The Baroque period (c. 1600–1750)
History of music · The piano through history · Level 3 · 15 min
The word “Baroque” (from a Portuguese word for an irregular pearl) describes an era of splendour, contrast and ornament. For the keyboard it is the golden age of the harpsichord and organ, and an inexhaustible treasury for the pianist.
Characteristics
- Basso continuo: a figured bass line over which chords are improvised.
- Counterpoint: several independent voices, imitation, fugues.
- One affect per piece: a Baroque piece usually expresses a single character (joy, grief, majesty…), sustained by a constant rhythmic pattern.
- Terraced dynamics: contrasts by planes (loud / soft) rather than gradual crescendos.
- Dances: allemande, courante, sarabande, gigue, minuet, gavotte, bourrée, gathered into suites.
- Abundant ornamentation, partly improvised.
Composers and works to hear
| Composer | Keyboard works |
|---|---|
| Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) | Anna Magdalena Notebook, Inventions, Well-Tempered Clavier, French Suites, Goldberg Variations |
| George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) | Harpsichord suites (“The Harmonious Blacksmith”) |
| Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) | 555 sonatas full of virtuosity and Spanish colour |
| François Couperin (1668-1733) | Pièces de clavecin (“Les Barricades mystérieuses”), the treatise L'Art de toucher le clavecin |
| Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) | “Le Rappel des oiseaux”, “Les Sauvages”, “La Poule” |
Playing in style
Ornaments are the style's signature. The two most common:
- the trill: rapid alternation with the upper note, which usually starts on the upper note and on the beat;
- the mordent: main note, lower note, main note, very quickly.
M:3/4 L:1/4 K:G d !mordent!B G | !trill!A2 G |]
What is written like that is played roughly like this:
M:3/4 L:1/16 K:G d4 B A B2 G4 | B A B A B A B A G4 |]
- Articulation: without pedal, slightly detach fast stepwise notes and slur expressive notes in pairs. Accompanying eighth notes are often detached.
- Pedal: very little, or none; legato comes from the fingers.
- Tempo: steady, dance-like; slow down only at final cadences.
- Notes inégales: in French music, eighth notes written evenly are often played slightly unevenly (long-short).
Listen on period instruments (harpsichord, clavichord) before playing on the piano: you'll grasp articulation and ornamentation instinctively.
Common mistake: playing Bach “like Chopin”, with lots of pedal and rubato. It blurs the counterpoint. Baroque expression comes through rhythm, articulation and harmony.
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