You could play them loud, or soft, but not both. Also, they could not vary their dynamics much. Plucked strings produced the sound of a harpsichord. Harpsichords were keyboard instruments, but they had major limitations. One of the major instrumental changes related to the harpsichord. And Johann Sebastian Bach was definitely the Baroque master of the art of counterpoint. The Baroque idea of counterpoint blended a mathematical manipulation of a melody with great artistry. The book consisted of sets of two pieces for each of the 24 major and minor keys now available.īaroque music also gave us the concept of counterpoint – the ultimate set of rules for music composition, Counterpoint has to do with how the different lines of music in a piece relate to each other, both melodically and rhythmically. Bach promoted this new concept by writing his Well-Tempered Clavier (or Keyboard). This allowed instruments to play in many different keys and still be in tune with themselves. Today we call these divisions half-steps. (If you find those two notes on a keyboard today, they are played by the same key.) Music and science came together and divided the notes of an octave into 12 equal divisions. This included specific different tones for things like F# and G♭. Prior to this each octave was divided into 19 separate tones. This also gave performers more artistic freedom.Īnother important change during the Baroque Era was the development of major and minor keys, or the concept of Equal Temperament. It also helped composers write music faster. It allowed composers to put down a minimum amount of information on their scores. This changed the way composers and keyboard players worked with chords. You might think of figured bass as an early form of a lead sheet. The bass players and the melody line were fairly easy to follow – the rest of the players had to do a lot of improvising. The bass notes had additional number markings that indicated what chords to play along with the bass note. The composer wrote the bass notes (the lowest notes), and possibly a melody. Basically, figured bass was a way of musical shorthand for composers. The idea of figured bass, or basso continuo, changed the way musicians wrote and understood music. Wind instruments were added to the orchestra, the size of the orchestra increased, and the overall sound of the orchestra changed as well. One thing that changed considerably during the Baroque Era was the orchestra. Musical Changes in the Era of Baroque Music Composers became more interested in the sounds of individual instruments. An entire piece of music reflected a single mood.

The music of the Baroque era emphasized a single melody and a bass line. Many consider this era of music the richest and most diverse of music history. Baroque composers believed that music was a powerful tool of communication and expression. Baroque music also had a certain grandeur and elegance. Many scholars have called Baroque music ordered, ornate, and increasingly emotional. The era of Baroque music lasted from about 1600 – 1750 A.D. Have you ever enjoyed listening to some of Handel’s Messiah, or perhaps his Water Music? How about Vivaldi’s Four Seasons? Or Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos? Or Pachelbel’s Canon? If so, you have enjoyed some great Baroque music.

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