Music (Western/Classical): Baroque Period

Extending for some 150 years from the early 17th century through to the mid-18th, the Baroque era in classical music was a pivotal time in the development of music, witnessing the growth of the orchestra, the birth of opera and the development of many of the musical terms and concepts that still persist. The word “baroque,” derived from the Portuguese word barroco (“misshapen pearl”), was originally a pejorative comment upon the heavy architectural style of the period, but by the time it was adopted by scholars to refer to this period of musical evolution, it had lost much of this negativity. It was only in the 20th century that the term became widely used to define the music that was composed between the Renaissance and Classical eras.

Baroque music, like the music of the Renaissance, made much use of polyphony and counterpoint, but it differed from the earlier period in its application of these techniques. In place of complex interwoven parts, Baroque music placed a solo voice or instrument above a single accompaniment consisting of a bass line. The new technique, which arose from the 1590s, was named secondo prattica (“second practice”) by Claudio Monteverdi to differentiate it from the primo prattica (“first practice”) of the Renaissance era. The bass line had its chords lightly filled in - this became known as the basso continuo (“continuous bass”）- and the combination of the basso continuo with solo voice became known as “monody” (derived from the Greek for “one song”).

There are other differences between Baroque and Renaissance music. The former was more often written for virtuoso singers and instrumentalists and was often harder to perform. Baroque music tended towards more ornamentation, often improvised by the performer, with instruments playing a greater role. The tradition of a cappella (“in the manner of the church”) singing - where a group sings the music without accompaniment by any instrument – became less significant.

One of the consequences of the development of the monody was the birth of opera. This method of singing allowed the composer to ensure that the audience could hear the text clearly through the medium of a single voice, whilst soloists were able much more to interpret the music in a dramatic way. It is generally recognized that the invention of opera was the work of the Camerata – a group that included Florentine musicians active at the end of the 16th century.

Baroque music. (2017). In M. Swift (Ed.), Latin American History and Culture: Classical music: an introduction. Greene Media. Credo Reference: https://ezproxy.southern.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/gmclassical/baroque_music/0?institutionId=2258