Walking Through the Baroque Music Era Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Walking Through the Baroque Music Era - Essay Example Since the era was of absolute monarchy, the life of the nation would center around the exploits of the current leader. And such influence would be seen in all the structures in the country. Of course, spectacular musical and theatrical performances would be staged for the benefit of the monarchs and their foreign visitors. In other words, artists during that time served as instruments for the monarchs to stay or rise in rank. Moreover, JM Howard highlighted three major points vital in the formation of the Baroque as a historical musical era. First is reformation and counter-reformation, second is the existence of the wealthy families of Europe, and third is the desire of the Europe courts to maintain an image. The Reformation and the Counter-Reformation: Since the 17th century became more like a competition between recruiting parties of the Catholic and Protestant parties, many artists and musicians were able to perform on several concerts that were put up to convince people what the best church is. The Wealthy Families of Europe: Since during the 17th century, monarchs and aristocrats ruled, there was a need to somehow show the peasants that the ruling class had soft side, which would be shown through their taste in music. According to Thornburgh, music from the Baroque period is a mixture of many styles: there is Italian, French, English, and German Baroque music; early, middle, and late Baroque music; and even secular and sacred Baroque music. And of course, one must not forget. to mention the different personal styles of the many composers and musicians. Having said that, it would definitely be hard to clearly define what Baroque music is like because of its numerous elements. However, Thornburgh said there is a way to describe Baroque music in a more particular manner, and that is through its musical instruments, stylistic elements, and musical esthetic. Baroque Musical Instruments Voice. Being the oldest musical instrument, the voice would probably thought of being the most natural tool for music making. However, a true Baroque singer is very well-trained and is in many ways different from today's opera singers. Thornburgh said the difference is that Baroque singers accentuate the "difference in tone color between lower and higher registers" as compared to having "uniformity of tone color for which today's voice strives across the vocal range." Moreover,