Baroque Music

What this unit covers

The resources here sit in the Western Classical Music History strand of Music. They follow the Baroque period, roughly 1600 to 1750, through its composers, its set works and its key features. The mind map Baroque Period 1600-1750 lists the main traits: simple, mainly diatonic harmonies, a steady mood with sudden changes, heavy ornamentation and complex counterpoint.

Set works and composers

Handel's And the Glory of the Lord from Messiah has the most material, with many mind maps, flashcard decks and quizzes. Bach is covered through Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, Movement 3, with a quiz, a flowchart, a flashcard deck and a score annotation note. There are also resources on Bach cantatas, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Corelli, Purcell and Gabrieli.

Where to start

1. Open the mind map Baroque Period: 1600-1750 for composers, texture and instruments.
2. Work through the Baroque key words flashcards so the vocabulary is familiar.
3. Pick one set work, such as Handel or Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, and read a mind map on it.
4. Take a quiz on that work, for example the quiz on Handel's For Unto Us A Child is Born, which asks you to connect musical features of the orchestral opening.

Using quizzes and maps together

Read a map first, then close it and take the quiz. Where you slip up, go back to the branch of the map that covers it. The Brandenburg quiz asks you to pick out bars, such as an ascending sequence, so keep the score annotation note open beside it. Some resources are labelled for GCSE Music and A-level Music, so check each title and excerpt to see whether it suits your course.

Make it your own

The resources were made by GoConqr users, so styles vary. Once you have tried a few, pick a work you find hardest and build a map or deck of your own.