Masterpieces of Baroque Music: Bach, Handel, Vivaldi & More

Posted on Jan 14, 2025 in Music

Masterpieces of Baroque Music

Double Violin Concerto in D Minor (Remifasolladosisol)
Goldberg Variations, Aria (Key only, slow). Composed for Count Keyserling, for his harpsichordist Goldberg. They played it at night to help him sleep.
Cello Suite No. 6, Gavotte and Gigue (Solo cello, allegro)
The Passion According to Matthew (Conciertito legato). A passionate oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach, consisting of two parts made up of 68 numbers. The work develops a sense through its dual stereo chorus and orchestra.

Sonata in E Major, K.380 (Solo piano). It’s one of the few sonatas with a calm pace (walking), and what we mean is as if it were a real way (like trombones and trumpets), a sort of fanfare that would accompany the king.

Samson (Violin, trumpet, woman). Inspired by the book of Judges in the Old Testament. Although an oratorio, it is often represented as an opera. It’s his best dramatic work, and its premiere was performed 7 times in the season, given the success achieved.
Messiah (Violin, man). A series of biblical passages that tell the life of Christ. It is consistent with the idea meant to convey the idea of Handel’s oratorios: the exaltation of English nationalism through a parallel between the British and the Israeli people, favored by God in the Old Testament, whose misfortunes and victories appear repeatedly in his oratorios.

Benedictus, Movement 1 (Maestoso legato, man). One of the great motets, composed for the royal chapel. They are often for multiple choirs, soloists, and orchestras.

Toccata (Trumpet)
Vespro Della Beata Vergine (Laura). A religious work for the Cathedral of San Marco in Venice. You Spezzati choirs. For 6 voices, it is divided into 2 choirs based on a Gregorian melody. Pretends echoes with the two choirs, rhythm changes, emphasizing the important words of the text, etc.

Canticum Simeonis Motet (Tenor, eeE). A spiritual musical work based on voices and continuo. This exequiem was composed in 1635/1636 by reason of the death of Heinrich Posthumus ReB, sovereign, in order to remember him forever. The Canticum Simeonis motet is a composition of five voices in German. The text comes from the narration of the presentation of the Lord in the temple of Jerusalem.

Dido and Aeneas (Guitar, woman). Best known for opera. It is a lament in the form of a chaconne. It is based on Virgil’s *Aeneid*. Composed for an English girls’ boarding school. It is clearly considered the first English opera.
Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary (pp). The music for the funeral of Queen Mary has 17 pieces. The most common are between 4 and 6. This music was used for his own funeral eleven months later. It uses an imitative counterpoint and modern harmony, with a very rich and strong harmonic direction. It is very chromatic.

Abaris ou les Boréades (Primaverita). His latest tragedy in music. It was tested but not represented by Rameau. It is based on Greek texts and contains Masonic elements. It would have represented a major innovation for the public, presenting new innovative ways for the time.
Overture in D Major (Trills)

Four Seasons (House). A work program containing four violin concertos that evoke, through musical language elements, various aspects of the seasons. They are based on four sonnets that accompany the score.