Introduction to Baroque Music - MUS00198C

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Module summary

This module will introduce students to the study and performance of music from the Baroque period.

Module will run

Occurrence	Teaching period
A	Semester 1 2025-26

Module aims

This module will provide an introduction to the study and performance of baroque music, through exploration of primary and secondary sources, critical discussion of pertinent theories and ideologies, musical analysis, and performance. It will cover topics such as the principles of rhetoric, the doctrine of affections, the performer-composer relationship (including the role of the score), and issues of stylistic performance practice (including the “HIP” movement, ornamentation, and rhythmic alteration). These areas played a central role in the composition, performance, and reception of music of this time. In order to explore these issues effectively, students will be introduced to the fundamentals of research – how to access primary and secondary materials and assess them critically. In addition, they will be encouraged to consider the practical implications of their findings, hence uniting issues of theory and practice.

This module will be taught through a combination of lectures, group discussions and practical exercises.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the taught part of the module all students should:

• be familiar with a range of repertoire from the Baroque period
• have an understanding of the different styles and philosophies that influenced music of the time
• have an understanding of issues of historically-informed performance practice
• be able to apply issues of baroque style to performance
• know how to access primary and secondary sources and how to interpret them critically
• be able to apply theoretical issues to practice
• have delivered a short presentation to the class

In this module you will also demonstrate the following learning outcomes for independent work:

• be able to present a detailed written discussion on a specific topic, by exploring, combining and critically commenting on information from primary and secondary sources alongside their own ideas
• have in-depth knowledge of their chosen subject area

Indicative assessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100.0

Special assessment rules

None

Additional assessment information

This module will be assessed by an essay of c. 2500 words on a topic agreed in tutorial. Students will also undertake formative work during the module: they will deliver a seminar presentation on the topic of their essay.

Indicative reassessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100.0

Module feedback

You will receive written feedback in line with standard University turnaround times.

Indicative reading

Primary sources:

• Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel. Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments (Part One: 1753; Part Two: 1762), 2^nd edition. Edited and translated by William John Mitchel. London: Cassell, 1951.
• Couperin, François. The Art of Playing the Harpsichord (1716), 2^nd edition. Edited and translated by Margery Halford. Alfred Publishing, 2008.
• Mozart, Leopold. A Treatise on the Fundamental Principles of Violin Playing (1756), 2^nd edition. Edited by Editha Knocker with a preface by Dr. Alfred Einstein. London: Oxford University Press, 1951.
• Tosi, Pier Franceso. Observations on the Florid Song: Or Sentiments on the Ancient and Modern Singers (Bologna, 1723). Translated by John Ernest Galliard (1742) with new foreword, annotations and index by Gregory Blankenbehler. [n. p.]: Pitch Perfect Publishing Company, 2009.
• Quantz, Johann Joachim. On Playing the Flute: The Classic of Baroque Music Instruction (1752), 2^nd edition. Edited and translated by Edward R. Reilly. London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1985.

Secondary sources:

• Donington, Robert. The Interpretation of Early Music, New Revised Edition. New York and London: W. W. Norton & Company, 1992.
• Haynes, Bruce. The End of Early Music: A Period Performer's History of Music for the Twenty-First Century. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.
• Hefling, Stephen. Rhythmic Alteration in Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Music: Notes Inégales and Overdotting. New York: Schirmer Books, 1993.
• Tarling, Judy. The Weapons of Rhetoric. St Albans: Corda Music, 2005.

Additional reading will be suggested during the module