One of the major influences of the Baroque period was the conquest of the New World. These conquests brought much wealth to the aristocracy and some of the middle class, while others became more impoverished than they were before. This could have had the effect of the Baroque love for the dramatic. Another change during the Baroque era was the musical instruments. Instruments were improved, making the music more skillful and smooth.
The royal throne played a huge part regarding the influence of Baroque music. Because of Louis XIV's love for music, he would appoint musicians to work for him in the patronage system. By doing so, he created a higher demand for more structured, public performances. This prominent political influence of the Baroque resulted in a higher demand of Chamber Music—classical music accompanied by some instruments. The Greek culture also had a huge impact on the future of Baroque music, since the early ideal form of music was based on an ancient Greek musical drama. In addition to the conquest of the New World, like Dakota said, Greek culture also helped the Baroque evolve into music concerned with drama and lyrics (which helped create the Opera).
Religion had a significant influence on the music of the Baroque era. Religious revival was at its peak during this time and was at the center of daily life. The New World was filled with Protestants who left England in hopes of finding religious freedom, while Europe was home to both Protestants and Catholics. Religion was also present in Baroque art and literature. John Milton wrote the epic Protestant poem, Paradise Lost, while Dante Alighieri wrote The Divine Comedy, an epic poem based on Catholic beliefs. Religion was a prominent part of life during the Baroque era and had a strong impact on the music during that time.
One major political happenstance was that of the French Revolution, which allowed the inhuman practice of castrating males (in order to let them keep their soprano voice before puberty) to be abolished. Once this happened, the opera roles which previously required males to sing soprano were soon sung in a lower register, or by a countertenor or a woman in costume. In this way, the French Revolution changed a major area of Baroque music.
This was the European time known as the “Age of Reason”. Great intellects such as Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler, Isaac Newton, Rene Descartes, and Francis Bacon were setting the foundations for contemporary science and mathematics. This sparked other influential thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke to use these systems of observation and reasoning in other subjects such as philosophy and political science. There is order and regulation underlying much of Baroque music, possibly portraying the ideals of the age of reason. In particular, the systematic progression of the harmony and the restraint of intricate counterpoint are trademarks of this era. Yet Baroque composers also exhibited a fervent interest in expressing emotions through music. The fantasies and toccatas show a freedom of expression countering reason. This new exploration of emotion in music may have had its start in another important historical influence on the music of this period. Previously, most composers were employed by the church, which typically, and often harshly, restricted their freedom to experiment. During the Baroque period, although churches were still chief supervisors for many composers, the nobility became much more active patrons of music, and their courts became important venues for performances. This era thus saw a blossoming of non-church musical forms and experimentation with harmony, rhythm, and form that significantly and lastingly changed the musical scene.
The Baroque period marked a change in texture and musical intensity. Italian politicians wanted to revive spirit with music. With the arrival of the era, music became more intense and ornate. The orchestra and opera were both ascertained during the Baroque era. In the early 1600s, the opera played a great role in reviving the spirit of ancient Greek. Claudio Monteverdi’s Orfeo in 1607 was the first great opera. It had a homophonic musical style like many operas of the time. Solo vocal's captured the attention of the audience. Essentially, the spirit was uplifted, as many had a taste for dramatic musical flourishes. Around the time of the Scientific Revolution, orchestra was also becoming popular. It, as the opera, was exciting and dramatic. The concerto was a popular form of music performed. It also had a solo instrumentalist, to gather attention and emphasis on individual talent. With the soloist, of couse, was the rest of the orchestra, creating an interesting combination of volume and texture. During the Baroque period, due to the desire from major political persons for drama and spirit, there was a strong emphasis on opera and orchestra.
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One of the major influences of the Baroque period was the conquest of the New World. These conquests brought much wealth to the aristocracy and some of the middle class, while others became more impoverished than they were before. This could have had the effect of the Baroque love for the dramatic. Another change during the Baroque era was the musical instruments. Instruments were improved, making the music more skillful and smooth.
The royal throne played a huge part regarding the influence of Baroque music. Because of Louis XIV's love for music, he would appoint musicians to work for him in the patronage system. By doing so, he created a higher demand for more structured, public performances. This prominent political influence of the Baroque resulted in a higher demand of Chamber Music—classical music accompanied by some instruments. The Greek culture also had a huge impact on the future of Baroque music, since the early ideal form of music was based on an ancient Greek musical drama. In addition to the conquest of the New World, like Dakota said, Greek culture also helped the Baroque evolve into music concerned with drama and lyrics (which helped create the Opera).
Religion had a significant influence on the music of the Baroque era. Religious revival was at its peak during this time and was at the center of daily life. The New World was filled with Protestants who left England in hopes of finding religious freedom, while Europe was home to both Protestants and Catholics. Religion was also present in Baroque art and literature. John Milton wrote the epic Protestant poem, Paradise Lost, while Dante Alighieri wrote The Divine Comedy, an epic poem based on Catholic beliefs. Religion was a prominent part of life during the Baroque era and had a strong impact on the music during that time.
One major political happenstance was that of the French Revolution, which allowed the inhuman practice of castrating males (in order to let them keep their soprano voice before puberty) to be abolished. Once this happened, the opera roles which previously required males to sing soprano were soon sung in a lower register, or by a countertenor or a woman in costume. In this way, the French Revolution changed a major area of Baroque music.
This was the European time known as the “Age of Reason”. Great intellects such as Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler, Isaac Newton, Rene Descartes, and Francis Bacon were setting the foundations for contemporary science and mathematics. This sparked other influential thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke to use these systems of observation and reasoning in other subjects such as philosophy and political science. There is order and regulation underlying much of Baroque music, possibly portraying the ideals of the age of reason. In particular, the systematic progression of the harmony and the restraint of intricate counterpoint are trademarks of this era. Yet Baroque composers also exhibited a fervent interest in expressing emotions through music. The fantasies and toccatas show a freedom of expression countering reason. This new exploration of emotion in music may have had its start in another important historical influence on the music of this period. Previously, most composers were employed by the church, which typically, and often harshly, restricted their freedom to experiment. During the Baroque period, although churches were still chief supervisors for many composers, the nobility became much more active patrons of music, and their courts became important venues for performances. This era thus saw a blossoming of non-church musical forms and experimentation with harmony, rhythm, and form that significantly and lastingly changed the musical scene.
The Baroque period marked a change in texture and musical intensity. Italian politicians wanted to revive spirit with music. With the arrival of the era, music became more intense and ornate. The orchestra and opera were both ascertained during the Baroque era. In the early 1600s, the opera played a great role in reviving the spirit of ancient Greek. Claudio Monteverdi’s Orfeo in 1607 was the first great opera. It had a homophonic musical style like many operas of the time. Solo vocal's captured the attention of the audience. Essentially, the spirit was uplifted, as many had a taste for dramatic musical flourishes. Around the time of the Scientific Revolution, orchestra was also becoming popular. It, as the opera, was exciting and dramatic. The concerto was a popular form of music performed. It also had a solo instrumentalist, to gather attention and emphasis on individual talent. With the soloist, of couse, was the rest of the orchestra, creating an interesting combination of volume and texture. During the Baroque period, due to the desire from major political persons for drama and spirit, there was a strong emphasis on opera and orchestra.
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