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Scan 93
Harvard Dictionary Of Music, 1944
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1BAROQUE MUSIC
3of Renaissance music persisted to some extent in the *Roman School, and that, on the other hand, a new period, the *Rococo, had already begun when Bach and Handel were writing their greatest masterpieces, the true culmination points of Baroque music.
5Generally speaking, the Baroque period is an era of ecstasy and exuberance, of dynamic tensions and of sweeping gestures, an era of longing and of self-denial, much in contrast to the assuredness and self-reliance of the Renaissance. It is the period in which men liked to consider this life as the "vale of tears," in which the statues of the Saints look rapturously toward heaven, in which the clouds and the infinite landscape were discovered. Much of this attitude is reflected in the expressive melodies of the 17th century, in its long coloraturas, in its pathetic recitative, its frequent use of chromaticism, its capricious rhythms. Particularly the early Baroque music (prior to 1650) shows, in its *canzonas and *toccatas, striking traits of capriciousness, exuberance, and irregularity, while later composers such as Carissimi and Corelli brought about a trend towards greater restraint and regularity of style. On the other hand, the structural, or, as one might call it, the architectural element in Baroque music must not be overlooked. More than any other period, the 17th century has contributed toward the development and establishment of clearly defined types and forms, such as the ostinato-forms, the variations, the suite, the sonata, the da-capo aria, the rondo, the concerto, the opera, the oratorio, the cantata.
7From the point of view of style, Baroque music is characterized chiefly by the thorough-bass technique, leading to a texture of two principal contours, melody and bass, with the intervening space being filled in by improvised harmony. In Germany, however, the contrasting style of true polyphony not only persisted but reached, in Bach, its very acme of perfection and greatness. A third principle of Baroque style is the stile concertante, that is, contrasting effects, a principle which expressed itself in the abrupt changes of the early *canzona as well as in the solo-tutti alternation of the *concerto grosso and in the *echo-effects of vocal and of organ music. Other basic conceptions of Baroque music are *improvisation and *ornamentation. Lastly, mention must be made of the final establishment of tonic and dominant as the principal chords of harmony and, about 1650 (Carissimi), of four-measure phrases [see *Vierhebigkeit].
9At the beginning of the 17th century we find three great figures still rooted in the tradition of the Renaissance but inaugurating the novel trends of Baroque music, namely, Monteverdi, G. Gabrieli, and Sweelinck. They may be considered as the sources of three main streams running through Baroque music, that is, vocal, instrumental, and organ music, to which, in turn, the three styles mentioned above can be roughly coordinated, namely, accompanied melody, concerto style, and contrapuntal style.
11The first of these streams, starting in Florence (Caccini, Peri, later Monteverdi), produces the *monodic style with the *recitative and *aria, and with the composite forms of the *cantata, *opera, and *oratorio (*passion). The second, "Venetian," stream finds its realization in the instrumental *canzona, the violin *sonata, the trio-sonata in its two varieties, *sonata da chiesa and *sonata da camera, and in the orchestral forms of the *concerto grosso [see also *Concerto III], the French *overture, and the *sinfonia. The last stream, starting with Sweelinck and Frescobaldi, but continuing chiefly in Germany (Scheidt, Froberger, Buxtehude, Pachelbel, Kuhnau, Muffat, Fischer, Bach), leads to the *fugue, *organ chorale (choral prelude), *toccata, and *suite (the latter also in France).
13Lit.: R. Haas, Die Musik des Barock (BüHM, 1928); LaMWC, passim; AdHM i, 411-700; RiHM ii.3; W. Flemming, Oper und Oratorium im Barock (1933); P. Nettl, Musikbarock in Böhmen und Mähren (1927); E. Wellesz, Die Anfänge des musikalischen Barock … in Wien (1922); W. D. Allen, "Baroque Histories of Music" (MQ xxv); E. Schenck, "Ueber
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