Baroque Music

Compare and Contrast the Baroque Music and Jazz BY outwitted The Baroque period pned from 1600 to 1750. The baroque period can be divided into three parts: early (1600-1640), middle and late (1680-1750). Although today most people recognize the latest part as the baroque music, the earliest part was one of the most revolutionary phases in music history. The early baroque composers rejected the polyphony texture of the late Renaissance music and favored homophobic texture.

They also focused on harmony rather than the complexity of melodic lines. The growth of figured bass and counterpoint represents the development of harmony. However, by the late baroque period, polyphonic texture returned to favor. Famous Baroque composers: – Johann Sebastian Bach Popular work: Air on a G String – George Frederic Handel Popular work: The Messiah – Antonio Vivaldi Popular work: The Four Seasons It is difficult to define Jazz music, as there are many different styles and movements.

A brief definition of Jazz would be: American music that originated in New Orleans around 1900 and characterized by propulsive syncopated rhythms, polyphonic ensemble playing, improvisatory, virtuosic solos, melodic freedom, and a harmonic idiom ranging from simple diatonic through chromatics to atonality. 1 But this does not tell everything about Jazz. Jazz developed from Ragtime around 1900 and about 20 different styles were born since then. 2 Examples are swing, bebop, boss nova, free Jazz and soul Jazz.

Famous Jazz musicians: – Luis Armstrong – Chuck Imagine – Charles Minus – Jon Chlorate – Mary Lou Williams – Miles Davis – Nat King Cole The main characteristic of this piece is unity of melody. This piece begins with Joyful elodea, which contains arpeggio and arch shape melody. [epic] Its mood of Joyfulness remains throughout the piece. Base chords are mostly based on chords l, IV and V. At bar 9, a melody changes a little but the mood doesn’t change. The rhythmic patterns of the beginning of this piece are repeated throughout.

There are frequent uses of imitation in the melody. For example, from bar 9 after the perfect cadence, imitation begins as descending 4th. [epic] Melodic sequence also often occurs in the piece. Bar 6 is one of example of sequences contained. Melodic phrases are repeated one tone higher pitches. Another main characteristic of this piece is polyphonic texture, as more than 3 independent melodic lines are sounded together consistently. From bar 14, there is imitation again. The harmony is based on a circle of fifths. Each motive figure is decorated with triplet.

In the melody line, the first figure starts with F, the next one starts with B and the next one starts with E and so on. Similarly, the chords of bass line go through cycle of fifth. Therefore, both melody line (flute and violin) and base line (cambial) are in circle of fifth. This makes the melodic like sound dutiful and natural. This movement is in Reiteration form: one short section keeping returning, often creating “tutu-solo-tutu-solo” pattern. This movement opens with the reiteration, which consists of 1/16th notes.

After the reiteration, there is short solo section, where the flute and violin imitate each other. This piece is performed in 12-bar structure in 4/4 time. This piece begins with piano solo in E major. [epic] In the beginning of this piece, we can see the chords progression: I – I – I I – V – V – l. This chords progression is repeated throughout this piece with a constant Hitachi pulse. Call and response is frequently used in this piece. We can see the example of call and response between voice and other instruments at 0:46. There is also call and response between main vocal and female chorus in 2:29.

Swing rhythm is also remarkable in this piece. After 12 bars of short piano solo, drum joins and plays swing rhythm. There are also frequent uses of syncopation in the rhythm. For example, in the first part where the vocal Joins, after he sings one phrase “Hey, ma-ma don’t treat me wrong”, there is “space” in melody between the first phrase and the second phrase humiliation. The beginning of this piece is mainly homophobic in texture as there is always one independent melody. When vocal sings the main melody, other instruments such as drum and piano play the bass lines.

However, as the song gets close to the end, its texture becomes more like polyphonic. Imitation, Call and response and counterpoint abound. After repeating the main melody six times, there is call and response between trumpets and vocal. The vocal asks, “Tell me what’d I say’ and trumpets answer. The same idea is repeated several times with different lyrics. After the part, there is call and response between the main vocal and chorus again. Melody in baroque music creates a feeling of continuity. The opening melody will be repeated throughout a baroque piece.

Although the melody is often repeated in an altered form using variation technique, its idea remains in a piece. Also, baroque melodies often sound elaborate and ornamental in baroque pieces. Baroque music also tends to have one basic mood. If a piece begins with Joyful mood, it will remain throughout the piece. The baroque composers often created mood by using a descriptive musical language. They favored word painting, which music enhances the meaning and emotion of the text. For example, they used dark and slow music in lyrics about death.

This made music more expressive and powerful. The rhythm in baroque music is often constant. The rhythmic patterns in the opening of baroque pieces are repeated throughout. This contributes to creating a unity of mood. For example, as we can see from Concerto V by Bach, there are 1/16th notes constantly throughout. Texture in baroque music is mostly polyphonic: two or more voices or melodic lines playing independently to express complexity. Baroque composers tried to expand the size, range, and complexity of instrumental performance. Imitation is very common in baroque music. All you have do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself” This is a famous quote by Bach. Baroque musicians try to play what is written on the music score. There is mainly three common baroque forms; three-part from (A B A), two-part form (A B A), and continuous or undivided form. A lot of concerto movements including concerto V by Bach are in Reiteration form. The word, “Reiteration”, meaner “return” in Italian. After Tutu section, solo section begins and Tutu section come back again after the solo section.

The Same rhythmic patterns are repeated in Jazz, yet often syncopated; unexpected accents. The rhythm patterns heard in the begging of Jazz pieces will be repeated throughout. Swing rhythm is also main characteristic of Jazz. Jazz originally developed from ragtime music, whose main characteristic is “ragged” or syncopated rhythm. Improvisation is an important aspect of Jazz music. Jazz musicians improvise in melody, rhythm and bass lines. A Jazz musician plays what he wants to play. Therefore, they have a great deal of freedom when performing and the audience also can feel it.

Melody in Jazz is often improvised and more complex than other music. There are frequent uses of blue notes. Here is an example of a blues scale: This is one of the aspects that make Jazz very distinguishable from other music. Although style, period and musical culture are widely different, there are some similarities between Baroque music and Jazz. The first similarity between the two is continuity of rhythm. In both pieces, the same rhythmic pattern is repeated from the beginning to the end. Another obvious similarity is the frequent use of call and response. In both pieces, call and response is used many times.

In concerto v, for example, there is call and response between flute and violin from 1:15. There are call and response between vocal and other instruments, and between the main vocal and female chorus in What’d I say. For example, we can see call and response between the main vocal and other instruments from 0:46 and between the main vocal and female chorus from 2:20. Both baroque music and Jazz use improvisation, although the style is different. In Baroque music, the composers write numbers above the bass part (figured bass) so that the keyboard player can improvise chords.

This gives the performers a feeling of freedom while playing. In Jazz, improvisation is more important than in baroque music and is more abound. Not only the bass line, but also melody and rhythm can be improvised. Many baroque and Jazz composers repeat the same melodic or rhythmic idea in one piece. In Bach’s concerto v, for example, there are 1/16th notes constantly throughout and the same melodic ideas are repeated. This is same for Jazz music. For example, in a Jazz piece “What’d I say’, there are frequent uses of swing rhythm and the same melodies are repeated throughout.

Unity of mood describes both baroque music and Jazz. If a piece of music opens with dark and slow melody its darkness remains throughout the piece. The unity of mood is created by continuous rhythm and melody. The chords of a lot of baroque and Jazz songs are mostly based on I, IV and V. For example, the chords structure of the first 8 bars in Bach’s concerto v is I – I – I V- I – l. The twelve notes progression, which many Jazz musicians use, is I – I-I-IV- IV I -l -V -V- I and is very similar to the one used in concerto. Difference in time and culture also makes difference in music.

We can find several differences between baroque music and Jazz. First, we can see that their styles are very distinguishable. Jazz musicians have more feeling of freedom while performing as they can improvise in many ways while baroque musicians can only improvise in bass lines and they mostly play what is written on the score sheet. There is also difference in musical form and structure. The baroque composers tend o follow the certain forms such as reiteration form while Jazz composers favor minimum forms that allow maximum flexibility.

In addition, the main concept or purpose of Baroque music and Jazz are different. Jazz’s primary purpose was to entertain the people in bars, while baroque composers primarily worked to provide music for dance and church services. Early baroque composers rejected the complex polyphony of the late Renaissance and favored homophobic texture that maximizes harmony. But Jazz composers favored the complexity of melody. Melody in Jazz is often complicated and usually official to sing or play while melody in early baroque music is less complicated and easy to remember.

In addition, the uses of instruments in the two periods are different. Despite that baroque music is mostly based on string groups, Jazz music is based upon brass and woodwind instruments. Although style, time, and history are different, there are some similarities between baroque music and Jazz. There are similarities in rhythm, melody, and texture. Music from the two different periods sound different, however, when we look at the two closely we see that they share musical technical similarities.

The name Baroque, which is a French word from the Portuguese’s barroco, originally used in architectural design in Europe specifically in Italy having a deformed style as an irregularly shaped pearl. In music, it is known for its inconsistencies that the twentieth century historians later used the term baroque as an identification of the Early Classical Period in music.

Instrumental music using piano or clavier (a German word for keyboard), violin, harpsichord and other string instruments ruled the Baroque Era of Western European Art Music between the years 1600 to 1750. Characteristics and Forms Although Temperley argues that “Baroque music was written largely for monarchs, aristocrats, and authoritarian church leaders” (par 9), the soulful melody and dramatically arrangement of any musical piece created during this era captured the hearts of the religious and nonreligious groups.

Furthermore, as Kisser said “the middle class formed too in this era” (par 1). Generally, has the counterpoint and contrast as the main ingredients. Its characteristic is designed to be emotional in nature having a more rigid formal design with modern tones and experimental rhythm using the combination of a firm and repeatedly strong bass line with florid treble as composers aimed to communicate with contemporary music in accordance to their affectionate behavior. Musical forms are not stiff to instrumental music alone.

Along with suite, fugue, partita, canzona, sinfonia, fantasia, ricercar, toccata, chaccone, sonata, concerto and concerto grasso, which the orchestra is composed mainly of different musical instruments to create a smooth polyphony sound, the use of vocal music with the form of cantata, monody, anthem, passion, masque, chorale prelude, oratorio and opera started to emerge and soon became in-demand. The incorporation of ballet dancing and theatrical arts is also introduced, and the public appreciated it as such. The Era of Baroque Music 1600-1630 (Early Baroque)

The death of Renaissance period segued into the Early Baroque Music in the year 1600. It started when the Florentine Camerata decided to reinvent the conventional polyphonic sound from complex arrangements to basic accompaniment and simple melodies. As a result, counterpoint musical compositions began rising. The initiative to use chords instead of notes created tonality, and harmony is then expressed. As Baroque genre is starting to emerge, Protestantism also appears elsewhere in Italy. Experimentation in arts and music becomes powerful in reviving Catholicism.

Instrumentation and lively orchestral music was one of its products. However, when public grew tired listening over purely musical instruments, another innovation come out. The use of music and text is demonstrated in Orfeo, the first ever opera composed by Claudio Monteverdi with the use of singer actors and music combined. 1630-1680 (Middle or Classic Baroque) Due to the patronage in Baroque genre, availability of orchestral instruments increased. Playwright artists gave vast contributions and became popular as well as opera and other theatrical drama, dances such as ballet, and vocal music genre.

Most of their themes were excerpted from the rhetorical approach of Greek and Roman in arts and music. Formal teaching of art lessons specifically music started in Middle Baroque to give focus more on music and harmony. Counterpoint compositions turned out to be more systematic and well-arranged. However, the attractiveness of theatrical genre did not give concerto and concerto grasso a hindrance to be accepted. Instead, music in this era is more appreciated by the public. Some of the endless masterpieces created during the Classic Baroque survived until today like George Friedrich Handel’s Hallelujah and Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D.

1680-1750 (Late Baroque) The declination of Baroque period began in the year 1680 and ended in the year 1750. Germany in this time adopted Italy’s artful tradition that they developed later on putting German touch. Music here was high-priced due to the demand of royal courts and members of the aristocracy. European art-music started to be respected by other neighboring continents like the United States of America. Knowledge and scientific discoveries as well as art and music were given utmost attention where composers and musicians are treated patrons even by the secular and religious members.

Before the Baroque period moved to classical era, another significant innovation in music has been made available, and two composition styles were observed. These are called “the homophonic dominated by vertical considerations and the polyphonic dominated by imitation and contrapuntal considerations”. (Wikipedia par 69) Composers and Musicians of Baroque Era Further studies of Thornburgh and Logan said, “Baroque musicians were not concerned with expressing their own feelings and emotions, rather they sought to describe with objectivity, feelings and emotions which were distinct from what they actually felt”.

(par 21) Here are some of the most admired, influential and well-appreciated composers, playwright artists, and musicians during this era. Italy: Monteverdi, Frescobaldi, Corelli, Vivaldi, Domenico and Scarlatti France: Corneille, Racine, Moliere, Couperin, Lully, Charpenter, and Rameau Germany: Praetorius, Scheidt, Schutz, Telemann, Pachelbel, England: Purcell, Donne and Milton R E F E R E N C E S Baroque Music. Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia. 11 Nov. 2007 < http://en. wikipedia. or g/wiki/Baroque_music>

Bukofzer, Manfred. Music of the Bartoque Era. New York: Norton Company Inc. , 1947 Kisser, Brandon. A Brief History of Music: The Baroque Era Part I. Sept. 2007. Newsvine. Com. 12 Nov. 2007 <http://kiser. newsvine. com/_news/2007/09/25/98 5009-a-brief-history-of-music-the-baroque-era-pt-1> Temperley, Nicholas. Baroque Artists of Champaign-Urbana: Baroque Music. 11 Nov. 2007 < http://www. baroqueartists. org/guide. asp> Thornburgh, Elaine and Logan, Jack, Ph. D. Baroque Music Part One. 12 Nov. 2007 <http://trumpet. sdsu. edu/M345/Baroque_Music1. html>

According to Craig Wright, ““baroque” is the term used to describe the art, architecture, dance and music of the period 1600 to 1750 (Wright, 97). ” The sound has been described as “rough, bold [and] instrumental” (Ibid). Originally, the term “baroque” was pejorative (Ibid). One of the main traits of baroque art and architecture, that extends itself to the music of the period, is massiveness. Everything in baroque society was larger than life. Grandiose was also a term that was used to define the music of the period.

With this grandiosity was also an attention to detail that showed itself in “vigorous, pulsating rhythms with strong, regular beats and many smaller subdivisions (Ibid). ” During the baroque period, there was much development and innovation in the field of music. During this time, three musical forms developed and reached their zenith, the Baroque Opera, Concerto Grosso, and the Cantata. These three forms were best represented by Claudio Monteverdi, Antonio Vivaldi, and Johann Sebastian Bach. The first form that came to innovation was the Baroque Opera. This was best exemplified by the operas of Claudio Monteverdi.

One of his operas was The Coronation of Poppea. In it, you hear the swelling melodies and subtle undertones that define . Though it is one of Monteverdi’s last compositions, many critics view it as one of his best, sowing the seeds for all future Italian opera. Tim Smith of the Baltimore Sun notes that “[t]his is a pinnacle of early baroque style (Smith, 2009). ” Craig Wright states that Monteverdi and other composers of early opera used a particular style to convey heightened passions. It was a “new, more expressive and flexible style of solo singing for the stage called stile rappresentativo (Wright, 107).

” This form allowed the singer to move from one mood to another without alerting the viewer to the subtle changes in mood. This was a key component of baroque music, as one of the key aims of baroque is to create emotion in the listener and to give a sense of grandness to the vocal production. Eventually, “stile rappresentativo would soon be transformed into two different and contrasting types of vocal writing, recitative and aria (Ibid). ” The second form of baroque music that emerged during this time period was concerto grosso.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, concerto grosso was “characterized by a contrast between a small group of soloists and the full orchestra (Britannica, 2009). It flourished eventually as secular music for the royal court (Ibid). Britannica says that the typical “instrumentation…was that of the trio sonata (Ibid). ” It consisted of two violins, a bass string instrument and a harmonizing instrument like a harpsichord. “Wind instruments were also common (Ibid). ” The number of movements for the concerto varied depending on the composer. Some had three movements, others had four.

The fast movements “often used a ritornello structure, in which a recurrent section, or ritornello, alternates with episodes, or contrasting sections played by soloists (Ibid). ” The composer best known for this form was Antonio Vivaldi. Vivaldi’s greatest concertos are the series known as the Four Seasons. More than 150 recordings have been made of the Four Seasons alone. In his works, you can hear the melodies and subtleties that make up baroque music. The final form of music that was developed during this time was the cantata. The cantata was a form first used by the Italians, and was later adopted by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Though Bach never called them cantatas, they were considered such due to their structure. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Bach rejected calling his works cantatas because that connoted secular music, and if there was something that Bach was not, it was secular. When one listens to Bach’s music, one can hear the massiveness of the sound that is obviously designed for a church and for a multi-voiced orchestra. Under Bach, “the music of the Baroque reaches its greatest glory (Wright, 127). ” He was a great virtuoso on the organ, studying his craft by listening to others and even traveling hundreds of miles just to hear a performance.

He was a composer of church music, and later became a court conductor. One of Bach’s greatest known cantatas is a seven-movement work known as Awake, a Voice is Calling. It is a more formalized structure, with movements one, four, and seven being choruses, movements two and five being recitatives and movements three and six aria duets. This piece is a chorale piece, which is a spiritual melody or religious folk song (Ibid). The Baroque period, while a young period in musical history is full of new and innovative developments.

The opera, the concerto grasso, and the cantata are all innovative developments in music that show us how our rich musical history developed and changed over the hundreds of years that we have been maintaining our musical heritage. We need to embrace and encourage our musical growth and musical challenges so we may continue to grow as a culture and as a society. Works Cited “Cantata. ” Encyclopedia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 18 Apr 2009. <http://www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/93023/cantata>. “Concerto Grosso. ” Encyclopedia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 18 Apr 2009.

<http://www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/131094/concerto-grosso>. Smith, Tim. “Opera Vivente tackles timeless ‘Coronation of Poppea’. ” Baltimore Sun 09 Mar 2009 Web. 18 Apr 2009. <http://weblogs. baltimoresun. com/entertainment/classicalmusic/2009/03/opera_vi vente_tackles_timeless. html>. Wright, Craig. Listening to Music. Second Edition. St. Paul: West Publishing, 1996. Print. Josquin Desprez was a giant of Renaissance music. According to Craig Wright, he was the greatest composer of the Renaissance or any age. He was born on the border between modern France and Belgium and died in the same region.

He was attracted to Italy for the same reason many other composers were attracted to the region—professional and monetary gain (Wright, 86). He worked consistently as a singer at the cathedral of Milan, the chapel of a cardinal in Rome, the Sistine Chapel of the pope, and in the chapel of the Duke of Ferrara. According to Wright, he “possessed a temperamental, egotistical spirit typical of many artists of the Renaissance: He composed only when he, not his patron wished; he demanded a salary twice that of composers only slightly less gifted; and he would break into a rage when singers tried to tamper with the notes he had written (86).

” One patron threatened to throw him in prison if he did not stop composing for outside clients, yet he was recognized for his genius. He was praised by contemporary humanists of the time, and he was a favorite of Martin Luther, who said in essence, that Josquin mastered the notes; the notes did not master him (Ibid). “Josquin wrote more than twenty settings of the Ordinary of the Mass and a large number of French chansons (Ibid). ” According to Wright, he especially excelled in a form called the motet.

A motet is a composition written for a choir, setting a Latin text on a sacred subject. It was intended to be sung in a church or chapel or at home in a private devotion. Most were sung a capella, which literally means “in the chapel (Ibid). ” This means that they were performed by voice alone, without any instrumentals. Instruments other than the organ were not allowed in churches during the Renaissance (Ibid). This clean, a capella sound accounted for the “often serene quality of the sound of Renaissance sacred music (Ibid).

” Wright states that the Renaissance is often called “the golden age of a capella singing (Ibid). ” It is in this setting that Josquin wrote Mille Regretz, a beautiful a capella piece that brings male and female voices together in harmony. The male and female voices play off each other, pulling the listener into the music and the gentle harmonies that are displayed. Josquin’s talent is evident, as the music has clean lines and tones, and the notes are precise and well-toned to blend together flawlessly.

The first voices you hear are the male and female voices in harmony, and then it seems as if the female voice takes over, but there is a subtle bass to the tones, then the men dominate the piece while the women play a supporting role. Next the men and women are in harmony together, blending and rising their voices in a slightly mournful tune reminiscent of the Ave Maria. This piece speaks very well to the time period in which it was written.

Mille Regretz means “A Thousand Regrets” in Italian, and it would seem as though this religious piece plays to the penance one would have to pay for their sins. There is a great emphasis placed on the polyphonic nature of the tones, and the multitonalism that results from the blending of the voices; all characteristic of Renaissance religious music. This piece probably represents Josquin at his height, as a power player in the courts and chapels of Italy. Listening to this piece, there is no reason to doubt his standing as one of the premier composers of his day, and this piece attests to it.

This has the a capella quality that was desirous in Renaissance music, and there are few voices involved, which means that it was most likely meant for a small chapel and not for a grand cathedral. Josquin accomplished his goal of creating peaceful, religious music that soothes the soul and easily defined the time period in which it was popular. Then there is the quality of imitation involved. Josquin used this technique often. Imitation is a process “whereby one or more voices duplicate in turn the notes of a melody (Ibid).

” You can clearly hear the imitation by the male and female voices as they move through the piece. In Josquin’s imitative writing, all the voices have a chance to equally present the melodic material and all are of equal importance (Ibid). You can also clearly hear the “point-counterpoint” pattern in the singing that is common when the voices are working together to compliment each other. The sound produced would, on paper, appear to be discordant, but is far from such, as the “point-counterpoint” creates a harmony that belies what is placed on the paper.

The voices work smoothly together to create a cohesive whole, so the piece comes together as a masterwork. Josquin’s work was a sublime effort despite his temperamental soul. Though he may have been tormented by having to achieve perfection, his works show he did just that. We can look at his music and clearly see the liturgical future that music took. He was a pioneer in sacred music, and his contributions must continue to be appreciated for how it speaks to us and our musical future. Works Cited Wright, Craig. Listening to Music. Second Edition. St. Paul: West Publishing, 1996. Print.

Speech and Debate 8. October 2009 Baroque Music Hello, my name is and thank you for listening to my speech. Have you ever thought about how music got to the way it is today? Baroque music may seem boring or useless, but is a very important part of music history. Today I am going to talk about the basics of baroque music, the main instruments used during the baroque period, and the influences on baroque composers. So, to give you some background of baroque music, here are the six eras of music. As you can see, baroque is towards the middle, from 1600-1750.

Baroque music is easily recognizable from different eras of music because of its distinct qualities. According to essentialsofmusic. com, the baroque era produced very dramatic music. In a baroque piece, there are many switches in dynamics, which means that the music would be soft then all of a sudden loud, or vice versa. This is because the instruments at the time weren’t capable of medium volume. There are also many switches between solos and ensembles, so there would be one person playing, then suddenly the whole group would join. According to baroque. com, baroque music was also very repetitive.

The same rhythms were repeated multiple times throughout the piece. Also, the mood was kept the same throughout the piece. For example, when a song began sadly, it ended sadly. The instruments used in a piece of music have a lot of impact on the sound. There were many different types of instruments used during the baroque era. According to thinkquest. com, there were about thirteen main instruments used. The first three, the clavichord, harpsichord, and organ are keyboard-like instruments. The harpsichord is the most popular out of the three and is a factor that makes baroque music unique.

The three main string instruments used were the violin, double bass, and lute. The violin was the most popular in the Baroque period whereas the lute and double bass were used more in the Renaissance. The three main wind instruments used were the bassoon, oboe, and flute. The trumpet, trombone, and horn were used in larger groups but not for solos. The only percussion, or drums, used was the timpani, which is a set of five drums that can be tuned to different notes. When a composer is writing music, they are influenced by the things going on around them in the world.

During the baroque period, there were many major events occurring. According to Catherine Schmidt-Jones’ article “Music of the Baroque Period” on cnx. org, the Age of Reason was going on during the baroque period. This meant that many brilliant scientists like Galileo ad Henry Bacon were making discoveries. Also during the Age of Reason, churches had less power than they did in the Middle Ages or Renaissance. So, musicians didn’t rely on them as much to buy their music which led to more diverse and creative styles. According to eh. net, the Age of Crisis was also occurring during the baroque period.

This consisted of a very long recession and a war between France, England, and several other small countries, which controlled two of Europe’s biggest economies. Now that you know more about baroque music, here are a few composers from this time. Bach is the one that will be familiar to most of you. Now I am going to play a selection of Baroque music. At the very beginning, you can hear the string instruments, mostly violin, playing very softly. If you listen closely you will hear the counterpoint as many different parts are played at the same time. Then, suddenly the music gets very loud and forceful but still keeps the same mood.

The brass instruments are playing in the background but are not the main part. This song is called “Water Music” and is by George Frideric Handel. In closing, I hope that you can see that baroque music is an important part of musical history. The basics of baroque music, instruments used during the baroque period, and influences on baroque composers are all an important part of what makes up baroque music. So, the next time you hear some older music, instead of tuning it out, listen for the different parts of the piece. Thank you again for listening and I hope you enjoyed my speech.