Baroque Music
Sonata
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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.
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Basso
Continuo
Concerto
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Work for solo instrument and orchestra, e.g. a flute concerto is
written for solo flute and orchestra.
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Concerto Grosso
A type of concerto in which a group of soloists (concertino) is combined
and contrasted with a larger group (ripieno).
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Concertino
Ripieno
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.
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Ritornello
Concertino
Ripieno
Ritornello
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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
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
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Gavotte
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Courante
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Bourree
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Minuet
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Gigue
A piece of orchestral music which introduces a large-scale
work such as an opera, an oratorio, or a musical.
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J S Bach
Passacaglia
Variations over a ground bass.
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Chaconne
Variations over a repeated progression of chords.
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.
Answer
subject
Counter subject.
Answer
Counter subject.
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
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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.
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Chorale Prelude
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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.
Da Capo Aria
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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.
Section A
Introduction in Bb
Section B
G minor Relative Minor
Go back to
Section A
Other Features
Basso Continuo
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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.