LibGuides: Music : MUS 544/684: Music of the Baroque Era

Timeline (1600-1750)

1580-1630: Early Baroque

Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)

Michael Praetorius (1571-1621)

Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643)

1630-1680: Middle Baroque

Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687)

Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)

1680-1730: Late Baroque

Henry Purcell (1659-1695)

Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725)

Francois Couperin (1668-1733)

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)

Jean-Phillippe Rameau (1683-1764)

Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736)

General Histories

Music in the Baroque (An Outline History)

Primary Source Materials

Most serious research uses a mix of primary and secondary sources:

Primary sources are original documents or first-hand accounts: letters, diaries, original manuscripts, reviews from newspapers of the time, etc. Primary sources are identified by their content, regardless of whether they are available in original format, in microfilm/microfiche, in digital format, or in published format.

Advantage: they may give us an unvarnished view of people and developments, and in the case of music manuscripts or facsimiles, allow us to see how early versions of a work may have been performed.

Secondary sources comment on and interpret primary sources: biography, analysis, interpretation, history

Advantage: They can provide perspective, taking into account differing viewpoints and later scholarship.

Bach's complete Calov Bible Commentary (Die heilige Bibel) - on microfilm
Microfilm copy of the entire 3-volume bible commentary once owned by J.S. Bach (The Calov Bible Commentary). The original volumes, signed by Bach with the date 1733, were donated to the Concordia Seminary Library in St. Louis by the Reichle family in 1938. These are the only known surviving books from Bach's personal collection, and contain underlings, grammatical corrections, and marginal notes in Bach's handwriting.
J.S. Bach and Scripture: glosses from the Calov Bible commentary
The term "gloss" refers to an annotation, or explanatory note, in a text. In this 1985 Concordia Press publication, eminent Bach scholar Robin A. Leaver gives a complete history of the 1930s discovery of Bach's 3-volume "Calov Bible Commentary" (which are the only known surviving books from the composer's personal library), as well as notes and commentaries on Bach's glosses -- his underlinings and handwritten annotations that were discovered on the pages of the books. Leaver includes enlarged reproductions (facsimiles) from the Calov Commentary alongside his explanatory notes and translations.
Handel's conducting score of Messiah - facsimile edition
A photographic (facsimile) edition of the complete manuscript score used by Handel as early as 1794 (in Dublin) and afterwards throughout his life. The manuscript contains ink, red crayon, and black pencil annotations that were added by Handel over a period of many years -- including numerous singers' names and performance notes. The original manuscript is housed at the library of St. Michael's College, Worcestershire.
Handel's Trumpeter: The Diary of John Grano
A professional trumpeter and flautist, John Grano (c. 1692-1748) wrote a 510-page journal while he was incarcerated for nearly a year and a half in a London debtor's prison. Certain residents of the prison (including Graco) were allowed considerable freedom to leave the prison grounds and engage in personal business during the day. This 1998 edition of Graco's manuscript includes extensive commentary by editor John Ginger that provides background information on the names, places, and events that Grano refers to in his entries.
Harmonie Universelle: The Books on Instruments
Marin Mersenne (1588-1648) was a theologian, philosopher, mathematician, music theorist, and disciple of Rene Descartes. His 17-volume Harmonie Universelle (1637) includes some of the earliest writings on music acoustics and tuning theories. The "Books on Instruments," bound as a single volume in this 1957 translation by Roger E. Chapman, represent seven of the seventeen volumes.
Severo Bonini's Discorsi e Regole
Severo Bonini studied voice and composition with Giulio Caccini in the early 17th century, and wrote a number of motets throughout his lifetime. His "Discourse and Rules on Music" was written between 1640 and 1650. In this 1979 edition (by MaryAnn Bonino), the original Italian text is shown side-by-side with its English translation. Editorial notes (both from Bonino himself and the modern editor) appear as footnotes.
The Attentive Listener: Three Centuries of Music Criticism
Although most of the writings in this collection date from after 1750, pages 3-50 include some heated arguments over operatic style (Italian v. German v. French) during the end of the Baroque period. The relevant essays date from 1711-1781.
Source Readings in Music History: The Baroque Era (ed. Strunk)
Includes writings by Caccini, Monteverdi, Muffat, Marcello, Fux, Rameau and others.
Music in the Western World: A History in Documents (ed. Taruskin)
29 Baroque-era writings are represented in this collection, including: an excerpt from Le Nuove musica (Caccini, 1601); a letter by a French viol player describing Italian church music (1639); Heinrich Schutz's formal request to be relieved of his duties as chapel musician (1651); the list of "duties and obligations" that Bach signed upon taking over the job as Cantor of the School of St. Thomas (Leipzig, 1723).
The Trumpet & Trombone in Graphic Arts, 1500-1800
222 b&w prints of period woodcuts, etchings, engravings, and drawings which portray the instruments (both alone and in performance). Source notes are included for all prints.

Performance Guides

A Performer's Guide to Seventeenth-Century Music by ed. Stewart Carter; revised and expanded by Jeffrey Kite-Powell
Publication Date: 2012
Baroque Music: Style and Performance by Robert Donington
Publication Date: 1982
Ornamentation in Baroque and Post-Baroque Music: With Special Emphasis on J.S. Bach by Frederick Neumann
Publication Date: 1978
18th Century Continuo Playing: A Historical Guide to the Basics by Jesper Boje Christensen
Publication Date: 2002
The Parts of the Suite: The Dance Forms that Guide Baroque Performance Practices
Authoritative renditions of 12 baroque dance styles, including the Allemand, Bourree, Chaconne, Gavotte, Gigue, Minuet, Passagalia, Saraband. The dancers are accompanied by a chamber ensemble performing the music of Bach, Corelli, Handel, Biber, Telemann, and more.

Modern Scholarship and Criticism

The Journal of Renaissance and Baroque Music
Bach Perspectives (journal)
Early Music (journal)
The World of Baroque Music: New Perspectives
Includes twelve essays and two companion sampler CDs.
The Orchestra at San Petronio in the Baroque Era
Includes many pictures and diagrams of the physical layout of San Petronio, as well as speculation (drawn from primary source materials) about the size and placement of the orchestra.