Bach and Handel in the sass. But what is it that separates this Grand yet imperfect era from others before and after? To be able to conclude, it is required to research and analyses the stylistic traits typical of this period. There is Indeed a basis In which all music should be played to In order to sound coherent and that is pitch. In order to form a universal standard, musicians must first of all strive to establish the paradigm. It was wealth the Baroque period that secularists instruments such as the violin and coronet were allowed to enter the church and play alongside the once solo standing organ.
Thus a problem f pitch soundings entailed. This was apparent in the mezzo punt, auto Punt and Dutton Corsica pitch in northern Italy in the early 17th century. It was apparent pitch standards across Europe could be up too minor 3rd different. It was because of this, the musicians of the Baroque era had to take the first steps forward In finding a united pitch through transposition. The Baroque era had produced many composers but the most important figure considered is Jean Philippe Rammer (1683-1764).
Rammer had written many theoretical writings explaining the theory behind music and most eminently his Corps Snore. After all, this was the time of the Enlightenment. In the late-eighteenth century, the German philosopher Emmanuel Kant believed ‘Enlightenment was mankind’s final coming of age, the emancipation of the human consciousness from an Immature state of Ignorance and error. No other period witnessed such a vast exploration of thought and the aspiring scientist Rammer, as seen in his Trait De Rearming (Paris, 1722) in particular, brought music from the ‘metaphysical’ to fact.
Although the aesthetic of the Baroque would seem multifaceted, there is still one fundamental element in particular that poses as the main contributor to the era. This is the emergence and progression of the Opera – a genre still performed to this day. One of the most Important, Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) Refer (1607). There are many aesthetic values combined to create such a highly prolific genre – music, text, drama, dcore, reception and context. Later in the Baroque period, an example was set. The opera could now be enjoyed by the middle class as well as the higher, such as Pergola’s La Seen Patron (1732).
It consisted of simpler orchestration, a smaller cast and was not as grand than that of other operas such as Ramee’s Hippest et Archie from the same year but it was available to those music had been strongly influenced by the past. Opera, whether it be Taradie Lyrical or Opera Buff, had originated with a neoclassical inspiration. It is based on the Greek tragedy paradigm, although there were arguments of how it should be performed (Primp Practical and Seconds Practical) along with the problems of dietetics. A new opportunity of musical contrast had arisen with the development of basso continuo allowing room for greater expression.
Thus, allowing the operatic development of the aria as well as the sonata and concerto gross. The development of thematic material could then follow. On a melodic scale, chromatics had evolved into a common theme seen in many works of Cadenza 11622-1677). Further to the continuo, Rammer had introduced the awakening of a new technique, the basses fundamental – in which chords could be more thoroughly expressed through the progression of the baseline, allowing the further expansion of harmony. The Baroque era had distinguished itself as a time of change and new beginnings, such as the dawning of humanism.
The era was simply encountering problems and setting the foundations to overcome them. The Enlightenment, the beginning of Opera and the expansion of harmonic technique all play a vital role in the period’s aesthetics and characteristics. It is certainly a highly distinguished period for all of the above although, there are also similarities within context in the fact that other periods suffered political uprisings, revolutions and religious and cultural rivalries. However, on a musical level, this period was the first of its kind En it comes to a revolution within understanding theory and the further understanding of harmonic function.