Chapter 8: Prelude: The Late Baroque Period

Style Features of Late Baroque Music

Key Terms
walking bass harmonic rhythm basic orchestra festive orchestra sequence ornamentation ritornellos continuo figured bass affects

Style Features of Late Baroque Music

extravagance
large-scale works for large ensembles intense, dramatic emotional expression

control
thorough, methodical expression extracting maximum effect from material uniting many elements to depict a single emotion

Rhythm
highly regular, determined motion distinctive rhythms against a steady beat
freer rhythms in upper voices walking bass

steady harmonic rhythm

Dynamics
rarely indicated; usually steady dramatic contrast preferred
either loud or soft (f or p) change at end of entire section, if at all

performers still created subtle nuances

Tone Color
new interest in sonority
distinctive Baroque sounds and instruments idiomatic writingtaking advantage of unique color of each instrument

flexibility
works for violin or oboe or flute rewriting earlier works for different performing forces

Basic Baroque Orchestra

a string orchestra with continuo

Festive Baroque Orchestera

augments the basic with brass, woodwinds, and percussion

Melody
tends toward complexity and difficulty
extended range variety of rhythmic note values intricate, unpredictable twists and turns irregular phrase lengths

frequent use of sequence for forward motion

Ornamentation
addition of fast notes, motives, or effects to a melody
cadenzas; chording continuo instruments

improvised during performance

sometimes written down to guide lesser performers even simple tunes lavishly ornamented

Texture
standard Baroque texture is polyphonic
sometimes homophonic texture, for contrast only

dense orchestral works use many moving contrapuntal lines simple works for solo and continuo still feel contrapuntal (active bass)

The Continuo
provides framework and support for melody and polyphony
bass line played by cello or bass viol chords played by keyboard or plucked strings

creates polarized texture often written as figured bass

Playing the Continuo

bass line played with left hand chords improvised with right hand chords realized in simple or complex manner, according to ability

Baroque Musical Form

more standardized formal patterns
fugue, ritornello, dance form, etc. easier to compose on demand for patrons

patterns filled in orderly, logical manner

entire fugues constructed from single theme often symmetrical ordering of movements

meant to sustain rich musical experience over long time span

Emotional Expression
powerful yet impersonal Baroque composers thought music should
mirror a wide range of emotions (affects). depict those emotions consistently. take on a theatrical quality.

Affects
Scientists studied and classified emotions. Composers catalogued musical elements for each affect.
keys: D minor = serious; E minor = pathos, etc. melodic and rhythmic figures instrumental and vocal types and genres