Baroque Music

What Is Baroque
Baroque music is a term used to describe an era as well as a style of European classical music that was very popular between 1600-1750.

Baroque’s original meaning was “misshapen pearl”, which reflected the architecture during the time.

Such composers as Antonio Vivaldi, Arcangelo Coreli, Claudio Monteverdi, George Frideric Handel, and Johann Sebastian Bach are associated with this musical era.

Regular Patterns
Baroque music was written to be a dramatic element that was heard as a dramatic journey operating on a single and vividly expressed emotion.

Therefore Baroque works are often made up of rhythmic and melodic variations on a theme, following a somewhat mathematical pattern.

The Power Of Baroque
It was found by various people especially by the Bulgarian physician Georgi Lozanov that this kind of soothing, rhythmic music was able to induce a state of relaxed alertness when people wanted to study and learn.

In fact Baroque music was found to improve recall by as much as 25% in students playing this type of music whilst they were studying.

Many students even to this day often will play Baroque music when they have to study hard and need to improve their recall.

Which Type Of Baroque Music
There are many types of Baroque music but it would seem that "Largo" movements help students the most.

These movements have what is known as "Largo" tempo which is approximately sixty beats per minute.

This is a very relaxing but alert tempo which is ideal for playing in the background when a person needs to concentrate, relax but stay alert.

The combination of the beat and the intricate weave of musical sounds seem to increase receptivity in the listener.

It is important to select the right type of Baroque music as voices, choirs and even individual instruments that stand out to much from the orchestra are likely to distract the student and not be so effective.

As the best Baroque music for studying is when the orchestra tends to have the same instruments playing throughout the piece, the best choice is usually string orchestras.