...Baroque Music Period “Baroque music expresses order, the fundamental order of the universe. Yet it is always lively and tuneful. Follow the development of music through this brief outline, from the earliest times to the present day, with baroque music set in historical context.” The style of polyphonic music containing elaborate ornamentation and contrasting elements, that is how Baroque music is defined. The Baroque era in music is not a set style in music but many diverse styles which may be broken down into at least three distinct periods. A renewed interest in art and music was experienced throughout the Renaissance which then led to the Baroque era which was more of a transitional stage leading up to the maturity of classical music in the Classical era which began as Baroque ended. Many people believe that the word baroque came from two different places. Some believe that it came from the word barocco, which is Italian and means bizarre or strange. Others believe that it is Portuguese and it came from the word barroco meaning distorted or irregularly shaped pearl. The barroco was considered more beautiful because of its uniqueness. Either way the name stuck. Instrumental music in the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras were called sonatas, concertos, and sinfonias interchangeably. The order and shape of their movements were often very similar. Works that used between five and seven violins with contino were often called sonatas and concertos, though they were more often...
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...Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Saxe-Eisenach, on 21 March 1685 O.S. (31 March 1685 N.S.). He was the son of Johann Ambrosius Bach, the director of the town musicians, and Maria Elisabeth Lämmerhirt.[10] He was the eighth child of Johann Ambrosius, (the eldest son in the family was 14 at the time of Bach's birth)[11] who probably taught him violin and the basics of music theory.[12] His uncles were all professional musicians, whose posts included church organists, court chamber musicians, and composers. One uncle, Johann Christoph Bach(1645–93), introduced him to the organ, and an older second cousin, Johann Ludwig Bach (1677–1731), was a well-known composer and violinist. Bach drafted a genealogy around 1735, titled "Origin of the musical Bach family".[13] Bach's mother died in 1694, and his father died eight months later.[5] Bach, aged 10, moved in with his oldest brother, Johann Christoph Bach(1671–1721), the organist at St. Michael's Church in Ohrdruf, Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.[14] There he studied, performed, and copied music, including his own brother's, despite being forbidden to do so because scores were so valuable and private and blank ledger paper of that type was costly.[15][16] He received valuable teaching from his brother, who instructed him on the clavichord. J.C. Bach exposed him to the works of great composers of the day, including South German composers such as Johann Pachelbel (under whom Johann Christoph had studied)[2] and Johann Jakob Froberger;...
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...Bach was born in Germany on March 21, 1685 into a family of many musicians that went way back in his family. Johann Ambrosius Bach and Elizabeth Lammerhirt Bach were the names of Johann Sebastian’s parents. During Bach’s childhood his father is the one who taught him how to play the violin. Along with playing the violin Bach could also sing very well. Bach and his family were Lutheran and whenever they went to their church Bach would sing in the church choir. Sadly, Bach’s parents passed away within a year of each other, shortly before Bach’s tenth birthday. Once both of his parents passed away Bach had nowhere to go so his brother Johann Christoph Bach decided to adopt him. Christoph was “a church organist in Ohrdruf” (Johann Sebastian Bach). Even though Christoph is the one who gave Bach organ lessons, Bach...
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...us into the Classical period. This era is known for its progress in knowledge. During this centu-ry the European culture came up with a musical language that is still known to us today. Com-posers of this era had their own personal styles of music. The baroque period brought us differ-ent styles and techniques along with great composers from the early, mid, and late baroque peri-ods. The baroque period saw many styles of music from Italy, France, England, and Germany. Composers from this era were thought of as craftsmen instead of artists. They wrote their music for certain events during this period. Composers of this era had their own personal styles of music. Music contrast is very important to the drama of baroque music. The different instruments, solos and ensembles, and the difference of soft and loud music all played major roles in baroque music. The baroque music period is described in three sections, early, mid, and late....
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...Thuringia, Germany, Johann Sebastian Bach had a prestigious musical lineage and took on various organist positions during the early 18th century, creating famous compositions like "Toccata and Fugue in D minor." Some of his best-known compositions are the "Mass in B Minor," the "Brandenburg Concertos" and "The Well-Tempered Clavier." Bach died in Leipzig, Germany, on July 28, 1750. Today, he is considered one of the greatest Western composers of all time. Childhood Born in Eisenach, Thuringia, Germany, on March 31, 1685 (N.S.) / March 21, 1685 (O.S.), Johann Sebastian Bach came from a family of musicians, stretching back several generations. His father, Johann Ambrosius, worked as the town musician in Eisenach, and it is believed that he taught young Johann to play the violin. At the age of 7, Bach went to school where he received religious instruction and studied Latin and other subjects. His Lutheran faith would influence his later musical works. By the time he turned 10, Bach found himself an orphan after the death of both of his parents. His older brother Johann Christoph, a church organist in Ohrdruf, took him in. Johann Christoph provided some further musical instruction for his younger brother and enrolled him in a local school. Bach stayed with his brother's family until he was 15. Bach had a beautiful soprano singing voice, which helped him land a place at a school in Lüneburg. Sometime after his arrival, his voice changed and Bach switched to playing the violin...
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...John Sebastian Bach was a dominant composer. He was an important and influential composer of the Baroque time. He was a German composer during 1685-1750. His family was very musical oriented and so that made him born into the music industry and it was not a surprise that he took on the family legacy. Bach lived an interesting life not only through his music. John father twenty children within his two marriages that he had. He was the eighth child of his parents so he was used to having a big family. His uncle and parents taught him how to play the organ and violin at a young age. Bach had a rough childhood. His mother died and eight months after that his father died. Bach had to move in with his brother which they both studied music together....
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...his peers as outdated and irreverent, he would eventually be regarded as one of the greatest musical genius’s who ever lived, nearly 80 years later (Mellers). Today, we know this man as Johann Sebastian Bach, a virtuoso organist and prolific composer from the baroque era of classical music; whose works spanned over 1000 musical pieces and influenced entire generations of western music schools of thought (J.S. Bach). Bach’s importance to western music development wouldn’t have been noticed by his contemporaries, who mostly favored the preclassical styles of homophony which were harmonically simpler in tone and structure (Mellers). His sphere of influence had affected many important composers whose names include: Felix Mendelssohn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven; who themselves made major contributions to the preeminence and development of western music. In terms of originality and complexity, Bach’s compositions represent some of the most sophisticated and ambitious classical pieces to date, which through his rigorous use of counterpoint, tonal control and attention to single moods (called affects) had helped refine western music from a folk-based expressive form to a highly complex and evolved form of musical expression (Tonality). But in order to understand Bach and his well noted contributions, one must also understand his life in the context of the changing musical forms of the era and his personal musical influences which helped define his unique compositional...
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...was a German-British Baroque composer whose works have been continuously played to the present. He is well-known for his orchestral suites and his chamber and vocal music. His most famous work is oratorio “The Messiah” C.P.E Bach Sonata for Oboe and Basso Continuo in G minor, Wq 135: (Adagio/Allegro/Vivace) This piece was written in 1735 in Leipzig and probably first performed in Frankfurt an der Oder. C.P.E Bach (1714-1788) is the second son of J.S Bach and was born in German. C.P.E Bach is an influential composer who worked at a time of transition between Baroque and classical era. In 18th century, the reputation of C.P.E Bach stood very high. Mozart said “He is the father, and we are the children.” http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Bach-Carl-Philipp-Emanuel.htm J.S. Bach Prelude and Fugue in G-sharp minor, BWV 863: This piece is a solo keyboard music composed by J.S Bach (written in 1722), which is called The Well-Tempered Clavier. J.S Bach first gave the title to a book of Prelude and Fugue in all 24 major and minor keys. The Well-Tempered Clavier is also well-known as one the most influential works in the history of Western Classical Music. J.S Bach (1685-1750) was born in Germany into a very musical family and he was more famous as a virtuoso keyboard player before a revival of interest and performances of his music in the first half of the 19th century. Today, he is one of the main and respectful composers of the Baroque period. J.S Bach Sonata for violin and harpsichord...
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...Hildegard von Bingen Hildegard von Bingen was known for her many works in history. She is also known as Saint Hildegard. I am researching her as a composer but she was not just a composer, she was very multitalented. Hildegard von Bingen was a scientist, philosopher, and a theologian. She was a very smart woman that really wanted to experience many things to expand her mind. Hildegard von Bingen was a German woman born in 1098 in Bermersheim, Germany. As tradition in those parts of Germany when a family has their tenth child, that child will be given to God. So this meant that Hildegard was the tenth child and she will be brought up into the church. So Hildegard von Bingen manly experienced the working of the Christian lifestyle. Hildegard von Bingen was a woman whose musical work sparked minds of others. She was so remarkably different than any other female composer in the medieval era. She gained much experience while being part of the Divine office which she sang. She had many music forms that she used as a composer. Hildegard von Bingen used antiphons, responsories, sequences, and hymns. Hildegard von Bidgen was well known and will never be forgotten as a musical composer. She was laid to rest in 1179 but she still lives on in her musical work. Fierro, N. HILDEGARD OF BINGEN: SYMOHONY OF THE HARMONY OF HEAVEN. 1997. 05 Novmeber 2012 <http://www.hildegard.org/music/music.html>. "Hildegard of Bingen." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2012. Encyclopedia...
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...Johann Sebastian Bach is arguably considered to be the greatest composer in the history of western art music. However, he wasn’t great in his own time. Only a few of his works were published during his lifetime. Most thought he was old fashioned. He did not invent any new genres, but he did perfect current styles. He didn’t become super-famous until his works were revived in the early 1800s. He was a master of counterpoint, improvisation, and in every genre, except for opera. He helped make the organ a solo instrument, and not just part of the basso continuo group. “He is considered to be the best composer of the Baroque era.” Bach was born on March 21, 1685 in Eisenach, Germany. He was born into a family with many musicians. Bach’s...
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...Research Paper Done by: Alain Camous Professor Payne March 7, 2012 ENC 1102 Outline Baroque era was where the most important turn in music took place with its unique arts and its controversial styles to music in its time. I. Definition of Baroque Era A. Can mean different things 1. Bizarre 2. Flamboyant 3. Elaborately Ornamented. 4. Historians meaning a. Used to indicate the particular style in all different forms of art. B. Known as “the age of absolutism” 1. Royals abuse power 2. Throws Bach into jail for asking to leave the job C. Shaping of the world 1. Newton 2. Galileo II. Baroque era music and phases A. Famous composers of the time 1. Johann Sebastian Bach 2. George Frideric Handel 3. Monteverdi 4. Purcell 5. Corelli 6. Vivaldi B. Phases in the Baroque era 1. Early 2. Middle 3. Late III. Early Phase A. Homophonic over Polyphonic 1. Two different melodies rather than many IV. Middle Phase A. Spread from Italy to every country in Europe 1. Influenced churches B. Scales gave a new outlook to music in the world V. Late Phase A. Music composed still played today in band rooms all over the world B. Instrumental music more important than vocal music VI. Characteristics of Baroque A. Seven different categories 1. Unity of Mood a. One basic mood b. Emotional states represented 2. Rhythm a. Beat has...
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...Through the years of 1600 to 1820 there were two major musical eras the Baroque and Classical. Each era offered new innovations, impacted by historical events, which made them unique and relevant even in today’s time. During the Baroque era greats such as Bach and Handel emerged using their religious background to define music. During the Classical era Mozart, Beethoven, and others created this simplistic style that is still marveled by modern day musical enthusiasts. The Baroque era lasted from 1600 to 1750; this era can be broken into three different phases the early (1600-1640), middle (1640-1690), and late (1690-1750) (Kaimen 102). Two giants of this era where John Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) and George Frideric Handel (1685- 1759). The...
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...greatest, of the Baroque composers, and was even looked on with a bit of disdain in his later years.Bach has had numerous accomplishments over his lifetime; he created the "Well-Tempered" tuning method that has been in use ever since, and used that method to create his genius works that make up the "Great 48 preludes and fugues". His mastery of counterpoint is unique. And the vast number of works, from the simplest lute piece to his wonderful Cantatas and on to the massive Passions and Masses profess the enormous genius. It is true that his music fell out of favor after his passing, but a few decades later we find the great composers from Beethoven through Liszt (and many more) being greatly influenced by the master Bach. Bach's works. His pieces require a very good finger independence technique, clear tone, legato (without pedal), cerebral difficulty (fugues). Have you ever listened to his six keyboard partitas? Goldberg variations? If Baroque music had consisted only of harmonies like those of Handel and Vivaldi, great as they are, the next generation might have started looking for different ways to sound new and fresh. We can't know, of course. There are a plethora of words that can describe Bach’s musical genius Bach's influence in music would be the equivalent an actor winning the holy trifecta of an Emmy for television, a Tony for stage productions, and an Academy Award for movies. As it is Einstein only tackled a piece of the whole puzzle; Bach was the ultimate initiator...
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..."Adoro te." The leaf was obtained for the Moldenhauer Archives from the music dealer and publishing firm Schneider, Tutzing. The Art of Musical Notation In its primary sources, music merges with the representational arts. Oral tradition has played a fundamental role in all ages, but in its formal sense, history--and the history of music--begins with the visual record. Musical notation, having emerged on a wide scale in all civilizations, produced in itself a highly individual record of artistic endeavor. The medieval monks who compiled the missals and other liturgical books for the service of worship rose from their function as scribes to artists in their own right; among the greatest documents of Baroque art are the holographs by Bach; and an entirely novel phase in artistic musical score design was initiated in the twentieth century. The primary sources of music reproduced in this volume rely on various aspects of the graphic arts, but foremost among them stands the representation of the musical sound itself, the art of musical notation. Among the manifold forms the written image of music has taken are letters or syllables, to represent individual tones, and symbols to represent groups of them. But a more advanced approach is expressed in notation guided not only by the wish to fix the immediate impression of a given musical sound but by the attempt to...
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...B AC H ’ S P R E L U D E A N D F U G U E I N C M I N O R : A S T U DY O F T H E VA R I O U S E D I T I O N S AVA I L A B L E T O A N A R T I S T There is made available to any serious student of Bach a huge number of editions of the Well-Tempered Clavier. Bach’s WTC has been published in hundreds of different editions over the past century and there is much debate over stylistic interpretation. Bach originally did not provide many directives in his compositions. However, there is a deluge of editions now available to the public with many added musical elements such as dynamics, fingerings, and articulations. This presents an interesting dilemma to those interested in purchasing the work for use. Which edition is appropriate? Which would you tell someone to buy? What follows is an analysis of three editions of Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in c minor from the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, in light of these questions. As most choices of editions are made by piano teachers for their students, the edition chosen will aim to be one most appropriate for this demographic. One’s choice of which edition to use lies, in part, with whether one has a predilection for historical accuracy or for embellished interpretations. Bach rarely provided directions for tempo, articulation, dynamics or phrasing, and therefore the addition of these into any edition is a matter of interpretation by the editor based upon informed and professional judgement. Czerny’s 1837 edition is...
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