The Baroque era (1600 - 1750) saw the creation of our modern musical system based on major and minor scales and keys, and chord progressions.
Baroque music was largely serious, dignified (aristocratic) with great grandeur. Complexity in polyphony / counterpoint (multiple, simultaneous, interweaving melody lines) are a
prominent feature.
The following Classical era (1730 - 1820) would move toward homophonic simplicity (a single melody line supported by chordal harmonies) and a lighter elegance.
Baroque music was often highly passionate, while the Classical era composers tended toward a more moderate emotional range, usually focusing on more positive emotions (mostly using major keys) than did the Baroque and later 19th century Romantic composers, who had a more equal balance between positive and negative emotions (and major and minor keys).
Overall, Baroque music with its complexity, its use of minor keys, dissonance and chromaticism, and its wide range of emotions, can be seen as romantic in nature, as opposed to the classicism of the late 18th century era of Haydn and Mozart.
Baroque composers seldom varied the emotions, tempo and rhythms, and keys within a single movement (they waited until the next movement to do something differently.) Classical era composers with feature contrast in emotions by changing the tempos, rhythms, and leys within an individual movement.
The concerto and sonata instrumental genres and opera, oratorio, and mass vocal genres would continue on in later eras (albeit, with some changes in approach).
The popularity of the Baroque orchestral (dance) suite will be eclipsed by the symphony starting in the 1740s.
Important music formats that will carry forward after the Baroque period:
(Theme and) Variations - starts with a single theme that then is altered melodically, harmonically, or rhythmically in subsequent variations.
Video - Mozart's Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations (14 minutes)
Fugues - a specific counterpunctal structure of imitative polyphony where the first melody re-enters the piece in a different key as the original melody continues.
Video - What are fugues? (8:40 minutes)
Overall, Baroque music with its complexity, its use of minor keys, dissonance and chromaticism, and its wide range of emotions, can be seen as romantic in nature, as opposed to the classicism of the late 18th century era of Haydn and Mozart.
Baroque composers seldom varied the emotions, tempo and rhythms, and keys within a single movement (they waited until the next movement to do something differently.) Classical era composers with feature contrast in emotions by changing the tempos, rhythms, and leys within an individual movement.
The concerto and sonata instrumental genres and opera, oratorio, and mass vocal genres would continue on in later eras (albeit, with some changes in approach).
The popularity of the Baroque orchestral (dance) suite will be eclipsed by the symphony starting in the 1740s.
Important music formats that will carry forward after the Baroque period:
(Theme and) Variations - starts with a single theme that then is altered melodically, harmonically, or rhythmically in subsequent variations.
Video - Mozart's Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations (14 minutes)
Fugues - a specific counterpunctal structure of imitative polyphony where the first melody re-enters the piece in a different key as the original melody continues.
Video - What are fugues? (8:40 minutes)
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