The art of rhetoric and its usage in the music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries

Abstract

Rhetoric is a term that has a far-reaching history, and although its meaning has remained the same, its nuance has been altered throughout the centuries. It is extensively used in all manner of form and even in this day and age we regularly come across it unaware. The rhetoric of today is frequently and regrettably used in a pejorative way, inferring something deceitful. However, through the exploration of the tools and techniques the composers used when composing their music, one' can begin to understand rhetoric's power of instigating change which cannot be underestimated and may be felt by the listener without them even having any realisation to the fact. Although it is a skill that is commonly associated with speeches and oration, the effects of rhetoric are widespread and may be found within many other disciplines of art, music and literature.