Baroque Terms

Continuo: This is the practise of Creating an accompaniment from a composed Bass part whilst then Improvising a harmony above them.The part played by a harpsichord. Bass and chord part.
Figured bass:This link is to a page that explains the figured bass really well!
 Concerto grosso: Grosso is the smaller group of instruments within the orchestra. For example in this video we see the two violinists and a cellist. They play a different part in the piece of music, but it still intertwines. 

Oratorio:An oratorio is like an opera - but less. There is singing and a storyline but not much else. No staging and no costuming.


How to tell an opera from an oratorio:

• Oratorios have sacred text - stories based on the religious books.
  "Oratorio" literally means "hall for prayer".
• Oratorios have more work for the chorus than operas.
  The chorus is the people who aren't a character and all sing together.
• Oratorios have a lot of recitative.
  Recitative is the part of operas that most people make fun of. Its where a person will sing-talk lines, usually on one note, and usually pretty rapidly. Its used to get text to the audience. 

 String quartet: A string quartet is the group of instruments that include : First and second violin, viola and cello. There is NO DOUBLE BASS!  

Ground Bass

 Ground bass: Ground bass will have a clear, simple bass line. It is a repeated bass line. It is played by the Cello or on the bass notes of a harpsichord.This video is of Pachelbel's cannon, it has a ground bass, played on the cello.

 This piece is Vivaldi's Spring from 'The Four Seasons'. In it you can clearly hear the ornamentation, it is lively and joyous. 

The Baroque Period

The Baroque period was a time from the 1600's to the 1750's. It was a time of great importance for art architecture and most importantly; music.

 The Baroque style was ornate yet bold. The artistic period used exaggerated motion and detail to create drama, suspense, grandeur and tension. Baroque musicians used ornamentation (frilly, extra twiddly parts) to create a flourish in their music. Most sheet music would be written as a 'skeleton', musicians were expected to add to it with ornamentation because they knew the style so well.

Instruments:
 Harpsichord: the strings inside the harpsichord are plucked to produce a unique sound rather than hammers that are inside the piano. Additionally, the piano wasn't developed yet.
 Lots of stringed instruments such as the violin and the cello. The organ, flute, trumpets, horns, oboe and bassoon.
 Smaller groups of musicians  played in homes and the music they played was called Chamber Music.
 Baroque was the birth of opera. Opera being something including singing, orchestra and drama, basically a play that was sung.