Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) was a leading composer in developing the Baroque style. Stating that the "end of all good music was to affect the soul," Monteverdi enriches his musical sound with emotional contrasts not seen in earlier periods. His most popular opera, the Coronation of Poppea, brings the Doctrine of the Affections to the forefront in musical sensibility. The opera is set in the Roman Empire with Nero seeking to rid himself of his wife Ottavia to place his mistress Poppea on the throne. In the Love Duet of Nero and Poppea, Monteverdi explores the Affections by using harmony to reflect the libretto - "pain" harmonized with dissonance or "joy" a complementary consonance.

The Coronation of Poppea -Sinfonia & Love Duet

Antonio Vivaldi's (1675-1743) four-hundred and fifty surviving concertos remain today the model for the Baroque concerto. Indeed, J.S. Bach himself learned the genre by copying the concertos of Vivaldi by hand. To effect a Concertante Vivaldi uses every conceivable combination of instruments. The Four Seasons is a group of four concertos grouped together each reflecting a season of the year. Such fanciful things aside, they are essentially violin concertos. Vivaldi develops the ritornello form by alternating complex solo passages with an orchestral "ritornello" theme. No where is this better demonstrated than the Spring Concerto.

Spring Four Seasons Op. 8 - Mv. I

George Friedrich Handel (1685-1759) is most known for his oratorios such as the Messiah, though his composing crossed the full spectrum of Baroque musical genre. In fact his life's ambition was to be known as an Italian opera composer…itself particularly odd given he was a German composer living in England at the time. The recorder had become a popular instrument in the growing educated class in 18th century England making the published sonata a lucrative venture. Though he was consumed with producing grandiose Baroque opera at the time, Handel found time to produce a collection of sonatas to be accompanied by no more than a harpsichord continuo.

Sonata Number 4 for Recorder in A Minor

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) wrote a collection of suites for the harpsichord popularly referred to as the French Suites. Suites such as these would have been played in the typical Bourgeois home throughout the era. The suite in C Minor is a typical arrangement of dances beginning with the stately allemande. Though these dances were probably not danced per se, they still maintained the mannerism of their style. In the case of the allemande, it was is a duple dance in moderate tempo with a distinctive rhythmic pattern to accentuate the dancers move of 3 steps followed by a slight "hop." I play the allemande on my Flemish single harpsichord designed after the 17th century builder Hans Ruckers.

Allemande in C Minor from the French Suites

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) left an indelible mark on music in the 35 short years of his life. No classical genre would go untouched by his composing genius. His melodies which seem to unfold effortlessly mask an underlying complexity of musical development. It is in his operas that we see the best reflection of his style and times. The Marriage of Figaro was a true opera buffa in the Italian style which utilized Beaumarchais' revolutionary play to satirize the Old Regime. An opera light with humor and playful arias it never overshadows the harsh reality of the central theme of the story - How long would the world tolerate the aristocracy of a past age?

The Marriage of Figaro

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was a true revolutionary - both musically and politically. Taking the musical norms of his day, Beethoven stretches them to the limit musical taste would allow. When he wrote, "Freedom above all," one never knows whether to limit its application to politics. In the same manner that old social policy and laws of the Old Regime were being tossed aside, Beethoven no longer felt bound by past musical traditions. The Beethoven concert rung with the sounds of battle and heroism of patriotic martyrs. The 3rd Symphony, called Eroica (Heroic), was inspired by the revolutions which were sweeping the West. As for tyrants like Napoleon, Beethoven had harsh words - and in the second movement, a funeral march.

Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major - Movement I

Humanities Resource of Mark Hunter