Summary

The demand for music from the aristocracy, opera houses and churches began to increase dramatically during the Baroque period. The technical, compositional and organizational demands on music directors for the royal courts were quite high, and it was necessary for influential musical figures to curry the favor of the court. Music directors in churches also had to juggle organizational and educational demands on his time with the need to constantly promote new music. The demands of performance settings were quite high, and possibly as a result, some of the highest quality compositions ever created came from this period. More resources on Baroque society and culture are provided below.