Music Appreciation
MUSI 115
CLASS #3
THE BAROQUE, PART 2
CD #1, TRACKS 9 AND 10
Georg Philipp Telemann
1681-1767
Biographical facts
 Self-taught
 Perhaps the most prolific* composer of all
 More respected than Bach at the time
 Innovative composer
 Concerti* for unusual combinations of insturments
TVW numbers
 Telemann-Werke-Verzeichnis*
Trumpet Concerto, CD #1, Track 9
 Listen for…
 Rhythm* is steady and predictable
 Virtuoso* soloists
Extended breath phrases
 Mordents* and trills*
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Period Instruments -- Baroque Trumpet
Limitations and Advantages
 Only 12 notes
 Difficult to play in tune
 Difficult to play consistently
 Warm, rich sound
Modern Trumpet (B-flat trumpet)
Limitations and Advantages
 Over two octave* range
 Precise intonation*
 Fairly easy to learn
 Harsh, thin sound
Johann Sebastian Bach
BAROQUE MASTER
Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685-1750
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
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German Composer, Organist, Educator
Culminating figure of the Baroque style
Career in Northern Germany
Musical family
Organist and composer
Devout Lutheran
Secular and church patrons during career
Personality
 20 children!
 Only five major appointments.
 Musical goals and objectives?
 Work ethic.
JS Bach Society Web Sites
 http://www.jsbach.org/
 http://www.baroquemusic.org/bqxjsbach.html
Examples of Contrapuntal* Music
 Little Fugue in G minor*
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Mühlausen
31 years old
Pietist
Basic Theme
The Fugue and Its Devices
 Fuga
 Contrapuntal, based on imitation
 Subject unifies the work
 Choral or instrumental
 Melodic lines are referred to as voices
Contrapuntal* devices
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Inversion*
Retrograde*
Augmentation*
Diminution*
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Combinations
Jail!
 Much-desired position of Kapellmeister* in Weimar
 Coffeehouse crowd
 Subordination
Well-Tempered Clavier*, Books 1&2
 Intended as only instructional and experimental
pieces
 Dedication
 “for the use and profit of young musicians”
The Well-Tempered Clavier*, Books 1 & 2
 New technique!
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Equal temperament = tuning
 Two pieces each in every new 24 Major and Minor
keys
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24 X 2 = 48 per book
 Glenn Gould
Bach and the Sacred Cantata
 Sacred cantatas
 Composed for the
Lutheran church
 Multi-movement
works
 One unifying theme
The Lutheran Chorale
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Battle hymns of the Reformation
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Early hymns: in unison
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Later hymns: 4-part harmony, soprano melody
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Unifying thread of the Protestant cantatas*
Typical Work Week
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Monday
 Meeting with clergy
Tuesday
 Composing, teaching
Wednesday
 Church services 2-4 hours
Thursday
 First rehearsal
Friday
 Editing, rehearsing
Saturday
 Final dress rehearsal
Sunday
 6-8 hours in church
Typical Sunday Services
 7 AM
 Motet*, hymns*, organ solo.
 8 AM
 Cantata* and/or Chorale*
 9 AM
 Sermon, at least one hour
 10 AM – 12 Noon
 Cantata* and/or Chorale*, Communion*
Weekday Services
 Daily Church
 6 AM
 Hospitals
 Jails
 Funerals
 Special events
Additional Duties
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Church
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Teaching
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9 AM – Noon
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Latin, singing, composition
University collegium musicum*
Sacred Vocal Music
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Over 200 church cantatas*
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Four Passions*
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One Catholic Mass
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Why?
Bach’s Cantatas *
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Typically have 5–8 movements
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Many movements based on chorale* tune
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Several choral* numbers
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Solos
recitatives *
arias *
Ein Feste Burg*
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
Martin Luther* A Mighty Fortress Is Our God*
Cantata No. 80, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, No. 8
Bach: Chorale prelude on A Mighty Fortress Is Our God*
Composed 140-plus organ chorales*
 Organ with three keyboards and a pedal keyboard
 Based on chorale tune Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott
 Varied texture
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J. S. Bach and the Late Baroque Concerto*
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Cöthen period (1717–23)
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Instrumental chamber works
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Margrave Christian of Brandenburg*
But first….
 Why was Bach in Berlin?
Brandenburg Concertos* 1721, BWV 1046–1051
Three movements each:
I: Allegro,
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ritornello form, contrapuntal
II: Andante,
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Slower, quieter, continuous imitation
III: Allegro assai,
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four-voiced fugue
Brandenburg Concerto* #1
 1st Movement
 2nd Movement
 3rd Movement
Cello Suite* #1
 Yo-Yo Ma playing the Prelude (MTV-ish)
 Yo-Yo Ma playing the Sarabande
The Goldberg Variations*, 1741, BWV 988
 30 variations
 Harpsichord
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Count Kaiserling
Johann Gottlieb Goldberg
You know how I feel about Wikipedia, but….
Contrapuntal Master
Musical Offering* (1747)
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'Gentlemen, old Bach is here'
The Art of Fugue *
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Incomplete
Encyclopedia of counterpoint
Methodical predictability
Air On The G String*
 CD #1, track 10
 Air* = aria* or song
 Played on one string only, the last (or G) string
Transpositions
 German violinist August Wilhelmj (1845 – 1908)
 Almost every instrument and vocalist
 Julian Lloyd Webber with piano
Listen for…
 Steady, predictable rhythm*
 Sustained melody*
 Intertwining voices between the string and keyboard
BWV Numbers*
 Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis
 Bach – Works – Numbers
 Wolfgang Schmieder (1901-1990)
 Genre listing
 Choral
 Organ
 Other keyboard