Post #4, German and Italian Composers

Alright readers, I thought it would be nice to go over some composers.  Shake things up a bit.  We'll get back to the instruments next week.  The vast majority of  key composers come from two different countries in Europe.  This post will mostly be about which geographical areas offered what to music- with composers used as examples. Johann Sebastian Back and George Frederick Handel were from Germany as were most of the composers from this era.  Antonio Vivaldi was an Italian.

Let's start with the Germans-Bach and Handel.  German Baroque music is generally strong in structure.  The structure of each phrase is carefully and meticulously planned-it always makes sense.  Germans were also the kings of counterpoint.  Counterpoint is music that has been divided up into different voices which adhere to strict guidelines.  In "Strict Counterpoint" notes are subject to severe guidelines in which directions they may go or how big their intervals can be.  Bach's Fugues are a great example of counterpoint.  In each of his fugues there is a little theme that is a few measure long that happens in one voice (there are four voices).  Throughout the piece the motif switches around appearing in all of the other voices, sometimes even overlapping with another voice repeating the motif!  Although German, Handel implemented some Italian influence in his pieces.  He follows  German structure as seen in "The Messiah," but also uses lovely, floating melodies that accentuate and flatter the voice as was the Italians' habit.

Our Italian for today is Antonio Vivaldi (blog post 2 has a recording of one of his pieces).  Vivaldi enjoyed using rhythmic variance and established well structured harmony that had not been seen during the Renaissance.  This eventually trickled into Germany, heavily influencing Bach's work in terms of harmony.  Italian music in general loved accentuating the richness of different instruments. They wrote music to make an instrument sound beautiful, one of their favorites being the voice.  They also loved writing catchy songs that a listener might remember for weeks.  Below is an example of one of Vivaldi's "catchy" concertos (this one has been stuck in my head for years). Slower paced songs harped on beauty leading the heart through an entrancing emotional experience.  This phenomena was generally but not exclusively found in opera.



Below is one of Bach's Fugues.  It is harmonically sound due to the influences of Vivaldi but has savagely structured counterpoint throughout!  The right hand starts as one of the voices and presents the motif (theme the other voices will sing.)  At ( :19) the left hand begins playing the same motif the right hand was playing.



Germany and Italy were distinctly different but eventually combined to create music that is strong in harmonies, passion, and structure.  This period of time was the beginning of everything that we know about music.  Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi carved the way with their daring musical innovations.
Here is a map demonstrating the close proximity of Germany and Italy. A situation that created great music!

Blog post #3, Brass Instruments

Unlike stringed instruments, brass instruments were not near as popular.  One reason for this being the difficulty involved in playing these rather primitive instruments.  Later developments made them much more accessible to musical participants.  Music written during this time period was rather complex so playing any Baroque piece on top of one of these already difficult instruments would have been nearly impossible.

What is known as the “natural trumpet” became increasingly popular throughout the Baroque era.  Before the Baroque period it was used for military purposes such as announcing a retreat or breaking up camp.  Girolamo Fantini among others was one of the first that recognized this instrument’s capabilities in orchestral settings by changing the embouchure used.  By doing this he could add two notes therefore producing an entire harmonic scale.   Over the following years this instrument fell out of popularity because of its need for highly skilled musicians.  The

invention of the keyed trumpet around 1815 was the final straw of the natural trumpet’s demise. 

The natural horn, an extremely popular instrument of this time, has a similar story to the natural trumpet.  It also ended its commission during the early 1800s due to the introduction of the “keyed” version.  This instrument had several notes missing in its range.  To compensate, a musician had to use “bending” or “hand stopping” to produce the missing notes.  “Bending” is changing embouchure slightly to lower or raise a pitch by just a fraction.  “Hand stopping” is inserting a cup shaped hand into the bell.  This changes the pitch as well as the timbre.  Pretty complicated methods…

Although brass instruments were not always the most popular choice during the Baroque Period, this era was again the foundation for the modern orchestra by introducing two crucial orchestral instruments: the trumpet and horn.  

Post #2, Popular Stringed Instruments of the Baroque Period

As the first part of our venture let us discuss the popular stringed instruments of the Baroque Era.  During this time period instruments started the process of standardization and the basic instruments that make up classical music were established.  These included the violin, viola, cello and lute. 

The violin during the previous Renaissance era varied depending on the maker and the preferences of the musician both in size and register.  By the mid 1600s the violin became increasingly standardized although it still varied from the modern day violin that we have today.  It has been modified since then to carry sound farther and to allow for a larger note range.  For example, around 1600 the average violin’s E string could reach a C.  By 1700 the A an entire octave above the E string was achieved on the average instrument- a five-note difference from a hundred years earlier!  This was achieved due to a longer neck.  The strings were gut (sheep) strings instead of metal or synthetic that we use today.  Playing technique differed as well.  The violin was placed on the shoulder or collar bone instead of in between the chin and shoulder as we do today.  This made shifting up and down the strings almost impossible, not to mention uncomfortable.  Baroque technique also used vibrato very sparingly.  Only very long notes would use vibrato and phrases that ended in slurs would use no vibrato.

The viola did not enjoy the success that the violin did during this time period.  J.S Bach and Claudio Monteverdi both wrote a few pieces for this instrument creating a bridge for it to enjoy success later on.  The viola was never quiet standardized and varied in size and musical range.  By the 1730s as musicians approached the classical era a series of “sympathetic” strings were put underneath the already existing strings.  This created a warm sound which Mozart described as "especially charming in the stillness of the evening."

The early cello was an attempt to create a companion for the viola in harmony.  The gut strings would not allow the instrument to increase in size to create a low enough register.  Around 1660 wire-wound strings were invented and Bolognese instrument makers created the cello.  These strings still did not hold tune or resonate as loudly as the strings of today but it did allow the Baroque musicians to create a wonderful bass line for string ensembles, particularly for dances.  The bass sound of the cello helped dancers keep in time with the music and allowed for the complex musical qualities of Baroque music to develop.

            The lute was extremely popular during medieval times and was still strongly utilized until the end of the Baroque era for secular purposes.  Most instruments varied in size but by this time period they were tuned in D minor in series of octaves.  The strings and pitches are extremely stretched out but most of the music is played on open strings making playing relatively easy for the average musician of the time. 

            As we wrap up I would like to point out that the Baroque era was really the foundation to Western music as we know it today.  All of these instruments, excluding the lute, have become the basis for our modern day symphonies.  During this time period we became vastly closer to reaching the instrumental uniformity of today.  The idea of mixing similar instruments but with different ranges to create harmonies was a new and modern way of dealing with music.  Below I have attached a lovely lute piece by Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), an extremely prestigious Baroque composer.   

Post #1, Hello music nerds!

With much passion and meticulous research, this blog will become a fountain of information pertaining to the best musical time period in history-the Baroque era (c. 1600-1750).  When I was seven, I began playing the piano.  Around the age of 17, a Ukrainian instructor taught me how to play Baroque music on the piano in a more authentic way, imitating Baroque standards.  After this instruction, I have always had an insatiable hunger to learn everything pertaining to the Baroque era.  The structure and power of the music is captivating.  This era was the foundation for Western music as we know it today.  It is the beginning of something wonderful.  We must thank the musicians of the past for our chordal progressions, beautiful harmonies, and the introduction of instruments we all adore.  In this blog the evolution and basic history of the popular musical instruments of this time period will be discussed, particularly the harpsichord. We will explore the brilliant men and women of the era and how they shaped and changed music forever.  New genres and techniques introduced in the Baroque era will be thoroughly researched and dissected.  Hopefully, this blog will become a valuable resource for musical nerds like myself who are particularly fascinated with this revolutionary era that changed music forever.