Before reading about music during the Baroque period, I was more familiar with some of the art that was made. I knew of the Girl with a Pearl Earring, as well as, Girl Interrupted at Her Music which were both created by Johannes Vermeer. I was aware that the colors were darker and that it used dramatic lighting; I feel that was reflected in the music as well.

The Baroque period is interesting to me because I like how musicians could express emotion differently from previous times. It was also interesting to find out that Opera was introduced during this time period. Since Opera is a way to show off a person’s vocal skills and entertain, it plays into the characteristics of this time period being dramatic, flamboyant, and eccentric. The textbook itself describes music from this period as “features that are characteristic of romantic expression- intense emotion, flamboyance, and dynamic movement”.

I listened to Jean-Baptiste Lully’s Dies Irae and I could see why he did very well in the court of Louis XIV of France. The music was how I expected it to sound. It feels heavy and intense, however, some parts feel light and freeing. It reflected the contrast of this time period, the intensity of their emotions, yet the freedom to express it. Afterwards, I searched up the meaning of Dies Irae and found that it means “Day of Wrath” in Latin. It is no wonder that the music makes you feel such contrasting emotion while listening to it.