Book excerpt: This book examines music of the period usually defined as the late Baroque. Spanning historical developments from approximately 1680 to around the 1740s, the chapters are focused on the major musical centres at this time, and on the major regions of economic and social development. As a continuation of cultural processes begun at the start of the 17th century, the "late Baroque" is a period largely of re-examination and development of forms and styles already established. The essays here examine the results of the political and social forces stimulating and shaping the extraordinary outpourings of music not only for the major courts and churches of Europe but also for the culturally sophisticated middle classes. Viewed from one perspective, the music of the late Baroque can be seen to unfold through the impact of operatic styles and forms on all music, sacred and secular. - Back cover.