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Questions tagged [baroque-period]

A time period in Western art music spanning between 1600-1760 CE, approximately.

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Rules for improvising intermediate notes in basso continuo

When realizing figured bass, passing notes in the bass are analyzed quite thoroughly in literature (e.g. The Art of Accompaniment from a Thorough Bass). However, I cannot find any information or rules ...
Tristan's user avatar
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11 votes
2 answers
609 views

Optional notes in baroque clavier score?

I'm not a keyboard player so I'm not sure what the smaller notes in this score mean. Are they optional like an ossia or something to be played on a repeat or something else?
Sprice's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
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Dissonance in SWV 447

I'm a huge fan of Heinrich Schütz and in particular of the Dresdner Kammerchor's recordings of his work. This moment in bar 169 of "Vater Abraham, erbarme dich mein, SWV 447" really caught ...
eric_kernfeld's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
75 views

Syncopation in classical music [closed]

Can anyone can point me, a lay person, to good examples of syncopation in classical music? I'm also wondering if syncopation shows up at all in Baroque music. Thank you.
Rivah's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
94 views

Baroque composing [closed]

What defines a "trio" style. As in, if I were composing a piece on the piano how do I compose it in a "trio" style
Franz Liszt's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is Gould playing extra notes in Bach's Toccata in C Minor, and if so, why?

In Glenn Gould's recording of Bach's Toccata in C Minor, it sounds like he modifies the melody in the the right hand to add two extra notes You can hear it here. Is this just a Gould improvisation, ...
Steve Bennett's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
76 views

Number of subject/answer entries in 16th/18th Century fugal counterexpositions

I'm studying the difference between 16th and 18th Century fugues. I've noticed something and wonder whether it is a notable trend, or just a coincidence. First, consider this fugue from Missa Dies ...
nuggethead's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
26 views

Can you recall the author and name of a baroque Passacaille or Chaconne which uses both the descending and the ascending tetrachord in the bass? [closed]

I happened to listen to a baroque passacaille or chaconne for strings on the air. It used both the descending and the ascending tetrachord in the ostinato bass. I wasn't able to find anything on the ...
Claudi Meneghin's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
244 views

Why was Violin Concerto No.1 in A minor (Bach) composed?

I'm doing an assignment on a baroque period composition, and I chose Violin Concerto No.1 in A minor by J.S. Bach. One of the things I need to do is explain why it was actually composed. I'm having a ...
Cohen's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
341 views

Did Bach call for male countertenor for the Alto solo part for his cantatas / passion oratorios?

I see a recent trend for countertenors to sing the alto parts for Bach's cantata / passion oratorios such as Maarten Engeltjes in Magnificat and Tim Mead in St. Matthew Passion. Is this recent trend ...
GratefulDisciple's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
145 views

what does continuo mean?

In the sheet music for BWV1, "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern" the last instrument is labeled as "continuo". What does that mean?
Neins's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
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When realizing a basso continuo, should the realization avoid consecutive fifths and octaves with the written parts?

Many continuo manuals (both historical sources and modern treatises) are careful to point out that a continuo realization should be contrapuntally correct, i.e., one ought to avoid parallel fifths and ...
Kim Fierens's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
284 views

Is partimento a good way to learn how to write a Baroque trio sonata in the style of Corelli?

Who I am: I am 16 years old and I play violin. I am a music student and I consider myself to have a very good ear and understanding of music theory. My piano-playing is however not very good. I really ...
xavier richardson's user avatar
3 votes
4 answers
246 views

A romantic era piece has a baroque era title: how does one determine the style?

J. Danbé's "Petite Gavotte" (ca. 1888) for violin and piano seems to be baroque mainly because of the title, "Gavotte", which was a common baroque dance. But I can't find any ...
naoxink's user avatar
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3 votes
3 answers
163 views

Baroque ornamentation is not consistent across editions of the same piece

Here are two versions of the Quodlibet from Bach's Goldberg Variations. As you can see in the attachments, the ornaments and the recommendations as to how to play them are exactly opposite. One shows ...
Thomas Mathew David Loeff's user avatar
19 votes
4 answers
3k views

Who was listening to Bach's compositions in his lifetime?

Who ever encountered his work? Was his music played somewhere else in Europe, or only where he lived? What strata of society had any chance of coming into contact with his music? What might be the ...
aaron's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
196 views

Augmented and Diminished (Fifth) Chords Baroque Notation

Hello ¿Does anybody know what is the baroque notation of Augmented & Diminished (Fifth) chords? I'm talking about of chords like this: C-E-G# & C-E-Gb I need the baroque notation, for example: ...
MgnMsc's user avatar
  • 21
5 votes
4 answers
246 views

What are the base notes that different tuning system used?

I’m trying to understand how the different tuning systems and temperaments were used from the past. Would people tune their instruments based on the key of the piece they were going to play? Is there ...
octacube's user avatar
11 votes
5 answers
883 views

Function of augmented-fifth in figured bass

What is the harmonic function of the 5+ in the figured bass in the following snippet? If I have interpreted the figuring correctly, a F♯ figured 5+ should realise the triad F♯ A C𝄪. I am confused ...
JuliaT's user avatar
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1 answer
406 views

ornamentation in keyboard music of William Byrd

I'm working through some tunes by Byrd, and am wondering about the ornamentation, the two diagonal slashes through the note stem. As far as I can tell, we don't actually know what the composers of ...
Kevin G.'s user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
99 views

Name of style of piece inside the G Minor BWV915 toccata of Bach?

In Bach's Toccatas for keyboard works (BWV 911-916), I would like to know if there is a name for the style of music that is sometimes put in the middle of the toccata. For example: in the G minor ...
Jason Polak's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
1k views

Different versions of mordents in Bach Invention No. 1 In C Major, BWV 772

I was playing Bach Invention 1 when my sister told me that I was playing it wrong. When I learnt this piece like 10 years ago, my sheet looked like this. But my sister showed me her music sheet from ...
zxcvber's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
74 views

Does Bach's lute partita BWV 997 Sarabande also appear as an orchestral piece?

I am practicing the Bach lute suites and I am aware that a few of them also appear as works for other instruments (BWV 1000 is also the fugue from the first violin sonata, for example). My question is ...
danieljkahn's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
251 views

How do you play a lower or upper mordent with two notes like in Bach D minor prelude 926? [duplicate]

How do you play these two mordents shown
Rene's user avatar
  • 21
6 votes
3 answers
557 views

What is the name of this notation in this example by Couperin?

Consider following excerpt from the beginning of the 2nd leçon of Couperin's Leçon des ténèbres pour le mercredi saint: As you see, it uses a rather strange notation where, for instance, a bar of 3/2 ...
Karlo's user avatar
  • 1,399
3 votes
1 answer
236 views

Why do notes not add up to the bar in this example by Couperin?

Consider following excerpt from the beginning of Couperin's Leçon des ténèbres pour le mercredi saint: I noticed that the note values don't always add up in a bar. Cases (indicated in the figure): ...
Karlo's user avatar
  • 1,399
9 votes
3 answers
1k views

Why did baroque music use percussion abundantly, but classical stopped?

Classical music evolved from baroque music, which in turn evolved from Renaissance music. Both baroque and even more so Renaissance make extensive use of percussion. It is certainly not new to ...
Andrew's user avatar
  • 99
6 votes
3 answers
2k views

What clef is this? (Baroque, Vivaldi)

What is this clef in Vivaldi RV281? This is the only source of the concerto is available ( at least without buying it, which is the manuscript). The piece did have a few weird clefs like an octave ...
GameworldCEO's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
396 views

Is there a functional interpretation for VIIb in La Follia?

La Follia chord peogression is usually written as: i - V7 - i - VII - III - VII - i - V7 (first eight bars) i -V7 - VII - III - VII - i,V7 - i (second eight bars) I can understand how this progression ...
Ignacio's user avatar
  • 173
5 votes
1 answer
164 views

Playing symphonies by e.g. Rachmaninoff or Mahler using string instruments with gut strings (like more Baroque styled instruments)?

I was listening to some performances from Netherland's "All of Bach" group that performs Bach works on Baroque instruments. I quite liked the sound of the strings, and I thought that it ...
D.R.'s user avatar
  • 413
2 votes
1 answer
123 views

How did baroque composers write sequences that are both imitative and modulatory?

Still working on my Bach-style fugue. And I wonder, how did composers of that time-period come up with all those sequential episodes in their fugues? I know that there is a certain standard ...
Kim Fierens's user avatar
  • 2,327
2 votes
2 answers
987 views

What differs between the rondo and its Baroque counterpart, the ritornello?

So, ever since I heard the term ritornello, I have wondered what makes it different from the rondo. So I’ve listened to several pieces in ritornello form to try to find the difference, but I couldn’t. ...
Caters's user avatar
  • 6,296
5 votes
1 answer
191 views

How do/did composers deal with very many contrapuntal voices?

A work that I've admired as long as I've known about it is Antonio Caldara's Crucifixus for 16 voices. YouTube video here. It does make me wonder how a composer like Caldara (or Thomas Tallis for ...
Kim Fierens's user avatar
  • 2,327
2 votes
2 answers
147 views

Why is the numbering scheme of the Telemann-Werke-Verzeichnis (TWV) not adopted more universally?

Telemann's works are numbered first according to genre, then, where applicable, by key (with minor keys in lowercase and major keys in uppercase), and finally (if possible) chronologically or else at ...
Kim Fierens's user avatar
  • 2,327
3 votes
3 answers
94 views

In general, do chamber musicians prefer to play from a score or from an individual part book?

Specifically in the context of Baroque trio sonatas. If part books are preferred, then what is the point of printing such works in score in the first place?
Kim Fierens's user avatar
  • 2,327
14 votes
4 answers
2k views

When editing/transcribing music of the Baroque period is it considered good practice to modernize key signatures and clefs?

As a hobby (and for my personal edification), it seems like a fun challenge to transcribe a few Baroque music manuscripts into a more readable form, and maybe post the results to imslp.org or ...
Kim Fierens's user avatar
  • 2,327
1 vote
2 answers
192 views

How did counterpoint, harmonic rhythm, and thoroughbass interact in the late-Baroque instrumental fugal style?

It may be considered common knowledge that frequent root changes, i.e., a fast harmonic rhythm, usually cause a piece to be perceived as being more purely "harmonic" and less polyphonic in nature. (...
Kim Fierens's user avatar
  • 2,327
4 votes
6 answers
2k views

Why is Baroque composition called "more complex" than Classical composition?

I've been researching the difference between Baroque and Classical and every time it mentions that the former is far more complex than the latter. Looking at the two most prominent composers in both ...
Aops Vol. 2's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
489 views

What is this natural trumpet?

In this picture of the London Gabrieli Brass Ensemble found here, one sees what I suppose are natural brass instruments. Does the trumpet in the lower right corner have a specific name? It has a ...
Karlo's user avatar
  • 1,399
5 votes
2 answers
558 views

What is Echo (a type of dance)?

This question is about a type of Baroque dance called Echo. For example, Bach: Overture in the French Style in B Minor, BWV 831 - VIII. Echo. Why it is called Echo? I searched in wikipdiea, but out ...
Ma Joad's user avatar
  • 1,154
6 votes
4 answers
342 views

How did Baroque music come to be associated with Christmas?

I was introducing Baroque music to a friend, and trying to make it less intimidating, I jokingly said, "You've heard this before, Christmas shopping at Macy's." My friend laughed, but I started to ...
RobertSF's user avatar
  • 163
3 votes
2 answers
129 views

Where can I read more about Monteverdi's role in the evolution of the orchestra?

I have seen it mentioned here and there that Claudio Monteverdi was the first composer to score for a specific set of instruments, for his opera Orfeo in 1607, and that this had a significant impact ...
wallace's user avatar
  • 281
6 votes
4 answers
325 views

What do these notation marks mean?

So recently I have got this piece for a classical guitar (probably originally for some kind of lute) - Chaconne by Anonymous from Schwerin It's full of mysterious parentheses, and I have failed to ...
Vykintazo's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
68 views

Where to get a feedback on composed baroque music? [closed]

I am trying to write music in baroque style. Are there places (on Internet) where I could get feedback on my compositions?
Roman's user avatar
  • 533
7 votes
2 answers
2k views

What is the difference between a ciaccona (chaconne) and a passacaglia?

Wikipedia says that a ciaccona (chaconne) is a musical composition involving variations on a harmonic progression or melody (motif), similar to the passacaglia. Both originated from Spain in the ...
Amedee Van Gasse's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
1k views

What is this symbol?

This symbol from Les Baricades Mistérieuses, Couperin, 1717. From recordings I can only guess a mordent. I've checked various music dictionaries and done several reverse image searches, all without a ...
Paul B's user avatar
  • 63
6 votes
1 answer
320 views

In the partimento tradition, what strategies were used to harmonize non-bass melodies?

In my readings on partimento theory (mainly the books by Sanguinetti and IJzerman) I have so far only encountered rules for harmonizing a bass melody. This is to be expected of course, because ...
Kim Fierens's user avatar
  • 2,327
7 votes
4 answers
2k views

Should you play baroque pieces a semitone lower?

I haven't really been able to find an answer to this question. I've only noticed that most instruments during the baroque period were tuned a semitone lower (A=415 Hz I believe). So shouldn't it make ...
user46792's user avatar
  • 1,469
1 vote
1 answer
108 views

What makes two dances that share the same meter and a similar tempo different?

Common practice music employs only a small handful of time signatures, but there is a multitude of different dances. The steps are different. But is there something other than meter and tempo that ...
Liisi's user avatar
  • 539
6 votes
1 answer
1k views

What does an isolated horizontal dash mean in figured bass notation

Here you see a fragment from Francesco Geminiani's Guida Armonica (ca. 1752), a sort of 'dictionary' or catalogue of figured bass snippets. My question is, what do the isolated horizontal dashes mean ...
Kim Fierens's user avatar
  • 2,327