Brandenburg Concerto No.5, 3rd movement J.S. Bach 1685-1750 Brandenburg Concerto No.5, 3rd movement

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbKkTpD2joA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoYPkChHhKM http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zjrfgk7

Baroque Period of Music 1600-1750 Key composers – Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and Purcell. Baroque music is easy to recognise. Look out for the following: The melodies are built up of short musical ideas called motifs. The chords are simple, usually just chord I and chord V. The melody is packed with ornaments to make it sound interesting. The texture is usually polyphonic – two or more different lines of melody are played at the same time. The dynamics change suddenly - each bit is either loud or soft – this is called terraced dynamics. There are no crescendos or diminuendos. The harpsichord and organ are the main keyboard instruments. Popular structures are binary form (A B) and ternary form (A B A).

Baroque Period - the basso continuo Baroque music often had a basso continuo part. In our set work it is called a ‘Cembalo concertato’ part. A basso continuo is a continuous bass part. Basso continuo is a harpsichord + cello The harpsichord player plays chords with their RH and the bass line with the LH. The cello player plays the bass line. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVNBMltRlew

J.S. Bach came from a Family of Musicians Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was born in Germany. He was from a family of well-known performers and composer. Bach wrote in all musical genres except opera. He is particularly known for instrumental music such as the Brandenburg Concertos and sacred choral music such as masses. Bach is known for long, flowing, expressive melodies. He was skilled at writing contrapuntal, polyphonic music including fugues. Keyboard instruments such as the harpsichord and organ had major roles in many of Bach’s works.

Brandenburg Concerto No.5 is a Concerto Grosso What is a Concerto Grosso? A concerto grosso consists of a small group of soloists called the concertino. The rest of the orchestra accompanies and is called the ripieno. The basso continuo part is played by harpsichord & cello. In Brandenburg Concerto No.5 the concertino soloists are 1 violin and a flute – they are on the top two lines of the stave. The ripieno part is a string orchestra. The basso continuo is played on the harpsichord & cello.

The 3rd Movement is both a Fugue and a Gigue The 3rd movement of the concerto grosso is in the style of a gigue. A gigue is a 17th century dance with a steady beat and a lively tempo. Gigues are often written in a compound time signature such as 6/8. Our set work has a time signature of 2/4 but the use of triplets gives it a ‘6/8 feel’. The set work is written as a fugue. Key features of a fugue: The subject (main idea) is heard first on the violin. Other instruments play the subject, one after another, in imitation. The flute plays the subject next. This layering of instruments gives the music it’s polyphonic texture. Counter-subjects are also used to support the main subject melodies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVadl4ocX0M

Brandenburg Concerto No.5 Analysis The 3rd movement has an ABA structure. This structure is called ternary form. Section A is bars 1-78 – it is in D major (2 sharps in the key signature). Section B is bars 79-233 – it is B minor (the relative minor). Section A is bars 233-end – it is in D major. The main melodic section of the movement (bars 1-29) is called the ritornello. This mean ‘a little repeat’. The ritornello is repeated throughout the piece at various points. The fugue starts at bar 1 in the concertino instruments (solo violin and flute). In bar 29 the fugue starts in the ripieno instruments.

Brandenburg Concerto No.5 Analysis The harpsichord has a complex part – it plays quick semiquavers, e.g. from bar 42. The other instrumental parts are much simpler at these times, creating a light orchestral texture.

Bach Uses Various Musical Devices 1. Sequencing – repeating a melody one degree higher or lower. Bach uses sequences in the 3rd movement. In bar 137 the flute and ripieno solo violin parts are used in a melodic sequence. The pattern of notes in bar 137 is repeated in bars 138 and 139, moving up a tone each time. 2. Pedal Point – a long held or repeated note, usually in the bass. A pedal point or pedal note is used in bars 79-85 and 90-95 in the cello and basso continuo parts. A pedal point is used in bars 100-106 in the viola, cello, double bass and basso continuo parts.

Bach Uses Various Musical Devices 3. Stretto Stretto is when the fugue subject is overlapped – one instrument starts playing the subject before the previous one has finished. This builds up the intensity of the texture. It happens in the violin, viola and cello parts in bars 64-68. 4. Trills There are several trills in the harpsichord part, e.g. in bar 19, 53, 55, 113, and 117.