Baroque
The Baroque is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1740s
Baroque music features:
Energetic, lively rhythms, often with 18th-century dance character
Strong, spirited melodic ideas in both upper and lower parts, sometimes with parts copying each other
Crisp, light articulation and limited range, reflecting original use of harpsichord
Clear, contrapuntal textures, with imitation between parts
Clear-cut cadences usually occurring only at the ends of main sections, owing to independence of parts
Melodic decoration and ornamentation, especially at the ends of phrases
Limited dynamic shaping and only rare use of crescendo and diminuendo
Keyboard instruments of Baroque period: Clavichord, Tangent piano, Fortepiano, Harpsichord, Organ.
Some composers to listen to:
J. S. Bach
Corelli
Handel
Purcell
Rameau
D. Scarlatti
Telemann
Vivaldi
The following stylistic hallmark given for the baroque period shouldn’t be
considered as exclusive or comprehensive description.
This stylistic hallmark should be considered in combination with other styles, as clearly many of them can apply to music of any period.