ure styles that also carry the Baroque designation, Baroque music is characterized by contrasts. In Renaissance music, there is little change in dynamics, range or tempo. Baroque music is marked by changes not only in these areas·movements that are fast and slow, dynamics that range from soft to loud·but also by contrasts among the instruments themselves. It was during this period that composers began to write in the concerto style in which one instrument is contrasted with the rest of the orchestra. This grew out of the basso continuo concept, where a bass line is played continuously throughout the piece while other instruments "fill in" the range above. Melodic instruments replace the human voice, and a figured bass is played in the range immediately above the basso continuo. This figured bass might be plucked·demonstrating the connection to the Renaissance lyre technique·or one of the new keyboard instruments, such as the organ, might be used to supply the figured bass. Often, the figured bass pl
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