BAROQUE: WHAT IS IT?

The name Baroque is pronounced Ba-Rock or Ba-rocke. It started in the early 1600's and ended when the Classical Period started to take over in the mid 1700's. Baroque is not a period of time; instead, it was a style of music. There are two commonly used features in baroque music: quick back-and-forth motions on a single note and a lot of harmony. During this time preiod, religion was a huge part of music, but slowly the music became more poetic and emotional.

Famous Composers During this Era

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  George Frideric Handel

  (handle) 1685–1759
  He was the official composer for King George the first.
  

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  Johann Sebastian Bach

  (bark) 1685–1750
  He wrote over 1000 pieces of music (that's a lot).
  

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  Antonio Vivaldi

  (Vi-val-dee) 1678-1741
  He wrote over 500 concertos and 46 operas.
  

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  Johann Pachelbel

  (Pack-el-bell) 1653-1706
  He is only known for one of his music, Canon in D.
  

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  Harpsichord

  Although this is not a composer, this instrument was widely used during this time period.

Here are some of the works done by the famous composers during this era