What is baroque? Baroque is an irregularly shaped pearl (literally translated from Portuguese). And in Italian, this word means "strange, bizarre." But the main thing is not a translation, but the fact that the Baroque era, which occupied the period from 1600 to 1750, was the beginning for the spread of Western civilization of Europeans.
During this period, the so-called "Baroque era", naturalness was completely rejected, being considered ignorance and even savagery. A woman, for example, needed to be pale, pulled into a corset, on her head - an elaborate hairstyle. And the dress skirt was simply incredible sizes. The female sex of the upper circle had to wrap up even in the hot summer days in order to maintain the whiteness of the skin. After all, the slightest tan was bad form.
Men were no more lucky - a mandatory wig on their heads, no mustache or beard - only a clean-shaven face. It was imperative to have perfume and powder.
The emergence of new styles and technologies has become a kind of “explosion” in the Baroque era. In music, a lot has begun to change. Vocal music gradually began to lose ground, giving way to instrumental. This was also facilitated by the weakening of political control by the Catholic Church (Renaissance). It was during this period that secular music was born.
Gradually, the public came to the conclusion that the sound of musical instruments began to merge into a single whole, which led to the emergence of orchestras, though not as large as in our time. At first, concerts were only church music.
It is assumed that the original meaning of the word “concert” had the meaning of struggle or contrast.
One way or another, but the Baroque musical culture has managed to turn many views on music, significantly expanding its capabilities.
At the end of this era, two great composers appeared - Corelli and Vivaldi. Their merit is that they managed to establish and strengthen the concert, and going beyond the church. Each soloist was given the opportunity to show his skills through a concert.
Somewhat earlier, around 1600, at the very beginning of the Baroque era, two more great composers, namely Cavalieri and Monteverdi, wrote the first operas that immediately fell to the taste of the secular circle and gained recognition for several years, becoming fashionable. The basis of the opera was originally a plot from ancient Greek or Roman mythology. This was the initial step of baroque music.
Opera is a drama in an artistic form, it inspired composers to embody new ways of illustrating human emotions, as well as feelings in the sound of music. Simply put, the opera was used as an impact on the emotional state of the listener, this was its main goal.
Thanks to the work of Rameau, Purcell and Handel, the opera has spread throughout France and England.
England contributed to the Baroque era, giving the development of an oratorio, which is somewhat different from opera. An oratorio is the sound of music that is not accompanied by a stage action. Often the oratorio was based on religious texts or stories. An example of an oratorio is the Messiah, which Handel wrote. Opera has become a kind of second stage of baroque music.
But Germany “didn’t like opera”, therefore German composers remained at their own - writing music for the church.
Another famous, no, even great baroque composer is Johann Sebastian Bach. He approached music in a somewhat peculiar way, opening up unlimited possibilities in it in terms of creating works. It was thanks to Bach that the first sonata appeared, and the harpsichord, the predecessor of the piano, became the main musical instrument.
Baroque in music played a role, making it more versatile, allowing it to go beyond the church and begin its development in other styles.