Lesson video

Hello, welcome to today's lesson entitled The Baroque Period.

My name's Mr. Norris.

I'm gonna take you through today as we take a deep dive into the Baroque period, which is 1600 to 1750.

Looking at some of the key composers, exploring some key pieces of music, and trying to get used to the distinctive features and sounds of the Baroque period.

Our outcome is that I can identify key features of Baroque music.

Some keywords.

First we've got Baroque period.

This is the period of Western classical music between 1600 and 1750.

Continuo.

The accompaniment section of a Baroque orchestra, normally including harpsichord and a bass stringed instrument, for example, the cello.

It's also called basso continuo.

Ornamentation.

This is when a performer decorates a melody with extra notes such as trills or turns.

Terraced dynamics.

This is where dynamics change suddenly rather than gradually.

And then contrapuntal.

This is the type of polyphonic text that includes two or more interweaving melodic lines.

So we'll explore all of those concepts as we go through.

The first part of our lesson is looking at the key features of Baroque music.

The Baroque period, which is from roughly 1600-1750, was a crucial era of the Western classical tradition.

Remember when we give those dates, those are approximate dates.

It's not that suddenly in 1750 the Baroque period ended and the Classical period began, but that's roughly when most people would categorize that period as B.

Many later periods would've been impossible without the ingenuity and the artistry of the Baroque composers.

So the Baroque composers in this period really paved the way for what came after.

While this was a long period, roughly 150 years, and the music changed a lot during that period, there are certain defining features of Baroque music that give it a distinctive sound.

The instrumentation of Baroque music is one of its distinctive features.

What instrument can you hear in this Baroque orchestra that you wouldn't hear in a modern orchestra? Pause my video and have a listen.

And well done there if you picked out the harpsichord with its quite distinctive, bright twangy timbre, and in this case it's playing the continuo part or the basso continuo part, which is the accompanying part the orchestra.

The continuo accompaniment normally consists of a harpsichord, which improvises around chords, so it's given the chords and will improvise different patterns around them.

And the bass string instrument such as a cello, which plays the bass notes.

So continuo consists of the chords and the bass.

Continuo features an almost all Baroque orchestral music.

So you can normally hear it in most orchestral music from this period, as well as a lot of music that's written for smaller ensembles, so chamber music.

Listen to this example.

Can you hear those two instruments of the continuo, the harpsichord and the cello, playing the accompaniment part here.

Listen closely.

(bright orchestral music) Now listen to those two parts of the continuo without the rest of the orchestra.

So hear what they would sound like just on their own.

You might notice that the harpsichord as well as playing the chords also plays the bass line with the cellos at the same time.

Let's hear them on their own.

(bright orchestral music) Let's check your understanding.

I'd like to fill in the blanks in this paragraph.

Pause my video and give it a shot.

Let's fill in those missing words then.

So in the Baroque period, orchestras included a continuo section or if you said basso continuo, that's also absolutely correct.

This usually consisted of a harpsichord playing the chords and a bass string instrument such as a cello playing bass notes.

Well done if you got those points correct.

Now, Baroque melodies also have distinct features.

Like to compare this Baroque melody with a later Classical melody from the Classical period.

What are the key differences between the two? Pause my video, listen to both, and see if you can pick out the differences.

Let's delve into some of those differences then.

So the Baroque melody uses lots of ornamentation.

This is where performers decorate melodies with additional notes.

The typical types of Baroque ornamentation include a tone, a mordent, and a trill.

A turn is where the performer plays the note above the notated note, then the notated note itself, then the note below, and then back to the notated note.

So it turns one note into four.

That would sound like this.

(bright harpsichord music) For mordents there are different types of mordent.

They involve playing the notated note, then either quickly go into the note above it and back or to the note below it and back.

This example is an upper mordent where the main note is played.

Then the note above it and then very quickly back to the main note again.

(bright harpsichord music) Finally, the most recognizable and probably the most used of these three is the trill, which involves alternating very quickly between the notated note and the note above it.

Let's hear an example of one of those.

(bright harpsichord music) And you might have noticed there that a mordent that just sounds like a very short trill.

So if you hear what sounds like a very short trill with just three notes, that's probably a mordent.

I'd like to listen to this Baroque melody again.

What ornaments can you hear in this example? Pause my video and have a listen.

Well done if you managed to hear both the mordents and trills that were used in that example there.

Baroque melodies are also less clearly divided into short phrases than their Classical counterparts.

Instead, they're long and flowing and they don't have clear equal-length phrases like you might expect in later Classical melodies.

I'd like you to compare these two melodies now.

Which do you think is a Baroque melody and you're listening for that long flowing melodic line with lots of ornamentation.

Let's hear the first example.

(bright harpsichord music) Now let's hear the second example.

So which of these two do you think is a Baroque melody? (spirited harpsichord music) And well done there if you identified that the second one is the Baroque melody.

It has these long flowing phrases and it has more ornamentation than in the other melody there.

Let's check your understanding.

Name two types of ornamentation used commonly in the Baroque period.

I'll give you a few seconds to think of two.

And you could have said here trills, turns, mordents or you might have also thought something we'd not mention in this lesson, which is grace notes or acciaccaturas.

So really well done if you thought of two of those.

The dynamics and the texture of Baroque music are also distinctive.

What do you notice about the dynamic changes in this Baroque piece? Pause my video and have a listen.

And hopefully there you managed to identify that the dynamic changes are very sudden in that piece there.

And this is something that we call terraced dynamics, which is something that Baroque music often uses.

Rather than gradually changing dynamics, the dynamics suddenly change when groups of instruments start or stop playing.

So it suddenly drops down in dynamics or it suddenly gets louder when a group of instrument suddenly joins back in.

We could represent the difference between gradual and terraced dynamics like this.

We've got gradual changes where it gradually gets louder and then gradually decreases again from loud to quiet and so on.

Or we could have terraced dynamics where there are sudden changes in dynamics.

So it gets suddenly quieter perhaps when one group of the orchestra starts playing or gets suddenly louder when some of the musicians join back in at a louder dynamic.

So we have these sudden changes in dynamics and that is terraced dynamics.

Baroque music often has a contrapuntal or polyphonic texture.

This is a texture consisting of two or more interweaving melodic lines.

And each melody is equally important, together they create this complex texture.

So we've not got one main melody with some accompaniment underneath.

We've got more than one melody and they're all equally important and they interweave with each other, interact with each other creating this complex web of different melodies.

I'd like to listen to this example.

How many different melodic lines are used in this contrapuntal texture? So how many different equally important melodies can you hear at the same time? Pause my video and have a listen.

So in that example there were four different melodic lines playing at the same time creating this really complex contrapuntal or polyphonic texture.

And all of those melodic lines are equally important creating this really complex web of different melodies and patterns.

Now to represent this kind of polyphonic or contrapuntal texture like this.

Got one melody.

We've got another melody that interweaves with it at the same time, and then a third melody doing the same, and they're all equally important and equally prominent.

This contrast with later Classical melodies, which typically had a separate melody and then an accompaniment underneath.

So we might represent that like this, and we can see the difference in the two textures.

The contrapuntal or polyphonic texture in the Baroque period sounds more complex, whereas the melody and accompaniment texture later in the Classical period sounds much more simple and clear.

Let's check your understanding.

What are terraced dynamics? Are they dynamics that change gradually, dynamics that change suddenly, or dynamics that stay the same? I'll give you a few seconds.

And the correct answer here is terraced dynamics are dynamics that change suddenly, and that's a typical way that dynamics are used in the Baroque period.

What is a contrapuntal texture? Is it one with a clear melody and separate accompaniment? Is it one with one main melody and a second counter melody? Or is it one with multiple interweaving melodies? I'll give you a few seconds.

And the correct is it's one multiple interweaving melodies that together create this complex texture.

For Task A, listen to each extract and answer the questions.

For Extract A, identify one typical feature of a Baroque melody, and then explain how this texture is typical of many Baroque compositions.

For Extract B, what is the name of the accompanying section in this orchestra? Name the two instruments in that section and explain their roles.

And then finally, what term describes the sudden dynamic changes heard in the clip? So pause my video, listen to both clips, and give this task your best shot.

Let's go through this task then.

So for Extract A, one typical feature of Baroque melody was the use of ornamentation, particularly trills in this example.

The texture is typical of many Baroque compositions because it's contrapuntal, they are interweaving melodic lines, or you might have used the word polyphonic.

In Extract B, the accompanying section is called continuo or basso continuo you might have said.

The two instruments in that section were the harpsichord, which is playing the chords, you might have said improvising around the chords.

And then the cellos, which were playing the bass notes or the bass line.

And then finally, for question five, the sudden dynamic changes are called terraced dynamics.

Well done if you managed to get that one there.

Hopefully now you feel like you have a better understanding of some of the key distinctive features of Baroque music.

For the second part of today's lesson, we're gonna look at structure and genre in the Baroque period.

There are some defining genres of Baroque music.

The first is the suite.

This is a collection of varied movements, that's different pieces of music that are based on different types of dance.

I'd like to listen to this movement from a suite by Handel, who's one of the most famous Baroque composers.

What features of this suggest that is based on a style designed for dancing? So what musical aspects would make this suitable to dance to? Pause my video and have a listen.

And there are a few things you might have picked up on here.

You might have mentioned the lively tempo, the upbeat tempo that would be good for dancing too.

The strong pulse.

So there's a really clear sense of the beat, which is important for dancing.

And the repeating rhythms as well and these all suggest that it's based on a style of dance music.

One thing to say about suites in Baroque music is that they're not necessarily designed for dancing to, but they're based on styles of music that were designed for dancing too.

The trio sonata is another key genre.

This is chamber music.

Remember, chamber music is music is written for a small ensemble.

And in this case, the trio sonata is written for two solo instruments with continuo accompaniment.

Often the continuo uses two instruments as well.

We know the continuo might include harpsichord and cello, for example.

So although the piece has trio in the name, which would suggest that it's for three instruments, there might actually be four because there are the two solo instruments and then the two instruments in the accompanying continuo as well.

Trio sonatas have multiple movements.

Again, individual pieces of music that make up the whole.

Some are dance suites like we've just looked at with lots of different movements based on different dance styles, while others have a four movement structure with four separate movements making up the whole.

There's no rule as to how many movements have to be in a trio sonata.

Listen to this example.

What are the solo instruments that are used here and what typical Baroque melodic features do they use? So try and pick out the two instruments that are playing the melody and try and identify how that melody is typical of Baroque music.

Pause my video and give this your best shot.

And well done then if you identified that the two solo instruments were violins and that is the most common solo instruments that we used in trio sonatas.

And that the melodic features that are typical include the use of ornaments and the long flowing melodic lines.

So it's not divided into short phrases, but rather has these long meandering melodies.

What is a suite? Is it a long movement with lots of sections? A collection of contrasting movements or the first movement of a piece of music? I'll give you a few seconds.

And the correct answer here is it's a collection of contrasting movements, usually based on dance styles of music from the time.

Another important genre of the Baroque period was the prelude and fugue.

This was usually written for solo keyboards and at the time that meant it would be performed on the harpsichord or the organ.

The piano, remember, hadn't been invented in the Baroque period.

Nowadays, performers often perform preludes and fugues on the piano.

A prelude and fugue has two parts.

There's the prelude, and that's the first part, which is a short movement with an improvisatory feeling.

So it feels like it's a little bit improvised.

The fugue is a complex movement with a contrapuntal texture, remember multiple interweaving melodic lines, and it's based on one or two musical themes that are repeated, layered, and developed.

So it'll take one musical idea, it'll repeat it in different ways, change it, adapt it, and use that as the basis for the whole fugue creating this really interesting complex web of different melodic lines.

Listen to these two examples.

Which one do you think is a prelude? Remember that slightly simpler feeling with an improvisatory feeling.

And which one is a fugue with that contrapuntal texture with lots of different melodic lines based on one or two musical ideas? Pause my video and compare these two.

And well done then if you managed to identify, the first was a fugue with that more complex contrapuntal texture.

The second was a prelude.

And in a prelude and fugue they'll be the other way round.

So we'd always have the prelude first and then the fugue.

There were also important orchestral genres in the Baroque period.

The first is the concerto.

This is a composition for solo instrument with orchestral accompaniments.

So you've got soloist and then an orchestra providing the accompaniment.

In the Baroque period, there are two types of concerto.

There's the solo concerto, which has one soloist playing with an orchestra, and then there's a concerto grosso, which is for multiple soloists with an orchestra.

So there might be a group of soloists at the front of the stage playing the solo parts with the orchestra accompanying them.

Typically concertos have three movements and they'd be going in fast, slow, fast order.

So the second movement is the slow one.

The first and third are faster and more lively.

Every movement has solo sections where the soloist or group of soloists plays the melody with the orchestral accompaniment in the background.

And they also have tutti sections.

Tutti means all in Italian.

And in these tutti sections, the orchestra and the soloist play the melody together.

So they're playing it together combining in the tutti sections.

Listen to this solo concerto.

Remember, solo concerto has one soloist with an orchestra.

Can you hear the contrast between the solo sections where the soloist is playing the melody on their own, and the tutti sections where the orchestra and the soloist play the melody together? Pause my video and try to pick out the contrast between those two sections.

Now in the Baroque concerto, typical solo instruments are violin, recorder, and cello, and that's in both solo concertos and concerto grosso.

You also occasionally get oboe concertos, flute concertos, and trumpet as well though they're slightly less common than the violin, recorder, and cello.

I'd like to listen to this example of a concerto grosso.

Remember, that's a concerto that has a group of soloists playing the solo parts.

Can you identify the solo instruments playing here? And based on the tempo and the mood, which movement do you think this is of the three? And remember they're usually in the order fast, slow, and then fast.

Pause my video and have a listen.

And well done here then if you manage to identify that there were two solo violins and the cello, so there were three solo instruments here in the concerto grosso.

And this is either the first or the third movement because it has a fast tempo.

It can be difficult to tell the difference between first or third, but we know that it's definitely not the second movement because that'd be much slower.

Final key genre of the Baroque period is the overture.

These are usually designed to be played at the start of an opera, an oratorio, a ballet, or an orchestral suite.

So they're often written to standalone at the start of a much bigger performance.

Sometimes they were written to be performed on their own.

The most typical form has a slow, grand introduction that introduces it in a really grand manner, followed by a more upbeat, contrapuntal, almost fugue-like section where there are multiple interweaving melodies and quite a complex texture.

I like to listen to the contrast between those two sections here, the slow grand introduction that introduces the overture, and then the more complex, lively contrapuntal section that follows.

Pause my video and compare those two.

Let's check your understanding.

Fill in the blanks in this paragraph.

You pause my video while you do this.

The completed paragraph would look like this.

The prelude and fugue was an important genre written for a solo keyboard instrument.

The fugue has a complex contrapuntal texture that uses one or two melodic ideas and repeats, develops, and layers them.

Well done if you managed to get those three missing words there.

Now, I'd like to do these two paragraphs here.

Pause my video while you fill these in.

The completed paragraphs would read as follows.

There were two types of concerto in this period, the solo concerto and the concerto grosso.

In both of these, there were sections where the soloist or soloists played the melody as the solo sections and sections where the orchestra and soloist played it together.

Those are the tutti sections.

Typically, concertos had three contrasting movements.

The overture was an orchestral piece written to be performed at the start of a larger piece, for example, an oratory or ballet or an opera.

It consisted of two contrasting sections, the second of which has a texture similar to a fugue.

Well done if you managed to fill in some of those there.

If you're getting these, then you're starting to develop your knowledge of the different genres typical of the Baroque period.

For Task B, listen to each extract and answer the questions.

For Extract A, identify two features that tell you this is a fugue.

And then which two instruments could this have been performed on during the Baroque period? And then for Extract B, what type of concerto is this and how do you know? And which movement could this be of a concerto and why? And then for Extract C, what type of ensemble is this? And then this is from a collection of dances.

What is the name for such a collection? Pause my video and have a go at Task B.

Let's go through this task then.

So for Extract A, two features that tell you it is a fugue, well, you could have mentioned the contrapuntal or polyphonic texture.

You could have mentioned the fact that there's one or two melodic ideas that developed.

And you could have also mentioned the interweaving melodic lines.

Which two instruments could this have been performed on during the Baroque period? Well, you should have said the harpsichord or the organ.

Remember, the piano hadn't been invented and developed by this point.

For Extract B, this was a solo concerto and we know this 'cause there's only one soloist.

This movement is probably the second movement because it has a slow tempo.

Remember fast, slow, fast.

And then for Extract C, this was a trio sonata.

That's the type of ensemble.

And this is from a collection of dances, which is called a suite.

So well done if you managed to use some of this proper terminology getting those answers correct.

Let's review today's lesson.

Baroque music has certain distinctive characteristics.

These include use of continuo, terraced dynamics, and contrapuntal textures.

Melodies are often long and flowing and they're decorated with ornamentation.

And key genres include the trio sonata, suite, prelude and fugue, concerto, and overture.

So that's the end of today's lesson.

Hopefully you're going away feeling like you have a basic grounding in the fundamentals of the Baroque period now and feel like you'd be able to identify Baroque music from those distinctive features that we've been exploring.

I'd strongly encourage you to put this knowledge into practice by doing some practice listening to Baroque music by some of the most famous composers, maybe Bach, Vivaldi, or Handel, and see if you can just get used to picking out these different distinctive features of Baroque music as you do so.

Thanks for taking part in today's lesson and I'll see you in another one.