Instrumental music rose in the 1600s as composers explored techniques and new instrumental forms. Monarchs built palaces where composers and musicians worked in orchestras, choirs, and opera houses.

 

The city administrations also joined the courtyards and churches as centers for music and culture. Audiences could hear secular music at these events and enjoyed hearing the works of local contemporary composers.

 

The Protestant church and chant were important because the Reformation had a great influence on church music. It was during this time that the sonata and the concerto emerged, and the growing virtuosity of the performance accompanied these forms. Keyboard music flourished, especially for harpsichord. In the baroque era, new vocal forms such as cantata, opera and oratorio emerged.