The
Early Baroque period
1600-1710
MELODY: Less stepwise movement, larger leaps, wider range, and more chromaticism (half step intervals-fret to the very next fret) reflect influence of virtuosic solo singing; melodic patterns idiomatic to particular musical instruments emerge; introduction of melodic sequence.
Idiomatic: throughout the Baroque era there was a new emphasis on writing melodies specifically for instruments such as the harpsichord and violin, melodies that were well suited to the technical demands of these instruments.
Melodic sequence: the repetition of a musical motive at successively higher or lower degrees of the scale.
HARMONY: Functional chord progressions govern harmonic movement-harmony moves purposefully from one chord to the next; basso continuo continues to provide strong bass.
Basso continuo: a small ensemble of at least two instrumentalists who provide a foundation for the melody or melodies above; heard almost exclusively in Baroque music.
RHYTHM: Exciting, driving, energized rhythms propel music forward with vigor; “walking” bass creates feeling of rhythmic regularity.
Walking bass: a bass line that moves at a moderate pace, mostly in equal note values, and often stepwise up or down the scale.
COLOR: Instruments reign supreme; instrumental sounds, especially of violin, harpsichord, and organ, set musical tone for the era; one tone color used throughout a movement or large section of movement.
TEXTURE: Homophonic texture remains important, but polyphonic texture reemerges because of growing importance of the contrapuntal fugue.
Homophony: a texture in which all the voices, or lines, move to new pitches at roughly the same time; often referred to in contradistinction to polyphony, which involves two or more simultaneously but independent sounding lines.
Contrapuntal fugue: counterpoint is simply the harmonious opposition of two or more independent musical lines. Because counterpoint presupposes polyphony the terms “contrapuntal texture” and “polyphonic texture” are often used interchangeably.
Fugue: a composition for three, four, or five parts played or sung by voices or instruments, which begins with a presentation of a subject in imitation in each part and continues with modulating passages of free counterpoint and further appearances of the subject.
FORM: Binary form in sonatas and orchestral suites; da capo aria (ternary) form in aria; fugal procedure used in fugue.
Binary form: a musical form consisting of two units (A and B) constructed to balance and complement each other
Sonata: originally “something sounded” on an instrument as opposed to something sung (a “cantata”); later a multi movement work for solo instrument or instrument with keyboard accompaniment.
Orchestral suites: a dance suite written for orchestra.
Da capo aria: an aria in two sections, with an obligatory return to and repeat of the first; hence an aria in ternary (ABA) form.
A Musical Pastime by Johann Valentin Rathgeber
(1678-1741) Italy
Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
The finest of all English composers
(14) Dido and Aeneas (1689) Aria, “When I am laid in earth”
One of the 1st Operas to be written in the English language
Written for a private girls’ boarding school in London
As soon as Dido falls for Aeneas, the gods command him to leave for Italy and fulfill his divine destiny-to found the city of Rome. Dido vents her feelings in this beautiful aria, “When I am laid in earth” and then expires of a broken heart.
BK I Rigadoon Henry Purcell (1659-1695) England
BK I Tanz I Georg Fuhrmann (fl. 1606-1615) Germany
As soon as Dido falls for Aeneas, the gods command him to leave for Italy and fulfill his divine destiny-to found the city of Rome. Dido vents her feelings in this beautiful aria, “When I am laid in earth” and then expires of a broken heart.