Brandenburg Concerto Analysis Flashcards
(32 cards)
What is a concerto grosso?
A Baroque piece for a group of soloists and orchestra
What are the distinct features of Baroque music?
> ornamentation
contrasting sections eg dynamics from loud to soft
polyphonic writing
contrapuntal texture
harpsichord continuo
What does continuo mean?
> the bass part in Baroque music usually played by a cello and used by chordal instruments eg harpsichord
Differences between harpsichord and piano?
> harpsichord is a keyboard instrument
harpsichord has plucked strings not hammered
harpsichord has a tinnier sound
harpsichord has no sustain pedal so players have to add trills to long notes to lengthen sound
no dynamics on a harpischord
What is a figured bass?
> a form of notation where numbers are added to a bassline indicating intervals to be added above the bass note to create a chord
What is the tempo of the piece?
Allegro
What is the structure of the piece?
Ternary form
A-bars 1 to 78 (fugal exposition)
B bars 79 to 232
A bars 233 to 310
What is a fugue?
A musical form in which parts enter one after the other with the main
What are the 3 main groups of instruments?
Concertino, ripieno, continuo
What is the concertino?
Group of soloists in a concerto grosso
What is the ripieno?
A group of instruments that consists of non-soloists
What is the time signature?
Written in 2/4 but has a gigue-like feel by using continous triplet quavers
What is a gigue?
A lively dance
What is counterpoint?
Two or more independent musical subjects that contrast with each other-it’s a form of polyphonic texture
How is texture created by using a fugue?
> melody starts the piece(subject) which is repeated at different pitches and is imitated by different instruments throughout the piece
this creates a complex moving texture of independent moving parts called counterpoint
How is the opening presented?
> violin plays the subject in bars 1 and 2 and then the countersubject
flute begins in bar 3 playing the subject 5 notes higher then the countersubject
harpsichord plays the subject in bar 9
What is terraced dynamics?
No crescendos or diminuedos and texture is created using dynamics
What does the subject start with?
An anacrusis
What is the subject and countersubject?
> subject is the main tune of a fugue
countersubject is a continuation of a musical line which often replies to the subject
What is a stretto?
Overlapping subjects in a fugue eg in bar 39 where the harpsichord LH plays the subject then in bar 40 the subject is in the RH
What is the texture of the piece?
> the main texture is counterpoint ‘tune against tune’ which is created by the use of the subject, answer and countermelody
homophonic texture in section B
beginning starts in monophonic
4 part texture
harpsichord plays in 2 part counterpoint but when both hands play its 4-part counterpoint
flute and violin double each other
What is countermelody?
A melodic line used to contrast the main tune of music and build texture
What is polyphonic texture?
A texture where lines of music move independently
What is the tonality of the piece?
> begins in D major
modulates to the dominant key which is A major
then modulates to E major(dominant of A major)
back to D major
