Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 to 1750 (see Dates of classical music eras for a discussion of the problems inherent in defining the beginning and end points). This era is said to begin in music after the Renaissance and to be followed by the Classical music era. The original meaning of «baroque» is «irregularly shaped pearl», a strikingly fitting characterization of the architecture and design of this period; later, the name came to be applied also to its music. Baroque music forms a major portion of the classical music canon. It is widely performed, studied and listened to. It is associated with composers such as J.S. Bach, George Friedrich Händel, Antonio Vivaldi, and Claudio Monteverdi. During the period, music theory, diatonic tonality, and imitative counterpoint developed. More elaborate musical ornamentation, as well as changes in musical notation and advances in the way instruments were played also appeared. Baroque music would see an expansion in the size, range and complexity of performance, as well as the establishment of opera as a type of musical performance. Many musical terms and concepts from this era are still currently in use.
Music conventionally described as Baroque encompasses a wide range of styles from a wide geographic region, mostly in Europe, composed during a period of approximately 150 years. The term «Baroque», as applied to this period in music is a relatively recent development, first being used by Curt Sachs in 1919, and only acquiring currency in English in the 1940s. Indeed, as late as 1960 there was still considerable dispute in academic circles whether it was meaningful to lump together music as diverse as that of Jacopo Peri, Domenico Scarlatti and J.S. Bach with a single term; yet the term has become widely used and accepted for this broad range of music. It may be helpful to distinguish it from both the preceding (Renaissance) and following (Classical) periods of musical history. A small number of musicologists argue that it should be split in to Baroque and Mannerist periods to conform to the divisions that are sometimes applied in the visual arts.
- Baroque Aria – Dedicated to the operatic, cantata, oratorio, serenta and drama arias, this site presents editions, articles and discussions on the subject.
- The Baroque Cantata – Devoted to the baroque cantata repertoire (17th century and 18th century), with articles and editions within the genre.
- Baroque Composers and Musicians – Historical context; biographies. Italy, Germany, England, France, Spain.
- Baroque Flute Teachers International Yellow Pages – A self-maintaining, worldwide database of baroque flute teachers.
- Baroque InfoCentral – Information about obscure 17th-century composers.
- Baroque Music – Humorous introduction: styles, dates, musicians.
- Baroque Music – Articles, suggested recordings, links, portraits, and music samples by Arton.
- Baroque Music UK – Directory resource for baroque music with a particular bias towards the UK, includes articles and new editions.
- Baroque Music.com – [fan site] Brief introduction to the music, major composers, woodwind instruments; a few MIDI samples.
- Music of the Augustan Age: Historical Background – Baroque Music in Dresden
- NewOlde.com – Personal site promoting historically-informed performances of early music and baroque opera. Includes reviews, opinion, discographies, and news of recent books and recordings.
- The Porpora Project – An investigation into the life and music of Baroque composer Nicola Porpora.
- The Scarlatti Project – Researching and recordings of the vocal and keyboard music of the Italian composer Alessandro Scarlatti.
- Society for Seventeenth-Century Music – Studies and performs of seventeenth-century music and related arts: includes an online journal, calendar of events, and membership information.
- Traverso – Historical Flute Newsletter – Newsletter with information about the baroque, renaissance, and classical flute and its music and a forum.
- Vibrato in Baroque Vocal Music – Article discussing approaches to «historical» performance practice.
