Percussion in the Baroque Period Unit 2 - World Percussion - Hargrave Baroque Period (1600-1750) Baroque Period (1600-1750) The Baroque period refers to an era that started around 1600 and ended around 1750, and included composers like Bach, Vivaldi and Handel, who pioneered new styles like the concerto and the sonata. 1:45 Baroque Period (1600-1750) Founding of Jamestown Generally speaking, the Baroque period is when the orchestra was born, opera kicked off in a big way and the concerto gave soloists the chance to properly show off. Founding on May 14, 1607 Considered the first permanent English settlement in the United States 1
Salem Witch Trials Salem Witch Trials Baroque Meaning... Baroque means Misshapen Pearl It is characterized by certain aspects Bizarre Flamboyant Elaborately Ornamented Baroque Architecture Baroque Architecture Baroque Architecture 2
in churches, broader naves (large, central part of church) and sometimes given oval forms fragmentary or deliberately incomplete architectural elements dramatic use of light; either strong light-and-shade contrasts or uniform lighting by means of several windows opulent use of colour and ornaments (putti or figures made of wood (often gilded), plaster or stucco, marble or faux finishing) large-scale ceiling frescoes an external façade often characterized by a dramatic central projection the interior is a shell for painting, sculpture and stucco (especially in the late Baroque) illusory effects like trompe l'oeil (an art technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects appear in three dimensions.) and the blending of painting and architecture Trompe l'oeil example pear-shaped domes in the Bavarian, Czech, Polish and Ukrainian Baroque Quiz #1 1) What does Baroque mean? 1) Describe 3 shared characteristics of Baroque Music and Architecture. 1) What 2 things were discussed that happened in America during this time? 1) What is Trompe L oeil? 1) What characteristics of Baroque architecture did they continue from the Renaissance? 3
Baroque Period (1600-1750) Viola da Gamba From the period's beginnings in the early 1600s to when the Classical period style began to take over in the mid 1700s, the sound of the Baroque period remained distinct - ordered, ornate and increasingly emotive as the period went on. The viol (or viola da gamba) first appeared in Spain in the late 15th century. Viol consorts were very popular in England with composers such as Henry Purcell, William Byrd and Tobias Hume. Viola de Gamba example Viola da Gamba In addition, the viol was used in orchestras and chamber music groups until the 18th century, where it was cultivated among courtly society as a solo instrument. The Tiorba A guitar-like instrument with lots of strings and an extra long neck for bass notes, and a shorter lute-like neck for the melody to be played. This song is called Marionas by Gaspar Sanz. Tiorba and the Guitarra Barroca 4
The Baroque Sound In a practical sense, there are some truly defining characteristics in the Baroque period that mark it out from what came before or after. You can expect to hear a lot of harpsichord, but the main progression that came as the Renaissance period turned into Baroque is the emergence of more modern harmony. The Baroque Sound By harmony, we mean the combination of more than one note at the same time, and baroque composers like Bach, Handel and Vivaldi just made it that bit more accessible. Harmony Example (vocal) Baroque Instruments Though many instrumental developments were made in the baroque period, there's one rather large, keyboard-shaped shadow cast over all of them - by the harpsichord. You'll hear its distinctive plucked sound all over pieces from the period. Here is what a Harpsichord is and how it s played. Harpsichord 101 - How it works Harpsichord used in a Concerto 5
Religious Music Religious music was a huge part of the Baroque period, but it took composers like Handel and Bach to make them into emotional, human experiences. Huge, towering works in the sacred Baroque canon include Bach's St. Matthew Passion and Handel's Messiah. But let's give Handel's Zadok the Priest a go (brace yourself): Zadok: the Priest Baroque Period Renaissance to Baroque In short, the music of the Baroque allowed instruments to shine. Vocal music was still prevalent, but the orchestra became very popular. Orchestras are large ensembles of 20 or more instruments, compared to the 4-5 person ensembles of the Renaissance. Drumming in the Renaissance was beat centered = drums provided a steady beat for other singers and instruments to keep time. When music shifted to orchestra, the many drums of the Renaissance Era took a back seat. Into Baroque... Renaissance to Baroque Music was still provided at parties, but it was more refined. More delicate, more ornate, and more rhythm centered. Music for dancing was raw in the Renaissance, became more refined and proper. So Suites became popular. Suites are music that was composed with dancing in mind, but not necessarily used for dancing Instead of drums providing the rhythmic pulse for instruments to keep the beat, instruments themselves began to keep a pulse by accenting. Harpsichord also helped keep the beat in larger ensembles by playing chords on the stronger beats, where the drum normally would. 6
Quiz #2 1) During what years did the Baroque Period take place? Rhythm in Baroque 1) What is a Viola de Gamba? 1) What is a Tiorba? 1) What is Harmony as discussed in our unit? 1) Orchestras began to appear in the Baroque, about how large were they? It seems that much Baroque music is loaded with all sorts of such rhythmical jokes and inventivity. Those 17th and 18th century people seem to have had an urge to insert lots of mathematical ingenuities into the music... It seems that these people may have had a distaste for things that were too simple, too un-artificial, and too intuitively or too blatantly obvious; and in those times people enjoyed all kinds of artificial constructions. Rhythm in Baroque These rhythmical features are called counter-rhythms, and in much Baroque music give the music a kind of dynamic, energetic flavor. It is as if, instead of being content with lazily trudging on in always the same dull rhythm, the musicians have too much energy which they cannot refrain from letting burst out on regular intervals by throwing in a rhythmical somersault, after each of which they simply fall back with a straight face into the old rhythm as if nothing strange had happened. Rhythm in Baroque All of the interesting rhythmical patterns in Baroque music consist in placing accents that introduce grouping in 2-beat-sized groups in triple meters and in 3-beatsized groups in duple meters. Expressed in another way: rhythms using groups of two beats (in each of which the 1st beat is accented and the other is not accented) are often present in triple-meter music; and rhythms using groups of 3 beats (in each of which the 1st beat is accented and the other two are not) are often present in duple-meter music. Rhythm in Baroque o o o o o o o o o > \_/ \ / \_/ > > > Hemiolas Such counter-rhythms set off against the main or background rhythm of the piece are commonly called a hemiola. (hee-mee-oh-lah) This is an old-fashioned musical term originating from the Greek hemi = half, and holos = whole. Any kind of local counter-rhythm in music is called a hemiola, whether the counter-rhythm consists of groups of 2 beats in triple meters, or groups of 3 beats in duple meters, or any other kind of counter-rhythm. 7
Dance Forms Most of the popular Baroque dance forms are carried over from the Renaissance dances (just more complex): Gigues Courantes Gavottes Allemandes Gigue Fast, dancelike tune In triple meter (3 s and 6 s) Strongest beat = 1st beat of every measure Has an Irish feel, but not necessarily Irish in nature. Courante Also in triple meter Slower. If used in a Suite, it s usually the 2nd movement. Gavotte Phrases start in the middle of a measure creating an upbeat feeling. Music is in duple meter (2 s or 4 s). Optional addition to the Suite. Allemande Drummer => Percussionist Duple meter (2 s and 4 s) Similar to Pavane Usually slower Since Baroque music made the push into larger ensembles, mainly the orchestra, drumming in the Renaissance went from small hand-held drums to larger, less portable timpani. 8
Timpani Hallelujah Chorus by Handel Drum makers recognized the good ring that the Naker drum (copper bowl) had, and began to make much larger Naker drums, calling them Timpani or Kettle Drums. Let s listen to the Hallelujah Chorus by Handel for good insight into percussion in the Baroque. Quiz #3 1) How did Baroque composers introduce rhythmic energy? 1) What is the most popular percussion instrument in this period? 1) Why was the timpani so popular? 1) What is a hemiola? 1) What is the difference between a Gigue and a Courante? 9