Baroque Composers Notes

Composer: Someone who writes music

Virtuoso: Someone who is brilliantly skilled on an instrument

1. Early Baroque
1. Claudio Monteverdi
1. 15 May 1567 (baptized) – 29 November 1643)
2. Italian Early Baroque
3. Family Man and Priest
1. Married the daughter of a court musician who died soon after the birth of their daughter
2. Two sons survived to adulthood
3. Became a priest later in life and devoted himself to music composition
4. Composer
1. 9 Books of Madrigals
1. Madrigals were polyphonic choir pieces in the old style
2. Operas
1. Fashioned the Renaissance musical dramas into the formal Baroque opera using the innovations proposed by the Florentine Camerata
2. Operas were historically or mythologically based
3. L’Orfeo
1. Play “Tu se morta”
4. The Coronation of Poppea
2. Middle Baroque
1. Jean-Baptiste Lully
1. born Giovanni Battista Lulli; 28 November 1632 – 22 March 1687)
2. Italian-born French Baroque
3. Early Life
1. born in a small Italian town to a poor family
2. The only education he had was from a Franciscan friar
3. learned music and dancing by performing on the street as a harlequin (juggler/ musician)
4. Taken to Paris by a nobleman who wanted a companion for his Italian niece
5. Fell in with the future Louis XIV when both of them danced in the court ballet, where Lully also composed dance music
6. When Louis ascended the throne he named Lully the official court composer
4. Composer
1. Because the French loved their ballet and their super fancy operas, Lully composed mostly dance suites and operas
2. play Overture to Armide
3. High Baroque
1. Antonio Vivaldi
1. 4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741
2. Venetian Baroque
3. Priest
1. Due to an earthquake that shook Venice the day he was born, he was baptized immediately by the midwife and dedicated to the religious life by his mother
2. Due to severe asthma, Vivaldi could not say the Mass and was dispensed from his religious duties
3. He was nicknamed “the red priest” due to his flaming red hair
4. Composer
1. More than 40 operas
2. Innumerable concertos
3. Best known for: The 4 Seasons
1. Play “Spring” from The Four Seasons
5. Teacher
1. Hired to teach at Ospedale della Pietà, which was an orphanage for abandoned girls which gave the girls a formal education in music and a dowry for marriage.
2. Most of his concertos were performed by the girls he taught
6. Violin Virtuoso
1. Child prodigy
2. Most of his instrumental compositions feature a solo violin backed by a string orchestra.
2. Georg Friderich Handel
1. 23 February 1685 – 14 March 1759
2. German-Born British Baroque
3. Early Life
1. Father was a successful surgeon who wanted Handel to study Law and forbade him to study music
2. Handel’s mother snuck a harpsichord into the attic for him to play
3. The duke of Halle stepped in and “encouraged” Handel’s musical education
4. England
1. While employed in Germany, Handel took a trip to London and loved it so much that he decided to stay
2. Started 3 opera companies in London, but the flavors of the day were turning, so he switched to oratorios instead
3. Philanthropist who founded orphanages for abandoned babies and he organized concerts for sick patients at hospitals
5. Composer
1. Composed oratorios for the public which were immensely successful
1. play the Hallelujah chorus
2. Composed music for court functions such as Water Music, Music for the Royal Fireworks, and music for corronations
6. Death
1. Died unmarried with no children but a very wealthy man
3. Johann Sebastian Bach
1. (31 March 1685 – 28 July 1750
2. German Baroque
3. Early Life
1. Born in Eisenach, a small German town
2. Entire family of musicians
3. Orphaned at 10
4. Lived with his older, married brother who was an organist of a small town
5. Received a thorough classical education at a gymnasium
6. Got a musical scholarship study at St. Michael’s music school at 15
7. Studied with Reineke and Buxtehude
4. Virtuoso Keyboardist
1. Could outplay anyone who dared challenge him on the clavichord or the harpsichord
2. Considered the most proficient organist of his day
1. play the Tocatta and Fugue in D minor
5. Composer
1. Sacred Works
1. Organ works as preludes to Lutheran services usually based on Lutheran hymns
2. more than 300 religious cantatas based on bible passages for the Lutheran reading of the day
3. Mass in B minor
2. Secular Works
1. Worked for a Calvinist prince who was a violin player
2. Orchestral suites and Cello suites
1. play Cello suite no. 1
3. Sonatas for solo violin
4. Brandenburg Concertos
5. Secular Cantatas
6. Devout Lutheran
1. Worked for 27 years at the St. Thomas Church
2. Dedicated each one of his pieces “to the Glory of God”
7. Family Man
1. Married twice
2. Composed music for his family to play at home together compiled in the Anna Magdelene Notebook
3. play the minuet in G
4. Had 20 children, only 9 survived to adulthood