[Festus]

In the Beginning was God.
And God created Bach.
And Bach said, "To make a well sounding harmony to the Honor of God and the permissible delectation of the soul."
Then there was Baroque music.
And Bach died.
Then there was just music.
Amen.

 

[hammeredklavier]

What do you think about this?:

Just because you like Dickens doesn't mean you'll like Eliot (George), Gaskell, Thackeray, the Brontes or Trollope. You can like certain pieces or composers without having to buy into the whole scene around them.

Equally one could say that since Bach is the epitome of the Baroque, what else does one need?

 

[Festus]

What do you think about this?:

Currently there are over 1000 different flavors of ice cream being made. I like 1 of those, period. But that does not prevent me from appreciating the other 999+ flavors.
Subjective statements ("... since Bach is the epitome of the Baroque,... ") are not definitive and thus are subject to personal tastes and at this point we are headed into the world of, "Who is the best Baroque, Classical, Jazz, ... musician and I prefer not to ride that horse.
But I do love 99% of the Baroque music I hear.
I was asked at church one day, "What is Baroque music?" to which I responded with the original post.
-o-o
.

 

[Wilhelm Theophilus]

In the Beginning was God.
And God created Bach.
And Bach said, "To make a well sounding harmony to the Honor of God and the permissible delectation of the soul."
Then there was Baroque music.
And Bach died.
Then there was just music.
Amen.

You missed a key part/person out...

And God created Martin Luther

... Insert before "And God created Bach".

There would be no Bach without Luther.

 

[Wilhelm Theophilus]

And Bach died.
Then there was just music.
Amen.

I don't "Amen" this with you. Its not true.

 

[Kreisler jr]

There was "baroque music" 80 years before Bach was born. He was the third or fourth generation of Baroque composers. The oldest were about 100 years older than him like Monteverdi.

 

[Bwv 1080]

and the baroque period ended around 1720, Bach wrote largely during the galant period which lasted until the 1770s

 

[Ariasexta]

Galant Style to me is as acceptable and enjoyable as baroque, only a few composers since around 1900s I have problem. But I just devote to the music before piano was replacing harpsichord. Harpsichord is the hallmark for me, not exact marking of any period.

The best music should be composed under the proper religious atmosphere, at least no atheistic leanings. One important feature of baroque music is its serious purposes and efforts put into it, no personal melodramas and ostentations.

 

[Ariasexta]

Just imagine, how often people put so much serious thinking and ideas into music? most modern music express the want of attention, money, lame stuff, people can not even be serious anymore, even when hurting each other, people are tended to do evil things with levity and inanity not serioueness. Why so serious? because it is to myself, not to anyone.

 

[tdc]

and the baroque period ended around 1720, Bach wrote largely during the galant period which lasted until the 1770s

True, and Bach passed away in 1750. His style remained baroque though there are galant elements in some of his music.

Monteverdi is perhaps the first baroque composer, he is a top ten composer in my view.