Page 91 - ESSENTIAL LISTENING TO MUSIC

(Figure 5.2). Every square inch is covered with decoration of one sort or another. The riot of sculpture and painting adds both warmth and energy to what would otherwise be a vast void.
Similarly, when expressed in the music of the Baroque era, this love of energetic detail within large-scale compositions took the form of a highly ornamental melody set upon a solid chordal foundation. Sometimes the decoration almost seems to over- run the fundamental harmonic structure of the piece. Notice in Example 5.1 the abundance of melodic flourishes in just a few measures of music for violin by Arcangelo Corelli (1653–1713). Such ornaments were equally popular with the singers of the early Baroque period, when the cult of the vocal virtuoso first emerged.
Figure 5.2
The Baroque church of Our Lady of Victory in Rome (1603–1675). The pow- erful pillars and arches set a strong structural framework, while the painted ceiling and elaborately sculpted angels add decoration and energy. Even the organ at the back lends a sense of exuberance to the space.
Example 5.1 > ornamentation of melody
Baroque Painting and Music
Many of the principles at work in Baroque architecture are also found in Baroque painting and music. Baroque canvases are usually large and colorful. Most important, they are overtly dramatic. Drama in painting is created by contrast: bright light is set against darkness; bold colors are juxtaposed; and lines are placed at right angles to one another, evoking tension and energetic movement. Figure 5.3 depicts a horrific scene: the woman Judith visiting retribution upon the Assyrian general Holofernes, as painted by Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1656). Here the play of light and dark creates a dramatic effect,
Figure 5.3
Judith Beheading Holofernes (c. 1615) by Artemisia Gentileschi. The grisly scene of Judith slaying the tyrant general was painted several times by Gentileschi, perhaps as a vivid way of demonstrating her abhorrence of aggressive male domination.
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© Museo e Gallerie Nazionali di Capodimonte, Naples/The Bridgeman Art Library International
Craig Wright
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