Music and Extra-Musical Forces.??The Baroque era saw some of the first works of program music (instrumental music depicting

Choose one of the options below.  

Option 1

Music and Extra-Musical Forces.  The Baroque era saw some of the first works of program music (instrumental music depicting an extramusical idea, character, place, or story) and most famously a series of four concertos by Vivaldi called the Four Seasons.  Chapter 4 discussed the first movement of the Spring Concerto.  

• Listen to the Winter, Summer, or Autumn movement from this set of concertos.
• Read the English translation of the poems associated with the movement you have chosen.  
• Write a description of the music that contains 250-300 words. 
  • Include three or more elements of music (melody, rhythm, texture, harmony, form).
  • Use key terms that were introduced in chapters 1 and 4 of your textbook.
  • Describe the music while focusing on how the music represents the season.

Your paper should contain three or more paragraphs:

• Paragraph 1: identify the movement and concerto and the text of the poem that corresponds to the movement
• Paragraph 2: talk about the musical style, including form
• Paragraph 3: connect the musical style to the program

Option 2

The Baroque period saw the rise of instrumental music including the brass music of Gabrieli, the use of the violin family in compositions by Vivaldi and Handel, and the keyboard music of J. S. Bach.  

Choose a short piece of instrumental music by a Baroque composer that is not in the textbook (such as a movement of a concerto or dance suite or a short composition).

1. Describe its performing forces.  
2. Write about at least three fundamental elements of music (melody, rhythm, texture, harmony, form), using key terms introduced in chapters 1 and 4 of your textbook, paying special attention to its form.

Your paper should contain three or more paragraphs:

• Paragraph 1: Introduce composition and composer
• Paragraph 2: Write about the performing forces and genre and use
• Paragraph 3: Write about the musics style
• Your paper should contain 250-300 words.

Option 3

Choose one important historical development or series of events from the Baroque Period and describe one music compositions connected to it in a short paper of 250-300 words.  

You might:

• Reflect on the drama turn to art and literature in the Baroque period and associate this with one music composition from the Baroque
• Reflect on the new interest in the emotions (for example in philosophy such as Descartes Passions of the Soul) and a Baroque composition that might be heard as reflective of certain emotions
• Reflect on the rise of the political absolutism and one composition performed for a major ruler of the time

Your paper should contain three or more paragraphs:

• Paragraph 1: a description of the historical development or series of events
• Paragraph 2: the identification of a music composition associated with that historical development or series of events by its title, composer, and time period and a brief description of its music
• Paragraph 3: discussion of how the music is associated with its historical context
• Your paper should contain 250-300 words.

Citations

Any use of sources must be documented in MLA, APA, or Chicago-Turabian style [].  Consult your syllabus for guidance on when and how to document sources so that you dont commit plagiarism.  You should only use signed sources (that is, sources that have a named author).  You may use Wikipedia to help find signed articles, but Wikipedia should not be used as a source itself.  Anytime you directly quote more than a phrase of five words from another source, you must enclose them in quotation marks.  Reserve quotations for truly unique formulations or controversial statements; paraphrase (and cite) your source whenever possible.  Read through your paper three times before you submit, revising where your prose is unclear or needs further explanation and correcting any errors in spelling, grammar or syntax.  You can also use  for additional proofreading help. Submit your paper to the dropbox as instructed.

The more important musical terms you properly use, the better your paper will be (try to use about 8 of these terms). When you use these terms put them in bold.