Baroque Era

     On Thursday, May 17, 2012 I attended an informative and engaging Lake Superior Elders' presentation.  Bob Aldrich provided the elders with some of his knowledge about classical/baroque music. I was told he was brillant so what he shared with us I presumed with a tip of the iceberg. He took us on a journey through time.  We were told about the inception of baroque music and the time in which it was introduced.  The time period was between the years of 1600 and 1750.  A time when Europe was going through a tumultuous chaotic time and people experienced extremes economically, and politically.  There were people existing at extremes levels of wealth and those surviving in abject poverty.  There was no middle class. War and peace coexisted. 
     Because of this disharmony, music took another path to help distill peace amongst the population.  Before Baroque music was introduced, music was played by using one note at a time along with utilizing one voice at a time.  Aldrich demonstrated the one note concept by playing a song on the piano.  One note, one voice coupled with unilateral rule over the entire country, this served as the basis for the need for the renewal that was brought forth by the Baroque era.  King Louis XIV was one of the rulers during this time period and all his orders had to be followed or those not following his orders would be put to death or locked in a dark dungeon. 
    During the Baroque period painters began painting scenes portrayed by the common people such as a man carrying a loaf of bread.  Unless ordered to do so, artists were no longer painting portraits of kings. Water colors were being introduced.  Van Gough was one of the famous artists from that time period. The written works mirrored the unrest, Le Miseral was example of this work.  Des Cartes and Gallaleo presented scientific data that challenged those in power including the Church. 
     Italy forged the way for the marked changes in music.  As a result, the changes that were adapted in the music arena had to be learned by using the Italian language.  However, an universal approach was adopted by establishing a five note system with sharps and flats utilized throughout Europe and then adopted by the rest of the world.  I am reminded of mathematics and how that was universalized. 
      Many great musicians, 43 to be exact, existed during the Baroque Era who drastically changed the world of music and these changes still persist today, most demonstrated in rock music.  Henry Purcell's music is still being played for royal ceremonies in England and elsewhere.  Bach fostered the most growth in the music field.  He was instrumental in adding both treble and base in which you had to use two hands to play instruments.  There was a move from only using your four fingers on each hand to also using your thumbs to play music.  String instruments were introduced.  First three string instruments and then six and twelve strings that exist today.  The harpsichord, bass viol, violin, guitar and hurdy gurdy were some of the instruments that were developed during this time period.
     Bach was one of the first middle class citizens in Europe.  He earned his money by selling his musical ensembles mainly to churches.  During the same time that Bach was leaving his mark in the music world another musician by the name of Handel was also taking the lead.  Both lived their lives in the extreme of one another.  Bach was married twice and fathered 20 children and Handel never married.  Bach never left his home country of Germany and Handel was born in Germany; however he travelled all over Europe. 
     Baroque composers wrote in many different musical genres from opera to religious music.  Instrumental sonatas and dance combinations were written for specific instruments, for singing groups and for orchestras.  Soprano and base voice pitches were introduced along with alto,more than one voice. Bach wrote a lot of music for his second wife and she was one of the first women to be paid to perform for church services.  Major and minor scales were developed that still exist with Western tonality.  Concertos and French overtures emerged.  Again, many of the songs that were written during the Baroque period are still being played today such as the musical background to the song "Joy to the World."
     I was enthralled to learn about the connections that existed between the political and economical realms during the Baroque Era. The information for this blog was derived from the presentation that was provided to the Lake Superior Elders and Wikipedia.