In the Baroque (buh-ROKE) Period, music was written mainly for church or for royalty. The Baroque era was the beginning of almost all of the musical styles up to the present. It is the period that paved the way for all later classical music.

Bach wrote principally for the church. Handel also wrote for the church but some of his greatest works were written for the theater (operas and oratorios) and for royalty, especially King George I and King George II of England. King George I liked to go barge- riding on the Thames (temz) River that flows through London. He also liked to dance gavottes and minuets. King George II enjoyed celebrations and watching fireworks that got out of hand!

Many forms of instrumental music were developed during this time. The sonata, concerto, dance suite, theme and variation, and early symphony all began during the Baroque Period. This period also saw the beginning of ballet, as well as the opera and oratorio.

Music in the Baroque Period had many frills and fancy ornaments. In music that means things like trills and grace notes. Music was ornate like the Baroque architecture. During this period the violin family reached its highest development and the violin became the queen of instruments.

Notice that the composers in the Baroque Period wore big wigs. The peasants and poor people could not afford the wigs, so those who could afford them became known as "Big Wigs"-- people who were considered more important than people with less money. Some men even used powder on their wigs, or plaster of Paris to hold it in place. (Perhaps that was the first hair spray!) In England some judges, bishops, and men in parliament still wear big wigs. Every time you see a composer with a big wig, you can be quite sure that he composed during the Baroque Period.

 
sonata - a composition for one or two solo performers in three or four movements
concerto - a composition for a full orchestra featuring a solo instrument
symphony - a composition for a full orchestra, usually in four movements
dance suite - a group of dances belonging to a set
theme and variation - a musical idea that is presented, then restated in various forms
ballet - a theatrical performance using ballet dancing to convey a story, theme, or atmosphere
opera - a musical play with orchestra in which most words are sung rather than spoken
oratorio - a musical story in which words are sung rather than spoken
trill - the quick repeating of two adjacent notes
grace note - an extra note played very quickly before the main note