Revolutionizing Harmony through Baroque Painting and Music
Vocazione di San Matteo (“The Calling of Saint Matthew”), a painting by Baroque artist Michaelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, depicts the conversion of Saint Matthew to Christianity. On the oil canvas, a room blanketed in shadow gives attention to the subjects of the painting: Saint Matthew, among other men, is illuminated by the incandescence from the right, where Jesus is seen reaching out. The subject matter portraying the renowned biblical tax collector’s conversion towards the life of Christ reflects the period’s emphasis on areas that convey intense dramatic expression, an attitude that veers away from the symmetrical but flat paintings of the Renaissance. This style edit captures the new movement that has swept and defined the Baroque period. By emphasizing on the contrast between the stark illumination of Saint Matthew and his cohorts in the dark room, the light and shadow becomes essential in highlighting the subjects. This play of contrast is also known as the technique chiaroscuro, or “light-dark” in Italian. In addition to that, the shadows that dominate Caravaggio’s painting manifest the essence of Baroque, a term derived from ‘barroco’ (meaning “oddly-shaped pearl” in Italian), as the darkness that envelopes Saint Matthew not only veers away from the bright paintings of the Renaissance, but also reflects the architecture that brought out the grandiosity and exuberance of churches, allowing hollowed beams of light to pass through to the interior.
Italian Baroque painter Michaelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
Musical pieces from the same period would develop aesthetics in line with the visual as well. The style of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Little” Fugue in G minor reflected similar characteristics in composition with Caravaggio’s painting. Performed on a pipe organ, the fugue makes use of a technique called counterpoint: a theme, repeated throughout the entire song, starts the piece. Variations of the theme within independent melodic lines are then played. However, even if the melodic lines are inserted at various points throughout the piece, the polyphonic texture of the fugue still creates an elaborate and complex arrangement of harmony among the contrasting melodies. This is similar to chiaroscuro – notes of high and low pitches are contrasted. The way the fugue’s melodic lines are orchestrated create a dark and rich-sounding bass that complements the soft and high pitches. The element of contrast among the melodic lines of the fugue become instrumental in the development of this complexity of harmony throughout the piece. Although the piece is played without any change in tempo, the fugue remains dynamic since melodies moving independently build up to a crescendo that climaxes from mezzo-forte to fortissimo towards the end.
Musical Score of “Little” Fugue, in G minor, for Organ
The dark and rich tone of Bach’s “Little” Fugue recalls the emotions conveyed by Caravaggio’s painting. The way the beam of light pierces through the dark room provides a form of contrast with the subject matter and allows the overall scene to have more depth. The shadows in the painting allow Saint Matthew and his company to appear more three-dimensional, making the scene more realistic. In the same way, the intricacies of Bach’s Fugue provide a complex set of layers that has redefined the concept of harmony, despite the numerous subjects replicating the fugue’s theme throughout the entirety of the piece. Thus, the concept of harmony in Caravaggio’s painting of Saint Matthew’s conversion and Bach’s Little Fugue in G minor have provided new understanding of the element through depth and contrast.
J.S. Bach’s “Little” Fugue in G minor