Introduction to the Baroque Era Flashcards
Where does the term Baroque come from and what is it commonly used to refer to?
From Portuguese Barrocco meaning irregularly shaped pearl
Originally a derogatory term used for the baffling complexity of the arts of the 17th and 18th centuries
Now a general term to refer to the arts of the 17th and 18th centuries (Baroque)
What was the art of the Baroque era marked by?
Dramatic subject matter, vivid colors, violent images, flamboyant gestures and intricate ornamentation (Baroque)
What were the Affections?
A Baroque philosophy that referred to the emotional states of the soul, which musicians tried to bring out in their works by having a single affect be displayed over an entire piece to bring that affect to the listener. In visual art, it was first displayed by Charles Le Brun, in which he painted many faces trying to document every single affect of the human soul (Baroque)
What were terraced dynamics?
A baroque practice of changing dynamic levels abruptly, which resulted from the harpsichord not able to produce subtle dynamic changes (Baroque)
What is Basso Continuo?
A Baroque performance style in which a low instrument plays the bass line while a higher instrument plays chords. This provides harmonic framework for a performance (Baroque)
What is Figured Bass?
A musical shorthand in the baroque era in which numbers are placed above or below the bass line to show harmonic progression
This shorthand was used in Basso Continuo (Baroque)
What was Rameau’s Treatise on Harmony?
A treatise in which Jean-Phillipe Rameau suggested that inversions of the same chord were the same chord (Baroque)
What was the major minor tonal system?
A tonal system in which the Ionian and Aeolian modes took over practically all music in the Baroque era. However, the other modes soon took off in the 20th and 21st century due to jazz and popular music (Baroque)
What is Fortspinnung?
A German term that means “spinning out” and refers to music being spun out by several different simple compositional techniques (Baroque)
What is repetition?
One musical idea repeated without change (Baroque)
What is sequential treatment/imitation?
The basic pattern is maintained but transposed to a different pitch level (Baroque)
What is variation?
The musical idea is modified by changing the harmony/rhythm (Baroque)
How did Baroque composers imply tempo?
They did not specify it on the music and assumed the player would be able to choose the tempo based on the complexity of the score (Baroque)
What was the Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments?
A treatise written by CPE Bach that includes guidelines concerning figured-bass realization, improvisation, ornamentation, and keyboard fingering (Baroque)
What was A Treatise on the Fundamental Principles of Violin Playing?
A treatise written by Leopold Mozart that wrote about violin technique, phrasing, and some music theory (Baroque)
