Baroque music – Characteristic features of the classical music era

The Baroque style was not limited to painting, sculpture, and architecture. Besides masters of Baroque painting, such as Caravaggio and Peter Paul Rubens, Baroque sculptures, and Baroque architecture (especially church buildings), classical music was a particularly prominent form of Baroque art in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The Baroque period (1600 – 1750)

The Baroque period in music – also known as the basso continuo era – lasted from approximately 1600 to 1750. This era is considered part of early music and was preceded by the Renaissance. The Classical period followed the Baroque.

The Baroque style is characterized by the introduction of the basso continuo in many compositions and spread throughout Europe during the 17th century, with notable Baroque composers mainly appearing in Germany, Italy, France and England.

The two most famous Baroque composers are the German representatives Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel. Other German Baroque composers include Dieterich Buxtehude (1637–1707), Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706), and Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767).

English Baroque composers include Byrd and Purcell. In Italy, Monteverdi, Corelli, Vivaldi, and Scarlatti distinguished themselves. Prominent French representatives of the Baroque were Lully, Couperin, and Rameau.

The Baroque music era (see article “Baroque music – characteristics & examples” on https://online-musik24.com/ ) can be roughly divided into three phases:

• Early Baroque (circa 1600 to 1650) – under Italian dominance
• High Baroque (approximately 1650 to 1710) – with significant French influences
• Late Baroque (circa 1710 to 1750) – drawing on regional styles

The founding of opera also falls within this era . Solo singing as well as instrumental music with vocal accompaniment found their way onto the major European stages.

What characterizes the Baroque period? The most important features of Baroque music

The following videos provide a brief introduction to the Baroque era :

A more detailed contribution from a musician's perspective is provided by the YouTuber Fabian Zirkler:

The newly gained interest in the expanded dramatic and rhetorical possibilities of music led to a wealth of new sound ideals in the Baroque period.

1. Focus on dynamics

pianoforte replaced the harpsichord as the primary keyboard instrument. The piano struck strings with felt-covered hammers, while the harpsichord plucked the strings.

This brought with it the new stylistic possibility of being able to play both quietly and loudly, which opened up new dynamic playing styles.

Other new Baroque instruments, such as the valve trumpet and the violin, also possessed immense dynamic potential. Instruments prevalent in the Renaissance, such as the lute, were still played, but their popularity was noticeably diminished by newer, more dynamic alternatives.

2. Contrast as a dramatic element

To create dynamism, contrasts are an important element in the drama of a Baroque composition. The differences between loud and soft, solo and ensemble (as in a concert), different instruments and timbres play a prominent role in many Baroque compositions.

Composers also began to make the instrumentation more precise and intricate, often specifying in advance the instruments on which a piece should be played, rather than leaving the choice to the performer.

Instruments with a bright sound, such as the trumpet and violin, also became increasingly popular.

3. Instrumental music and its sonic characteristics

Before the Baroque period, singing was strictly linked to music. Vocal elements were frequently used in liturgical settings.

While Baroque composers still incorporated vocal elements in the form of choruses, cantatas, and operas, purely instrumental music became increasingly popular. Some of the best-known pieces of Baroque music, such as Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" or Bach's "Brandenburg Concertos," are arguably the most famous instrumental works of this era.

As part of the renewed interest gained over the last few decades, scientists and musicians have spent countless hours trying to find out which sonic characteristics were typical and distinctive for the music of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Her work has revealed some remarkable differences between baroque and modern ensembles :

3.1. Pitch

In 1939, modern orchestras agreed to tune to a standardized pitch of a' = 440 Hz (the note A with a frequency of 440 Hertz). This replaced a previously lower pitch (a' = 435 Hz) defined in 1859.

Before 1859, however, there was no standard pitch. The note to which Baroque ensembles tuned therefore varied considerably at different times and in different places.

As a result, the music written in a score may have sounded a half tone lower than it does today.

3.2. Timbre

Some prominent members of a Baroque orchestra are no longer represented in modern ensembles. The harpsichord was the primary keyboard instrument and an important member of the continuo group .

Although important instruments such as the lute and violin continued to be used in the 16th and 17th centuries, modern variations of these instruments give a modern Baroque ensemble a different sound than in those times.

Stringed instruments such as the violin, viola, and cello used gut strings instead of the metal-wound strings they are fitted with today. This change gives the stringed instruments a softer, sweeter tone.

3.3. Design and Technology

A Baroque score contains little to no information about elements such as articulation , ornamentation , or dynamics .

Therefore, modern ensembles must make their own informed decisions before each performance.

Mechanical differences between baroque and modern instruments also suggest that the older instruments would have sounded different, which is why ensembles like Music of the Baroque often adapt their technique to make this possible.

Because Baroque and modern bows differ structurally, for example, string players using modern bows often use a gentler touch on the strings and crescendos and diminuendos on longer notes.

Finger vibrato (a technique in which a string player vibrates their fingertip on the string to enrich the tone) was used more sparingly, while bow vibrato (a wave-like movement of the bow) was more preferred.

4. Ornamentation, decorations and expression

The musical language and melody formation was based on a rich system of sonic figures that attempted to depict human emotional states.

Much like the architecture and sculpture of this era, Baroque music is characterized by ornamentation, embellishment, and flair. Even the simplest melodies were often decorated with musical ornaments such as trills , acciaccaturas (short appoggiaturas), appoggiaturas (long appoggiaturas), mordents (short trills), and turns (double appoggiaturas).

5. Monody and Basso Continuo

In earlier musical eras, a piece of music usually consisted of a single melody, possibly with an improvised accompaniment, or several melodies played simultaneously.

"melody" and "harmony" began to take shape. As part of an effort to imitate early music, composers focused less on the intricate polyphony that dominated the 15th and 16th centuries and more on a single voice with a simplified accompaniment, or so-called monody .

Music was now seen as a form of rhetoric that required a strong speaker. Who could be better suited for this than a central vocal soloist?.

The new fusion of emotional expression and solo singing is clearly and distinctly expressed in Monteverdi's preface to the "Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda" from his eighth book of "Madrigals" (1638). There he writes: "It seems to me that the principal passions or inclinations of our mind are three: anger, equanimity, and humility. Philosophers agree that the nature of our voice, with its high, low, and middle ranges, reflects this."

The early operas are an excellent example of this new interpretation of dramaturgy and aesthetics.
Along with the focus on a single melody, basso continuo notation emerged as a continuous, coherent bass line.

This form of musical notation contains a complete bass line, usually played by a cello in a Baroque ensemble. A player of a keyboard instrument, such as a harpsichord or piano, then improvises chords in figured bass notation.

Solo organists often play the basso continuo notation entirely on their own.

Since basso continuo or figured bass remained standard until the end of the Baroque period, the era is sometimes also referred to as the "Age of Figured Bass" .

Masterpieces of Baroque Music

Further information

An era as significant and influential on music today as the Baroque period can only be touched upon briefly in an article like this. I hope I have been able to give you a better understanding of the essential features and characteristics of the music from this time and that I have piqued your interest in the rich world of Baroque musical compositions.

Then you probably have many more questions. The following resources can help you:

Which composers lived during the Baroque period? → The article “The Music of the Baroque” by WebHistoriker brings together the most prominent and important representatives of Baroque music in a clear and concise manner.

How is Baroque music played? → The article “Baroque Era Music Guide: A Brief History of Baroque Music” provides further information about the musical form of the music and offers numerous masterclass lessons to learn the special playing style of this era directly.