AO2: The concerto through time 🎻

Question 1

Instrumentation: Classical

Answer 1

• orchestra is larger
• drum = timpani
• strings still dominated
• woodwind and brass feature a bit more
• ‘Alberti bass’ played by the piano which replaced the harpsichord

Question 2

Texture: Baroque, Classical and Romantic

Answer 2

• polyphonic
• homophonic
• call and response (‘antiphonal’)
• canon
• imitation
• unison
• high or low tessitura

Question 3

Timbre: Classical

Answer 3

• woodwind has a warmer more mellow sound compared to strings.

Question 4

Harmony: Classical

Answer 4

• diatonic (notes within key)
• chromatic (notes outside given key)
• dissonance

Question 5

Tonality: Classical

Answer 5

• major
• minor
• more modulations (movement into different tonalities)

Question 6

Rhythm: Classical

Answer 6

• short or long note values
• quavers (short)
• crotchets (in the middle)
• minimis (longer)
• dotted rhythms
• triplets
• syncopation

Question 7

Metre: Baroque, Classical and Romantic

Answer 7

4/4
2/4
3/4

Question 8

Tempo: Baroque, Classical and Romantic

Answer 8

• Allegro (lively, fast)
• Andante (moderate)
• Largo (slow)

Question 9

Melody: Baroque, Classical and Romantic

Answer 9

• sequencing
• step-wise (‘conjunct’)
• leap (‘disjunct’)
• inversions
• ostinato
• repetition
• countermelody

Question 10

Structure: Classical

Answer 10

• AB (binary)
• ABA (ternary)
• ABACADA (rondo form)
• Cadenza (virtuosic passage)

Question 11

Dynamics: Classical

Answer 11

• not as terraced as Baroque music - allows for smoother and more gradual changes from piano to forte or vice versa.

Question 12

Articulation: Baroque, Classical and Romantic

Answer 12

Staccato
Legato
Accent notes

Question 13

Technique: Baroque, Classical and Romantic (strings)

Answer 13

• pizzicato
• arco

Question 14

Instrumentation: Baroque

Answer 14

• string dominated
• harpsichord plays the ‘basso continuo’ part
• very few woodwind/brass parts

Question 15

Dynamics: Baroque

Answer 15

‘Terraced’ dynamics

Question 16

Ornamentation: Baroque

Answer 16

• Trills
• makes the music sound more decorated
  (think about Baroque architecture! looks v. fancy)

Question 17

What does ‘tutti’ mean?

Answer 17

Everyone plays together at the same time.

Question 18

Instrumentation: Romantic

Answer 18

• piano
• strings (large section)
• woodwind
• brass
• percussion (timpani drums, bass drum, cymbals)

Question 19

What is the prominent tempo feature of Romantic music?

Answer 19

• ‘rubato’
  Playing around with tempo and rhythm to create a more emotive feel.

Question 20

What happened to melodies and phrasing in Romantic music?

Answer 20

Became longer

Question 21

What are doubled melodies?

Answer 21

• Doubling the melody means that two (or more) instruments would perform the main melody at the same time. This created a thicker texture.

Question 22

What is the name of the texture that is equivalent to ‘polyphonic’? (used in Baroque music a lot)

Answer 22

‘Contrapuntal’

Question 23

What made the Romantic period different to Classical and Baroque?

Answer 23

It was very DRAMATIC!

Question 24

Which period of concerto came first in time?

Answer 24

Baroque.

Question 25

If you are asked to describe a cadenza, the following will usually get you a mark...

Answer 25

- 'Virtuosic' - soloist playing alone, sounds hard to play - quite fancy - Fast runs - Scalic - Use of ornamentation - Wide pitch range - Uses improvisation - Use of crescendos and diminuendos.

Question 26

What is the name of the bass part in Classical music?

Answer 26

'Alberti bass'