Category: Baroque Period

Rameau’s Harmony

Rameau’s importance to the development of opera notwithstanding, his claim to fame lies in his music theory. Rameau’s harmonic innovations, and especially his development of a fundamental bass, form the basis of modern theories of tonality. Rameau’s 1722 Treatise on Harmony (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traité_de_l%27harmonie_réduite_à_ses_principes_naturels) more or less governed musical composition until Debussy more or less threw it … Continue reading Rameau’s Harmony →

Baroque Music IX: Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)

Of that generation of composers who were born in the decade between 1675 and 1685, there is a good argument to be made that Jean-Philippe Rameau had the greatest influence.  Not Bach.  Not Handel.  Not Vivaldi.  In fact, the term “baroque” was derived from a pejorative comment made about Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie: Jean-Baptiste Rousseau … Continue reading Baroque Music IX: Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) →

Christmas and the Baroque Oratorio

As I said, I love Christmas music. And while I love all forms of Christmas music (see yesterday's playlist), it is no coincidence that my favorite form of music--Baroque oratorio--features prominently in the genre. The first half of the 1700s were awash in Christmas music, likely ignited by Corelli's Christmas Concerto. Vivaldi followed suit with … Continue reading Christmas and the Baroque Oratorio →

Telemann and Handel

Handel and Telemann kept up a robust correspondence and, not surprisingly, Telemann’s friendship and correspondence resulted in numerous Conversations between the two composers.  And perhaps uniquely, this was a true two-way Conversation, with each man influencing the other.  Here is an example of how Telemann influenced Handel.  Handel, a subscriber to Telemann’s Tafelmusik publication, took … Continue reading Telemann and Handel →

Telemann and the Orchestra

Telemann’s contributions to the development of the modern orchestra should be noted.  He wrote a ton of “overtures”—not necessarily for operas, but rather as proto-symphonies.  These multi-movement works are the bridge from the concerto grosso form to the symphonies of Haydn and Mozart.  Georg Philipp Telemann, Overture in B Minor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08r6oV9jCS0&list=RD08r6oV9jCS0&index=1 Telemann's favorite instrument may … Continue reading Telemann and the Orchestra →