Baroque Music Research Paper
Shep Spivey
Gendelman
How Music Reflects Society
7/17/13
Bach Chorale During the baroque period, music had certain characteristics that are specific to the time period. For example, Contrast is an important characteristic in a baroque drama. The differences between loud and soft, solo and ensemble, different instruments and timbres all play an important role in many baroque compositions. In previous musical eras, a piece of music tended to consist of a single melody, perhaps with several melodies played simultaneously. Not until the baroque period did the concept of “melody” and “harmony” truly begin to be used in music. The practice of basso continuo also came into the focus of music during the baroque. The harpsichord was a very prominent instrument in the music during the baroque, and was featured in many of the pieces. Opera was a new creation during the baroque, and many composers began to write opera pieces. An opera is a drama that is primarily sung, accompanied by instruments, and presented on stage. Operas typically alternate between recitative, speech-like song that advances the plot, and arias, songs in which characters express feelings at particular points in the action. …show more content…
He was born in Eisenach, Germany, into a family of working musicians. In 1695, when he was just nine years old, his parents died and he was sent to live with his brother, Johann Christoph, an organist. While the lived with his brother he learned to play the keyboard and studied composition on his own. Bach 's style is baroque, characterized by a lot of notes, simple motoric rhythms, and steady shifts of underlying harmony, he music was described by some people as 'sewing-machine music '. But he explored harmony much more deeply than other composers of the time: compared to say Handel or Vivaldi, Bach 's music can contain extraordinarily 'jazzy ' chords and will jump off to many different harmonic
Gendelman
How Music Reflects Society
7/17/13
Bach Chorale During the baroque period, music had certain characteristics that are specific to the time period. For example, Contrast is an important characteristic in a baroque drama. The differences between loud and soft, solo and ensemble, different instruments and timbres all play an important role in many baroque compositions. In previous musical eras, a piece of music tended to consist of a single melody, perhaps with several melodies played simultaneously. Not until the baroque period did the concept of “melody” and “harmony” truly begin to be used in music. The practice of basso continuo also came into the focus of music during the baroque. The harpsichord was a very prominent instrument in the music during the baroque, and was featured in many of the pieces. Opera was a new creation during the baroque, and many composers began to write opera pieces. An opera is a drama that is primarily sung, accompanied by instruments, and presented on stage. Operas typically alternate between recitative, speech-like song that advances the plot, and arias, songs in which characters express feelings at particular points in the action. …show more content…
He was born in Eisenach, Germany, into a family of working musicians. In 1695, when he was just nine years old, his parents died and he was sent to live with his brother, Johann Christoph, an organist. While the lived with his brother he learned to play the keyboard and studied composition on his own. Bach 's style is baroque, characterized by a lot of notes, simple motoric rhythms, and steady shifts of underlying harmony, he music was described by some people as 'sewing-machine music '. But he explored harmony much more deeply than other composers of the time: compared to say Handel or Vivaldi, Bach 's music can contain extraordinarily 'jazzy ' chords and will jump off to many different harmonic