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General characteristics of melodies in the Baroque period

• Melodies moved from being based on modes to major or minor scales. This took place over a long period of time, but by the end of the Baroque period the 12-key system that we know today was established.
• Melodies were based on motifs, which were often repeated and developed.
• Melodies became longer - especially those of Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederick Handel - and ends of phrases merged into the starts of new ones.

Motif

An example of a motif being central to a movement of work is in the third movement of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. The opening phrase - and excerpts from the phrase - can be heard throughout the movement.

Melodic devices

Sequence

Sequences were often used in Baroque melodies. This was one way composers made melodies longer. An example of a sequence can be found in the ground bass of Henry Purcell’s Music for a While. The four-quaver motif rises four times and is the foundation of this haunting piece of music.

Sequences can also be found in the first movement of Antonio Vivaldi’s Spring from The Four Seasons. At bar 48, the solo violin plays a virtuosic arpeggiated idea. This is repeated as an ascending sequence until it becomes a descending sequence starting in bar 53.

Imitation

Imitation is commonly used in Baroque melodies, particularly because a lot of the music was fugal, ie written in the style of a fugue. The opening of the third movement of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 is a good example of this. Many of the choruses in Handel’s Messiah also contain examples of imitation, including “And the glory of the Lord” and “And he shall purify”.

Ornamentation

Trills, mordents and turns were often used in Baroque melodies. These can be found in the solo violin part of the first movement of “Spring” from The Four Seasons by Vivaldi.