Concerto Grosso & Ritornello
Fugue
Concerto Grosso
• Consists of several movements that contrast
in tempo and character
• Small group of soloists against large group
(Tutti):2-4 soloists vs. 20 or more musicians
(Strings and basso continuo)
• 3 movements : fast, slow,fast; 1st movement
vigorous, showing contrast between tutti and
soloists
• Slow movement quiet and lyrical; last
movement lively, dance like
• 1st and last movement are usually in
Ritornello Form
• The refrian: repeated section of music
played by the tutti,alternated by soloists
playing new material
• Played in different keys throughout
movement;returns in fragments
throughout movement.
• At the end, entire ritornello in home key
Solo section
• New melodic ideas, softer dynamics
• Lots of notes!!!
• Expansion of short melodic ideas from
tutti
Fugue
• Polyphonic composition based on one
theme: subject
• One of main forms of baroque
music/composition
• Written for a group of instruments or
single keyboard instrument
• Different melodic lines (voices) imitate
the subject
Fugue
• Top line-soprano, bottom line-bass
• Texture can be 3-5 voices;subject remains
constant throughout;shifts to different keys or
combined with different musical material
• Form extremely flexible; only thing constant is
how they begin: with subject
• Subject imitated in other voices after
introduction in soprano voice (usual
technique)
Fugue
• Subject can be announced in ANY
voice; order of imitation can be changed
• Example: Row, Row Row your boat
(exact imitation)
• After presentation of subject, goes its
own way with different melodic material
Fugue
• In opening of fugue, subject presented
in two different scales: 1st time on tonic
key or scale
• 2nd voice presents subject, dominant
scale, becomes answer
• Alternation between subject and answer
creates variety
Fugue
Many fugues, there is a countersubject:
melodic idea that accompanies the
subject constantly
Countersubject always appears with
subject;above or below
After subject present, composer free to
choose direction of music
Fugue
• Between subjects, transition
music:episodes
• Episode brought new musical material,
or fragments of subject or counter
subject.
• Episodes don’t present subject in
full;add variety and freshness
Fugues
• Other musical features
• Stretto: subject imitated before its
completed; one voice trying to catch the
other
• Pedal point: one tone in the bass
(usually) is held while the other ovices
produce a series of changing harmonies
against it;AKA organ point
Fugues
• Subject varied in 4 main ways
• Inversion: subject turned upside-down,
intervals in subject reversed
• Retorgrade:beginning with the last note of
subject and preceding back to the first note
• Augmentation:original time values are
lengthened
• Diminution: time values shortened
Fugues
• Sense of mood and continuous flow
• Written as independent works or single
movements within larger composition
• Most independent fugues are
introduced by shorter pieces:preludes