The Baroque Period – Sheet Music & Scores

From the beginning of Monteverdi to the end of J.S Bach, browse our sheet music and scores, and explore all the wonderful baroque music on offer with Stretta today!

Features of the Baroque

One of the key features of this period, was the introduction of the figured bass or basso continuo. The continuous, uninterrupted bass line forms the harmonic basis for baroque music. The harmony developed from the sacred, modal style, to the major-minor system that we use today.

Expression in baroque music was shaped by the doctrine of affect. There was a rich system of figures that corresponded to a musical rhetoric, with which human emotion could be portrayed musically.

In Italy, opera emerged as a new form of expression, combining words, text, plot and staging. Other popular musical forms of the time were the concerto grosso, the suite, the fugue, the Baroque Sonata, the cantata and the oratorio. The most famous oratorios of the time were written by J.S Bach, the Christmas Oratorio, St. Matthew Passion and St. John Passion.

More Important Baroque Composers

• Antonio Vivaldi – Sheet Music
• Alessandro Scarlatti – Sheet Music
• Girolamo Frescobaldi – Sheet Music
• Domenico Scarlatti – Sheet Music
• Barbara Strozzi – Sheet Music
• Arcangelo Corelli – Sheet Music
• Heinrich Schütz – Sheet Music
• Dieterich Buxtehude – Sheet Music
• George Frideric Handel – Sheet Music
• Georg Philipp Telemann – Sheet Music
• Henry Purcell – Sheet Music
• Jean-Baptiste Lully – Sheet Music