The Baroque era (1600–1750) was a time of bold expression, emotional extremes, and musical innovation. Unlike the more restrained styles of the Renaissance, Baroque music painted vivid pictures with sound, creating drama, grandeur, and contrast. Instrumental music took centre stage as composers began to write pieces meant purely for instruments - no singers required.
Part 4 - Instrumental Music in the Baroque Era
🎼 Fugue - Order in Complexity
A descendant of the Renaissance ricercar, the fugue became a crowning jewel of Baroque composition. Built on strict counterpoint, it features multiple melodic lines (called voices) that enter one after the other, each presenting the same main theme - known as the subject.
As the piece unfolds, the subject is developed through:
Countersubjects - new melodies that appear alongside the subject
Episodes - short connecting sections, often more free and developmental
Modulations - shifts to new keys that add colour and tension
Think of it as a finely engineered machine - mathematical in structure, yet deeply expressive in sound.
Instrumental Music Forms
🎹 Suite / Partita / Ordre - Dance Music for the Instruments
The Baroque suite - also known as partita in German or ordre in French - was like a musical fashion show of stylised dances. While inspired by real court dances, these pieces weren’t meant for dancing. Instead, they were refined, artistic interpretations, especially crafted for instruments like the keyboard, violin, or chamber ensembles.
Each movement had its own unique tempo, rhythm, and mood, offering contrast while staying within the same key:
Allemande - flowing, moderate tempo; a graceful opener
Courante - quicker, with running, skipping rhythms
Sarabande - slow, in triple meter, with a rich and stately character
Gigue - lively and bouncing finale, often in compound meter
Suites often followed this order, with optional additions such as:
Minuet - a gentle, elegant dance in triple meter, often in pairs (Minuet I & II)
Gavotte - a cheerful, moderate-tempo dance in duple meter that starts on the second beat of the bar
Together, these dances created a colourful musical journey - courtly, elegant, and full of character - designed to delight both performers and listeners with their variety and charm.
🎶 Concerto - Musical Dialogue
The concerto turned contrast into art. It featured the dialogue between a soloist (or group) and the orchestra, creating musical tension, interplay, and drama.
Concerto grosso - a small group of soloists (concertino) engages in a musical tug-of-war with the full ensemble (ripieno)
Solo concerto - features one virtuoso instrument showing off technical brilliance and expressive flair
Baroque concertos often had three movements: fast - slow - fast, showcasing contrast in texture, dynamics, and tempo.
🎻 Sonata - Chamber Conversations
The Baroque sonata was an intimate instrumental form - almost like a musical conversation between close companions. Typically written for one or two melody instruments (like violin or flute) plus basso continuo (a keyboard or plucked instrument + a bass string instrument).
There were two main types:
Sonata da chiesa (church sonata) - usually four movements, alternating slow-fast-slow-fast; more serious in character, suitable for sacred spaces
Sonata da camera (chamber sonata) - more dance-like, often beginning with a prelude followed by actual stylised dances
These sonatas gave composers the chance to explore expression, ornamentation, and dialogue between instruments.
Song: Contrapunctus I from 'The Art of Fugue', BWV1080
Composer: J. S. Bach
Song: Sarabande in D minor, from Keyboard Suite No. 4, HWV 437
Composer: George Frederic Handel
Song: Movt. I from Spring, The Four Seasons, Op. 8, No. 1
Composer: Antonio Vivaldi
Song: Mvt. IV - Allegro, Trio Sonata No. 8, Op. 3
Composer: Arcangello Corelli
🧩 Chaconne - Variations Over a Repeating Ground
The chaconne (from the Spanish chacona) is built on a repeating chord progression or bass line - called a ground bass. Over this solid foundation, composers layered a series of continuous variations, gradually building intensity and emotion. Chaconnes often carry a regal, expansive quality, and they provided a canvas for both structural elegance and performer expression.
🌒 Passacaglia - The Darker Cousin of the Chaconne
Similar in form to the chaconne, the passacaglia also features a repeated bass pattern, but it often feels more introspective and solemn. Common in organ music and sacred compositions, it allowed composers to express deep emotional resonance while maintaining structural clarity.
🌿 Prelude - A Glimpse of Spontaneity
The prelude was originally a short, free-flowing introduction meant to test the instrument or set the mood. In the Baroque era, it evolved into a stylized, often improvisatory composition, sometimes paired with a fugue. Preludes could be lyrical, stormy, or whimsical, depending on the composer’s intent.
⚡️ Toccata – The Virtuoso’s Playground
From the Italian toccare ("to touch"), the toccata was designed to showcase technical brilliance. Typically written for keyboard, it featured rapid scales, broken chords, hand crossings, and sudden changes in tempo or texture. It often served as a dazzling prelude to a fugue.
Song: Chaconne from 'The Fairy Queen', Z 629
Composer: Henry Purcell
Song: Passacaglia in D Minor, BuxWV 161
Composer: Dieterich Buxtehude
Song: Prelude & Fugue No. 1 in C Major, BWV 846
Composer: J. S. Bach
Song: Toccata & Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
Composer: J. S. Bach
🌌 Fantasia - Imagination Unleashed
The fantasia (or fantasy) broke away from rigid form. It was meant to sound improvised, with unexpected modulations, rhythm shifts, and abrupt mood changes. A fantasia could be dreamy and introspective or wildly virtuosic - whatever the composer imagined.
Song: Fantasia Upon One Note, Z 745
Composer: Henry Purcell
Violin: The Baroque violin had a shallower neck angle and gut strings, giving it a warmer, more vocal tone than modern violins.
Popular Musical Instruments
Viola: Provided inner harmonic texture and was essential in ensemble writing, though rarely a soloist in this period.
🎻 String Family - Elegant and Expressive
Cello: Replaced the viol as the main bass instrument in the string family. Often part of the continuo group, it also emerged as a solo instrument.
Double Bass/Violone: Early versions of the double bass, used to support the basso continuo line, often tuned differently than modern basses.
Viola da gamba: Played with frets and between the legs, this six- or seven-stringed instrument had a soft, mournful tone. Favoured in France and England well into the late Baroque.
Lute: Though fading in popularity, the lute was still used in early Baroque music. It later evolved into the theorbo and archlute for continuo work.
Archlute: A Baroque lute with an extended neck and extra bass strings. It has a bright, agile tone and was used mainly in chamber music and basso continuo, often taking on more melodic or solo roles within small ensembles.
Theorbo: A much larger lute with a very long neck and deep bass strings (diapasons). Known for its rich, resonant sound, it was widely used in opera, sacred music, and large continuo groups, providing a strong harmonic and bass foundation.
Recorder: End-blown flute; originated during renaissance, continued into Baroque for its simple, sweet tone and varied sizes and ranges.
Transverse Flute: Made of wood, with a softer and breathier tone than modern flutes. Gained popularity in later Baroque as a solo instrument.
🎷 Woodwind Family - Colorful and Characterful
Bassoon: Formed the bass of the woodwind section, providing both melodic and harmonic support in orchestral and chamber settings.
Oboe: A new star of the Baroque. Evolved from the shawm, it had a nasal but expressive tone perfect for solos and obbligato lines.
Sackbut: Early trombone with a sliding tube and a gentle, vocal-like sound, often used in sacred and ensemble music.
Cornet (Cornetto): A curved wooden instrument with finger holes like a recorder and a mouthpiece like a brass instrument. Popular in early Baroque sacred music.
🎺 Brass Family - Bold, Bright, and Regal
Natural Trumpet: A long, valveless trumpet capable only of the notes of the overtone series. Used in fanfares and ceremonial music.
Natural Horn: Similar to the natural trumpet but with a rounder tone. Used in hunting calls and eventually symphonic contexts.
Tambourine: Frame drum with jingles; used in dances and theatre music to add sparkle and rhythm.
🥁 Percussion Family - Subtle but Effective
Timpani: Large kettle drums tuned to specific pitches. Used to punctuate cadences or reinforce the harmonic foundation in large orchestral and ceremonial works.
Side Drum & Bass Drum: Occasionally used in military or festive music, but not standard in concert works.
Pipe Organ: Towering and majestic, with pipes of all sizes. Perfect for church music, where it could fill vast spaces with powerful chords, intricate fugues, and layered textures.
🎹 Keyboard Instruments - The Backbone of Baroque Music
Positive Organ: A small, portable organ often used in small chapels or chamber ensembles. Offered a softer sound than the grand pipe organ.
Harpsichord: The quintessential Baroque keyboard. Strings are plucked (not struck), producing a bright, percussive tone. Lacked dynamics, but offered articulation and ornamentation in abundance. Often used in continuo (accompaniment) and solo works.
Clavichord: Delicate and expressive, the clavichord was ideal for practice and intimate performance. Unique among Baroque keyboards for allowing dynamic shading and vibrato (bebung).
Virginal: A smaller, simpler form of harpsichord, often rectangular in shape. Common in domestic settings, especially in England.
Majestic Music for The King!
One of the most majestic instrumental works from the Baroque era is George Frideric Handel’s Water Music, composed in 1717 for a royal barge party hosted by King George I on the River Thames. This grand composition was written for a large orchestra featuring trumpets, horns, oboes, bassoons, strings, and continuo - an impressive ensemble meant to project sound across the open air. Water Music is divided into three suites (in F major, D major, and G major), each filled with regal fanfares, elegant dances, and energetic rhythms that captured the spirit of Baroque pageantry. Among its most famous movements is the lively Hornpipe, which remains a favorite in ceremonial and celebratory settings. So delighted was the king that he requested the music be performed three times during the event. With its bold brass passages and majestic flair, Water Music stands as a shining example of Baroque orchestral brilliance.
Listen to a wonderful rendition of this work, especially the Hornpipe, performed by the Festspiel Orchester Göttingen under the direction of Laurence Cummings, capturing the regal energy and festive spirit of the original river performance.