Alejandro Quiroz Essay

1. What were two major influences on German Baroque music? How did these factors influence the music? The German Baroque bow and Baroque organ. They both gave the music a new kind of sound that is still represented in the music today. 2. How did music differ before and after Bach? Almost everyone in the piano-playing world would agree that his compositions are light-years ahead of his time, harmonically speaking. He introduced unexpected chord changes of which some were considered blasphemous because it was written for a formal choir. 3. How have the performances of Baroque music changed (in terms of tempo, balance and timbre) from the Baroque period to today? When compared to â€Å"classical† performances, modern performances of Baroque music typically use a slower tempi, a similar balance (although recording studios can disrupt the natural balance sometimes, by pushing the harpsichord into the background) and a flatter timbre due to the instruments used in modern times 4. What is a Baroque spirit when playing music? Baroque spirit expresses enthusiasm. 5. At the bottom of the page that discusses Baroque music performance, there are some examples of music that you can listen to. These examples often use different instruments than we are used to hearing today. What are some of these instruments? How is the sound of the music different than what we might hear today? They use instruments such as harpsichords, lots of violins, and clavichord. People today still sometimes use violins but the beats and instruments sound very different then what we hear today. 6. Who was Arcangelo Corelli? What are some of his contributions to classical music? Corelli was an Italian violinist and composer, Corelli initially he started studying music under a priest in the nearby town of Faenza, and then in Lugo. The style of execution was introduced by Corelli, which is important for violin playing. As the time passed Corelli became a â€Å"iconic point of reference† for other violinist. 7. Who was Gottfried Silbermann? Silbermann and Bach were contemporaries and both of them worked together as colleagues and friends, both of them shared an interest and advanced knowledge of acoustics as applied to the voicing and location of organs. In their later years they would work again on the escapement mechanism for first fortepianos, Silbermann would receive the title of honorary court and state organ builder to the king of Poland and the duke of Saxony at Dresden, probably the most famous aspect of Silbermann’s instruments is their distinctive sound. 8. After listening to some of the music samples, how would you describe Baroque music to someone who had not heard it before? Choose at least one piece of music to discuss in detail. What instruments do you think the work uses? Who composed the work? What does the work sound like?