be employed by the church and wealthy ruling class. This system of employment was called the patronage system. As the patron paid the composer for each work and usually decided what kind of piece the composer should write, this limited their creative freedom.
Important Baroque composers include Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frederic Handel, Johann Pachelbel, Georg Phillip Telemann, Henry Purcell and Antonio Vivaldi.
(1600-1750CE)
Baroque Characteristics
Form
Dances were popular during this period as well as preludes, fugues, suites, toccatas and theme and variations. Binary and ternary forms were used frequently.
Harmony
Two or more melodies played at the same time created a musical texture called counterpoint. There were frequent harmonic changes. Tonality was based on major and minor keys.
Keyboard Instruments
The clavichord, harpsichord, and organ were used.
Rhythm
Emphasis was on strong beats, upbeats and fast-changing rhythmic motion. Eighths, 16ths and triplets were frequently used.
Style
Phrase and expression marks were not used. Faster notes were normally played smooth; slower notes were normally played not very smooth. Ornaments were used frequently.
Trends in Baroque Music
Composers like Johann Sebastian Bach reacted to the Baroque trend of fancy ornamentation by creating complex polyphonic music consisting of elaborate melodies layered top of each other. Often these melodies contained trills and fast moving notes. The idea of using chords to accompany one or more melody lines also became common. In addition, composers began to write dynamics and tempo markings in their music. Improvisation also became common, even in the Church. Finally, composers began to use their music to express emotions such as joy and anger.Vocal Music
The Baroque period saw the birth of a new form of music called opera. Opera combined music, acting, scenery, costumes, and props. Actors and actresses sing the script, or libretto. Some Operas are serious (opera seria), and some are funny (opera buffa). The first opera was Orfeo, by Claudio Monteverdi.Similar to the opera is the cantata. The Cantata, like the opera, is a series of arias and recitatives. However, the cantata is not staged or acted.
Instrumental Music
During the Baroque period, instrumental music became as important as vocal music. The Baroque period saw a rise in music for flute, oboe, bassoon, trombone, valveless trumpets and horns, harpsichord, and organ. Recorders became less popular, and viols were gradually replaced by violins, violas, and cellos. Timpani was the only percussion instrument used in serious music.Much of the music written for instruments contained several contrasting sections or movements. One example is the concerto. Concertos were developed in the second half of the 17th century by Italian composers like Torelli, Alessandro Scarlatti, and Corelli. Within 25 years, almost all major centres had their own concerto composer. One of the most famous concertos is Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons.
Concertos sometimes featured one soloist or a group of soloists. Concertos featuring a group of soloists were known as concerto grossos. Concerto grossos were written for a group of solo instruments and orchestra, and usually contained three movements (fast-slow-fast).
Baroque
Biographies
George Frederic Handel was born on February 23, 1685 in the North German province of Saxony in the same year as Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach. George's father wanted him to be a lawyer even though music captivated his attention. His mother, however, supported his interest in music and he was allowed to take keyboard and music composition lessons. His aunt gave him a harpsichord for his seventh birthday which Handel played whenever he had the chance.
In 1702, Handel followed his father's wishes and began his study of law at the University of Halle. After his father's death in the following year, he returned to music and accepted a position as the organist at the Protestant Cathedral. In the next year he moved to Hamburg and accepted a position as a violinist and harpsichordist at the opera house. It was there that Handel's first operas were written and produced.
In 1710, Handel accepted the position of Kapellmeister to George, Elector of Hanover, who was soon to be King George I of Great Britain. In 1712, he settled in England where Queen Anne gave him a yearly income.
In the summer of 1717, Handel premiered one of his greatest works, Water Music, in a concert on the River Thames. The concert was performed by 50 musicians playing from a barge positioned closely to the royal barge from which the King listened. It was said that King George I enjoyed it so much that he requested the musicians to play the suite three times during the trip! By 1740, Handel completed his most memorable work - the Messiah. It is said that when the king first heard the "Hallelujah Chorus" he rose to his feet. This tradition continues today.
On April 6, 1759 Handel conducted his last performance of the Messiah and returned home in poor health. He died on April 14, 1759 and was buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abby in London, England. More than 3000 people attended his funeral.
Antonio Vivaldi was born on March 4, 1678 in Venice, Italy. Antonio's father, Giovanni Battista, a barber before becoming a violinist, taught young Antonio to play the violin and then toured Venice playing the violin with him.
At the age of 15, Antonio began training to become a priest. At the age of 25, he was ordained a priest and soon after became known as the II Prete Rosso, "The Red Priest", because of his red hair. Due to his health, he left the priesthood in 1703 after only 3 years. But he was still able to pursue a career in music.
Vivaldi's music is joyful, almost playful, revealing his own joy of composing. In addition, Vivaldi was able to compose non-academic music which means it would be enjoyed by many people rather than just college professors. It was these qualities that made Vivaldi's music very popular.
Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, composed in 1723, is a set of four concertos for violin. It is his most popular work and is among the most popular works of the Baroque Era. For this composition he wrote sonnets to match each season.
Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany in 1685. As a child, Bach's father taught him to play violin and harpsichord. His uncles were all musicians, serving as church organists and court chamber musicians. One of his uncles, Johann Christoph Bach, introduced him to the art of organ playing.
In 1707, Bach married his second cousin Maria Barbara Bach. They had seven children. In 1720 Maria died and Bach married Anna Magdalena Wilcke in 1721. Bach had 13 more children with Anna Magdalena. He was a father to 20 children in all.
In 1723, Bach became the cantor, organist, and music composer for St. Thomas Lutheran Church in Leipzig, Germany. Bach remained there for the rest of his life.
Some of Bach's most famous works include the Brandenburg Concertos, the Well-Tempered Clavier, and the celebrated organ work Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.
Johann Sebastian Bach died in 1750. Bach was not appreciated during his own lifetime and was considered an "old-fashioned" composer. Today, Bach is considered to be one of the most influential composers of all time. In fact, he is now such an important composer that the year of his death is a defining point in music history. It marks the end of the Baroque Era.
Baroque Music Analysis Activity
Dates of period being studied?______
Baroque characteristics:
1) Name three popular dances ______
2) Two melodies played at the same time is called ______
3) Name three keyboard instruments ______
4) Name some of the beats used ______
5) How were faster notes played?______
Trends in Baroque Music
2a. What did Baroque melodies usually contain? ______
2b. What did composers begin to write in their music? ______
Vocal Music
3a. Name four things that opera combines. ______
3b. Name the two types of opera. ______
3c. How is the cantata different from opera? ______
______
Instrumental Music
4a. What became as important as vocal (singing) music? ______
4b. The baroque period saw the rise of which instruments? ______
4c. Which instrument became less popular? ______
4d. What were viols replaced by? ______
4e. What was the only percussion instrument? ______
4f. What do you call a form of music for many instruments that features a soloist? ______
Special Focus: Composers
Directions: Complete the following job application form about each of the composers you studied about during this unit: Handel, Vivaldi, and Bach. All information must be relevant to the composer studied and it should show that you understand the content.
Composer Name and Image: ______
Position you are applying for: ______
Personal Information:
What is your name?
Where were you born?
When were you born?
Education:
Did your relatives or parents teach you about music or did you go to school? Describe this training.
Compositions:
List and describe the compositions you have created:
Additional Information:
List and describe any interesting hobbies or activities you’re involved:
Sign Here: ______
Special Focus: Composers
Directions: Complete the following job application form about each of the composers you studied about during this unit: Handel, Vivaldi, and Bach. All information must be relevant to the composer studied and it should show that you understand the content.
Composer Name and Image: ______
Position you are applying for: ______
Personal Information:
What is your name?
Where were you born?
When were you born?
Education:
Did your relatives or parents teach you about music or did you go to school? Describe this training.
Compositions:
List and describe the compositions you have created:
Additional Information:
List and describe any interesting hobbies or activities you’re involved:
Sign Here: ______
Special Focus: Composers
Directions: Complete the following job application form about each of the composers you studied about during this unit: Handel, Vivaldi, and Bach. All information must be relevant to the composer studied and it should show that you understand the content.
Composer Name and Image: ______
Position you are applying for: ______
Personal Information:
What is your name?
Where were you born?
When were you born?
Education:
Did your relatives or parents teach you about music or did you go to school? Describe this training.
Compositions:
List and describe the compositions you have created:
Additional Information:
List and describe any interesting hobbies or activities you’re involved:
Sign Here: ______
Baroque Music Discovery Activity
Directions: Create a visual image based on each of the compositions you have studied during this unit.
Assignment:
· Take a piece of computer paper and divide it into four sections.
· Label three sections with a composer and piece studied in this unit.
· Underneath these labels, create a visual image that clearly illustrates the composition.
· In the fourth square, write a description of Baroque music.
o You must describe all characteristics of this music.
o You must write in complete sentences.
o Your response must be five sentences long.
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