If It's Not Baroque, Don't Fix It (The Baroque Period)

 The Baroque Era was a style or period of music in Europe between 1600 and 1750. The word Baroque itself means "a pearl of irregular shape" and finds it's origin in the Portuguese language. At first used more describing art then music, it was used to imply abnormality, strangeness, and extravangance. The music of the Baroque time was characterized by rich counterpoint, a highly decorated melodic line, and can be seen as being lavishly texturized, intense, and highly ornate. Defining characteristics of the Baroque period include the use of the basso continuo and the belief in the doctrine of the affections, which allowed composers to express emotions and feelings in their compositions. Emphasis on texture, contrast of volume, and pace in the music was another distinguishing characterastic of the Baroque period. During this new musical period new forms of polyphonic music were developing at once although homophonic music was becoming more and more popular. Popular during the Baroque period, cannons and fueges were two extremely strict forms of imitative polyphony. The first great opera, Orfeo, was written by Claudio Monteverdi in 1607.
 One of the most well known of the Baroque period composers is Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach was born in 1685 and was the son of Johann Ambrosius, a court trumpeter for the Duke of Eisenach. As a child Bach learned to play the organ and clavichord and sang in a choir. He had innate musical talent and by the time he was 15 he could support himself by his music and had several organist positions in surrounding towns. Bach was a master at composing oratorios, chorales, cantatas, piano inventions, and other religious music. Considered the father of counterpoint, the organ and clavichord were his instruments of choice for most of his life. Although he was not introduced to the piano until he was sixty years old, once he discovered it he wrote a six-part fugue as a musical offering to King Frekerick. That same fugue is now considered one of the most remarkable fugues in all of music history. Late in life Bach sadly became blind. He underwent an operation to try and correct it, however this was unsucessful and only aggravated the condition. He suffered a paralytic stroke as a result and died. He is considered one of the most influential composers of all time.
http://library.thinkquest.org/15413/history/history-bar.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/15413/history/history-bar.htm

Music composed by Bach