Intro to Baroque;The baroque era: Ornamentation didn’t solely belong to the music of the baroque period, it was also reflected in Europe’s Art, literature, fashion and architecture. While Baroque musicians used embellishments in the form of trills and mordents, artists and architects portrayed it using very complex carvings or decorative paintings, even fashion designers of the time displayed ornamentation using frills and lace. The most memorable art produced during the sixteen-seventeen hundreds was heavily based on religion. Large murals were commissioned for use in churches to encourage members to join the church; the larger and more dominant murals generated a competition and hierarchy of sorts among religious sectors. The literature during the 1600-1750’s contained these intense emotions and contrast as humanity struggled to find a deeper meaning in existence, this was reflected in Spanish Baroque in particular through metaphors and allegories which were starting to develop vast layers of meaning (largely political and moral).
Baroque music is often hard to specifically describe as there were different cultures and different time periods within the baroque era which all had a slightly different approach to the music. Despite this, there are three main components that tend to cross the borders of these various methods; Stylistic features, instruments and a general aesthetic. Common to the form of baroque were the decorative features also known as ornamentation, the difference to the modern era however is that ornamentation was largely improvised and decided upon by the performer rather than the composer during the 16-17 hundreds. Baroque was one of the first forms of music to target a specific emotional response in the listener, often using generalized experiences (e.g Vivaldi’s four seasons). This caused the music to have a more timeless effect as it was relatable to all genders, ages and cultures. Although classical music also consisted of very emotional pieces, they tended to juxtapose emotions, weaving them amongst one another while baroque music had very specific climaxes and was separated into emotional segments, taking the listener on more of a journey.
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