Baroque Era Composers

1. Johann Sebastian Bach (b. 1685 d. 1750)Bach was a genius keyboardist (mastering the organ and harpsichord) and brilliant composer. Bach brought baroque music to its culmination, writing music for nearly every type of musical form. Popular Works: Air on a G String, Double Violin Concerto, Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, B Minor Mass, and The Unaccompanied Cello Suites

2. George Frideric Handel (b. 1685 d. 1759)Born in the same year as Johann Sebastian Bach in a town fifty miles away, George Frideric Handel, who later became a British citizen, led a much different life than Bach. Handel, too, composed for every musical genre of his time, even creating the English oratorio. Popular Works: The Messiah, Music for the Royal Fireworks, and Water Music

3. Antonio Vivaldi (b. 1678 d. 1741)Vivaldi wrote over 500 concertos and is believed to have invented ritornello form (a theme returning throughout the piece). However, much of Vivaldi’s music lay “undiscovered” until the early 1930’s; this newly discovered music earned Vivaldi the title “The Viennese Counterpart to Bach and Handel.” Popular Works: The Four Seasons, Gloria, and Con Alla Rustica in G

4. George Philipp Telemann (b. 1681 d. 1767)A good friend of both Bach and Handel, George Philipp Telemann was also a distinguished musician and composer of his time. Telemann’s incorporation of unusual instrumentation in his concertos is one of the things that that made him unique. Popular Works: Viola Concerto in G, Trio Sonata in C minor, and the Paris Quartets

5. Arcangelo Corelli (b. 1653 d. 1713)Arcangelo Corelli was an Italian teacher, violinist, and composer. Corelli’s mastery of the tone of the newly invented violin earned him great reviews throughout Europe. He is though to have been the first person to create basic violin technique. Popular Works: Concerto Grossi, Christmas Concerto, and Sonata de camera in D minor

6. Henry Purcell (b. 1659 d. 1695)Within a lifetime of only thirty-five years, Purcell achieved musical greatness by being considered one of England’s greatest composers and the most original composer of his time. Purcell was extremely talented in word-setting and composed very successful works for stage. Popular Works: Dido & Aeneas, The Fairy Queen, and Sound the Trumpet

7. Domenico Scarlatti (b. 1685 d. 1757)Domenico Scarlatti, son of Alessandro Scarlatti (another well-known baroque composer), wrote 555 known harpsichord sonatas, of which, over half was written in the last six years of his life. Scarlatti made use of Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish dance rhythms throughout many of his works. Popular Works: Essercizi per Gravicembalo (sonatas for harpsichord)

http://classicalmusic.about.com/od/baroqueperiod/tp/baroquecomposer.htm (Accessed 20 May 2013)