Project Two: Baroque Compositional Forms

Project Two: Baroque Compositional Forms

The Baroque period saw musical trends moving away from an emphasis on vocals to a preference for instrumental music.  The course material describes how Baroque compositions were often rich in polyphony, weaving sometimes-complex melodic lines to create rich, deep textures. In addition, harmony also appears to be a factor of growing importance during the era, along with a strong sense of consonance and dissonance. 

Forrest-Kelly (2011:54) describes a form of musical accompaniment called basso continuo as a chord-playing instrument or group of instruments that provide both harmonic and rhythmic effect.  This was, he says, an essential part of Barqoue compositions.  He details how players would use a system of numbers called ‘figured bass’ to ascertain which chords to play, and largely improvised their accompaniments.  A wide range of instruments could be used for this basso continuo, including the organ, harpsichord, lute and cello, creating the trademark Baroque texture. 

Bukofzer (1947:9-10) writes that one of the main contrasting factors between the Renaissance and Baroque periods was the treatment of dissonance, suggesting that it is the “touchstone of stylistic contrast” between the two eras.  He argues that as the bass often provided the chords in Baroque compositions, it was possible to began introducing dissonant notes at the same time, which could be ‘resolved’ at the movement to the next chord.  In addition, the course material further describes how dissonant intervals such as tritons and sevenths were juxtaposed to the harmony of a composition to create an emotional effect. 

It seems that the Renaissance period had a greater focus on harmony, whilst the Baroque period began experimenting with drama, intrigue and suspense.   It is clear to see how later composers such as Schoenberg, a composer hailed for his work with dissonance, used earlier composers for inspiration.

O’Rourke-Jones & Summers (2013:78-79) describe how musical ornamentation, especially trills, became more commonplace during the period, along with the appearance of bar lines on standard notation.  These changes must have revolutionised the way in which music was performed across the world, finally giving players the ability to accurately replicate the compositions of others.  The course material’s description of the rise of nationalism in music at this time also fits with my thoughts about the rise availability of ‘sheet music’.  It stands to reason that as more and more music became available, the lines between different countries’ composers would have become blurred, thus eventually creating the opposite effect: the desire to represent ones own country as stronger and superior. 

A Short Introduction to Baroque Music [online] (n.d.), tells of the developments in musical form during the period.  Although expressing the overall use of the more simplistic binary (AB), ternary (ABA) and rondo (ABACA) structures within compositions, the article lists popular musical forms of the period to include opera, mass, oratorios, cantatas, suites, partita and variations.