The expansion of scientific knowledge during the Baroque era had influence in all areas of the arts. This period of time saw a notable shift from being centered on religion to a curiosity of the natural world and developing new technologies. We are all familiar with the remarkable contributors to science in this period; Anton Van Leewenhoek with his invention of the microscope leading to his discovery of bacteria, blood cells, and sperm, Johannes Kepler and his work in optics as well as astronomy: research that would form the basis of Isaac Newton’s famous discoveries, and, of course, Galileo Galilei and his invention of the telescope leading to the confirmation of Copernicus’ heliocentric theory. The discoveries of the latter two are especially important because of the challenge they presented to the traditional views of the Roman Catholic Church. The thoughts of Aristotle were largely accepted in the Catholic Church and to claim otherwise was dangerous. Growing curiosity brought about a norm of questioning things around you and developing new perspectives not centered on the beliefs of the church.
This scientific revolution brought about a new way of thinking that influenced all aspects of life. New forms of music and theater were developing rapidly. Take Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo – Savall written in 1607 for a court performance at the annual Carnival in Mantua, Italy (Wiki L’Orfeo). Monteverdi was said to be the first to develop this new form of music. The combination of music and theater was recognized as having potential to bring prestige to those who patronized it (Wiki L’Orfeo). The opera satisfies the tastes of anyone by producing beautiful music and dramatic theater. The scientific revolution of the Baroque era influenced more than just the arts. There was a political movement as well that fueled the revolt against Catholicism (csun.edu, p. 4). The challenges of a few curious men sparked a change that would be echoed through history and influence our modern society.
I particularly enjoy music of the Baroque era more than that of the Renaissance because of the obvious detachment from the control of the Catholic Church. Musicians began to spread their wings and invent new styles and instruments to compliment them. This seems like the beginning of decades of changes that came to influence our pop culture today. Heck, even most of our major motion pictures contain music from (or music influenced from) these iconic eras.
On a side note, here are some fun links about math in nature:
Is a Zebra black with white stripes or white with black stripes? 😀
Citations:
California State University, The Baroque: From the Revolution in the Church to Revolutions in US & France to the Industrial Revolution, http://www.csun.edu/art/pdf/art_and_mass_media/Media04-Baroque.pdf. P 1-5. June 18, 2012.
Wikipedia, L’Orfeo, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Orfeo. June 18, 2012.
Tiffany's Chatter 
a gem of a post