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Baroque Music

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The era when the Baroque style became prevalent was one with an emphasis on complexity and opulence that had yet to be discovered. Completely new styles of music and presentation combined with a newly appreciated level of exaggerated drama to bear an innovative art form: opera. The Baroque time period was also responsible for a far simpler era. There were those who saw the Baroque style as too complex and the Classical era was born. With an emphasis on the classical antiquities that made ancient Greece one of the strongest cultural influences in history, the Classical era focused on simplicity and hierarchy to produce a style still prevalent today. The Baroque style emphasizes above all else, a love of ornamentation. This love of ornamentation spawned a completely unique and incredibly influential style that focused on complexity in several facets of art and design. Multiple layers of musical instrumentation, melodies and harmonies combined to produce a polyphonic musical style. An overly exaggerated emphasis on exuberance and grandeur could easily evoke the intended emotions of the artist or composer as was seen in opera. This combination allows a person who does not understand the language of the presentation to still understand the story and emotions they were meant to.
This complexity must metaphorically dance a fine line and not stray too far into extreme opulence. Too much ornamentation has the potential to present with an element of unintended confusion. This same excess of grandeur can easily alienate entire segments of a potential audience due to a lack of cultural understanding.
The absolute antithesis of the complex and tense style of the Baroque era, the Classical style was born from distaste for grand opulence and sought to focus on lucidity through bright contrast and a lighter, clear texture. A lack of ornamentation took music in a

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