Thursdays – Music in the Period of Common Practice Introduction and Concepts About Musical Common Practice.

Thursdays – Music in the Period of Common Practice Introduction and Concepts About Musical Common Practice.

As we examine the major works composed by the composers of that period, we will try to use examples that feature the instruments listeners will have heard during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.  During the Late Baroque, composers relied heavily on patronage from nobility, the Church, and wealthy individuals to sustain their careers.  Sometimes that patronage would free the composer to create some marvelous time-tested works.

Other times, that patronage would restrict the composer from creating certain types of work or to work with limited choice over instrumentation.  As we discuss the major composers of the late baroque, we will look at the impact of patronage, the new musical forms that would surface during this period, and ultimately how every changing musical form, coupled with changes in art and in composers’ world would make way for the transition to the classical period.”