Chapter 1　The Rhythmic Baroque Music
第一章　旋律丰富的巴洛克音乐

1．The overall characteristics of Baroque Music　巴洛克时期音乐概述

The word "baroque" comes from the Portuguese word barroco, meaning "misshapen pearl", used to describe bizarre and over-decorated things. The Baroque era covers 150 years from 1600 to 1750, and it also refers to a very clearly definable type or genre of music which originated, broadly speaking. During the period, composers and performers used more elaborate musical ornamentation, made changes in musical notation, and developed new instrumental playing techniques. In terms of vocal music, a range of new forms came in to being, such as mass, opera, oratorio, cantata, solo and chorus songs, etc. Emerging instrumental music included toccata, overture, fantasia, fugue, partita, sonata, concerto, etc. The most prestigious composers of the Baroque era include Monteverdi, Lully, and J.S. Bach.

“巴洛克”这个词来自葡萄牙语，原意是指畸形的珍珠，在艺术上指代奇怪的、过分雕琢的艺术风格。巴洛克时期指的是从1600～1750年这150年，这一时期的音乐就称为巴洛克音乐。巴洛克时期的音乐突破了禁欲、单调的宗教音乐的统治地位，其旋律富有表现力，追求的是宏大的规模与雄伟、庄重、辉煌的效果。这一时期的作曲家们开发了更加细腻的音乐变化形式、记谱方式和乐器演奏方法，在声乐方面有弥撒、歌剧、清唱剧、康塔塔以及各种独唱、合唱曲，在器乐方面有托卡塔、前奏曲、幻想曲、赋格曲、变奏曲、奏鸣曲、协奏曲。这一时期的代表人物有：蒙特威尔第、吕利和巴赫。

2．The characteristics of Baroque style　巴洛克音乐的特点

Baroque musicians had come up with a number of new methods to record more complex changes in music. Some of them are still being used today. Also, musical instruments were improved. The Baroque Music has the following features:

First, concerning music theory, the more widespread use of thoroughbass represents the developing importance of harmony as the linear underpinnings of polyphony.

Thoroughbass is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords, and non-chord tones, in relation to a bass note. In Baroque period, there was a low-pitched part running through the whole music in almost every piece of composition, which was aptly called thoroughbass. Yet thoroughbass was only noted in the musical staff⁽¹⁾ with numbers and accidentals⁽²⁾ beneath the base-line⁽³⁾ to indicate what intervals above the bass notes should be played, and therefore which inversions of which chords are to be played. Therefore it is also called figured bass. Thoroughbass was an accompaniment used in almost all genres of music in the Baroque period, thus considered as one of the most prominent features of the era.

Second, polyphony reached its peak during Baroque period.

The philosophy of Baroque music is that music represents the emotions of real life and, in so doing, excites the listener's emotions. Contrast is an important ingredient in the drama of a baroque composition. The differences between loud and soft, solo and ensemble (as in the concerto), different instruments and timbres all play an important role in many baroque compositions. As a result, polyphony gained prestige during this period. Polyphony is a form of composition in which a piece of music consists of two or more melodic parts. These parts are independent of one another and each has its own features, brought together to form a piece of music of great complexity. It was a popular form of composition Baroque music, and developed to maturity by the German composer Bach.

According to scientific research, Baroque music can also help to enhance creativity. Its rhythm of 60 beats per minute is largely the same with people's pulse and breathing speed, giving the music a soothing effect. Relatively small oscillation and low frequency stimulates the brain and activate it into the most efficient status. Memory and creativity are greatly enhanced by this way. For those who use their brains a lot, Baroque music is highly recommended.

Third, opera and the common use of musical instrument is one of the foremost innovations of the Baroque era.

The advent of the opera at the turn of the seventeenth century is often associated with the activities of a group of poets, musicians and scholars in Florence known today as the Florentine Camerata. The subjects of the first operas are all taken from Greek myth, reflecting the genre's close alliances with attempts to recreate the music and drama of ancient cultures, and were performed solely in aristocratic circles for invited guests. The first surviving opera was Jacopo Peri's Dafne (1598), and the earliest opera still performed today is Claudio Monteverdi's L'Orfeo (1607).

When the first public opera houses opened in Venice in 1637, the genre was altered to suit the preferences of the audience. Solo singers took on a sort of celebrity status, and greater emphasis was placed on the aria as a result. Recitative grew less important, and choruses and dances virtually disappeared from Italian opera. The financial realities of staging frequent opera productions also had an effect. The spectacular stage effects associated with opera at court were greatly downplayed. By the early 18th century (particularly in Naples), two subgenres of opera became evident: opera seria, in which the focus was on serious subject matter and the da capo aria, and opera buffa, which had a lighter, even comic tone and sometimes used duets, trios and larger ensembles. The Italian tradition of opera began to dominate most European countries.

巴洛克时期开始受到重视的键盘乐器和小提琴

Musical instruments were another highlight of the period. Composers began to write music specifically for a particular medium, such as the violin or the solo voice. Before and during Renaissance, music had no interchangeable or idioms that might be either sung or played by almost any combination of voices and instruments, and instrument accompaniment were not mandatory. Even when the players did use instrument, it was only there to repeat certain part of the music without any features of its own. After 1600, instrumental and vocal styles began to be differentiated. A rich interchange and interpenetration of idioms were observed, for instance, transfer of lute ornaments to keyboard or vocal techniques to violin.

在巴洛克时期，音乐家们发明了许多记录更加复杂的音乐变化的方法，许多方法沿用至今，乐器也有了很大的改进。巴洛克时期音乐的主要特点包括以下几个方面：

第一，音乐理论方面，通奏低音在此时期的应用非常广泛。

“通奏低音”是一种为低声部记录音程、和弦和非和弦音调的记谱方式。在巴洛克时期，几乎所有音乐都有一个独立的低音声部持续在整个作品中，因此叫做通奏低音。但是当时作曲家们只写出上下两个声部，通奏低音没有独立的记录方式，只在下声部中用数字标出，留给演奏家作即兴处理，所以通奏低音也叫数字低音。通奏低音的运用贯穿于整个巴洛克时期，成为巴洛克音乐的一个最重要的技术特征。

第二，复调音乐发展到最高峰。

巴洛克音乐的节奏强烈、跳跃，其灵感发自生活，对比鲜明，融合了强音和弱音、独唱和合唱、不同乐器和音质的对比，给听众以强烈震撼。所以，当时复调越来越流行。所谓复调，就是将几条旋律线按照一定的规则加以结合的一种多声部音乐，这几条旋律线都具有独立意义，注重各自的横向发展，彼此形成对比或相互补充。复调是巴洛克音乐常用的形式，由德国音乐家巴赫发展到了顶峰。

据现代科学研究，巴洛克音乐的节奏还有激发思维的特点。巴洛克音乐每分钟约60拍，与我们人类的脉搏与呼吸频率大致相同，使我们的脉搏和呼吸趋于中和与稳定。巴洛克音乐的低振幅、低频率又可以促进脑内吗啡的分泌，使大脑进入最活跃的状态，能让学习、记忆和创造性思维获得充分的施展。所以，经常用脑的人们不妨多听听巴洛克音乐吧！

第三，歌剧的诞生和器乐的凸显，成为这个时期最强劲的亮点。

16世纪末、17世纪初，歌剧开始出现，这种形式首先是由佛罗伦萨的一群诗人、音乐家和学者组成的团体发起的，他们被叫做“佛罗伦萨乐团”。初期的歌剧都是取材自古希腊神话，表现出佛罗伦萨派企图振兴古文化的意愿，并且这些歌剧只给贵族表演。史上第一部歌剧是雅各布·佩里的《达芙妮》（1598年），而现在仍在上演的最早的歌剧是克劳迪奥·蒙特威尔第的《奥菲欧》（1607年）。

1637年第一部公演歌剧在威尼斯开幕的时候，歌手被塑造成巨星的形象，因此独唱的咏叹调很多，而宣叙调很少，合唱和舞蹈几乎在意大利歌剧中消失了。另外，由于财力有限，歌剧的舞台效果也没有得到应有的重视。18世纪初期（主要在那不勒斯），出现了两种歌剧形式：一个是正歌剧，主题非常严肃，多用返始咏叹调；另一个是喜歌剧，气氛轻松幽默，常用对唱、三重唱和大合唱。从那时起，意大利歌剧开始在欧洲国家中占有越来越重要的地位。

在巴洛克时期，器乐可以扬眉吐气。作曲家们开始针对某一种特定的表现形式作曲，比如小提琴、独唱。在文艺复兴时期和更早的时候，音乐的表现形式不受限制，怎么唱、怎么演奏都没有定律，乐器伴奏时有时无，即使乐器有登台露脸的机会，也是重复某一个声部的旋律，担任强化工作而已。公元1600年以后，器乐和声乐的特点更加分明了，小提琴和键盘乐器取代长笛和演唱，成为主要的音乐表现形式。

3．Representatives of Baroque Music　巴洛克音乐代表人物

Early Baroque Period (1600–1630) and representative musicians　早期的巴洛克音乐风格和代表音乐家

The early Baroque composers were interested in stylistic rather than formal innovations like the recitative and concertato styles. An extra-ordinary desire for dissonance was noted. Harmony was pre-tonal. A general stylistic and formal principle that distinguishes Renaissance from early Baroque music is discontinuity. The desire for contrast abandoned both rhythmic and melodic continuity. Some of the masterpieces were completely discontinuous and rhapsodic in melody, harmony and rhythm.

巴洛克早期的音乐家们偏向于风格而不是形式的改造，他们经常使用宣叙调和协奏曲的风格，喜欢不和谐的音符，非常重视音调。此时的音乐与文艺复兴时期最大的不同就是追求强烈的对比，节奏和旋律不再是一成不变，有的作品的旋律、和声和节奏完全打乱，如狂想曲一般的随性。

Monteverdi:the founder of Italian opera　蒙特威尔第：意大利歌剧奠基人

Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643), an Italian composer, marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition—the heritage of Renaissance polyphony and the new basso continuo (thoroughbass) technique of the Baroque. His innovative operas are considered earliest operas in the world, including L'Orfeo, Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria, L'incoronazione di Poppea.

Monteverdi led the innovation of music away from the constraint of the church. The basis of his music was that music must match the mood of the verse and that the natural declamation of the words must be carefully followed. The melody is angular, the harmony increasingly dissonant, the mood tense to the point of neurosis. His innovation brought about controversy. Giovanni Maria Artusi, an Italian musical theorist, launched pamphlet attacks on Monteverdi, provoked by Monteverdi's utilisation of intense and prolonged dissonance. In defense of his style, Monteverdi put forth the idea of prima prattica and second prattica, two terms describing the distinction between the old and new style. Prima prattica refers to the Renaissance polyphony style which had strict requirements on contrappunto and the balance of the music. On the contrary, second prattica gained more flexibility in contrappunto and a combination of soprano and basso, a sign of irreversible progress. Monteverdi also emphasized that in prima prattica, polyphony is the master of verse and harmony is the master of the word. In second prattica, however, the word is the master of harmony or, music is subservient to the words.

His opera L'Orfeo (1607) became the first opera in the world, ushering a new ear for this new form of art. It demonstrated the array of effects and techniques of seconda pratica. L'Orfeo included features which are recognizable even to the end of the baroque period, including use of idiomatic writing. This opera demonstrated that Monteverdi knew more about this genre of music than did his precursors. For instance, his recitative is more flexible and expressive than any of theirs; they were based on the declamatory melody of his madrigals rather than on their theories of heightened speech. L'Orfeo has set the basic mode for operas that came after it.

克劳迪奥·蒙特威尔第（1567～1643年）是一位意大利作曲家，也是文艺复兴时期到巴洛克时期过渡的标志性人物。他发展了两种独特的作曲风格，一个是完善了文艺复兴时期的复调，另一个就是创造了巴洛克时期盛行一时的通奏低音。同时，他写的歌剧被视为世界上最早的一批歌剧，包括《奥菲欧》、《尤里适斯回国》、《朴比的加冕》等等。

蒙特威尔第是创作有情感的旋律、摆脱宗教的束缚的新音乐倡导者。他认为曲调必须与歌词密切配合，传递歌词所蕴含的情绪。他的音乐尖锐直接、矛盾突出、情绪起伏非常大，他的创新还为自己引来了一场争论。乔瓦尼·玛利亚·阿图希是一位意大利音乐理论家，他对蒙特威尔第音乐的不和谐风格非常不满，于是写文章大加挞伐。在与阿图希的争论中，蒙特威尔第把音乐分成了两大派系：第一个派系就是正统派（prima pratica），第二个派系就是先锋派（seconda pratica）。前一个派系代表了16世纪那种经典的多声音乐，这种音乐形式有严格的对位法（Contrappunto）和对于音部的平衡要求；后一个派系代表了新生的，采用更加具有弹性的对位法、出众的女高音（soprano）部分和低音（basso）部分。蒙特威尔第强调，作曲家在运用正统派风格时，和声（指复调音乐）是歌词的主人，即形式第一，内容第二；而在先锋派中则相反，歌词应成为和声的主人，即内容第一，形式第二。

他创作的歌剧《奥菲欧》（1607年）世界上第一部真正意义上的歌剧，它使歌剧艺术从此进入一个成熟的发展期。作品集中表现了“第二常规”的所有特点和技术，包括用口语和习语写作。这部歌剧确立了他超越前人的历史地位，他的宣叙调更加柔和且富有表现力，这种风格在他创作的大量的牧歌上发展而来，而不是从大吹大嚷的理论中来的。《奥菲欧》奠定了以后歌剧创作的基本模式。

Middle Baroque Period (1630–1680) and the rise of bel-canto style　中期的巴洛克音乐风格和美声唱法的流行

The middle period is associated with the bel-canto style in cantata and opera. The modes were reduced to major and minor, and the chord progressions were governed by a rudimentary tonality which restrained the free dissonance treatment of the early Baroque. Vocal and instrumental music were of equal importance. In this relatively stable period genres such as the trio sonata and the da capo aria enjoyed sureness.

This period also paralleled with the Age of Absolutism in Europe, personified by Louis XIV of France. The style of palace and arts which he fostered became the model for the rest of Europe. Rising church and state patronage created the demand for organized public music.

法国国王路易十四（1638～1715年），他高傲而奢华，被称为“太阳王”，修建了认恢宏奢华而举世闻名的凡尔赛宫	富丽堂皇的凡尔赛宫内部

巴洛克中期的音乐主要体现在康塔塔和戏剧的美声唱法中，此期作品形式简化成了大调和小调，音调规则基本形成，不像早期巴洛克音乐那么不和谐了，声乐和器乐受到同等重视。在这个相对平稳的时期，奏鸣曲和返始咏叹调得到发展。

这一时期也是欧洲的集权主义盛行时期，皇权的代表人物是法国的路易十四。他奢华的宫殿和扶植的艺术成为欧洲各国效仿的对象，而宗教势力和国家实力的提升需要大量有组织的大型的音乐。

Lully：inaugurator of tragedie lyrique　吕利：抒情悲剧的开创者

Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632–1687), an Italian-French composer. He used to be the sole composer of operas for the king. He founded French opera (tragédie lyrique), having found Italian style opera inappropriate for the French language. Lully can be considered the founder of French opera, having forsaken the Italian method of dividing musical numbers into separate recitatives and arias, choosing instead to combine the two for dramatic effect. He also opted for quicker story development as was more to the taste of the French public.

Lully composed many ballets for the King in which the King and Lully himself danced. The influence of Lully's music produced a radical revolution in the style of the dances of the court itself. Instead of the slow and stately movements which had prevailed until then, he introduced lively ballets of rapid rhythm. He also had tremendous success composing the music for the comedies of Molière, including Le Mariage forcé (1664), L'Amour médecin (1665), and Le Bourgeois gentilhomme (1670). It was when he met Molière that together they created the comédie-ballet, which combined theater, comedy, and ballet.Lully's music is still played regularly via recordings at the Palace of Versailles during the summertime in the gardens, setting the mood for one's visit.

让-巴普蒂斯特·吕利（1632～1687年），意大利籍法国作曲家，曾是专为路易十四服务的唯一歌剧作家。他觉得意大利风格的歌剧不适合用法语表演，于是创立了法国特有的歌剧形式：抒情悲剧。他舍弃了意大利歌剧将音乐分成不同的宣叙调和咏叹调的形式，将两种歌曲合并起来，这一创新举动使他成为法国歌剧的奠基人。他创作的快速发展的故事情节的歌剧也迎合了德国大众的品味。

吕利还为皇帝创作芭蕾舞曲，路易十四和他自己都参与表演。吕利的作品给宫廷舞蹈带来了革命性的影响。当时的舞蹈动作大多缓慢优雅，而吕利的舞蹈却节奏鲜明动作活泼。他与大剧作家莫里哀相识，两人合作了许多芭蕾舞剧，如《被强迫的婚姻》(1664年)、《爱情医生》(1665年)、《中产阶级绅士》(1670年)。他与莫里哀一起创作了新的芭蕾舞形式：喜剧芭蕾，其融合戏剧、喜剧和芭蕾于一体。直到今天，每逢夏季凡尔赛宫仍然会演奏吕利的音乐，以迎接世界各地的游客。

Late Baroque Period (1680–1750) and its legacy　晚期巴洛克音乐——经典的大成

The forms which had begun to be established in the previous era flourished and were given wider range of diversity; concerto, suite, sonata, concerto grosso, oratorio, opera and ballet all saw a proliferation of national styles and structures. The overall form of pieces was generally simple, with repeated binary forms (AABB), simple three part forms (ABC), and rondeau forms being common. These schematics in turn influenced later composers.

巴洛克晚期，各种前中期出现和发展起来的音乐形式得到进一步完善，其形式更多样、内容更丰富，协奏曲、组曲、奏鸣曲、大协奏曲、清唱曲、歌剧和芭蕾在各个国家都形成了自己的特色和结构。但此期音乐的结构比较简单，多是有重复旋律的对称结构、三重结构或者回旋结构，这些音乐构架影响了后来的作曲家。

Bach: father of European music　巴赫：欧洲音乐之父

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) was one of the greatest musicians in Europe. Many of his works are still known today, such as The Brandenburg Concertos, The Mass in B minor, The Well-Tempered Clavier, and his chorales, partitas, passions, and organ works. He has, over time, come to be seen as the towering figure of Baroque music. Virtually every instrument and ensemble of the age—except for the theatre genres—is represented copiously in his output. He was born in to a musical family and his four sons later became musicians too, making the Bachs a legendary family in the German musical history.

The accomplishments of his life mainly encompass the following three aspects:

His music praises God as well the common people.

Bach's devout relationship with the Christian God in the Lutheran tradition and the high demand for religious music of his times placed sacred music at the centre of his repertory. A majority of his work were devoted to God. In Bach's mind, music was the Bable tower that would lead him to heaven and talk to God.

Bach created the grand scale works—the St Matthew Passion and the St John Passion. St Matthew Passion is considered to be one of the pillars of Western musical culture, based on the Biblical text of the betrayal by his disciple, arrest, trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In the praise of God, Bach infused his love for humanity into the composition, glorifying actions of sacrifice for saving the people, elevating the music high above the level of pure church music.

Second, Bach's musical innovations plumbed the depths and the outer limits of the Baroque homophonic and polyphonic forms. Bach's polyphony is strictly linear, has a balance in its internal structure. There are comments like this that stress the beauty of Bach's polyphonic music: "One cannot understand western music without studying J.S. Bach. And even a rigorous composer cannot be said to have mastered his profession without an in-depth study into Bach's polyphonic works too."

Third, he established the twelve-tone equal temperament for keyboard instrument. Pianos today are made on this division of tones. In 1722, Bach published a collection of his solo keyboard music and titled the book The Well-Tempered Clavier. He first composed these music pieces "for the profit and use of musical youth desirous of learning, and especially for the pastime of those already skilled in this study." The very nature of the piece established a tuning requirement for harmonies which were to become the basis for all Western music developed through the early 20th century. It is still a very useful book for piano learners these days.

宗教人物圣马太，耶酥十二使徒之一，曾到波斯等地传教，后被杀害	宗教人物圣约翰，耶稣最爱的使徒之一

约翰·塞巴斯蒂安·巴赫（1685～1750年），欧洲最伟大的作曲家之一，其创作的《勃兰登堡协奏曲》、《b小调弥撒曲》、《平均律钢琴曲集》以及大量的合唱曲、变奏曲、受难曲和器乐曲时至今日仍受到世人的厚爱。巴赫是巴洛克时期音乐的集大成者，他创作了除歌剧以外的几乎所有巴洛克时期的音乐体裁，并对其中任何一种都能运用自如。巴赫奠定了现代西洋音乐几乎所有作品样式的体例基础。他的先辈世代均为乐师，四个儿子也都是作曲家，这使巴赫家族在德国音乐史上颇具传奇色彩。

巴赫一生的主要功绩有：

第一，他的音乐在歌颂上帝的同时也歌唱平凡的生命。

巴赫是一个虔诚的路德教派新教徒，而当时宗教音乐需求量很大，所以他的音乐作品中有很大一部分是歌颂上帝的。在他看来，音乐是他通向天国与上帝对话的高塔。

巴赫创作了规模宏大的宗教音乐作品：《圣马太受难曲》和《圣约翰受难曲》。其中《圣马太受难曲》是根据马太福音里有关耶稣受难的过程创作的，真实地再现了耶稣被门徒出卖、被捕、受审、被钉十字架和被埋葬等场景，它是西方历史上最重要的宗教音乐之一。从中人们可以感到巴赫实际上已经超越了宗教音乐的局限，将一股强烈的人文主义精神融入其中，他所宣扬的是为拯救人类的苦难而勇于牺牲的崇高道德。

第二，他吸收主调音乐⁽⁴⁾和复调音乐⁽⁵⁾的优点，把复调音乐发展到了高峰。在巴赫的复调音乐中，几条旋律之间井然有序，主次分明，非常和谐。有人曾经这样评价：“不学习巴赫，就不懂西方音乐；而不深入研究巴赫的复调音乐，哪怕钢琴弹得再好也是枉然。”

第三，他确立了键盘乐器十二平均律⁽⁶⁾原则，现在的钢琴即是根据十二平均律来定音的。1722年，他把自己创作的键盘独奏曲集合编成两卷，冠名为《平均律钢琴曲集》，最初的读者对象是“学习欲望浓厚的年轻音乐学子，特别是给那些琴艺成熟的人作为消遣练习之用。”这两卷曲集成为20世纪初期西方音乐定调的圣经，至今仍是人们学习钢琴的经典曲目。

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(1) Musical staff: 五线谱

(2) Accidental: 变调符

(3) Base-line: 低声部

(4) 主调音乐：整部作品的进行以其中某一个声部（多数情况下是高音部）的旋律为主，其他的声部以和声或节奏等手法进行陪衬和伴奏。

(5) 复调音乐：将几条旋律线按照一定的规则加以结合的一种多声部音乐，这几条旋律线都具有独立意义，注重各自的横向发展，彼此形成对比或相互补充。

(6) 十二平均律：世界上通用的把一组音（八度）分成十二个半音音程的律制，各相邻两律之间的振动数之比完全相等。