Baroque Music

Sonata A work for solo piano, or a solo instrument accompanied by harpsichord. Often the basso continuo would also be played by a cello/Viola de Gamba. From the Classical period onwards a sonata was a work for piano or solo instrument accompanied by piano. Audio Clip Basso Continuo

Concerto Work for solo instrument and orchestra, e.g. a flute concerto is written for solo flute and orchestra. Audio Clip

Concerto Grosso A type of concerto in which a group of soloists (concertino) is combined and contrasted with a larger group (ripieno). Audio Clip Ripieno Concertino

Concerto Grosso There are two sections in a Concerto Grosso. The section played by the soloists (concertino) is called the concertante. The section played by the larger group (ripieno) is called the ritornello. Audio Clip Ripieno Concertino Ritornello

The ritornello can also be a brief introduction or interlude in a vocal composition, or for a brief instrumental passage between scenes in a 17th-century opera. Ritornello Audio Clip Ritornello Begins Ritornello Ends

Suite A set of dances or a collection of pieces which are part of a larger scale work. Dances contained in the suite include. Overture Gavotte Courante Bourree Minuet Gigue Audio clip A piece of orchestral music which introduces a large-scale work such as an opera, an oratorio, or a musical. J S Bach

Passacaglia Variations over a ground bass. Audio File

Chaconne Variations over a repeated progression of chords. Audio Clip

Fugue A contrapuntal piece based on a theme (subject) announced in one voice part alone,then imitated by other voices in close succession. The following slides will describe different aspects of the fugue. See Episode, and Stretto.

Exposition The exposition is the opening section of a fugue. It is made of 3 main ideas. They are

Subject The subject is the opening and main melody of a fugue. subject

Answer The answer is the same melody as the first subject but at a higher or lower Pitch. The answer can be either real (an exact copy by interval) or Tonal (the intervals may change slighly to fit with the harmony) Answer

Counter Subject Once the subject has been played the instrument will continue by playing a continuation of the melody called a counter subject. Counter subject.

Note how these 3 feature fit together in the opening two lines of this fugue. subject Answer subject Counter subject.

Stretto Where voices or instruments enter very quickly one after the other, as in Fugue. Each entry or part enters closely after the previous part, thus adding tension and excitement.

Now watch a video clip of this fugue and look at how these ideas link together. It is also worth noting the pedal note near the coda (the extra section at the end) as this is a common feature in fugues Audio Clip

Episode In some Fugues an episode can be used as a modulating link between entries of the subject and is frequently based on fragments from the subject or Countersubject. This fugue is in C minor. Listen for the tierce di picardie (major chord) at the end. Audio Clip

Chorale Prelude An extended composition for organ based on a chorale melody. The melody can be treated in a wide variety of ways, e.g. fugal style and variation form. Audio Clip

Da Capo Aria An aria in Ternary form (A B A), found in opera and oratorio in the 17th and 18th centuries. The third section is not written out but the instruction Da capo (from the beginning) is given instead. The repeat of the A section was performed with the solo ornamented. In the Baroque section B was often in the relative minor or major. Audio Clip Section A Introduction in Bb Section B G minor Relative Minor Go back to Section A

Other Features

Basso Continuo Sometimes referred to as Continuo. In the Baroque period, the continuo part consisted of a bass line (basso continuo) played by cello, bass, viola da gamba or bassoon. In addition the harpsichord, organ or lute player was expected to fill in harmonies built on that bass line. Audio Clip