Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Galant style
(715 words)

Historiographers of music (Music, historiography of) use the term galant style to describe compositions from the transitional period between Baroque and Classical (Classics, European). It is characterized by its rejection of the academic Baroque style with its strict contrapuntal forms (Counterpoint), exemplified by Christian Friedrich Hunold’s statement that contrivance spoils all galantry [1. 157]. An outward characteristic is a graceful and elegant facility, which establishes a relationship between the galant style and Rococo (1720–1780). In historical sour…

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Waczkat, Andreas, “Galant style”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_SIM_019593>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20180208



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