Page 62 - (DK) The Classical Music Book - Big Ideas Simply Explained

60 INTRODUCTION

The earliest surviving Jean-Baptiste Lully’s Danish-German composer Handel premieres his
opera, Jacopo Peri’s Le bourgeois gentilhomme Dieterich Buxtehude’s suite of short pieces
Euridice, is composed in satirizes social climbing organ prelude Ein feste Water Music on a
honor of King Henry IV of and the snobbish Burg ist unser Gott barge on the Thames
France and his marriage aristocracy of France greatly influences the River, hosted by
to Maria de’ Medici. under Louis XIV. chorale genre. King George I.

1600 1670 C.1690 1717

1610 1689 1714

Claudio Monteverdi’s Henry Purcell’s The publication of
Vespers incorporates opera Dido and Aeneas Arcangelo Corelli’s
polyphony and monody, relates the mythical love Twelve concerti grossi,
bridging the affair between the Queen Op. 6, establishes the
Renaissance and of Carthage and the concerto grosso as a
Baroque styles. Prince of Troy. style of composition.

he Baroque period of music accompaniment was of particular built their music on major and
started dramatically, with significance: in the recitative minor chords. Dramatic and
T the performance of the sections of early opera—the freely contrasting effects were achieved
world’s first opera, Jacopo Peri’s composed expositions of the plot by varying the loudness and tempo,
Dafne, staged in Florence in 1598. that connected the arias—the voice moving the music between keys and
The opera illustrates the dramatic was accompanied by a single bass instruments, and sometimes adding
change in musical style from instrument, such as a cello, and embellishments such as trills.
polyphony to something more an instrument capable of playing The revolutionary new style
expressive—a change exploited chords, such as a harpsichord and the idea of a drama set to
to great effect in Monteverdi’s or lute. This accompaniment, music proved very popular,
Vespers, which contrasts sections known as the “basso continuo,” especially among the aristocracy
in the old and new styles. or simply continuo, became a in Italy and France, who employed
key feature of music in the Early a staff of musicians and a resident
Key developments Baroque period. composer to provide entertainment
One of the main features of the The importance of the continuo in the courts. In addition to operas,
Early Baroque period, and one that was that it provided a harmonic they performed instrumental
must have been startling at the base for the melody. While music, and in the royal court at
time, was a rejection of polyphony Renaissance music had been Versailles, Jean-Baptiste Lully
in favor of a single line of melody characterized by polyphony, the assembled an orchestra to provide
with a simple accompaniment. new style was defined by harmony. incidental music and dances for
This “monody,” as it was called, In place of interweaving melodies the performance of the latest
was an attempt to reproduce the based on the ancient Greek scales comedies by playwrights such
style of Classical Greek drama. The or modes, early Baroque composers as Molière. This form of light

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