StudySpace: The Enjoyment of Music: Essential Listening Edition

Key Points

• The Baroque era (1600–1750) was a time of turbulent changes in a society that saw religious wars (Protestants vs. Catholics) as well as exploration and colonization of the New World.
• The era also saw the rise of middle-class culture, with music-making centered in the home; art often portrayed scenes of middle-class life.
• The Baroque marks the introduction of a new style—monody, featuring solo song with instrumental accompaniment; its goal was to recreate the musical-dramatic art of ancient Greece.
• Harmony was notated with figured bass, a shorthand that allowed the performer to supply the chords through improvisation. The bass part, or basso continuo, was often played by two instruments (harpsichord and cello, for example).
• The major-minor tonality system was established in the Baroque era, as was the equal temperament tuning system.
• While early Baroque music moved more freely, later Baroque style is characterized by regular rhythms and continuous melodic expansion.
• As musical instruments developed technically, the level of virtuosity and playing techniques rose.
• The union of text and music was expressed in the Baroque doctrine of the affections.

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