22 September, 1 pm to 3 pm
Baroque and beyond I
Michael Worboys at the Parish Church Centre
This lecture is the first of two that introduce to a general audience the Baroque musical style, its precursors and influences. No prior musical knowledge is assumed. The lectures will cover general background, history, context and cultural significance of the Baroque period, as well as taking a closer look at some key Baroque works, including those to be performed in the concerts. The course will be supported by audio and video examples. Attendance at the concerts, while desirable, is not essential as the course can be followed independently of the live performances.
Content of Lecture One: This lecture will focus on the early and middle Baroque musical styles (1600 – 1700) and the break in style from the Renaissance. Topics will include: the elements of Baroque style – vocal and instrumental forms, early opera, the Italian style. We will study and listen to works by Monteverdi, Vivaldi, and others.
29 September, 4 pm to 5 pm
Baroque Art and Culture
Maria Chester, via Zoom
In this lecture Prof Chester will introduce you to the refined and extravagant Baroque, in which the valorisation of detail, the excess of ornaments, the search for sensations and internal passions lead to a sort of dualism and contradiction between light and shadows, the sense of movement, and an extreme explosion of our senses.
Baroque art was a cultural period, not just an art movement, that went from the second half of the XVI century to the first half of the XVIII century. As it is usual in fine arts, Baroque was a contrast to the Renaissance. It can be defined as the “art of appearances” because it is spectacular, gimmicky and emotional: Caravaggio, Bernini, Zurbarán, Velázquez, Murillo, Rubens, all of them are Baroque representatives. You will be also briefly introduced to Baroque architecture in Europe and in South America, where it was called “plateresque” because of the resemblance to the work of silversmiths.
6 October, 1 pm to 3 pm
Baroque and beyond II
Michael Worboys at the Parish Church Centre
Content of Lecture Two: This lecture will focus on the late or High Baroque musical styles (1700 – 1750) and look forward to influences on composers up to the present day. Topics will include: the elements of High Baroque style – vocal and instrumental forms, fusion of French, Italian and German styles. We will study and listen to works by JS Bach, Handel, Telemann, and others.