10 ESSENTIAL BAROQUE ORCHESTRAL WORKS for BEGINNERS

Baroque orchestral music is fun, easy, and there's tons of it. Check out these 10 Essential works (or groups of works), which offer an ideal first listening experience. Take your time to savor them.
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
Bach: 6 Brandenburg Concertos
Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks
Rebel: Les élémens (The Elements)
Zelenka: 5 Capriccios for Orchestra
Corelli: 12 Concerti grossi, Op. 6
Handel: 12 Concerti grossi, Op. 6
Avison: 12 Concerti grossi after Scarlatti
Boyce: 8 Symphonies
Telemann: Wassermusik (Water Music)

[@HeelPower200]

One of the messy aspects of Baroque music for beginners is ornamentation and improvisation. Do not be surprised if you find wildly different versions of the same music.Dynamics, tempo and even the actual musical lines themselves vary because period folks can sometimes take massive liberties to the point of changing the character of the music.

[@tmorganriley]

It might make it harder to "get in to", but I find that is at the core of the joy of collecting Baroque music! You can find a piece with a really catchy foundation, and then explore that one piece to its natural ends. For instance, I have hunted down a solid handful of versions of the Spanish Baroque work "Salga el Torillo Hosquillo!"--they vary in tempo, temperament (tuning), vocal accompaniment, and even wildly in choice of instrumentation!

[@HeelPower200]

@@tmorganriley Believe it or not I started with Baroque music. They are suited for modern audiences because most of them are short and snappy. And yes, some of those different interpretations can be incredible. But I do question the validity of it as I gained more experience. Some of them blur the original musical compositions.

[@jat1292]

Zelenka’s music is so fun to listen to. It is off the wall, in the best way. Total genius

[@valerietaylor9615]

I like him. His music is different, in a good way. Idiosyncratic, even.

[@TheOneAndOnlyZelenkaGuru]

As a Zelenkian of some standing, I concur with both your statements, and you have my approval. May the Cult of Zelenka rule. 🤘

[@davidharvey8238]

Due to your influence Dave, I have purchased a copy of Vivaldi The Four Seasons and Beethoven Pastoral. This old rocker is starting to understand some classical concepts. Thanks Dave.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

That's great Thanks for letting me know. Rock on!

[@weewee2169]

and a damn good starter couple too

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

You go, rocker dude.

[@mr-wx3lv]

William Boyce actually straddled the baroque and classical periods. He died in 1778. But from what I have heard of his music, he was firmly rooted in baroque tradition. Partly because of his employment by the then King, who was a Handel lover...

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

After the beginners have had some time to digest all these new goodies, I would like to see a re-cap video where you let the beginners report in the comments the results of their findings. And if those explorations led them to other works.

[@willcwhite]

Once again, you've nailed it with this list. I do encourage beginners to take these lists to heart - they have all featured works that were pivotal to getting me into classical music.

[@dmntuba]

There use to be a budget, budget label called Laser Light and in the early 90's they put together some FANTASTIC singles, small box, and big box collections of baroque music. I know they must have licensed the recordings from somewhere, but the performances were 1st class and the sonics were wonderful...and of course SUPER CHEAP. They also released a damn fine collection of complete Mozart.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

They were owned by Delta Music--the same outfit as Capriccio, and had access to lots of East German-licensed stuff at the time.

[@dmntuba]

@@DavesClassicalGuide thanks for the info

[@bloodgrss]

Boyce and the Avison (then through him to Scarlatti) was my first into to the Baroque, by my dear college friend Fred. So glad you include them; they are wonderful works to invite one into that world of music...

[@tomasz2834]

I remember when u made video "10 essential concertos for beginners" but there was no baroque on that list, so big thank you for making video focused on baroque.

[@DaninMaine]

Every single piece by Telemann I have listened to has been a delight.

[@brunop3845]

Great video, bravo!

[@djbabymode]

Great list! Mostly stuff I know and love but some stuff I'm less familiar with. I'm glad you put Handel's opus 6 on there, too. One group that usually has a really well-balanced continuo section in my opinion is the Bremer Barockorchester.

[@2134yanto]

Hello Dave. I watched this video yesterday (29/9/2022) and am grateful for the list of suggestions. I have listened to some Baroque music previously and enjoyed it but am definitely a beginner. So I decided to listen to the works mentioned in your list. So far I’ve relistened to The Four Seasons, The Brandenburg Concertos and I’ve literally just finished the Zelenka Capriccios, which I absolutely loved. Thanks again and keep up the fantastic work please it’s appreciated

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thank you listening, and for sharing your experiences. I hope they will inspire others similarly!

[@williamwhittle216]

The Vivaldi, Bach, and both of the Handel works are among my favorite compositions. Don't really have much, or none, of the other composiers' pieces.

[@jgesselberty]

Another winner, Dave. Keep them coming.

[@marktanney3347]

Great presentation Dave. So informative and interesting. I'm looking forward to hearing everything, especially the many new things I've learned about on your list here. Thanks

[@neiltheblaze]

Another great, immersive list. Baroque is not a specialty of mine, though I do enjoy it a good bit. I'm familiar with only half of the music you mention, so I'm looking forward to familiarizing myself with the rest of it. Thanks for the tips!

[@stephenkeen2404]

Bravo!

[@stefanehrenkreutz1839]

Well done!

[@JAMESLEVEE]

Nowadays you can get continuos provided by lutes or theorbos.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I said that.

[@JAMESLEVEE]

@@DavesClassicalGuide you mentioned guitars. I guess they're all about the same. BTW, arias were in da capo binary form, at least in opera, or mostly ao.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

@@JAMESLEVEE I know that. I made a video about them. That's not relevant to this discussion--I was talking about the "A" section and there was no need to go into the da capo aria, which is merely one variant of the basic form.

[@57hound]

So happy to see you giving the Baroque era some love. With the exception of Rebel, I’ve been enjoying the pieces mentioned here for the better part of 40 years. The Baroque remains my firm favorite, but thanks to you I’ve been exploring more of the Classical and Romantic repertoire. Your videos have been a great starting point for further listening on KZbin, and in some cases have led to purchasing the CDs. I’m especially grateful to you for introducing me to Saint-Saens’ Piano Concertos-delightful! Your channel is a treasure. The information you provide is invaluable, and the fascinating stories and humor make the videos a joy to watch whatever the content might be. Your enthusiasm is infectious. Thank you.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thank YOU!

[@carlconnor5173]

David, are there certain Baroque composers distinguishable from the others in the Rococo style? (I’m not sure I formed that question correctly).

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

You didn't, but it doesn't matter. The question itself has no definitive meaning--they stylistic names aren't really helpful. Great composers all have personal styles. The period or aesthetic is pretty much irrelevant.

[@carlconnor5173]

@@DavesClassicalGuide I always thought Rococo and Baroque were different periods. The definition of Rococo I got from google indicated that it was the more ornamental style of later Baroque composers. Your answer makes more sense to me.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

@@carlconnor5173 Some do claim it to have been a "period" somewhere between Baroque and Classical, but that makes no sense to me. There simply wasn't enough time. Leonard Bernstein in his Young People's Concerts had an even more useful way of thinking about it. He said the "classical" period began with Bach and Handel, since that is where the modern repertoire essential starts--what we call "classical music." Often these are just terms of convenience of varying usefulness, depending on what you're talking about.

[@carlconnor5173]

@@DavesClassicalGuide So would you say it’s essentially “a distinction without a difference”, in other words? Or more a difference without a distinction perhaps?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

@@carlconnor5173 Yep.