Dates of the Baroque period in music history are not exact and overlap with the Renaissance and Classical eras. However, the period "officially" began in 1600 and ended with the death of J.S. Bach in 1750. With each section overlapping, the Baroque can also be divided into three parts: early (1600-1640), middle (1640-1680), and late (1680-1750). Baroque is defined as "a deformed pearl," and the period was certainly a time of change, in music, as well as in art, literature, and society. A group known as the Florentine Camerata regularly met to discuss the "expressive style" developing in literature, science, art, and music. Foreshadowed by great artists like Michelangelo, there was a love for the dramatic in all art forms. The ceiling paintings of Baroque artists were extremely expressive. In fact, the Baroque period focused intensely on the emotions, and composers were highly concerned with expressive possibilities in their music. With extreme feelings of joy and sadness, musical compositions ran a gamut of emotions and were of a driving nature. There were no gray areas nor blurring of emotional boundaries in the music of the Baroque masters.

In a worldly system of learning a certain skill, the composer was a "servant," and music was produced for a specific requirement. Generally this meant for practical use, such as in weddings and other church services, with the intention to perform the compositions right after they were written. Each social class had different forms of music making. Aristocratic courts produced elaborate operas that were favorites of the nobility. For the middle class, music was created at home and in the church, as well as among a group of university musicians bearing the title "Collegium Musicum," some of which are still active today.

Music making was abundant in Italy. Throughout the era, this country remained the most dominating musically. Baroque genres fell under the categories of opera, Italian melodies, French dance rhythms, German counterpoint, and the English choral song. Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) was the Italian-born composer who offered the French lyric tragedy. A German composer, George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) created England’s oratorio (a religious music drama). Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was the greatest Italian concerto composer, best known for the group of four violin concerti entitled The Four Seasons.

J.S. Bach (1685-1750) is well known for his chorale settings, or Germanic hymn tunes associated with the Protestant church and with Martin Luther. With the rise of individual virtuosity, the Baroque period was exemplified by Domenico Scarlatti’s harpsichord sonatas.

Regarding typical Baroque style, the basic melody of a piece is often heard immediately at the beginning. For the rest of the composition, the music is regular and repetitive. Baroque melodies were frequently very technically difficult, consisting of sequences to create a feeling of moving forward to the end. Rhythms were also very driving and persistent in character. In conjunction with one prominent melody, a single theme is typically heard throughout any given piece. A famous example is J.S. Bach’s Art of Fugue, a collection of 17 canons and fugues written all on the same theme. Harmony in this period was based on counterpoint, or different instrumental and vocal parts each with their own musical line. These melodies and harmonies were then supported by the bass part, or the foundation, which was labeled "figured bass" or "continuo." In contrast to specified note combinations in the musical score, dynamics were usually not marked. Simple loud and soft dynamics, called "terraced," were naturally set up by soloists and orchestras when playing in alternation. As with dynamics, performers were supposed to embellish what the composer had written.