The Baroque Age in Music

What is Baroque? Baroque is a pearl that has an irregular shape (in literal translation from Portuguese). And in Italian this word means "strange, bizarre". But the main thing is not the translation, but the fact that the Baroque era, which occupied the period from 1600 to 1750, was the beginning for the spread of the Western civilization of Europeans.

During this period, and the so-called "baroque era," naturalness was completely rejected, being considered ignorance and even savagery. A woman, for example, needed to be pale, pulled into a corset, on her head - a fancy hairstyle. And the dress skirt was just incredible. The female sex of the upper circle had to be wrapped even in hot summer days to preserve the whiteness of the skin. After all, the slightest tan was a bad form.

The men were not more fortunate - the obligatory wig on the head, no whiskers or beard - just a clean-shaven face. Without fail it was necessary to scent and powder.

The emergence of new styles and technologies has become a kind of "explosion" in the Baroque era. In music, much has begun to change. Vocal music gradually began to give up its position, giving way to the instrumental. This was also facilitated by the weakening of the Catholic Church's control over politics (the Renaissance). It was during this period that secular music was born.

Gradually, the public came to the fact that the sound of musical instruments began to merge into one whole, which led to the emergence of orchestras, although not as large as in our time. At first the concerts were only church music.

It is assumed that the original meaning of the word "concert" had a sense of struggle or contrast.

One way or another, but the musical culture of the Baroque managed to turn many views on music, significantly expanding its possibilities.

At the end of this era, two great composers, Corelli and Vivaldi, appeared. Their merit is that they managed to establish and strengthen the concert, and went beyond the church. Each soloist has the opportunity to show his skills with the help of a concert.

A little earlier, around 1600, at the very beginning of the Baroque era, two more great composers, namely Cavalieri and Monteverdi, wrote the first operas that immediately fell into the liking of the secular circle, and in a few years they gained recognition by becoming fashionable. The basis of the opera was originally a story from ancient Greek or Roman mythology. This was the first step of Baroque music.

Opera is a drama in artistic form, it inspired composers to embody new ways of illustrating human emotions, as well as feelings in the sound of music. Simply put, the opera was used as an impact on the listener's emotional state, this was her main goal.

Thanks to the works of Rameau, Purcell and Handel, the opera spread to both France and England.

England contributed to the Baroque era, developing the oratorio, which is somewhat different from the opera. The oratorio is the sound of music, not accompanied by scenic action. Often, the oratorio was based on religious texts or stories. An example of the oratorio is the "Messiah", which Handel wrote. Opera became a kind of second stage of baroque in music.

But Germany opera "did not fall in love", so German composers stayed with it - writing music for the church.

Another famous, no, even the great composer of the Baroque era is Johann Sebastian Bach. He approached the music somewhat peculiarly, opening in it boundless possibilities in terms of creating works. It was thanks to Bach that the first sonata appeared, and the harpsichord, the forerunner of the piano, became the main musical instrument.

Baroque in music played a role, making it more versatile, allowing it to go outside the church and start its development in other styles.