Brandenburg Concerto No.5 in D major - Johann Sebastian Bach

Question 1

Which bars are Section A (part1) comprised of?

Answer 1

bars 1-78

Question 2

What is the speed of the piece?

Answer 2

Allegro - fast.

Question 3

What key is Section A in?

Answer 3

The tonic, D major. It often modulates to the dominant - A major (e.g. bar 12) and the dominant of the dominant - E major.

Question 4

How does section A begin (style)?

Answer 4

In a fugal style. A fugue is a complicated piece which uses lots of imitation throughout. It is not an ACTUAL FUGUE, but uses fugal techniques.

Question 5

What is this piece (instruments)?

Answer 5

A Concerto Grosso - a group of soloists (a concertino) and a main body of accompanying instruments (a ripieno).
The concertino is comprised of a solo flute, a solo violin and the harpsichord.
The ripieno is comprised of a ripieno violin, a ripieno viola, a cello and a double bass.

Question 6

What is the texture in bar 9?

Answer 6

a 4-part counter part with the solo instruments.

Question 7

Which instruments are the first to enter in the piece?

Answer 7

the solo flute and the solo violin - bars 1-8 , playing in a two part imitation, the violin being the subject and the flute, the answer a 4th higher.

Question 8

What is the role of the harpsichord in this piece?

Answer 8

• soloist
• accompanist
• plays basso continuo - the bass - only plays it sometimes e.g. 79-85

Question 9

Describe the rhythm in section A of the piece.

Answer 9

• triplets - e.g. bar 2
• dotted rhythms - e.g. bar 1

Question 10

What elements at the start of the piece make it sound lively?

Answer 10

• triplets - give it a 6/8 gigue feel
• dotted rhythms
• create a cheerful mood in the style of a jig

Question 11

What is a gigue?

Answer 11

A baroque dance.

Question 12

Describe the melody in section A.

Answer 12

• stepwise conjunct melody - bar 15 (harpsichord)
• some leaps of perfect 5ths - bar 3 - D-A
• scalic runs (notes going up and down a scale) - bar 15
• rising passages - bar 82
• stretto - 64-67 and 220-225
• dialogue (imitation between the violin and flute)
• flute and violin sometimes double in unison - bar 37
• ripieno strings- subject and answer - bar 29
• flute and violin sometimes play in 3rds
• trills - bar 19

Question 13

What are the ornaments played in this piece?

Answer 13

• trills - harpsichord - bar 19
• appoggiatura - bar 90

Question 14

What is the time signature throughout this piece?

Answer 14

simple, duple time : 2/4

Question 15

How do the flute and violin play?

Answer 15

in 3rds - the harpsichord also does this in bars 18-24.

Question 16

What rhythm does the harpsichord use?

Answer 16

sextuplet semiquavers - bar 15 and scalic passages (right and left hand) - bars 58-61

Question 17

What is the texture?

Answer 17

The texture is mainly contrapuntal and polyphonic- but the piece does have regions which are more homophonic.

Question 18

What is the texture in bars 10-29?

Answer 18

4-part counterpoint

Question 19

What is the texture bar 29 onwards?

Answer 19

tutti - the entire ensemble playing, polyphonic.

Question 20

What are the ripieno strings playing in bar 29?

Answer 20

subject and answer

Question 21

What are the standard baroque chords?

Answer 21

I, IV AND V -> occasionally ii + vi including V7 (dominant 7th) chords -> mainly in root/1st inv.

Question 22

What does the harpsichord have on its score?

Answer 22

figured bass (numbers) which help the harpsichordist to realise/ improvise, e.g. bars 29-36

Question 23

The flute and the violin often double each other in unison. Give an example of this.

Answer 23

bar 37.

Question 24

What features are there in Section A which heighten the tension?

Answer 24

stretto- at the end of section a (part1) - 64-67 and at the end of section b when section a (part2) is about to return - 220-225. this makes a thick, contrapuntal and polyphonic texture to heighten the tension and climax.

Question 25

what is stretto?

Answer 25

overlapping and quick entries of the subject which occur in this passage to heighten tension - bars 64 and 67.

Question 26

What bars is Section B comprised of?

Answer 26

79-232

Question 27

What is the key of section b?

Answer 27

b minor - the relative minor with modulations to the dominant of B minor, F# minor e.g. bar 97

Question 28

What is a key feature of Section B?

Answer 28

Fragments from the theme in the A section make frequent appearances (second theme returns - bar 148 in the dominant A major in the ripieno)

Question 29

What is the theme of section B?

Answer 29

the theme is variation of the opening subject and is first heard in the flute.

Question 30

What ornament is used in section B?

Answer 30

appoggiaturas - a key feature - e.g. bar 90

Question 31

what is an appoggiatura?

Answer 31

(to lean) it is an ornament which takes half the value it precedes.

Question 32

what is the texture of section B?

Answer 32

still polyphonic, but has a lighter texture and has some sections which are more homophonic.

Question 33

How does Section B open?

Answer 33

with the melody played by the solo flute (bar 79-89) and accompanied by a tonic pedal (1 quaver per bar) + broken chord triplet patterns in the harpsichord and violin.

Question 34

what is the dynamics of the violin in section b?

Answer 34

'piano' not to overpower flute - bar 79, clear that the flute has the melody.

Question 35

what note is the tonic pedal on in bars 79-85?

Answer 35

b, the bass line.

Question 36

what accompanies the violin in bar 89 when it takes over the melody?

Answer 36

the other instruments are softer and it is accompanied by a tonic pedal and triplet patterns in the harpsichord and doubled by the ripieno violins.

Question 37

what is a key difference between section a and section b?

Answer 37

- no countermelodies - no busy semiquaver runs

Question 38

which bar is the repeated tonic pedal in bass on F#?

Answer 38

97

Question 39

what is the texture in bars 106-109?

Answer 39

varied texture with the use of anti-phonal writing or dialogue between harpsichord and the rest of the ensemble. the melodic ideas are passed back and forth - bars 106-109

Question 40

what are rising sequences?

Answer 40

same short phrase repeated several times, transposed up one note each time. e.g. bar 114

Question 41

describe the melody in section b.

Answer 41

- theme : variation of opening subject and is first heard in flute. - appoggiaturas : bar 90 - opens with melody : bar 79-89 - violin takes over melody - other instruments softer - bar 89 - rising sequences - bar 114 - trill - 177

Question 42

name a feature of the texture in section b.

Answer 42

-bars 117-127 - only concertino instruments play - from bar 128 - tutti

Question 43

what is suspension and when is it used?

Answer 43

- accented non-chord tones occurring on downbeats -bars 129-130 - occasional use of suspension is a key feature of baroque music.

Question 44

what is suspension?

Answer 44

suspension is prolonging a note to create dissonance with the next chord

Question 45

when is the melody reinforced in section b?

Answer 45

flute and violin in unison- bar 130- ripieno instruments rejoin.

Question 46

name a homophonic section in section b.

Answer 46

bars 128-147 - harpsichord joins basso continuo to provide chords , more homophonic texture than polyphonic.

Question 47

when are demi-semi quavers used?

Answer 47

bar 139

Question 48

when does the ripieno take the second theme and appoggiaturas?

Answer 48

bars 148-153

Question 49

when is the style 'cantabile' and what does it mean?

Answer 49

bar 148, in a singing style

Question 50

when is canon used in this piece and what is canon?

Answer 50

canon is a piece of music where the melody is played and then imitated (one or more times) after a short delay - strict imitation. bars 163-171

Question 51

when is the harpsichord solo section?

Answer 51

163-183

Question 52

what and when is the subject developed?

Answer 52

stretched/augmented rhythm - bars 193-195.

Question 53

describe the texture near the end of section b.

Answer 53

- 3-part counterpoint - harpsichord and concertino - 199-208 - polyphonic dialogue between flute and violin (199-208) - tutti - everyone playing - bars 220-225

Question 54

describe the melody near the end of section b.

Answer 54

- chromatic feel -> music passes through several keys

Question 55

how does section b end?

Answer 55

a perfect cadence in B minor. (230-232)

Question 56

which bars does section a (part 2) consist of?

Answer 56

bars 233-310/end

Question 57

describe the melody in the section a repeat.

Answer 57

- first melody idea (subject) starts with anacrusis

Question 58

what is anacrusis?

Answer 58

a pick up beat

Question 59

what is a major dynamic feature of baroque music?

Answer 59

sudden changes of terraced dynamics - expressive style typical of some early music in which volume levels shift abruptly from soft to loud and back without gradual crescendos and decrescendos.

Question 60

what is the basso continuo in bars 261-269?

Answer 60

bass and harpsichord act as the basso continuo -> bass instruments play a bass line and the harpsichord 'realises' the chords on top when it is not playing a solo part.