Baroque
A Western artistic style flourishing from the early 1600s to 1750s.
The Baroque is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 1600s until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo and Neoclassical styles. The style was encouraged by the Catholic Church as a means to counter the simplicity and austerity of Protestant architecture, art, and music, though Lutheran Baroque art developed in parts of Europe as well.
- field
- Architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts
- period
- Early 1600s to 1750s
- origin
- Rome, early 17th century
- known_for
- Contrast, movement, exuberant detail, deep color, grandeur, and surprise to achieve a sense of awe
Lore & Background
The Baroque style began at the start of the 17th century in Rome, then spread rapidly to the rest of Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal, then to Austria, southern Germany, Poland and Russia. By the 1730s, it had evolved into an even more flamboyant style, called rocaille or Rococo, which appeared in France and Central Europe until the mid to late 18th century. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires including the Iberian Peninsula it continued, together with new styles, until the first decade of the 19th century.
Reader's Guide
The Baroque style used contrast, movement, exuberant detail, deep color, grandeur, and surprise to achieve a sense of awe. In the decorative arts, the style employs plentiful and intricate ornamentation. The departure from Renaissance classicism has its own ways in each country, but a general feature is that everywhere the starting point is the ornamental elements introduced by the Renaissance. The classical repertoire is crowded, dense, overlapping, loaded, in order to provoke shock effects. New motifs introduced by Baroque include the cartouche, trophies and weapons, baskets of fruit or flowers, and others, made in marquetry, stucco, or carved. The English word baroque comes directly from the French, which originated from the Portuguese term barroco 'a flawed pearl', pointing to the Latin verruca 'wart', or to a word with the Romance suffix -ǒccu. Other sources suggest a Medieval Latin term used in logic, baroco, as the most likely source. In the 18th century the term began to be used to describe music, and not in a flattering way. By the mid-19th century, art critics and historians had adopted the term baroque as a way to ridicule post-Renaissance art.
Did You Know?
- The English word baroque comes directly from the French, which originated from the Portuguese term barroco meaning 'a flawed pearl'.
- The French philosopher Michel de Montaigne helped give the term baroco the meaning 'bizarre, uselessly complicated'.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Baroque in music theory?
Baroque is a Western musical style that dominated European composition from roughly 1600 to the mid-1750s, bridging the Renaissance and the Classical eras. It is defined by rich ornamentation, dramatic contrast, and elaborate counterpoint designed to evoke awe in the listener.
When did the Baroque era begin and end?
The Baroque period in music is generally dated from the early 1600s, often anchored to the invention of opera in Florence, through the mid-1750s when figures like Handel and Bach were still composing. It succeeded Renaissance and Mannerist music and gave way to the Rococo and Neoclassical styles.
What are the defining features of Baroque music?
Baroque music is known for its emphasis on contrast, movement, exuberant detail, and deep color, all working together to create a sense of grandeur and surprise. Ornamentation, ground bass, and intricate polyphonic textures are hallmarks of the style.
What role did the Catholic Church play in shaping Baroque music?
The Church actively encouraged Baroque art and music as a counter to the austerity of Protestant worship, favoring dramatic, emotionally engaging compositions. A separate Lutheran Baroque tradition also developed in northern Europe, showing the style was not exclusively Catholic.
Where and when did Baroque music originate?
Baroque music took shape in Rome during the early 17th century before spreading throughout Europe. It grew into a broad cultural movement encompassing architecture, dance, painting, sculpture, and poetry alongside its musical traditions.
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