Baroque instruments

Musical instruments used in Baroque music were partly used already before,
partly are still in use today, but with changed technology. The movement to
perform music in a historically informed way, trying to recreate the sound of
the period, led to the use of historic instruments of the period and to the
reconstruction of instruments.

The following table lists instruments, classified as brass instruments,

woodwinds, strings, and basso continuo. The continuous bass is played by a
group of instruments, depending on the given situation. Many instruments
have an Italian or French name which is used as a common name also in
English. The use of instruments by composers is shown in examples mostly
by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Contents
1 Table of instruments
2 Baroque instrumentation
2.1 Continuo
2.2 Trumpet
2.3 Recorder
2.3.1 Flauto piccolo

Table of instruments
Examp
Baroq Baroq
Commo le of
ue era Type Plural ue era Notes
n name use by
name plural
Bach
Erschal
let, ihr see
Lieder, also
brass,
trumpe erkling Baroqu
trumpet tromba it trumpe trombe
ts et, ihr e
t
Saiten! trumpe
BWV t
172
tromba tromba it brass, trombe
da da trumpe da
tirarsi tirarsi t tirarsi
brass,
high
clarino it trumpe clarini
trumpet
t
used
cornett brass, cornett cornett with
cornett it
o cornett s i trombo
nes
brass,
trombo trombo trombo trombo
it trombo
ne ne nes ni
ne
brass,
horn corno it horns corni
horn
corno corno corni
brass,
da da it da
horn
caccia caccia caccia
corno corno corni
brass,
da da it da
horn
tirarsi tirarsi tirarsi
brass, lituuse
lituus lituo it litui
lituus s
Christ used
timpan percus mas with
timpani it
i sion Oratori trumpe
o ts
Brich
dem
woodwi Hungri
flauto nd, record flauti gen
recorder it
(dolce) record ers (dolci) dein
er Brot,
BWV
39
descant flauto it woodwi flauti Herr
recorder piccolo nd, piccoli Christ,
record der
er einge
Gottes
sohn,
BWV
96, Ihr
werdet
weinen
und
 heulen,
BWV
103
flauto woodwi transve flauti
transver
travers it nd, rse travers
se flute
o flute flutes i
woodwi
oboe oboe it nd, oboes oboi
oboe
oboe woodwi oboes oboi
oboe
d'amor it nd, d'amor d'amor
d'amore
e oboe e e
woodwi
tenor
taille fr nd, tailles
oboe
oboe
oboe woodwi oboes
oboe da oboi da
da it nd, da
caccia caccia
caccia oboe caccia
woodwi
nd, bassoo
bassoon fagotto it fagotti
bassoo ns
n
string,
violin violino it Baroqu violins violini
e violin
string,
viola viola it violas viole
viola
violonc string, violonc
cello it celli
ello cello elli
violonce violonc violonc
string,
llo ello it elli
cello
piccolo piccolo piccoli
viola viole
viola string,
d'amor it d'amor
d'amore viola
e e
St John Basso
Passion continu
viola viole
viola da string, Aria o, but
da it da
gamba viol "Es ist someti
gamba gamba
vollbra mes
cht!" solo
string,
violetta violetta it violette
viola
violone violone it string, violono
 viol
key,
organ organo it organs organi
organ
key,
harpsic cembal harpsic cembal
it harpsic
hord o hords i
hord
string,
lute liuto it lutes liuti
lute
basso
continu bass
continu it
o group
o

Baroque instrumentation
The typical orchestra of the Baroque period is based on string instruments
(violin, viola) and continuo. A continuous bass is the rule in Baroque music;
its absence is worth mentioning and has a reason, such as describing
fragility.

The specific character of a movement is often defined by wind instruments,

such as oboe, oboe da caccia, oboe d'amore, flauto traverso, recorder,
trumpet, horn, trombone, and timpani.

For Bach, some instruments carry symbolic meaning such as a trumpet, the
royal instrument of the Baroque, for secular and divine majesty: three
trumpets for the Trinity. In arias, Bach often uses obbligato instruments,
which correspond with the singer as an equal partner. In his early
compositions he used instruments that had become old-fashioned, such as
viola da gamba and violone.

Continuo

The basso continuo, or short: continuo, the typical bass group of the period,
consists of a group of instruments, depending upon the other instruments
playing and the performance location. A group may consist of cello, double
bass (an octave lower) and organ. A bassoon is typically playing when other
wind instruments are called for. While an organ will be played in church, a
harpsichord will be used in secular surroundings.

Trumpet

The trumpet is the royal instrument of the Baroque, representing secular and
divine majesty. Three trumpets symbolize the Trinity in an aria of Bach's BWV
172, addressing the "Heiligste Dreifaltigkeit" (Most holy Trinity), where the
bass voice is accompanied only by three trumpets and timpani.
Recorder

Recorders in different sizes, flauto piccolo at the bottom

Recorders (flauti dolci) are sometimes used to express humility or poverty,
such as in Bach's cantata Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot, BWV 39.

Flauto piccolo

Bach used a flauto piccolo, a high recorder in D ("descant recorder" or

"sopranino recorder"), to express for example the sparkling of the morning
star in Herr Christ, der einge Gottessohn, BWV 96.