The Understanding of Music
Unit 2: The Baroque Era – Lecture Notes
Baroque Spirit (slide #1,2 & 3)
The word Baroque refers to a very detailed and elaborate style in the arts. This
description will seem very appropriate when we listen to the music Bach. At some
points in history, the term was derogatory, indicating a style that was viewed as
distorted, excessive, and un-natural, or ‘so extravagant as to be in bad taste’. But it is
now recognized as a valid artistic expression. The Baroque Era spans the years 1600 –
1750. It is interesting that historians have chosen 1750 as the end of the era – the same
year that Bach died.
The Baroque Spirit (slide #4 - 5)
The Baroque era was a turbulent time. Following the Reformation and CounterReformation, tensions continued to rise resulting in religious wars between the
Protestants and Catholics, and between the Catholic dynasties of France and Germany.
World exploration continued and resulted in settlements being established in the New
World (America). During this early colonization period, we also have the first printed
music collection in the New World called the Bay Psalm Book (1640). In science,
Newton discovered the theory of gravity and Harvey explained the circulation of blood.
The period is referred to as the Age of Absolute Monarchies. By the early 18 th century,
the royal courts had become world powers and reach the height of the wealth and
influence. Louis XIV (who exclaimed “I am the state”) in his grandiose palace at
Versailles, France was the envy of all – it was virtually a small city with several thousand
employees. In music, many of these royal courts employed their own orchestras, choirs,
opera companies, and musicians of all kinds for a variety of entertainment and
ceremonial functions.
The rising middle class included a variety of professionals, entrepreneurs, merchants,
and new landowners. Eager to participate in the artistic culture, music became a more
prominent activity in the home, and community. With the corresponding development
of public concert halls and opera houses, Western culture was beginning to develop a
third source of patronage –the civic or public venues - in addition to the already existing
church and royal court support. The term ‘middle class’ was not as we view it today –
Today, the term is almost synonymous with income level (For instance, we probably
would not refer to Bill Gates, Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, or Warren Buffet as
middle class). The idea of a Baroque ‘middle class’ refers to exactly this type of
entrepreneur, businessman, and professional – a group that is separate from the royalty
or noble class who acquire their station in life by means of inheritance.
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The Understanding of Music
Unit 2: The Baroque Era – Lecture Notes
The Arts (slides #6 & 7)
Baroque artistic styles illustrate the definition of Baroque as described earlier. The
painting included the drama, and vivid colors of El Greco, and Rubens, or the intimate
portraits by Rembrandt and Vermeer.
Architecture on a grandiose scale was characteristic of the royal palaces, the private
homes of the ruling class, and the cathedrals which changed from the previous
“Romanesque” style to the preferred “Gothic” style. There are corresponding
developments in music such as the very complex music of Bach, the development of
large genres such as the opera, oratorio, the cantata, and the highly ornamented style of
keyboard music.
Main Currents in Music (slide #8)
We have already discussed the development of public theatres, and during the Baroque,
the new genre of opera became the favored form of public entertainment. To illustrate,
the most important city of Venice by the end of the Baroque era, a city of 125,000, had
17 public concert halls and theatres, and supported 6 full-time opera companies.
Instrumental music was a major factor in Baroque style, indeed the first period when
instrumental music was as important as vocal music. This was partially due to the
improvement of instrument making (such as the Stradivarius violin) and the
development of new instrumental genres of music. You will also notice that the vocal
music we study in the Baroque is not “a-cappella”, but is accompanied by orchestra.
The rise of the “virtuoso” (or world-class) musician is noted, and the involvement of
women in music, particular as professional singers was greatly enhanced.
As more universities developed, we begin to have the “Collegium Musicum”, an
ensemble equivalent to today’s University Orchestras.
Last, the textbook talks about the “Doctrine of Affections”, or the concept that one
emotion should pervade an entire movement or piece of music. This can be easily
understood in the music of Bach, which generally flows from beginning to end with very
little change in style.
Comparison of Styles (slide #9)
Before we continue, examine the last two columns of the chart on page 103 of the text
book to get an overview of the differences between Renaissance and Baroque music.
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The Understanding of Music
Unit 2: The Baroque Era – Lecture Notes
Baroque Musical Style (slide #10)
In the early Baroque, a new style called “monody” was developed. This is a solo song
with instrumental accompaniment. Caution – do not confuse this with monophonic
texture. The definition of “monody” clearly indicates that it is a homophonic texture.
Most importantly, “monody” gave rise to the development of opera. In late Baroque, an
emphasis on polyphonic texture returned.
Melody in the Baroque is generally a continuous flow and uses a wider range with a
more disjunct style (the result of instrumental influence). The rhythm becomes very
strong and energetic especially in the late Baroque – almost a “perpetual motion” style.
Composers in the Baroque era began to indicate specific dynamics or volume levels on
the music, as well as specific instruments.
The Baroque Orchestra (slide #11 & 12)
Timbre (or tone color) in Baroque music included specific instruments and resulted in
the development of the first orchestra. A Baroque orchestra is strings and basso
continuo. The basso continuo is defined as “continuous bass”, but it is more
appropriate to view as “continuous accompaniment”. As you can see it involved a
keyboard instrument playing the harmony (or chords) and a bass instrument. In some
music the continuo is not readily apparent because it is somewhat buried in the texture
of the music, but it is almost always used in a Baroque orchestra. Other instruments
(woodwinds, brass, percussion) were used for special occasions, ceremonies, or
celebrations.
New Harmonic Structure (chromatic) (slide #13)
In the materials unit, we referred to Grand Staff as a menu of notes for writing music. If
the composer used all of the pitches, it would be called “chromatic” built from a
“Chromatic scale” which is 12 pitches, but early composers did not normally utilize this
complete menu.
New Harmonic structure (slide #13)
The most important change in Baroque style was the development of a new system of
harmony called “tonality”. This harmony has been used for over 400 years and is the
primary harmony system of classical, Broadway theatre, jazz, movie soundtracks, and
the popular music heard today. Tonality is the organization of pitches into scales,
melodies, and harmony based on one pitch called the “tonic” or “keynote”. There are
two basic types of tonality called a major scale (or major key) and a minor scale (or
minor key, which can be built on 12 different pitches or “keynotes”, thus there are 24
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Unit 2: The Baroque Era – Lecture Notes
total major and minor keys. Each scale is comprised of 7 pitches (with the eighth simply
being a repeat of the first an octave higher). We will not be learning to construct these
harmonies, but it makes a big difference in sound depending on which option is chosen.
For instance, this piece may sound familiar but not exactly the way you have always
heard it.
play Frere Jacques opening in minor
That’s because we learned this tune as a piece in a major key.
play Frere Jacques opening in major
Since we are not going to learn to construct major and minor scales, how do you explain
that difference in sound? Almost impossible, but some authors have indicated that a
major keys sounds happier and brighter play ending of Frere Jacques in Major
while minor keys sound more somber, serious, or sad –
play ending of Frere Jacques in minor
Perhaps that gives us at least an idea of what we are hearing.
It is sometimes easier to identify harmony if we hear the same melody in both keys. It is
sometimes difficult to focus on just one characteristic in music because we respond to
the entire style. When we refer to harmony, we must remember that tempo, range,
dynamic level, etc. really have nothing to do with harmony. In some pieces, the tempo,
range, dynamics, and style work to compliment and make very clear what the harmony
is. This is the way composers use harmony. Almost all pieces that are heroic,
triumphant, or majestic are written in a major key – that’s the only harmony that works
for expressing those feelings. On the other hand, almost all pieces, that are mournful,
sad, or funeral dirges are written in a minor key – because minor is natural harmony to
express those emotions. As we listen to our Baroque music assignments, we will begin
to study and notice how the harmony contributes to the expression and meaning each
piece.
Baroque opera (slide #16)
Our textbook describes opera as “the single most important achievement in Baroque
music”, and we have already mentioned that it became the favorite form of
entertainment in the period. Opera was developed in the northern Italy city of Florence
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The Understanding of Music
Unit 2: The Baroque Era – Lecture Notes
by a group called the “camerata”, and was an outgrowth of the new music style called
“monody”. This group was attempting to capture the drama of classic Greek theatre in
a musical production. The first great composer who we will not study was Claudio
Monteverdi.
Baroque Opera (slide #16)
There are several terms to learn in opera. Early operas were based on ancient
mythology and history and the style is called “Opera Seria”. Two of the primary musical
elements include the “aria” and “recitative. Arias are the most important solo songs,
often dramatic, and sung by the most important characters of the story – the hero,
heroine, or Gods. Arias are frequently heard in other venues besides opera productions,
such as a vocal recital or concert. “Recitative” is much freer in its rhythmic flow with
very little accompaniment and are meant to replace spoken dialogue. The orchestra
prelude is called an “overture” and there are two basic styles to learn – the French 2part format (AB) and the Italian 3-part format (ABA). Instrumental interludes between
scenes or acts are called a “sinfonia”. The text or words are written by a collaborator
called the “librettist”. This “libretto” is then set to music by the composers we will
study.
Baroque Opera – Henry Purcell (slide #17)
Although Italian-style opera was common throughout Europe, some productions took
on different national characteristics in various countries. Our example is by the English
composer, Henry Purcell. He was employed by the English kings, and as the organist at
Westminster Abbey. The demands of the royal courts included music for ceremonies
and celebrations, and from the royal court events (particularly England, France, and
Germany) we have some of the earliest brass music, often in a majestic, ceremonial, or
processional style.
An indication of Purcell’s stature in England is that he was the first composer to be
buried in Westminster Abbey, the place where England buries their royalty and other
famous individuals. Purcell’s crypt is directly below the organ loft.
Dido and Aneas (slide #18)
Dido and Aneas is based on the ancient Virgil manuscript. A couple unique
characteristics of this work is that it was written in the English language (instead of the
traditional Latin or Italian), and written for school group (instead of a professional opera
company). The English were not too fond of pure Italian-style opera as indicated by the
title of this published critique – “Opera in the Italian Manner on the English stage and
Reflections on the Damage which this may bring to the Public”.
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The Understanding of Music
Unit 2: The Baroque Era – Lecture Notes
Dido and Aneas follow the fall of Troy, and Aneas, the former Roman King of Troy is
forced to flee for safety. Sailing across the Mediterranean Sea, he lands on the coast of
North Africa at the city of Carthage, and there falls in love with Dido, the queen of
Carthage. A prophet appears and declares that Aneas is not destined to stay with his
beloved Dido, but must leave and become the new King of Rome. That is a
heartbreaking event for Dido, and on his departure, she sees her life coming to end,
which is the famous Dido’s Lament at the end of our recorded example.
Purcell, Dido and Aneas listening guide, pg. 1 (slide #19)
(pages 116 – 117 in textbook)
The opening solo and chorus section “Come Away” is about Aneas’s departure from
Carthage, sung by the sailors accompanying his voyage.
play excerpt of chorus
The recitative and aria are about Dido’s remorse at losing her beloved, and the thought
of death. Notice the very sparse accompaniment in the recitative style play excerpt of recitative
Purcell, Dido & Aneas listening guide, pg. 2 (slide #20)
The famous aria “Dido’s Lament” is built on a ground bass – the repeated chromatic
bass pattern underlying the changing melody.
The most intense section is the aria – “Remember me, Remember me” which is
repeated several times and leap to the highest pitches, techniques which add emphases
to the text.
audio excerpt “Remember me”
video clip of Dido’s Lament
17. The Baroque Cantata
Johann Sebastian Bach (slide #21 & 22)
Bach was German and the most important composer of the Baroque era. He was raised
in a musical family. Records indicate that family reunions included over 100 people all
singing and playing instruments and four of his sons became well-known composers. He
was very religious and a devout Lutheran. Bach was employed by both royal courts and
the Church. His first position at the court of Weimer began his legacy as an organist and
improviser. Improvisation was a common characteristic in the Baroque era. It is a more
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The Understanding of Music
Unit 2: The Baroque Era – Lecture Notes
involved than the common understanding of simply “playing by ear”. At its highest
level, improvisation is simultaneously creating a piece of music in your mind and
performing it, a skill that is not common in today’s classical musicians, but is very much
alive in the popular music and jazz fields. It is recorded that on one occasion Bach
entertained at the court of Frederick the Great, and was presented a simple melody. He
sat down at the harpsichord, and proceeded to add harmonies, vary the texture,
embellish the melody, and extend the form. After this occasion, he returned to the
studio and wrote out the music he had just performed on the spur of the moment. The
piece is his Musical Offering and generally regarded as one of the best works he ever
wrote.
Among his accomplishments is writing the first great collection of organ music. Here is
an example –
play excerpt from Toccata and Fugue
Today, organ music is produced by the electronics and mechanics of the instrument. It
was quite different in his day. Beside the organ was a device that looked like an exercise
machine with bicycle style pedals which operated a bellows to pump air through the
pipes that made the sound. So while Bach played the keys, he needed a young, athletic
assistant to operate the air bellows. The interesting thing about this is that the more
notes Bach played (and he could play a virtual blizzard of notes) and the louder he
played, the more work this young assistant had to do. Bach certainly needed individuals
who were strong and energetic to produce the organ sound in his day.
When Bach accepted his second position at the Court of Cothen, he was thrown in jail
for 6 months. Musicians were little more than servants, and Bach had not received
permission to talk to a new employer, nor had he been released from his previous
contract. Eventually, it was decided that no matter what they did to Bach, he would
never return to Weimer. Thus he was released from his old contract, and began is new
job at the Court of Cothen. At the court of Cothen, he had an orchestra to conduct and
began to write suites and concertos in addition to his keyboard music. Here is an
example of 2 movements (slow and fast) from a Bach suite)
(play excerpt from Suite – Air)
(play excerpt from Suite – Badanaire)
Here is an example of an early oboe concerto.
(play excerpt from Oboe Concerto)
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Unit 2: The Baroque Era – Lecture Notes
Johann Sebastion Bach (slide #23)
Bach’s most important position was at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany. One
might be curious about his move to this job. After all, in the age of absolute
monarchies, the best-paying and most prestigious positions were in the royal courts.
Bach undertook this position because he was deeply religious and it allowed him to
focus on sacred music. Secondly, he moved for the same reason many people do today.
Bach had 19 children, and he wanted the best education and schools for his children
which were in Leipzig. Only a gifted individual able to create music quickly could meet
the requirements of the Leipzig commitment. First, it was not simply one church, but a
group of four churches, for which Bach had to hire and train the musicians, and see that
music was provided. In addition, he taught at the equivalent of today’s University
Orchestra, called a “Collegium Musicum”. It is from the St. Thomas Church position that
we have many of Bach’s sacred masterpieces.
Bach – works (slide #24)
Bach is certainly regarded as the master of polyphonic style or counterpoint (which
means part writing). Even today, when musicians begin to study composition for
orchestra, choir, or any ensemble, the first lessons are exactly the principles developed
by Bach. This partial list of his most important works includes organ music, suites, and
concertos, and we have already listened to a few examples. The Art of the Fugue and
the Brandenburg Concertos we will hear later. Two important collections are the WellTempered Clavier, consisting of 24 preludes and fugues each. Why 24? – The new
harmony system of tonality included exactly 24 major and minor keys. Bach was one of
those obsessive individuals who were not satisfied to write a few examples of a genre,
but felt the need to write a virtual “encyclopedia” of each form. We will study a fugue
later, but here is an example of a prelude from that collection –
play Bach Prelude in C Major
The Baroque Cantata (slide #25)
The Cantata (meaning “to sing”) is a collection of movements and includes many of the
same sections as opera such as recitatives, arias, and sections for chorus. Though there
are secular cantatas, Bach’s were exclusively Lutheran or Church Cantatas. These works
are based on a simple hymn tune, known as the “Chorale” and were used in a church
service, and for at least some of them, Bach composed an organ prelude. As mentioned
earlier, Bach was a very prolific composer, and it is known that in one 3-year period, he
composed 150 Cantatas, almost one for each Sunday or special event. That is an
amazing feat considering the large amount of music in each cantata.
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Unit 2: The Baroque Era – Lecture Notes
Bach, Cantata No. 140 listening guide (slides #26 & 27)
Before studying your excerpts from the Bach cantata, notice that the Chorale on which
everything else is based is the last movement (#7). Here is the chorale –
play last movement – Chorale
Earlier movements were performed by the employed choir and orchestra, but when the
Chorale ending was sung, the entire congregation would stand and join in the music.
The earlier sections including a variety of solo recitative and arias, or chorus sections
would involve a lot of free composition with only fragments or phrases of the Chorale
interspersed, such as Movement 5, the Unison Chorale.
play excerpt from the Unison chorale
Our other assignment, movement 1, the Chorale Fantasia, contains melody phrases, but
additional melodies in the lower voices are added at the same time, creating a
polyphonic texture.
play excerpt from Chorale Fantasia
Bach composed this music to be a part of the regular worship service. Let’s see what
that would look like.
Show video clips
Be sure to listen to both movements and carefully learn the difference between them as
well as their purpose in the piece.
The Baroque Oratorio
George Frideric Handel (slide #28)
Handel and Bach were the true giants of Baroque music. But unlike today, when Bach is
put on a pedestal, it was Handel who was the “musical star” during their lifetime. Here
are some quotes which contrast these 2 musicians.
 “While Bach spent his time confined to the towns of central Germany, his
cosmopolitan countryman Handel traveled the world – from Rome, to Venice, to
Hamburg, to Amsterdam, to London, and Dublin”. Thus Handel was more widely
recognized during their lives.
 “If Bach was most at home conducting choral cantatas and playing organ fugues
from the church choir loft, Handel was a man of the public theatre, a resident of
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Unit 2: The Baroque Era – Lecture Notes

the orchestra pit, by training and temperament a composer of Opera”. Thus it
was Handel who composed the entertainment music of his time, while Bach
composed music for more limited audiences.
“If Bach fell into virtual obscurity at the end of his life, Handel’s stature only grew
larger on the international stage. He became the most famous composer in
Europe and a treasured national institution in England”. We will see why Handel
became associated with English music, but Bach in “virtual obscurity at the end
of his life”? The European musical world did not recognize the full importance of
Bach until 75 years after his death, when there was a revival of his music and
finally Bach was revered as the greatest composer of his era.
Handel was born in Germany. He started his career in Italy, where he composed Italianstyle opera. His big break came when he was employed by the Elector of Hanover in
Germany. During the first year, he took a leave of absence to go to London. After
returning to the Hanoverian estate, he took another leave of absence the next year, and
this time he never left London because of a unique set of circumstances. Queen Anne of
England died, and she was the last living heir in the Stuart line of English royalty.
Following the rules of succession, they finally chose a very distant cousin, George (the
Elector) of Hanover who was brought to England and crowned King George. Thus the
employee (Handel) was in England first, to be followed by his employer (the Elector,
now King George). Handel spent over 50 years in London employed by the Royal Court.
He also founded the Royal Academy of Music – in spite of its name this was not a school
in the traditional sense, but a public theatre – an opera house. To illustrate Handel’s
importance to English music, he like Purcell, was also buried in Westminster Abbey.
The Baroque Oratorio (slide #29)
For several years, Handel composed Italian-style operas for the Royal Academy, but the
opera company eventually folded. He spoke about the expensive undertaking of the
elaborate scenery, the lavish costumes, and about the difficulty of dealing with the stars
of the stage - the solo singers he called “prima donnas”. Thus, Handel turned his
attention to the composing Oratorios. Like opera, an Oratorio tells a story, but it is a
concert performance without the acting and spectacle of opera. An oratorio contains
many of the musical segments of opera such as recitatives, arias, and overtures, but
tends to focus on the full Chorus sections. In his day, Oratorios were based on the
monumental individuals of the Bible like Moses, Solomon, Judas, or Joshua. Our
example is the Messiah - the story of Jesus.
The Messiah listening guide, pg. 1 (slide #30)
We have already studied the Hallelujah Chorus during the Materials of Music unit, but
here we add the soprano aria Rejoice Greatly. It is a “da capo aria” or ABA. (The word
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Unit 2: The Baroque Era – Lecture Notes
“da capo” means return to the beginning of the piece). Also notice the extensive
“melismas” in this aria, a very active rhythm that is similar to Baroque instrumental
music.
play excerpt from Rejoice Greatly
The Messiah listening guide, pg. 2 (slide #31)
There is a tradition in the concert hall dating from the time of King George that when
the Hallelujah Chorus is heard, the entire audience stands up and sings along. Follow
your listening guides as you study Messiah.
The Baroque Suite (slide #32 & 33)
We have already discussed the rise of instrumental music during the Baroque era. One
of the new genres is the suite, which may be called an orchestral suite, a keyboard suite,
or simply a suite. It is a concert collection of movements based on dances from various
regions of Europe, and thus each movement has its own unique rhythm and style. Most
movements are in binary or ternary form and sometimes are started with an overture.
We have already heard excerpts from Bach suites, and Handel’s Royal Fireworks. The
suites we will be studying are Handel’s Water Music and Mouret’s Rondeau.
Handel, Water Music (slide #34)
Handel’s Water Music is actually three suites composed for festive occasion on the
Thames River – an entire flotilla of ships on a summer cruise. One of these was a barge
with the orchestra. With the ambient noise of wind, water, sails flapping, and the
reveling of the floating party, the orchestra needed to be unusually large – perhaps over
50, and include more brass instruments than normal.
Handel, Water Music listening guide (slide #35)
The movement we are studying is called Alla Hornpipe –a reference to the brass
instruments of the Baroque which did not have the valves of modern trumpets, but
were “natural trumpets” or open tubes. It is in ternary form. Study the listening guide
and particularly notice the restatements in section A which feature Trumpet melody at
times, and French Horn at other times.
play example of Water Music
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Jean-Joseph Mouret (slide #36)
Mouret is an example of French music in the Baroque. Like others, he worked in a
variety of venues, including the Royal Court, a school, and directed the Paris Opera.
Mouret’s music encompasses the many genres popular at the time and we will study his
Rondeau from the Suite de Symphonies.
Mouret, Rondeau from Suite Symphonies (slide #37)
A rondo is a new form for us. This one is ABACA, with the beginning section returning
after each contrasting section. The opening is very familiar as the theme for PBS show.
Mouret Rondeau Listening Guide (slide #38)
As you listen to this piece, also notice the importance of brass instruments in the French
royal courts.
play opening of Mouret’s Rondeau
Vivaldi and the Solo Concerto (slide #40)
Vivaldi was the greatest violinist of his day. He was an ordained priest, not because he
ever practiced that profession, but it was a requirement for his teaching position. In
Venice, there were 4 schools for orphaned girls sponsored by various churches, and
Vivaldi’s school at the Conservatory della Pieta was the most famous. Today, Vivaldi is
performed by very advanced student ensembles and professional orchestras, but most
of it was written for these young girls, who sole responsibility was to study and perform
music. Although he composed other music, his focus was on instrumental genres, and
because of his violin training emphasized the strings. Here’s an interesting piece of trivia
– Vivaldi was eventually fired from this job because it was discovered that he had been
living in secret with a French actress for about 15 years – certainly not acceptable for
priest.
The Baroque Concerto (slide #41)
A concerto is a work for solo instrument and orchestra accompaniment in three
movements with different tempos. The essential element is the contrast between the
orchestra sections and the solo sections. (The word concerto means “to contend with”).
Because the orchestra melody returns between each solo section, it is called a
“ritornello” meaning return or refrain. There are two types, the “solo concerto” which is
our Vivaldi example, and the “concerto grosso”, which differs only in that the work
includes a group of 2 to 4 solo instruments.
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Vivaldi: the Four Seasons (slide #42)
Vivaldi’s set of concertos called the Four Seasons is referred to as program music
because they are an attempt to create the text of poems in musical sound.
Our excerpt from La Pimavera depicts the images of birds, streams, and a spring storm.
It starts with the orchestra “ritornello”. The piece uses only strings and continuo. There
are no brass, woodwind, or percussion instruments in this orchestra.
Vivaldi: Spring listening guide, pg. 1 (slide #43)
Listen and following the listening guide for Vivaldi’s Spring. Notice that the opening
ritornello is a good example of loud/soft or forte/piano contrasts common in Baroque
music.
play opening of Vivaldi
The imitation of chirping birds is created by a device called a “trill” – a rapid alternation
between one note and the next. The murmuring brooks are set to a smooth flowing
melody.
Vivaldi, Spring, listening guide, pg. 2 (slide #44)
The thunder is rumbling sound in the lower strings while the lightening is the rapid
shooting lines of the violin.
Last, the listening guide ends with a closing tutti. Tutti simply means all and it is the
same orchestra melody as earlier, thus it could also be referred to simply as a ritornello.
Keyboard Instruments and Forms (slide #45, 46 & 47)
The two primary keyboard instruments of the Baroque were the organ and harpsichord.
Notice the piano has not yet been invented. We have discussed and heard an example
of Bach’s Well-Tempred Clavier. Now we discuss the Fugue.
The Fugue (slide #48, 49 & 50)
A fugue is entirely polyphonic texture based on the imitation of a melody called the
“subject”. The imitation called the “answer” is actually the same melody at a different
pitch level. The most important section is the beginning or “expositon” where we hear
the melody imitation for the first time. In some other sections, the entrances of the
subject are difficult to identify because they somewhat lost in a complex texture. The
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Unit 2: The Baroque Era – Lecture Notes
other important part of a Fugue is the “episode” or sections of free composition where
the Subject is not present.
Bach, Contrapuntus I, from Art of the Fugue (slide #51)
Listen to and follow the listening guide for Bach’s Art of the Fugue, focusing primarily on
the opening section, performed on Organ. Don’t be concerned if you cannot hear later
statements of the Subject and Answer.
play opening Exposition
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