Baroque Music

The Baroque era (1600-1750) in music, known primarily for the development of opera and the cultivation of instrumental music, has influenced and delighted musicians and audiences for generations. The philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, described baroque music as “…that in which the harmony is confused, and loaded with modulations and dissonances. The singing is harsh and unnatural, the intonation difficult, and the movement limited.” Such musical irregularities dominated much of the 17th-century. Into the 18th century, musical tastes and compositional practices transitioned toward an order, rationality, and structure that is most commonly associated with the Age of the Enlightenment. In this course, we explore this moment of great musical transition with special emphasis on composers most commonly associated with this period, including Monteverdi, Gabrieli, Schütz, Frescobaldi, Froberger, Corelli, Vivaldi, Telemann, Handel, and J.S. Bach.