Baroque Music and Its Influences

Baroque Music

• The Baroque style of music developed in Italy during the High Renaissance and spread to Western Europe with a 20-year lag.
• Johann Sebastian Bach in Germany and George Frideric Handel in London were heavily influenced by this style.
• The Florentine Camerata, a group of intellectuals, musicians, and scholars, played a crucial role in the development of early opera and the transition from Renaissance music to the Baroque style in the late 16th century.
• The Camerata was inspired by ancient Greek musical and dramatic theories, particularly the idea of a single vocal line with simple accompaniment.
• The first opera, "Dafne," was composed by Jacopo Peri and performed in Florence around 1597, marking a significant departure from Renaissance music by focusing on solo singing with instrumental accompaniment.

History of the Pianoforte

• The history of the pianoforte spans several centuries, tracing back to early keyboard instruments like the harpsichord and clavichord, popular during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
• These early instruments produced sound by plucking strings or striking them with small metal blades, but were limited to one volume.
• The modern piano began to take shape in the early 18th century, with the ability to play at various volumes, earning the name "pianoforte" (soft/loud in Italian).
• Bartolomeo Cristofori, an Italian harpsichord maker, is credited with inventing the piano around 1700, introducing a hammer mechanism that struck strings, allowing for dynamic volume.

Domenico Scarlatti

• Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) was an Italian composer, best known for his keyboard music, particularly his 555 keyboard sonatas.
• Scarlatti was born in Naples, Italy, into a musical family, with his father, Alessandro Scarlatti, being a renowned composer and musician of the Baroque era.
• Scarlatti received musical training from his father and other prominent musicians, and went on to serve as a composer and musician in the courts of several nobles and royalty.
• His time in Spain had a significant influence on his musical style, exposing him to Spanish folk music, flamenco rhythms, and guitar techniques.
• Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas are characterized by expressive melodies, rhythmic vitality, and intricate use of ornamentation, showcasing his virtuosic and innovative approach to keyboard writing.

Discover the evolution of Baroque music, its spread across Western Europe, and the key figures that shaped this iconic style. Learn about the Florentine Camerata's role in developing early opera and the transition from Renaissance music.