I'm gluing serial numbers into basses. Fun. So, my mind is wandering. In pedagogy class, we are now in the oboe portion and the topic of discussion recently has been Baroque repertoire. That got me thinking about the Baroque era. What I remember from my undergrad music history is a bit rusty, so here is some brushing up:
Baroque refers to a time period in Europe that followed the Renaissance. Its span is from about 1600 to 1750 and the term baroque comes from a Portuguese term barroco that means "misshapen pearl."
The music of this era is characterized by dance forms, polyphony (many voices at one time), counterpoint (note against note), and use of ornamentation. Ornamentation can be thought of as similar to decorations on a tree. The shape of the line (melody or tree) should not be changed, but decorated. Ornamentation used most commonly are trills, turns (grupetto), grace notes.
The fugue as a musical form was perfected at this time, by Johann Sebastian Bach (you've heard of him, haven't you!) A fugue is kind of like a canon or round. You know, where one person or group starts singing, then another person or group starts singing the same thing, only a few bars behind.
Common instruments of that era include the harpsichord (predecessor of the piano, uses keys that are similar to piano keys, but the strings are plucked instead of hit with hammers), flute, violin, an early form of oboe, hurdy gurdy, lute, and viols.
Composers: J. S. Bach, Handel, Monteverdi, Lully, Telemann, Vivaldi, Frescobaldi, Couperin, Rameau, Quantz, Pergolesi, and many more.
The Baroque era ended, more or less, when J. S. Bach died, in 1750. Styles shifted and the Classical era began.
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