Graduale Aboense, hymn book of Turku, Finland. 14th-15th century. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The church used to be the home to phenomenal classical music like Bach's cantatas, Gregorian Chant , and Handel 's oratorios. What happened? What changed church music from being great to being a set list of repetitive 7/11 songs? What have we lost?  As a musician of over two decades, I have performed numerous Easter cantatas, Christmas programs, and music specials both as a professional and as a church patron. In 2008 I wrote a prize-winning sacred oratorio, Creation. Though I would hate to say it, I have to admit that the overall quality of the contemporary church musical repertoire seems low, with songs and cantatas riding the line between unimaginative and silly. I am not questioning their effectiveness in their overall purpose, but musically these works pale in comparison with the incredible masterpieces of Bach, Handel, or even contemporary composers John Rutter and Eric...

Classical music from the Baroque era set the groundwork for contemporary classical music .  The Baroque Period in classical music boasted the creation of opera, the abandonment of the church modes, and new exciting musical forms like the Baroque Suite. Music from the Baroque from classical composers like Bach , Monteverdi , Strozzi, and Purcell shared several major characteristics common to all works of the Baroque period. The Baroque Era lasted from 1600-1750 (or the year that Bach died). Although many of these musical innovations occurred centuries in the past, contemporary compositions owe much to the developments of the Baroque Era. While monophony prevailed during the early Baroque period, music of the late Baroque Era embraced more complex polyphony than even the complex lines of the Renaissance. Monophony essentially involves a single line with accompaniment. Monophony prevailed in opera, however, since understanding text and drama is essential to understanding th...

Bach wasn't always a famous composer. Find out why the Baroque Master remained a mystery for over a century!  Believe it or not, Bach's music largely disappeared shortly after his death. Part of the reason for Bach's relative obscurity is that he was part of a very large musical family. In other words, he was just another talented musician in the bunch. Even two of his children - Carl Philip Emmanuel Bach and Johann Christian Bach - pursued music after Bach died. They were not as famous as he was, although their works are still played today. <a href="http://sabrinapenayoung.bandcamp.com/album/classical-music-for-tranquil-meditation">Classical Music for Tranquil Meditation by Sabrina Pena Young</a> Being only one of many Bachs, he established an excellent regional reputation, but did not gain fame internationally with his work. During the Baroque, being a composer w...

Image via Wikipedia (Text Large for classroom projection) Textbook recommendation: Roger Kamien Music: an Appreciation THE CANON http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM THE FUGUE The Fugue was a major development in polyphony during the Baroque era . Other types of polyphonic forms were used, like the canon (ex. Pachelbel Canon in D ). A Prelude often preceded a fugue (ex.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DeYQ5wJTEU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-abGDv-GMGk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax00vnsZPKE In the fugue, the main theme typically comes in a single voice. This first appearance is called the subject of the fugue. (Sound example). After the subject is presented in the first voice, it is manipulated a number of ways by the composer . It does not necessarily have to return the same way. After the subject is introduced, a second voice will echo the subject (called an answer), but in the dominant. Sometimes a countersubject (a melody unrelated to the first subject) will play at...

Image via Wikipedia (Large text for class projection) BAROQUE ERA (1600-1750) Text: Kamien: A Music Appreciation Review Major Characteristics of Baroque Music (pg 97) Mood Rhythm Terraced Dynamics Polyphonic Texture Monophonic in Opera Chords and Basso Continuo Text and Music Musical Form: How music is organized Movements Many compositions of the Baroque era had several movements. For example, a Bach suite had several movements, each representing a dance style popular in the Baroque Era. Usually there is a pause between movements. In a suite, the different movements usually contrasted. There might be a quick and happy movement, a slower movement, a rousing fast movement. Musical expressions: Vivace Allegro Moderato Andante Largo Concerto Gross0 and Ritonello (pg 103) The concerto grosso usually had a small group of soloists musically pitted against the orchestra. (Remember at this time, the orchestra was made of roughly thirty players). The entire orchestra playing is called ...