Baroque music

Baroque music shines with its balance between refinement and expressiveness, carried by precise forms and an inexhaustible creative drive. From Vivaldi's concertos to Bach's cantatas, and Handel's oratorios, it offers a rich universe of colors and emotions.

Placing this vinyl record on the turntable means allowing the clarity of the strings, the majesty of the brass, and the delicate ornamentation that make up all the charm of this era to unfold.

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Baroque Music Vinyl: Bach, Vivaldi, Handel and Rameau on LP

Baroque music on vinyl: what this collection covers

This collection gathers Baroque music vinyl, the European repertoire from roughly 1600 to 1750, from Monteverdi to the death of Bach. Concertos, suites, sonatas, cantatas, oratorios and operas: Baroque is one of the most recorded classical repertoires, and the LP accompanied its rediscovery from the 1950s and 1960s on. You'll find big modern-orchestra versions next to period-instrument performances led by conductors such as William Christie, René Jacobs and Sébastien Daucé.

Essential Baroque composers and works

A few pillars for a record shelf: Johann Sebastian Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, Cello Suites and Goldberg Variations; Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons"; Handel's "Messiah"; Monteverdi's "L'Orfeo," first performed in 1607; Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas"; the operas of Lully and Rameau, François Couperin's harpsichord pieces, and the music of Telemann and Corelli.

Some recordings made history: Glenn Gould's 1955 Goldberg Variations, Yo-Yo Ma's Cello Suites, and Lully's "Atys" by William Christie and Les Arts Florissants. On the period-instrument side, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Gustav Leonhardt, Trevor Pinnock and John Eliot Gardiner laid the foundations of today's performance style. Gould re-recorded the Goldberg Variations in 1981, and owning both versions is a collector's classic.

Period instruments, labels and pressings

The first choice is the approach: a full orchestra with broad tempos, typical of the 1950s and 1960s, or a small period-instrument ensemble, brisker and lighter. Archiv Produktion, Harmonia Mundi, Erato, L'Oiseau-Lyre and Telefunken's Das Alte Werk series issued most of the benchmark Baroque recordings on LP. Many can be found used at reasonable prices. New releases from active ensembles also appear on vinyl, often alongside a CD edition, so check which format a listing refers to.

Check the conductor, ensemble and soloists
Make sure opera and oratorio box sets are complete
Inspect condition: harpsichord exposes surface noise fast
Compare an original pressing with a recent reissue

Comparing prices on Baroque LPs

Vinyles.com compares offers from several partner stores for the same record, new or used. In a repertoire where one work exists in many recordings, it lets you line up several interpretations before choosing. For the centuries before, from Gregorian chant to the Renaissance, the early music collection is the natural next stop. Artist pages also group the records of a single conductor or ensemble, which makes it easy to follow a favorite performer across labels.

Frequently asked questions

When was the Baroque period in music?

The Baroque period in music is usually dated from 1600 to 1750. It opens with the first operas, including Monteverdi's "L'Orfeo" in 1607, and symbolically ends with Johann Sebastian Bach's death in 1750. The Classical period of Haydn and Mozart follows, with a lighter, more melodic style.

What are the best Baroque records for beginners?

Start with Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons," Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, Handel's "Messiah" and a record of harpsichord pieces by Rameau or Couperin. Add the Goldberg Variations, for example Glenn Gould's version on piano, to round out the set. Then compare recordings: the same work can sound very different on period instruments.

What does period-instrument performance mean?

It means playing on historical instruments or copies: gut strings, harpsichord, natural horns and trumpets, with smaller ensembles and often a lower pitch. Popularized by Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Gustav Leonhardt, the approach produces a lighter, more articulated sound, with clearer inner voices.

Which labels released Baroque music on vinyl?

The historic Baroque labels on vinyl are Archiv Produktion, part of Deutsche Grammophon, Harmonia Mundi, Erato, L'Oiseau-Lyre and Telefunken's Das Alte Werk series. Their recordings from the 1960s to the 1980s are mostly found used and remain benchmarks for many listeners today.

Explore Baroque music styles

Baroque music 848 records