Ornamentation In The Baroque Era

Annually, millions of people travel to northern France to view the grand and pompous Baroque style of the Palace of Versailles’s Hall of Mirrors. Built in 1698 during the reign of Louis XIV, the Palace of Versailles stood for over 100 years as “the primary residence of the kings of France and the seat of the government,” and in 1979, the Palace of Versailles and its gardens were decreed a World Heritage site by the UNESCO. An examination of the Palace’s Hall of Mirrors will reveal a dramatic use of light, symmetry, large-scale frescoes, a shell for painting, sculpture, and stucco, and an opulent use of rich color and accessories common to a French Baroque-style interior.

In the “Elizabethan Era” most people cared about their appearance. They would carry mirrors, combs, ear scoops, and bone manicure sets. Pale skin and dark eyebrows were a big part of the bizarre trend in the Elizabethan Era. Women would do anything to achieve pale skin. Not only was pale skin popular so was having long fair colored hair. They wore extravagant makeup and even though they put harmful things on their face they took very good care of it at the end of the day. Few of the trends they used back then are still around.

Both J.S. Bach and G.F. Handel use different aspects of music to compose important pieces of music. The baroque period is often known as the time when artists exaggerated their motion and produced drama through interpreted detail. Both of these composers used this baroque style to convey messages through their music. The similarity in their music was that it is in a spiritual manner. J.S. Bach’s style was a harmonic and motivation manner, which Handel’s is more of a narrative. A cantana is a piece of music for worship and a oratoria is a genre that addressees a religious theme.

The Baroque period was identified as the “Age of Absolutism” because it was a period where rulers practiced their full power to control subjects. Also during the Baroque time frame music became more leant about where it was played. Instead it only being played at churches and occasionally in some courts, it was being played at specific functions and operas. It was at this time that operas were established for the first time in history. Musicians at this time were employed for aristocrat’s courts, churches and operas although they were considered high positions yet still viewed as servants. Some characteristics of Baroque music focused on the unity of mood, rhythm, dynamics and melodies. As for texture it consisted of being polyphonic with an emphasis on the highest and lowest melodies. Also the importance of bass and soprano and imitation were present. Word painting and symbolism kept making an appearance too. Chords and basso continuo were key elements to this period. A basso continuo is an accompaniment made up of bass parts usually played by two instruments. It was here that baroque orchestras started to gather which contained about ten to forty musicians. Through

In the Baroque era patronage is the most common way for an artists to get work. Patronage is the act of someone with a great deal of wealth giving their financial support to an artist to commission them to make a painting, a sculpture, a play or a piece of music. Since the Patrons hire the artists to not just make them beautiful art, but make them something that symbolizes their status and wealth, certain themes arise in these works of art. These are ones of ornamentation, grandeur, theatrical elements, and the notion that there is action happening beyond the frame. Artists like Bernini and Rembrandt are prime examples of how patronage affects their art, whilst still being part of the baroque era. These Baroque elements are so engrained in the system of patronage that even outside the Baroque era when an artist is commissioned through the patronage system their work can’t help but take on these and other baroque elements.

The Modern Era is the time period in musical development that began around the turn of the 20th century in which great changes in compositional techniques and styles took place. This era challenged and reinterpreted old styles of music, making it a time of great innovation.

Why is humanism such a big factor in past and present society? Humanism is an outlook of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. For the Renaissance, humanism was a big cultural movement that brought thought of Greek and Roman thoughts. Humanism was expressed in the Renaissance through the works of art, music, and literature.

The Renaissance and Baroque periods of music are two very similar and different eras. The Renaissance which began after the end of the Middle Ages in 1450 and ended the beginning of the 1600s, this is where the Baroque period starts. The beginning of the Renaissance period was compromised of sacred and religious music cultivating from the middle ages. Before the Renaissance period music had to be copied and re-written by hand, which was a very difficult task to do continuously. During the Renaissance period however, printing was invented, which made producing music easier and also changed a lot of other things in other areas. The Baroque period on the other hand, spanning 150 years from the beginning of the 1600s to 1750, was divided into three parts: The Early Baroque period, The Middle Baroque period and The Late Baroque period. While these two eras start right after each other, there are a lot of differences between them, this shows how much music can evolve through time.

It hosted a number of new styles and and thought process that was also not just for the rich, but the middle class. It experienced more of an emotionalism and was a psychological exploration not just by the artist but the viewers themselves (Detrick “Baroque”). A photographer today uses still lifes that really justify the baroque style of art that was dark and deformed. Tara Sellios uses her art to “lure unsuspecting viewers into her twisted Baroque still lifes” (huffingtonpost.com). The eleven contemporary stills i looked at by her were pretty messed up stuff. It was dark and full of death with a hint of life. It really showed the bizarre art work style of Baroque that explores the dark side of

The Baroque period covers one hundred and fifty years from 1600 to 1750. Its characteristics tend to include, lavish, over the top, expensive and much more then necessary. The period is painted literally with architecture, paintings, clothing, food and much more that continuously begs people of today to ask ‘why?’. The use of frill and extravagance in art in this period has become less of a question of ‘why’ and more of a question ‘where is the extra?’, because this part in history is centered around adding extra ornamentation to everything. With such an over the top part in history, it would seem impossible to pick one piece that could embody every aspect of the Baroque Era but it is to be proven that one piece has such potential. Gian Lerenzo Bernini’s, The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, sculpted in 1647 to 1652. The piece is of Saint Teresa being struck by an Angel’s

The evolution of music can be viewed as a linear timeline of key, innovative composers who have far-reaching influences upon the musical continuum and perhaps epitomises the societal views which are relevant to their time period through their canonical pieces. As a result, in order to conduct a case study into any piece of music one must first realise said piece in regards to the concurrent political climate.

“I worked hard. Anyone who works as hard as I did can achieve the same results” (Bach). Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the most influential composers of all time ("Top 10 Most Famous Classical Composers of All Time.") He lived during the Baroque period of music in the 17th century. Baroque music is a category of European Classical music and is recognized for ornamentation added to long melodic lines, the addition and use of harpsichord and basso continuos. Another was the development of counterpoint, which is when two or more melodies are combined that contrast with each other (Tollervey, Nicholas H.). Bach is well known for his use of counterpoint and fugue. ("Baroque Orchestral Music."). During this time period, musical components such

The lower class wore light, dingy shades because they could not afford dyes that would give a pure color.

Throughout history, many periods of music have existed, some of which have left behind enduring contributions to music altogether. The most important period of music however is the Baroque period. This is because the beginning of its era marked the introduction of dominant musical devices that have been used ever since. The term “baroque” was derived from the Portuguese barroco meaning “oddly shaped pearl” and refers to a period of European music or Western European art music that flourished from about 1600 to 1750. This period began when the Renaissance period of music – a period of music full of choral music and chants – began to change. The Baroque period brought with itself key devices such as variation in musical compositions, the enlargement of standard scales and chords and the process of varying one or more properties within a piece; that are used today. In contrast the renaissance period of music whereby music was often sang, contained simple rhythms and melodic lines and was mostly for the purpose of praise, the Baroque period of music started off the use of distinct melodies and harmonies opposed to the polyphony used in the Renaissance period. This new music was then called “…expansive and dramatic”. Famous composers and performers of this period include Henry Purcell, Arcangelo Corelli, Claudio Monteverdi, Antonio Vivaldi and many others.

Music exists in every known cultural group of the world and it is likely to have existed among the ancient ancestral communities. Music may have started in Africa, having existed for at least 55,000 years before evolving into an essential constituent of human life. Different people have different perspectives towards music. For instance, some may take music as jazz set, an orchestral symphony, an electronic beat or even a simple thing as the chirping of birds. Music has both positive and negative effect on humans and it depends on how it is applied. There are several theories that regard where and when the music originated. The historiographers pointed out that there are different periods of music with each period having its own characteristics, its composers, its instruments, its rhythm and significance to the existing music today. The first three periods; Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque are expounded in this essay. The periods span through different times albeit some overlapped one another. The essay also focuses on the common factor that triggered the existence of the music periods and its impacts on each period.