Baroque Music Analysis

On October 24th at 7:30 in Williams gym, Gregory Tompkins and Ellen Brewer performed several piano and violin pieces. I really enjoyed the dynamic aspects of each piece. They all told an individual story that resonated with the audience even after its conclusion. As I listened to the performance, I was reminded of various different historical contexts. The musicians’ playing technique along with the unique structure of each composition contributed to their dynamism.
The first piece was a violin solo titled Passacaglia by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Von Biber.
The slow and peaceful melody of the song reminded me of the medieval times of kings and queens. Towards the beginning, the song flowed more smoothly, However, as it progressed, the rhythm picked up and the notes became more sharp and dramatic. In doing so, Tompkins kept the audience constantly involved in the piece. There was a lot of dynamic within the piece. As the song progressed, the
Almost immediately, I was reminded of what I had previously learned in my History 102 class. Baroque music came out of the Renaissance period. It was known to be very ornamented and exaggerated. This was particularly reflected in his pieces, the overall melody of the song was much more sharp and dramatic in comparison with the first piece. Again, the song took me back to a time of medieval monarchy. However, this time, instead of a happy love story, I was alluded life in the royal court. In movies especially, palaces and places of wealth are paired with very loud and high noted music. Again, This song was also very dynamic. In the second part of the piece, Tompkins plucked the strings instead of stroking them. This at first seemed very odd, but it really caught the audience’s attention. I found myself stopping to really think about what it really meant. What did the composer want listeners to feel when they hear this “interruption” in the