Spanish Baroque Music
 
 

In Baroque era Spain, there were a number of significant composers of solo instrumental music for organ and vihuela. Spanish composers were the first to compose theme and variations, which became a significant instrumental form elsewhere in Europe as the period progressed. Many Italian composers worked in Spain during this period, and Spanish composers often received training in Italy, so it is not surprising that a clear Italian influence can be heard in Spanish Baroque music. In vocal music, this can be seen not only in the melodic and formal elements, but also in the choice of instruments, particularly the use of paired high voices accompanied by paired high instruments.

The continuing development of the Spanish villancico is also notable. During the late Renaissance-early Baroque period, the villancico began to be defined as a vernacular-language sacred composition that draws on popular or folk music elements. Composers drew on various dialects and lively, syncopated folk rhythms unique to various regions or ethnic minority groups, including the Galician region and the Gypsy and African ethnic groups. This type of composition is unique to the period, and they remain to this day a rare example of the successful marriage of folk and art music.

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