1. Chapter 9 Baroque Instrumental Music
Concerto and Concerto Grosso: Vivaldi

2. Key Terms Concerto Concerto grosso Concertare Movement Ritornello form
Archlute
Variation form
Basso continuo
Chaconne
Passacaglia
Ground
Ground bass
Double listening

3. Baroque Instrumental Music (1)
For the first time, listeners & musicians took instrumental music seriously
Rise of instrumental music paralleled improvements in instrument-building
Stradivarius, Silbermann, etc.
How long should a piece be?
With vocal music, when the words are done
With instrumental music, no equivalent guide
Instrumental forms & genres had to provide guidelines

4. Baroque Instrumental Music (2)
How to extend purely instrumental music in time in a logical manner?
Repetition, return, sequence, & imitation
Begin & end in the same key
How to create interest and drama?
Contrast & variation
Modulate to other keys in the middle
String contrasting movements together
Baroque forms and genres combine these techniques in various ways

5. Concerto and Concerto Grosso
The most important orchestral genres of the Baroque era
Latin concertare = to contend
Concerto signifies a contest between—
Soloist & orchestra (concerto)
Group of soloists & orchestra (concerto grosso)
Virtuoso brilliance of solos & orchestra’s power, stability

6. Movements Movement = self-contained section of a larger work
Many Baroque works create drama & length by stringing together several short, contrasting pieces (movements)
A typical concerto has three movements
I – bright, extroverted, in a fast tempo
II – slower, quieter, more emotional
III – similar to 1st movement, often faster

7. Ritornello Form (1)
Commonly used in 1st & 3rd movements of Baroque concerto
Italian ritorno = return (home)
Ritornello form is based on systematic use of contrast & return
Consistent alternation between two contrasting sections—
Ritornellos & solo episodes
Return of theme more satisfying after contrasting solos (sense of resolution)

8. Ritornello Form (2) Standard ritornello form
RIT = complete ritornello statement
[RIT] = partial ritornello statement
Solo 1, 2, 3, etc. = solo episodes

9. Ritornello vs. Episode Ritornello Solo Episode Principal theme
Solid & forceful
Often very tuneful
For full orchestra
Stable–stays in one key, ends with strong cadence
Familiarity grows with each return
Solo Episode
Contrasting section
Faster, more brilliant
Free & virtuosic
For soloist(s)
Unstable–modulates to another key, flows into next ritornello
Always something new, surprising

10. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) Famous as violinist & composer
Most popular Baroque concerto composer
Four Seasons his most popular work
Wrote over 500 concertos
The “Red Priest” was also music teacher at a Venetian orphanage
Renowned for quality of musical training
Famous for student concerts
Frequent travel to perform his concertos & operas in musical centers of Europe

11. Vivaldi, Violin Concerto in G
Vivaldi concertos often published in sets of 6 or 12
Sets often given descriptive titles—
La stravaganza (Extravagance), Four Seasons, or L’estro armonico (Harmonic Whims)
Op. 4, No. 12 is the last concerto in his fourth published set (Latin opus = work)
Concerto for solo violin & orchestra
Uses standard three-movement format
I & III fast, brilliant, ritornello form
II slower, gentler, ground bass form

12. Vivaldi, Violin Concerto in G, I (1)
Tempo “Spirited, not too fast”
Creative use of ritornello form
Ritornello theme (for orchestra)
Subdivides into three short sections–a, b, c
Alternates between 1st & 2nd violin sections

13. Vivaldi, Violin Concerto in G, I (2)
Ritornello theme (cont.)
Only Ritornello 1 uses entire theme
Ritornellos 1, 2, & 5 in G major
Ritornello 3 begins in D major; 4 in B minor
Surprisingly free use of theme in Ritornellos 3 and 4

14. Vivaldi, Violin Concerto in G, I (3)
Solo episodes
Feature solo violin, usually with continuo accompaniment
Solos become progressively freer & more virtuosic
Ritornellos & solos swap roles at times!
Ritornello 4 modulates frequently–unstable
Solo 3 affirms B minor throughout
Orchestral strings accompany Solos 2 & 4
Ends with literal return of ritornello (b, c)

15. Baroque Variation Form
Variation forms rely on repetition & contrast—simultaneously!
Grew up spontaneously all over Europe; first improvised, then written out
Preference for short themes: 4 to 8 bars
Uninterrupted repetition of an ostinato: short melody or chord progression
Names include passacaglia, chaconne, ground

16. The Ground Bass Features of ground bass form—
Systematic, uninterrupted repetition of a short, clearly defined melody (basso ostinato)
Dynamics, tone color, & some harmonies often change with each repetition (variation)
Tempo, key, & mode are sometimes varied
Even the ground bass can be varied, but its identity is rarely obscured
“Double listening”–try to hear repeating theme & changing material at same time

17. Vivaldi, Violin Concerto in G, II (1)
Slow tempo–Largo
Based on 6-bar ground bass
Continuous feel enhanced by—
Uninterrupted repetition of ground bass
Steady eighth-note rhythms
Dominant harmony at end of ground bass pulls to tonic at beginning of next repetition

18. Vivaldi, Violin Concerto in G, II (2)
Variety created by—
Gradually faster solo figuration in first four variations
Sudden, dramatic changes in Variations 5-6
Switch to minor mode
Ostinato moves to violins
Continuo drops out

19. Vivaldi, Violin Concerto in G, II (3)
To increase coherence, composers often group variations to make larger sections
Vivaldi creates three sections here
Theme & Variations 1-4–Entirely in G major, basso ostinato
Variations 5-6–Shifts to G minor, ostinato moves to violins
Final statement of Theme–As at the beginning
Overall ternary feel (A B A)

20. Vivaldi, Violin Concerto in G, III
Fast tempo, ritornello form
Form even freer than in 1st movement
Begins with solo introduction
1st ritornello statement interrupted by solo
2nd ritornello presents new theme
Solo violin constantly changes from one idea to another
3rd & 5th ritornellos provide stability