Music of the Baroque Era

1. Baroque style

In terms of age, it generally ranges from the end of the 16th century to 1750 music, called baroque music. At the end of the 16th century, the first opera in the history of music was performed in Florence, Italy. This was also the heyday of the "Venice School" centered on Giovanni Gabrieli (1557(?)-1612). 1750 was the year when the counterpoint master Johann Sebastian Bach died. Counterpoint music, which represents the peak of Baroque, can be considered to have ended with Bach's death.

The word Baroque originally meant irregularly shaped pearls. It was originally used in architecture to indicate an art form. The art of the Renaissance was based on the formal beauty of Greece and Rome. For it, the Baroque style was a brand-new form of expression and the premise of the later Rococo art.

European music in the Baroque era was represented by Germany, Italy, France and other countries. During this period, music art achieved unprecedented rapid development.

2. German music in the Baroque era

German music in the Baroque era can be said to be represented by Schütz, Bach and Handel. If the polyphonic music since the Middle Ages is compared to a pyramid, then their music is the top of the tower. They have absorbed the new music of Italy since the Renaissance and opened up a new path.

Heinrich Schutz (1585-1672) was born exactly one hundred years before Bach and Handel. At the age of 24, he went to Italy to study under Giovanni Giovanni, the master of the Venetian school of music. Gabrieli, 1557-1612). After he returned to Germany, he published his first German opera "Daphne" and also composed many Passions. Schütz's style had an important influence on the creation of two later Baroque music masters, Bach and Handel.

The musical works of Handel and Bach shine in the history of music, both in terms of integrating traditional music and following new trends of thought. Handel's works, mostly opera and oratorio music, also contain strong vocal elements in the instrumental works, which are obviously influenced by Italy; Bach's music also contains strong instrumental elements in the vocal works, which is It heralded the arrival of the future era of classicism.

3. Italian Music in the Baroque Era

Opera, a great art form, was born in the "cradle of music" - Italy, the ancient European civilization. The ancient city of Florence had many great artists and a group of nobles who were interested in ancient Greek art. These nobles were determined to give Greek drama new life. They began to compose music for ancient Greek stories and put on costumes to perform them. The whole story was sung by a chorus. This was undoubtedly the prototype of opera. Later, after development, each character in the story was sung by a singer, and between the chorus performances, male and female singers performed as solo singers. Lines will be half-sung, half-spoken when the character's words are spoken softly. This kind of singing is almost like a hymn: it is called a recitative. And strong emotions are expressed with real melodies called arias. Soon arias began to be used to show off the beautiful voice of the singer. At that time, whether an opera was performed in Italy or in England or Germany, its arias were always sung in Italian and its recitative parts in that country's language.

In Italian Baroque music, string music can be compared with early opera. String instruments such as violin, viola, cello and double bass are still indispensable instruments in orchestras and are also extremely important chamber music and solo instruments. In Italy during the Baroque era, string music was combined with opera and developed as an ancient overture. The overture of an opera must be composed of three parts: a fast beginning, a slow middle part, and a fast end. This form later became the basic form of concertos and symphonies. At that time, the ancient overtures and concertos were mainly composed of string instruments. Italy during this period was rich in violinists, such as Giuseppe Torelli (1650-1708), Arcagello Corelli (1653-1713), T. Antonio Vitali (1665-1735), Vivaldi Antonio Vivaldi (1675-1743), Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770), etc. are all musicians earlier than Bach. They are all famous violin players and composers of violin music. In addition, there are many Italian violin makers, such as Amati, Guarneri and Stradivari, who are all from Cremona in the Alps region of northern Italy. Their carefully crafted violins are still used today. He is also active on the stage, showing unprecedented artistic charm.

4. French music in the Baroque era

In France during this period, with Paris as the center and the palaces of princes and nobles as the background, opera and clavichord music were extremely popular. prevail. French opera at that time, separated from the tradition of Italian opera and grew independently, can be said to be close to the form of dance drama.

During the Baroque era, France’s most representative opera composer was Jean Baptiste Lully (1632-1687). His operas were concise and clear, with beautiful melodies and strong dance elements. Characteristics, the content is also relatively profound, and a large number of spicy and humorous techniques are used.

At the same time as opera, clavichord music became popular. The harpsichord is an instrument that is often decorated with decorations that represent Baroque culture. It and the harpsichord are the predecessors of today's pianos. The most famous masters in this regard are Francois Couperin (1668-1733) and J.P. Jean Philippe Rameau (1683-1764). Many of their works are suites composed for clavichord. Many of these pieces are still widely performed on modern pianos. Rameau's Introduction to Harmony, published in 1722, is the earliest theoretical work on harmony in the history of music.

Classical music

1. Classicism in music

The germ of classicism occurred in Italy during the Baroque era. Later, due to the emergence of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven in Vienna, classical music was formed. Therefore, the "Classical School" in music actually refers to the "Viennese Classical School". Classical art first occurred in the field of literature and art. It aimed to restore the classical art of Greece and Rome, focused on formal symmetry and harmony, and mainly focused on the pursuit of objective beauty.

2. Early Classical Music

The new music in the main form that emerged in Italy after the Renaissance, with the background of aristocratic society, flourished in various parts of Germany and Austria. In the early days, there were three main music schools: the first school was the Berlin school centered on Carl F. Bach, the second son of the music master Bach; the second school was centered on Johann Stamitz (1717). -1757) as the center of the Mannheim School. The third school is the early Viennese school centered on Wagenzal and Meng.

In classical music, although opera is also an important part, on the whole, the characteristic of classical music lies in instrumental music, especially music in the form of sonatas and symphonies. The chamber music and symphony of the Mannheim School not only had an impact on the Vienna School, but also had a direct impact on the young Beethoven in Bonn.

The sonata form is a very representative form in classical music. That is, there is a contrast between the first and second themes in the presentation part, the development part appears in the middle, and then the recapitulation part where the two themes are repeated. The Mannheim School already had this form quite complete at that time. It was also the Mannheim school that added the minuet movement to the symphony form. In their symphony orchestration, the woodwind instruments also used double pipe arrangements. Mozart added the clarinet to his symphonies and learned it after hearing their orchestra perform in Mannheim.

3. Vienna Classical Music School

The Viennese Classical Music School, represented by the "Father of the Symphony" Haydn, the "Musical Genius" Mozart and the "Music Saint" Beethoven, has great influence in music. An immortal monument has been established in history. The main characteristics of this music school are to reflect the universal ideological requirements of mankind, pursue the concept of beauty, emphasize the elegance of style, and give people an optimistic and enterprising spirit.

Romantic music

1. Romanticism in music

The meaning of the word romanticism originally refers to writing in Romance. Stories, and then specifically refers to novels or chivalry stories, and later also included romance novels, etc. The rise of romanticism in art first appeared in the literature of the eighteenth century. In his works, all personal feelings, interests and talents are expressed without any restrictions. That is to say, the composer expresses his idiosyncrasies strongly. This is the theoretical antithesis of classicism, dominated by form. Classical music is linear and distinct, while romantic music is full of color and emotion, and contains many subjective and fantasy elements. However, this is only a difference in principle. In fact, classical music already contains elements of romanticism, and many romantic works also contain classical content.

2. The formation of romantic music

Early romantic music, like other sister arts, originated from the ideas of the European "Enlightenment Age" and the liberal democratic ideas related to the French Revolution. Approximately several decades later than Romanticism in literature. Beethoven's late works have become the forerunners of early Romanticism, and subsequent composers can all be classified as Romantics. In terms of era, the mid-19th century was its heyday.

3. Representative figures of romantic music

In fact, romanticism has been clearly revealed in the later works of classical composers Beethoven, Rossini and Weber. It was they who pioneered the style of Romantic music.

Composers born around 1800 formed the center of early Romanticism. As representatives of the early Romantic composers, Schubert and Berlioz can be cited. They all started from the tradition of Gluck, Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, and each formed their own school. Later, romantic music was further improved by Mendelssohn, Schumann, Chopin and Verdi, and reached its peak in the era of Tchaikovsky, Liszt and Wagner. This series of composers and pianists formed the center of mid-century Romanticism. As for the works of modern masters such as Mahler, Richard Strauss and Rachmaninoff, they are classified as late Romantic music in the history of music.

4. The historical status of Romantic music

The status of Romantic music in the history of music is self-evident. Not only was this period rich in great musicians, but it also had an unprecedented range of musical genres. , there have been novel and unique forms such as wordless songs, nocturnes, art songs, ballads, symphonic poems, etc., which is a "treasure house" in the history of human art.

Romantic music is also a bridge: Weber accepted the tradition of Gluck and Mozart and passed it on to modern Wagner; Schubert was the successor of Beethoven in terms of instrumental music, but his romantic art songs , passed on to the present through Schumann and Wolf; Berlioz's title music came from Beethoven's "Pastoral" symphony, and was later connected with modern French Impressionism.