Baroque

 We were on a four lesson, completely free, journey with Busy Moms Do Piano at: 

https://blog.busymomsdopiano.com/the-baroque-period-lesson-1/

https://blog.busymomsdopiano.com/the-baroque-period-lesson-2/

https://blog.busymomsdopiano.com/the-baroque-period-lesson-3/

https://blog.busymomsdopiano.com/the-baroque-period-lesson-4/

Lesson 1: We learnt about what was happening during the Baroque period such as the 30 year war, Colonization, and Patronage. We also learnt about the Trevi Fountain in Rome which shows Baroque architecture. We listened to an article about Rambrandt, a famous Dutch painter during the Baroque period and his youthful accomplishments. As Carly says, "the Baroque period was all about fancy, decorative and lavish things!"

Barron designed a Baroque inspired costume.

Powdered wigs were all the rage of the Baroque period so we made:

Lesson 2:

this lesson we’ll learn how that style influenced the way instruments were used and music sounded during the Baroque years.

https://blog.busymomsdopiano.com/the-baroque-period-lesson-4/

Lesson 1: We learnt about what was happening during the Baroque period such as the 30 year war, Colonization, and Patronage. We also learnt about the Trevi Fountain in Rome which shows Baroque architecture. We listened to an article about Rambrandt, a famous Dutch painter during the Baroque period and his youthful accomplishments. As Carly says, "the Baroque period was all about fancy, decorative and lavish things!"

Barron designed a Baroque inspired costume.

Powdered wigs were all the rage of the Baroque period so we made:

Lesson 2:

this lesson we’ll learn how that style influenced the way instruments were used and music sounded during the Baroque years.

Let’s look at and listen to some of the instruments and musical forms of Baroque times.

Guided Listening.

Below is a Baroque Opera written by Handel (who we’ll learn more about in our next lesson!). Don’t worry – you don’t need to watch the entire thing! But do take in a few minutes to jump around in the video and watch a few excerpts. Then answer the questions below.

How would you describe the costumes of the vocalists (singers)?

Can you find the harpsichord in the orchestra pit?

What things do you HEAR and SEE in this opera that tell you it is Baroque music?

Vivaldi (again, we’ll learn more about him in the next lesson!) wrote many famous concertos. His most famous was a series called “Four Seasons”.

Download this coloring sheet and then listen to this piece from the series, called “Spring”. As you listen, color a picture of spring inspired by the music.

Lesson 3: the last lesson, we learned about how Baroque style influenced the way instruments were used and music sounded during the Baroque years.

In this lesson, we’ll take a look at 3 of the most famous Baroque composers. We’ll learn about who their patrons were, what kind of music they wrote, and even some fun or quirky things you may not have known about them.

Watch the Video. Did you know one of the most famous Baroque composers spent time in jail? Learn who in our lesson video.

Lesson 3: the last lesson, we learned about how Baroque style influenced the way instruments were used and music sounded during the Baroque years.

In this lesson, we’ll take a look at 3 of the most famous Baroque composers. We’ll learn about who their patrons were, what kind of music they wrote, and even some fun or quirky things you may not have known about them.

Watch the Video. Did you know one of the most famous Baroque composers spent time in jail? Learn who in our lesson video.

Color. The King of England asked Handel to write music that would be played at his big fireworks display in London.

Handel composed “Music for the Royal Fireworks: La Rejouissance” for the occasion.

Print this coloring sheet and color the fireworks with colored pencils or gel pens as you listen to Handel’s majestic piece here.

3. Guided Listening. 

In our video, we learned that J.S. Bach wrote and played many songs for the organ One of his most famous is the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, below.

Watch the video and answer the questions as you listen.

What clues are there in this piece that it is Baroque music?

What are some words you would use to describe this music?

How does the music make you feel when you listen to it?

Making Connections.

Many Baroque tunes have been used for scenes in movies. For example, the Toccata and Fugue you listened to by Bach in the video above was used in the opening credits for an old science fiction-horror film called Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Bach’s Cello Suite Prelude in G is another tune often used in movies and commercials. Listen to the tune here. Do you recognize it? What type of movie scene would you put it in if you were making the decision?

Lesson Five: 

The creation of Baroque music was driven by the patron — the church and the wealthy.

Music was a display of wealth, talent and all things fancy. New musical forms rose in popularity, and composers of the time produced hundreds of compositions for their patrons.

Let’s review what we learned about the Baroque era of music and composers!

1. Review.

Use these review cards to review everything we’ve learned in this unit.

(Parent Note: if you plan to use the quiz in this lesson for a grade, these cards a wonderful study tool to prepare!)

2. Quiz. 

Answer these unit review questions to show how much you’ve learned about the Baroque Period. Use complete sentences as much as possible!

3. End of Unit Project.

The 3 composers we studied in this unit were all male (Bach, Handel and Vivaldi). But the Baroque era also had many talented female composers and musicians.

One of these composers was Barbara Strozzi, who worked in Rome and published many works of music for female singers.

Listen to some of her music here as you complete this Baroque word search.

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series on the Baroque Period of music history. For more free music history resources, check out my Busy Kids Love Music podcast!