What are the main differences between Baroque and Neoclassical music?

Question

When I say Neoclassical music, I mean the music immediately following the Baroque period. Could you provide the differences in list form. I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Although no periods really, truly just start and stop but instead overlap, the period "immediately following" the Baroque (c.1600-1750) period was the Classical (1750-c.1850) period (the NeoClassical period actually occurred later on in history as a throwback to the style of the original Classical period).

The music of the Baroque era was typically highly ornamented and contrapuntal in which 2+ lines of equal importance existed simultaneously.  These lines often contained sequences, inversions, and augmentation/diminution of the original material all while cycling through multiple key centers or tonal areas. Popular contrapuntal forms included the invention and the fugue.  Music of this period was usually played on keyboard instruments like the organ or harpsichord or small chamber ensembles.

The music of the Classical era was homophonic in texture meaning that there is only one melodic line that is more important than the other voices which simply support that one melodic line and often take the form of block chords, arpeggiation, or Alberti bass (in piano music). Key changes were more monumental and used to mark new sections in a piece since a piece was typically grounded in one tonal center rather than cycling through several keys.  Popular Classical forms included the sonata, symphony, and concerto.  Music of this era increased the use of the newly invented piano rather than the harpsichord and saw the birth of the predecessor to the modern orchestra.

Answer 2

It goes baroque then romantic, baroque was mostly written for the church such gems as tocatta and fugue by Johan Sebastian Bach.  Romantic/neo classical was written on the ideals of history and art.  I'm sure you know st Mathews passion by Bach, listen to that then listen to Beethoven's 5th symphony.  If you know the context and the time frame between the two you can see right away what the difference is.

Answer 3

Well the first guy is wrong because it does go from baroque to classical, and neo-classical refers to a small time gap at the start of the classical era. I can't think of any major differences between the two that are also different from the classical era itself...