# New Baroque Music?



## NathanW (Jun 17, 2013)

I really like some of the keyboard works I've heard from Baroque period composers such as J.S. Bach. I was wondering if there are any modern composers that create Baroque-style music, especially for instruments like harpsichord, piano, or the organ. Does anyone know? 

I think there's still a whole world to be explored in this genre of classical alone.


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

NathanW said:


> I think there's still a whole world to be explored in this genre of classical alone.


lol, but that genre has been exploited quite well between 1650 and 1750!... There's plenty of this music there if you like the style...


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

You may want to explore Shostakovitch' Preludes and Fugues which were inspired by and build upon Bach's Well Tempered Clavier. For a whole different take, you might want to look into some of the music of Keith Jarrett. Jarrett was quite inspired by the improvisational aspects of the Baroque and his live recordings make brilliant use of this approach to music making. You might especially look into The Paris Concert... but also the classic The Koln Concert and The Vienna Concert.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

What a potential can of worms you've opened, LOL.

It seems every other amateur and self-taught composer these days wants to, or tries to, write a "Baroque Concerto." Most of them are dreadful, the most successful merely a travesty pastiche.

Now hear this: it is impossible to write more baroque music because no matter what style you compose in, it is no longer the baroque era.

There was / is a 20th century style which did look back to Baroque and earlier music and borrowed its forms, but the writing is a more modern take on harmony within those forms. This music does not "just write more Vivaldi, Bach, Handel, Lully, Rameau, Couperin," etc. But _*does use the older forms, and is very much "in the spirit of" the Baroque era.*_

_(With over 1000 works by Bach, 700 or so from Vivaldi, over a thousand from Telemann, a host of works by those other composers mentioned, all masters at what they did, why on earth would anyone want more when there is so much of the real thing, and the best of it at that?_

Here are some 20th century works (some with harpsichord) in that Neoclassical style (a journalist gave that name, while the style would more accurately be called neobaroque.)

Germaine Taillefaire ~ Piano Concerto No. 1 (...rather "Bachian")









Francis Poulenc ~ Concert champêtre (for Harpsichord and orchestra)





Igor Stravinsky:
Concerto Dumbarton Oaks (this chamber music modeled after the Bach Brandenburg Concerti)




Concerto for violin




Concerto in D for string orchestra









Manuel de Falla ~ Concerto per clavicembalo





Alfredo Casella: 
Divertimento on the music of Domenico Scarlatti, for piano and orchestra




Partita for piano and small orchestra (Partita another baroque form of 'suite')





Stravinsky again, here, "leaner and drier," two piano works...
Piano Sonata




Serenade en La. (this is modeled somewhat after the baroque keyboard suite format)





Harold Shapero ~ Four-hand sonata for piano, here the final 3rd movement.





Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin is truly neobaroque, a multiple movement suite in that format of a prelude followed by a sequence of movements each using a different dance form.





Debussy's Suite Bergamasque follows similar lines.





Bohuslav Martinů ~ the Toccata from Toccata e Due Canzoni (Martinů used Renaissance forms as much as he made use of the Baroque)


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

There are some 20th century composers who arranged and updated traditional baroque or ancient music dances into more contemporary orchestral suites to good effect. I love the style though I don't know a name for it -- maybe baroque with contemporary orchestral timbres.

Respighi - Ancient Airs and Dances





Peter Warlock - Capriol Suite





Grieg - Suite from Holberg's Time





Well, that last wasn't 20th century, but you get the idea.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

This is evidently a double post I cannot delete. Not sure how that happened so I'll take this opportunity to say, shouldn't everyone try to compose a fugue at least when learning composition? It seems like that would a natural phase to go through when studying counterpoint.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hendrik_Bouman


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Martinu: Harpsichord Concerto - a great piece IMO 




Respighi: Toccata for Piano & Orchestra - ditto: 



Concerto a Cinque (a quirky piece) 




Michal Spisak: Bassoon Concerto 




George Barati: Harpsichord Quartet 




Vagn Holmboe: Symphony no.1 



 (very entertaining; strikes me at somewhat Baroque)


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Pavel Karmanov ~ Twice a double concerto


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## NathanW (Jun 17, 2013)

Wow! Thanks for all your responses. 

I do agree that a ton of Baroque music was already written during that time period. However, I think it would be interesting to hear that style combined with a little influence from the 20-21st century, especially when it comes to chord changes. 

PetrB, joen_cph, Weston, and StlukesguildOhio, thanks for all the suggestions and links! It looks like there's definitely a lot to listen to and learn about. I either know of, or have read about, a couple of the pieces from Stravinsky and Debussy. Other than that, this is actually not only an introduction to new music, but to composers I haven't heard yet.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Weston said:


> This is evidently a double post I cannot delete. Not sure how that happened so I'll take this opportunity to say, shouldn't everyone try to compose a fugue at least when learning composition? It seems like that would a natural phase to go through when studying counterpoint.


Standard requirement of all performance and theory majors, university, college or conservatory. At least one semester modal counterpoint, one 18ith century counterpoint. European schools sometimes require more. Completely necessary skill, whether ever directly used again, like so much theory, gives you tools and ways to approach writing your own, and is invaluable when you are a performer/ interpreter.


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## ahammel (Oct 10, 2012)

Paul Hindemith deserves a mention. _Ludus Tonalis_ is another one of those 20th century WTC knock-offs.


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## Tero (Jun 2, 2012)

I had a cassette of Beatles songs done in baroque style, long gone. Have not replaced it.

More harpsichord music from the original era: Rameau.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Tero said:


> I had a cassette of Beatles songs done in baroque style, long gone. Have not replaced it.


Probably the Rifkin elektra-nonesuch issue









I bought it because the LP cover was by Roger Hane, one of the more fascinating designers of the 1970s. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Hane)

Musically it´s not extremely interesting though, IMHO:




 (warning: poor sound transfer on you-t)


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## Mesa (Mar 2, 2012)

Well, since someone already mentioned the Beatles anyhow,



aleazk said:


> lol, but that genre has been exploited quite well between 1650 and 1750!... There's plenty of this music there if you like the style...


Dear Sir or Madam will you hear my fugue
It took me days to write, will you take a look?
It's based on a cantata by a man named Bach
And i need i job 'cause i want to be a baroque writer,

It's about four pages give or take a few,
i'll be writing more in a week or two
I can make it longer if you like the style
I can change it round and i want to be a baroque writer
BAAA-ROQUE WRIIIITEEEERRRR.

Ahem. Probably inappropriate. Oh Wellingtons.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

joen_cph said:


> Probably the Rifkin elektra-nonesuch issue
> 
> View attachment 19980
> 
> ...


This was also an era where musicology grew up and emerged, and with that, performances of older music began to crop up all over the place. There was a veritable rash of popularity involving at least the harpsichord, and it showed up many times in popular music and film scores.

from the film score of _The Heart is a Lonely Hunter_, 1968 by Dave Grusin and Hermine Hilton (link irritatingly cuts short the last chord.) the main tune is given to the harpsichord.




The 1967 soundtrack by Krzysztof Komeda for Polanski's black (and high camp) comedy, 
_The Fearless Vampire Killers, or Pardon Me, But Your Teeth Are in My Neck_




I'm sure there are many more from the same era.

20th century works with harpsichord, a very incomplete list:

Daneil Pinkham ~ Concerto for Celeste and Harpsichord (the two instruments 'solo')
Highly contrapuntal, conservative modernist.
You can audition a few seconds of the Prelude here.... nice sound; nice piece.
http://www.amazon.com/Concerto-Celeste-Harpsichord-I-Prelude/dp/B0058ZL85I

Bohuslav Martinů ~ Concerto for Harpsichord and Small Orchestra

Roberto Gerhard ~ Concerto per clavicembalo, archi e percussione (1956)

Frank Martin ~ Concerto per clavicembalo e piccola orchestra (1951/1952)

Francis Poulenc ~ Concert champêtre para clave y orquesta en Re Mayor (1928)

Manuel de Falla:
Concerto for Harpsichord, flute, oboe, clarinet, violin and 'Cello
El Retablo de Maese Pedro (a puppet opera)

Igor Stravinsky ~ The Rake's Progress (opera)

Elliot Carter ~ Sonata for Flute, Oboe Cello & Harpsichord (1952)

Vittorio Rieti ~ Concerto per clavicembalo e orchestra (1957) / Partita per flauto, oboe, quartetto di corde (sic) e clavicembalo (1945)

Gian Francesco Malipiero ~ Dialogo VI per clavicembalo e orchestra (quasi concerto) (1956)

Allen Sapp ~ Imaginary Creatures (1981)

Henryk Górecki ~ Harpsichord Concerto

Georg Ligeti ~ Continuum, brief and remarkable solo piece


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## dsunlin (Feb 19, 2008)

Weston said:


> There are some 20th century composers who arranged and updated traditional baroque or ancient music dances into more contemporary orchestral suites to good effect. I love the style though I don't know a name for it -- maybe baroque with contemporary orchestral timbres.
> 
> Respighi - Ancient Airs and Dances
> 
> ...


Weston, I was just thinking about this. That particular sub-genre might be "neo-medieval" if anything. Would Stravinsky's Pulcinella be in that category as well? Maybe Rodrigo's Fantasia para un Gentilhombre as well, or is that stretching it a bit too much?


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

I am presently listening to Shostakovich's _24 Preludes & Fugues, Op. 87_ (Scherbakov) that was inspired by Bach and definitely has a baroque sound (in the fugues, I think, but I haven't been following the track listing as it is playing).


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## anthonydaly (Apr 8, 2019)

There are composers nowadays who write in a Baroque-inspired style, integrating elements from the Baroque period of music.See my post in classifieds.


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

Bernard Herrmann's score to The Three Worlds of Gulliver.

Poulenc's Concerto Champetre


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