Aristotelian logic In logic and formal semantics, term logic, also known as traditional logic, syllogistic logic or Aristotelian logic, is a loose name for an approach to formal logic that began with Aristotle and was developed further in ancient history mostly b ...

, baroco is a

mnemonic A mnemonic device ( ), memory trick or memory device is any learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval in the human memory, often by associating the information with something that is easier to remember. It makes use of e ...

word used to memorize a class of

syllogism A syllogism (, ''syllogismos'', 'conclusion, inference') is a kind of logical argument that applies deductive reasoning to arrive at a conclusion based on two propositions that are asserted or assumed to be true. In its earliest form (defin ...

. Specifically, it has the first

proposition A proposition is a statement that can be either true or false. It is a central concept in the philosophy of language, semantics, logic, and related fields. Propositions are the object s denoted by declarative sentences; for example, "The sky ...

universal and affirmative, but the second and third particular and negative, and the middle term the attribute in the two first. For example, :Every virtue is attended with discretion. :Some kinds of zeal are not attended with discretion. :Therefore, some kinds of zeal are not virtues. In the terminology of Aristotelian logic, a Baroco is one of the four syllogisms of the second figure of the nineteen modes (or one of the six syllogisms of the second figure of the twenty-four modes if the weakened modes are included). It includes: a relation to a syllogism ( Barbara) of the first figure of type B; major premise of type A; a minor premise of type O; the minor premise of the second figure (minor term/copula/middle term) of type C; a conclusion of type O; that is to say a universal major affirmative, a particular minor negative, and a particular negative conclusion. A modern example of a Baroco syllogism is: #All saucers can be used as frisbees: #Some metal objects cannot be used as frisbees: #Therefore, some metal objects are not saucers.

Baroco and Baroque

In the 16th century the term Baroco moved beyond philosophy and began to be used to describe anything that was overly and absurdly complex. The French philosopher

Michel de Montaigne Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne ( ; ; ; 28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), commonly known as Michel de Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularising the the essay ...

associated the term 'baroco' with "Bizarre and uselessly complicated." Other early sources associated the term with magic, complexity, confusion, and excess. In the 18th century, the term was sometimes also used to describe music, and was not flattering. In an anonymous satirical review of the première of

Jean-Philippe Rameau Jean-Philippe Rameau (; ; – ) was a French composer and music theory, music theorist. Regarded as one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the 18th century, he replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of ...

's ''

Hippolyte et Aricie ('' Hippolytus and Aricia'') was the first opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau. It was premiered to great controversy by the Académie Royale de Musique at its theatre in the Palais-Royal in Paris on October 1, 1733. The French libretto, by Abbé ...

'' in October 1733, which was printed in the ''

Mercure de France The () was originally a French gazette and literary magazine first published in the 17th century, but after several incarnations has evolved as a publisher, and is now part of the Éditions Gallimard publishing group. The gazette was publis ...

'' in May 1734, the critic wrote that the novelty in this opera was "du barocque", complaining that the music lacked coherent melody, was unsparing with dissonances, constantly changed key and meter, and speedily ran through every compositional device. In 1762, ''Le Dictionnaire de l'Académie française'' wrote that the term could be used figuratively to describe something "irregular, bizarre or unequal.""se dit aussi au figuré, pour irrégulier, bizarre, inégale.
Le Dictionnaire de l'Académie française (1762)

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Republic of Geneva, Genevan philosopher (''philosophes, philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment through ...

, who was a musician and composer as well as philosopher, wrote in 1768 in the ''

Encyclopédie , better known as ''Encyclopédie'' (), was a general encyclopedia published in France between 1751 and 1772, with later supplements, revised editions, and translations. It had many writers, known as the Encyclopédistes. It was edited by Denis ...

'': "Baroque music is that in which the harmony is confused, and loaded with modulations and dissonances. The singing is harsh and unnatural, the intonation difficult, and the movement limited. It appears that term comes from the word 'baroco' used by logicians."''Encyclopedie''; ''Lettre sur la Musique Francaise'' under the direction of

Denis Diderot Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a prominent figure during th ...

References

{{Reflist Term logic Syllogism Baroque