The Baroque period in music is roughly 16001750.

Monteverdi composed at the beginning of the period and Bach and Handel composed towards the end of the period.

Baroque orchestral music

Baroque music is characterised by:

long flowing melodic lines often using ornamentation (decorative notes such as trills and turns) contrast between loud and soft, solo and ensemble a contrapuntal texture where two or more melodic lines are combined terraced dynamics - sudden changes in the volume level, sometimes creating an echo effect The use of harpsichord continuo.

Instruments in the Baroque orchestra

An orchestra is a large instrumental ensemble with sections of strings, brass, woodwind and sometimes percussion. It is usually directed by a conductor. A Baroque orchestra was sometimes directed from the harpsichord. The continuo (or basso continuo) part was usually played the harpsichord or organ (filling in the harmonies and holding the ensemble together) plus a bass line often played by the cello or bassoon. The harpsichord is a keyboard instrument where the strings are plucked rather than hammered. The Baroque orchestra was relatively small (a small orchestra is known as a chamber orchestra). The orchestra was still evolving during the Baroque period. At first there were no set instruments, but as the 17th century progressed the orchestra began to take shape. Instruments usually included:

strings - violins, violas, cellos and double basses woodwind - recorders or wooden flutes, oboes, and bassoon brass - sometimes trumpets and/or horns (without valves) timpani (kettledrums) continuo

Forms of Baroque orchestral music

Orchestral pieces commonly found during the Baroque period include concertos and suites.

Concertos
A concerto is a large-scale composition for an orchestra plus a soloist or a group of soloists. Read this revision bite to learn more about the concerto.

Baroque composers who wrote concertos include Vivaldi (who wrote over 500, around half of them for violin), Bach and Handel. There were two types of Baroque concerto - the concerto grosso and the solo concerto. Concertos of both types generally have three movements fast, slow, fast.

The concerto grosso:

is written for a group of solo instruments (the concertino) plus a larger ensemble (the ripieno) Bachs six Brandenburg Concertos are well-known examples of the Solo

concerto
The Baroque solo concerto:

is written for one solo instrument plus orchestra often has brilliant and technically demanding passages for the soloist to play Vivaldis Four Seasons is a well-known example of the Baroque solo violin concerto

Orchestral suites
The orchestral suite is a collection of dances. Handel's Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks are suites. Bach wrote four orchestral suites. The first movement of each is an overture (an opening movement) and this is followed by a number of dances often including:

courante - three in a bar, moderate speed gavotte - 2/2 or 4/4 time, often with each phrase beginning halfway through the bar minuet - 3/4 time, moderate speed gigue - lively and in compound time (6/8, 9/8 or 12/8)

Composing ideas
Compose a short minuet, for solo instrument or instrument plus accompaniment, using the following rhythm. Decorate the melody. The minuet should be in binary form moving to a new key at the end of the A section and returning to the home key in the B section. Write a short concerto-style piece for a soloist plus a small group of instruments. Create a long, flowing melody using a lot of repetition. Some passages of the melody should be for the soloist, others for the group, and some should be played by both together.