Baroque Music

classical music · history · composers · 1600s

A whole era. Baroque music lasted about 150 years, starting around 1600 and ending around 1750. It came after the Renaissance period and was eventually replaced by the Classical period.

Opera was born. A composer named Jacopo Peri created the very first operas during the Baroque era. Operas combined music with acting and storytelling on stage, which was a totally new invention at the time.

New musical styles. Alessandro Stradella came up with a style called concerto grosso, which featured a small group of instruments playing together with a larger orchestra. This created an exciting back-and-forth sound that audiences loved.

Music spread everywhere. Arcangelo Corelli was one of the first composers to print his music and have it performed all across Europe. Before this, music mostly stayed in one place and wasn't shared as widely.