A History of Baroque Music

by George J. Buelow

Overview

A History of Baroque Music is an exhaustive study of the music of the Baroque period, with particular focus on the 17th century. Individual chapters consider the work of significant composers, including Monteverdi, Corelli, Scarlatti, Schütz, Purcell, Handel, Bach, and Telemann, as well as specific countries and regions. Two contributed chapters examine composers and genres from Russia, the Ukraine, Slovenia, Croatia, and Latin America. The book also includes a wealth and variety of musical examples from all genres and instrumental combinations.

Contributors are Claudia Jensen, Metoda Kokole, Rui Vieira Nery, and Ennio Stipcevic.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780253343659
Publisher:	Indiana University Press
Publication date:	11/23/2004
Pages:	720
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.76(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

George J. Buelow, Professor Emeritus of Musicology at Indiana University, is former President of the American Bach Society. His research and publications, including several articles in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, focus on the music of the Baroque and the history of opera.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction: "Baroque" as an historical concept
Part I: The Baroque in the Seventeenth Century
Chapter 1: The Renaissance in Transition-Origins of New Musical concepts
Chapter 2: Baroque Innovations in Italy to circa 1640
Chapter 3: Claudio Monteverdi (1567=1643)
Chapter 4: The Baroque in Italy from c1640 to c1700
Chapter 5: Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713 and Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725)

George J. Buelow
Chapter 6: The Baroque in France
Chapter 7: Sacred Music in Northern and Southern Europe and Austria in the Seventeenth Century
Chapter 8: Secular Music in Northern and Southern Europe and Austria in the Seventeenth Century
Chapter 9: Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672)
Chapter 10: English Music during the Stuart Reign, the Commonwealth and the Restoration
Chapter 11: Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Chapter 12: Music in Spain, Portugal, and Latin America
By Rui Vieira Nery
Chapter 13: Music in Eastern Europe
by Ennio Stipcevic, Metoda Kokole, and Claudia Jensen
Part II: The Baroque in Transition
Chapter 14: Music in Italy
Chapter 15: Opera at Hamburg, Dresden, and Vienna
Chapter 16: George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Chapter 17: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Chapter 18: Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Bibliography
Index
List of Contributors

Editorial Reviews

"Given the availability of numerous sophisticated surveys on Baroque music history, this reviewer was astonished that this tome exceeded expectations regarding scope and focus. In an effort to offer a discussion that goes beyond the standard canon of thought, Buelow (emer., Indiana Univ.) explores the works of Iberian, Eastern European, Latin American, and indeed even Caribbean composers. The book is replete with extensive score excerpts and analysis, and the chapters are subdivided into sections treating genre, composer, and technical development—an arrangement that makes this sizeable volume painless to navigate. Some of the most complex issues confronting the author are the paradigm shifts away from the knotty theoretical and philosophical concerns of the Renaissance establishment. Buelow excels in handling this, offering a chapter about this transition that even the uninitiated will be able to comprehend. His portrayal of the cross—cultural ramifications resulting from the contemporary political condition brings with it needed context for tracing musical developments as they occur across the Continent. Though the seemingly obligatory Bach and Handel chapters are somewhat overextended, this is a solid addition to the literature. Summing Up: Essential. Upper—division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. —J. Rubin, University of Minnesot"—Duluth, 2005jun CHOICE

From the Publisher

Given the availability of numerous sophisticated surveys on Baroque music history, this reviewer was astonished that this tome exceeded expectations regarding scope and focus. In an effort to offer a discussion that goes beyond the standard canon of thought, Buelow (emer., Indiana Univ.) explores the works of Iberian, Eastern European, Latin American, and indeed even Caribbean composers. The book is replete with extensive score excerpts and analysis, and the chapters are subdivided into sections treating genre, composer, and technical development—an arrangement that makes this sizeable volume painless to navigate. Some of the most complex issues confronting the author are the paradigm shifts away from the knotty theoretical and philosophical concerns of the Renaissance establishment. Buelow excels in handling this, offering a chapter about this transition that even the uninitiated will be able to comprehend. His portrayal of the cross—cultural ramifications resulting from the contemporary political condition brings with it needed context for tracing musical developments as they occur across the Continent. Though the seemingly obligatory Bach and Handel chapters are somewhat overextended, this is a solid addition to the literature. Summing Up: Essential. Upper—division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. —J. Rubin, Universityof Minnesot

2005jun CHOICE - Duluth

"Given the availability of numerous sophisticated surveys on Baroque music history, this reviewer was astonished that this tome exceeded expectations regarding scope and focus. In an effort to offer a discussion that goes beyond the standard canon of thought, Buelow (emer., Indiana Univ.) explores the works of Iberian, Eastern European, Latin American, and indeed even Caribbean composers. The book is replete with extensive score excerpts and analysis, and the chapters are subdivided into sections treating genre, composer, and technical development—an arrangement that makes this sizeable volume painless to navigate. Some of the most complex issues confronting the author are the paradigm shifts away from the knotty theoretical and philosophical concerns of the Renaissance establishment. Buelow excels in handling this, offering a chapter about this transition that even the uninitiated will be able to comprehend. His portrayal of the cross—cultural ramifications resulting from the contemporary political condition brings with it needed context for tracing musical developments as they occur across the Continent. Though the seemingly obligatory Bach and Handel chapters are somewhat overextended, this is a solid addition to the literature. Summing Up: Essential. Upper—division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. —J. Rubin, University of Minnesot" —Duluth, 2005jun CHOICE

2005jun CHOICE Duluth

Buelow (musicology, emeritus, Indiana Univ.) crowns his long career as a highly respected specialist on Baroque music with this exhaustive and intensive survey of the period. His approach is both novel and complex. Instead of attempting to show a unity of style across the chronology and geography of the period, Buelow posits four possible focuses for historical discussion: concepts of philosophy and theory, formal procedures, new or transformed musical styles, and relationships among musical, social, and political institutions. Although for the most part he is necessarily Eurocentric, he extends the boundaries of consideration to Latin America; he also includes chapters (contributed by specialists) on Croatia, Slovenia, and Russia, which are not typically covered in such surveys. The choice of endnotes over footnotes in this kind of book is unfortunate, since they often contain information that amplifies or clarifies the text. Otherwise, this is an extraordinary achievement and sets a new standard for reconsiderations of music history. Intended for specialists, this is highly recommended for academic and larger public libraries.-Timothy J. McGee, Hastings, Ont. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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