The Art and Architecture of the Baroque Period, Term Paper Example

The art and architecture of the Baroque period was often very lavish and even exaggerated. The kings and other nobility of the era, especially King Louis XIV, who lived in the palace at Versailles, expected the architects and artists and musicians around them to create works that glorified them. At the same time, science and reason were becoming popular, and this led to a period where the emotional expression in art and music was matched with an even, steady foundation. The music of the time was emotionally expressive, but this expression was displayed for the audience rather than felt by them.

The primary version of the Baroque orchestra consisted of stringed instruments, such as violin, viola, cello, and bass doubling the cello an octave lower. A keyboard such as a harpsichord (or an organ for church music) was added, and the composer would often play this keyboard and lead the orchestra. For more elaborate musical pieces and occasions, horns such as oboe, bassoon, and trumpet and timpani drum would be added. These larger orchestras would also include a harpsichord or organ. The three main uses of music and musicians in the Baroque era were in churches, courts, and operas, with the operas receiving the most glory.

In the concerto and the concerto grossi the composers of the Baroque era used various common forms to write their long, expressive musical pieces. These forms included the ritornello, the ground bass, and the cadenza. One of the most significant compositional styles of the Baroque period was the fugue. For vocal music, the opera was the most important style. Opera singers were emotional and theatrical, and had to make their voices heard throughout the opera house by projecting their voices and singling loudly and clearly. Singers used the recitative technique when imitating speech, and the aria when singing more complex and elaborate parts. The subjects of operas often glorified the king or other royal who supported the composer. Oratorio was an opera about a religious subject, and a cantata was a shorter musical piece that was sometimes religious and sometimes secular.

Because music became such a central part of life for many in the Baroque period (especially the members of European royalty who had music and musicians for every event and occasion, including the act of waking in the morning) there were many composers. Still, several composers, such as Handel, Haydn, and Mozart, were among the most significant in the 18^th century. Handel was known for his operas, and for compositions such as “Messiah.” Haydn and Mozart are more closely associated with instrumental music for orchestral composition, and these and other composers wrote elaborate, complex works that were influenced by the ideals of the Enlightenment era.

Discussion Forum

It was common during the Baroque period for musicians to work under patronage, where patrons paid to support composers so they could be free to work. These patrons also influenced the composers’ works, as they would often write music to suit the tastes of patrons. Handel and Back both worked under patronage at different times, but Bach was much more regularly part of the patronage system. Handel seemed more interested in creating his own music without the obligations to patrons, and he set up his own performance theaters and earned money by selling tickets. The advantage of the patronage system is that a composer does not have to worry about survival, but it also means being tied to someone else’s wishes.