Music During The Baroque Period

The Baroque era was an important time in the construction of early music. Between the years of 1600 and 1750, musical composers were concerned with the effect that music could have on the interpretation of language, this lead into the creation of opera. Before the Baroque era, music was mainly produced with only an instrumental sound. This was the time when fresh categories of music were being introduced and the critiquing of existing techniques occurred (Forney 102). This time period brought about an era of change and exploration (Forney 103). During the progression of the Baroque era, new aspects of music were being experimented with and discovered. A paramount feature of this time was the deviation from a musical texture with many contrasting …show more content…
She was one of the most important female figures in the history of music. During the Baroque era, she was an extraordinary composer. She was a powerful Italian composer as well as a performer (Emerson 23). Caccini contributed to the development of the new Florentine approach to music that included a solo voice. She was the daughter of Lucia Gagnolandi and Giulio Caccini. In addition, her mother was a member of a group of women performers in Florence that sang in the seventeenth century (Caccini). After changes to the ensemble, Francesca Caccini and her students joined and took part in various theatrical events and intimate performances (Caccini). Around 1602, the ensemble merged with a group of men that performed during HOLY WEEK in the Medici parish church in Santa Felicita (Caccini). Caccini became a singer, instrumentalist, and composer for the Medici court (Emerson 28). In 1618, she composed II primo libro delle musiche a una e due voci, which was a very popular and compelling piece of music. Eventually, she was asked by the court to produce an extensive piece of music for the upcoming arrival of King Wladislaw IV of Poland (Emerson 23). Up for the challenge, in 1625 Caccini wrote an opera called La liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina. In 1628, this opera was performed in Warsaw, which made it the first Italian opera to be conducted out of Italy. These two pieces of music brought her …show more content…
This era led to the introduction of the opera. It is important to acquire information about early female musicians because without them, music would not be what it is today. Despite the obstacles that women faced in the early construction of music, they played a major part. The Baroque era was a time, where women were given more opportunities for musical expansion. The church was a place where women were given small freedom to partake in some musical activities, such as singing in a convent. Women have provided colossal contributions to the construction of music. Francesca Caccini was an exceptionally talented composer, who created a new approach to music. Faustina Bordoni was an Italian opera singer, who was incredibly gifted. She was considered to be incredibly famous during her time. Francesca Cuzzoni was another Italian opera singer, who gained much praise. Caccini, Bordoni, and Cuzzoni greatly contributed to the development of music. Despite how far music has come, women still face discrimination and restrictions in the music industry. Today, women face obstacles in music (Barnet 108). Women are still trying to break “the glass ceiling” in the music industry (Barnet 103). Due to the extensive research by Richard D. Barnet, he explained how women are treated unfairly and receive unequal pay (Barnet 116). In spite of the restraints that women are shackled with even today,