THE BAROQUE AGE Social and Cultural Background Baroque is a term borrowed from the visual arts and one that is used in many different senses. The Baroque Era applies to the years between 1600 and 1750. The most famous composers of this time were Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and Teleman. Politically it was an age of magnificent absolute Monarch’s. The most magnificent of all was Louis XIV of France. Louis ruled from 1634 until 1713. During this time the need to create a national culture or a regional style that would match or surpass the elsewhere created cultural models was pressed for. When looking at Baroque architecture it