AO2: Vivaldi: Concerto grosso in D minor

Question 1

MELODY: Mvt. 1: opening based on broken chords (b1-4) and descending scales (b6, 1st violin). Melody harmonically charged, depicts underlying harmony.

Answer 1

1st Mvt. of Bach’s Fourth Brandenburg Concerto (1717-1722) - key motifs outline opening tonic, dominant harmony.

Question 2

MELODY: Mvt. 1: bars 20-30 - concertino cello breaks away from continuo with idiomatic, virtuso semiquavers to become principal melodic instrument

Answer 2

Feature increasingly common in the cello-writing of the mid-Baroque concerto grosso. 2nd Mvt. of Corelli’s Op.6 No. 11 concerto gross, has a rapid cello obbligato passage.

Question 3

MELODY: Mvt. 2: combination of conjunct music at beginning of fugue, followed by a series of disjunct leaps outlining the circle of fifths. Also scalic descents at bar 33-34

Answer 3

Vivaldi steals fugal subject from a pre-existing work: 2nd Mvt. of Marcello’s Op. 1 No. 2 concerto grosso from 1708.

Question 4

MELODY: Mvt. 2: motivic writing prevails, motivic development of fugal themes in Episode Two
Mvt. 3 dotted Q-SQ-Q motif first heard with pitches D-E-D

Answer 4

Motivic writing used in Baroque as a means for creating melodic development and unity.
Fourth Brandenburg Concerto (BWV 1049) - opening ritornello theme broken down into six motivic fragments developed through fortspinnung

Question 5

MELODY: Mvt. 3: melodic burden falls on upper strings, concertino first violin, ripieno remains subservient and functional in their accompaniment

Answer 5

Solo violin accompanied only by upper strings NOT common to Vivaldi’s Venetian contemporaries: 1st Mvt. of Op. 7 No. 7 concerto grosso by Valentini in 1710

Question 6

MELODY: Mvt. 4: varying melodic movement. Conjunct passages immediately juxtaposed with angular and disjunct movement. Broken chord arpeggios also occur in solo first violin

Answer 6

Solo violin part of Bach’s Fourth Brandenburg concerto - (progressive nature of Vivaldi’s concertato style and the influence this had upon more mature Baroque composers e.g Bach)

Question 7

MELODY: Mvt. 4: solo first and second violins lie in thirds within the melody but mainly first solo violin carries melodic dominance over the second.

Answer 7

In contrast, predominance of concertino first violin over second looks towards 18th century classicism and breaks away from Torelli’s Op. 8 concerto grossi, where neither violin was melodically dominant over the other.

Question 8

MELODY: Mvt. 4: cadenza-like virtuoso melodic passage for solo first violin.

Answer 8

Idiomatic virtuosi writing of solo instruments common to programmatic music of the Romantic era. Idiomatic virtuosi writing of the solo violin in the 1st Mvt. of Bach’s Fourth Brandenburg concerto. Paved the way for later Baroque violin concerto of Tartini and solo concerto writing and first movement cadenza format of classical era composers such as Viotti and Mozart

Question 9

HARMONY:
Perfect cadences shape music at end of finale. Mvt. 1: predominance of primary triads in root position.
Mvt. 2: modulation to a closely related key (G minor).
Mvt. 4: modulation to closely related keys (G minor and A minor).
Pedal notes (long dominant pedal and shorter tonic pedal)
Mvt. 2: circle of fifths, bass downwards: E-A-D-G-C

Answer 9

Typical mid-Baroque functional harmonic vernacular that dominated the period.
All five features found in many Baroque pieces - Handel’s Op. 6 No. 8 Concerto Grosso of 1739-1740

Question 10

HARMONY: Mvt. 2: within fugue there is a long dominant pedal and a shorter tonic pedal. Similar effect achieved in dialogue between first and second concertino violins.

Answer 10

Dominant pedal creates anticipatory tension, tonic pedal creates stability: common Baroque harmonic trait.
Bach’s C minor fugue from Book 1 of The Well Tempered Clavier - tonic C pedal creates stability while dominant G creates tension.

Question 11

HARMONY: Mvt. 2 secondary dominant chords used. II7b with sharpened third found at end of Mvt. 2. E major seventh chord acts as V7 of V.

Answer 11

Secondary dominant chords helped make up conventional harmonic language of the mid-Baroque.
Sequential passages of secondary dominant chords in first movement of Bach’s Fourth Brandenburg concerto (1717-1722)

Question 12

HARMONY: Mvt. 2: 4-3 suspensions indicated by figured bass.
Mvt. 4: 7-6 suspensions indicated by figured bass in finale.
Chains of suspensions in final tutti passage of finale

Answer 12

Chains of suspensions common to mid-Baroque harmony to create interest and intrigue.
Contemporary concerti - first Allegro passage of Corelli’s Op. 6 No. 8 ‘Christmas Concerto’

Question 13

HARMONY: Mvt. 3: chromatic chords used to increase sense of emotive charge in slow mvt. Neapolitan sixth chords and diminished seventh chords exploited by Vivaldi to create this emotional charge.

Answer 13

Use of chromatic chords to create emotional charge common to time within Baroque era in which Vivaldi was writing.
Bach favoured the Neapolitan sixth chord - used it to similar effect in the first movement of his Fourth Brandenburg Concerto.
Diminished seventh chords well-established way of creating harmonic tension - ninth concerto in the Op. 1 set concerto grossi of Pietro Locatelli.

Question 14

TONALITY: key is D minor. Remains in D minor throughout generally. Some harmonic contrast between movement (especially chromaticism at beginning of mvt. 2) – however predominantly in D minor in every movement.

Answer 14

However, later Baroque composers preferred to have tonal contrast in between movements.
Bach’s Fifth Brandenburg Concerto is in D but the second movement is in B minor

Question 15

TONALITY: Mvt. 2: tonality used to articulate internal structures, particularly within the ritornello passages - Episode Two of the second movement to G minor.

Answer 15

Typical of earlier models of the form within concerto grossi.
Bach’s Fourth Brandenburg concerto (BWV 1049) - ritornelli differentiated tonalities; related modulations, e.g to E minor

Question 16

TONALITY: Mvt. 3: occasional passages are in more remote keys, such as F minor in the third movement.

Answer 16

Indicative of more mature, progressive approach to the tonal system that mid to late Baroque composers begin to use.
Vivaldi looks forward to works of composers like Bach - similar tertiary modulations common e.g. G to Bm in mvt. 1 of Bach’s Fourth Brandenburg Concerto

Question 17

SONORITY: Mvt. 1: cello part has virtuoso solo music, frequently breaking away from the continuo line, shown in mvt. 1

Answer 17

Increasingly common in cello writing of the mid-Baroque concerto grosso.
Rapid cello obbligato passage in 2nd movement of Corelli’s Op. 6 No. 11 concerto grosso.

Question 18

SONORITY & TEXTURE: Mvt. 1: unusually, two solo violins play unaccompanied at the beginning of the piecce - innovative textural opening to a work

Answer 18

Breaks away from traditional models of Corelli.
Reminds one of an earlier concerto by Torelli, Op. 8 No. 4 - two solo violins have a similar figuration in same key in triple time during middle section of second movement - incorrect to describe Vivaldi as texturally unique.

Question 19

SONORITY & TEXTURE: Mvt. 2: adagio of second movement is tutti

Answer 19

Such a texture is common to slow sections of concerto grossi

Second Adagio of Corelli’s Op. 6 No. 1 concerto grosso - less extreme but still chordal homophony

Question 20

SONORITY: Mvt. 3: solo sections leave out solo cello, also no continuo. Bass line played by a viola. Movement effectively a cantilena for solo certino first violin; tutti strings are subservient and accompanimental

Answer 20

Solo violin accompanied by only upper strings NOT common to Vivaldi’s Venetian contemporaries
First movement of Op. 7 No. 7 concerto grosso by Valentini

Question 21

SONORITY: Mvt. 4: last passge carries character of a solo concerto cadenza. Prominence of first violin concertino over second violin was far more modern and progressive.

Answer 21

Looks towards 18th century classicism. Breaks away from older concerto grossi where violins were more or less on an equal footing.

Question 22

TEXTURE: Mvt 2: fugal writing illustrative of contrapuntal writing (imitative counterpoint specifically)

Answer 22

Not out of place with older sonata de chiesa.
First movement of Torelli’s Op. 8 No. 3 concerto

However Vivaldi’s style is not antiquated; fugal style still used in mature Baroque concerto grosso - final movement of Bach’s Second Brandenburg concerto

Question 23

TEXTURE: Mvt. 2: ritornello-type texture in the fugal section. Tutti passages where the soloists double orchestra parts contrasts with episodes for three soloists and continuo.
Additionally, in Mvt.2 and Mvt. 4, tutti passages are homophonic in texture.

Answer 23

Homophony departs from the concerti of the earlier more contrapuntal tutti passages of Torelli
No. 1 of the Op. 8 set from 1709 - Torelli

Question 24

TEXTURE: Mvt. 4: harmonisation of melodic line in thirds and sixths. Solo concertino violins sometimes play in thirds in the last movement.

Answer 24

Typical mid-Baroque trait.

Fourth Movement of Corelli’s Op. 3 No. 2 Trio Sonata

Question 25

RHYTHM / METRE: Mvt. 1: use of continuous quavers in opening or continuous semiquavers in the first cello solo - gives piece rhythmic momentous drive - perpetuem mobile

Answer 25

Common to much Baroque music, common to many concerti of a similar time.
First movement of Bach’s Fourth Brandenburg Concerto (1717-1722)

Question 26

RHYTHM / METRE: Mvt. 3: in compound quadruple time. Typical dotted rhythm of siciliano dance. Siciliano rhythms lend themselves to the creation of the pathos and expressive content of this movement.

Answer 26

Often used in the Baroque to invoke a pastoral atmosphere

Handel’s 1741 Messiah - the ‘Pastoral Symphony

Question 27

The concerto grosso

Answer 27

Small group of soloists (concertino) against the full orchestra (ripieno).
Earlier example of concertino would be two violins and continuo (same as a trio sonata) and the ripieno would be a small string orchestra

Question 28

Vivaldi and the Osperdale della Pieta

Answer 28

Worked there from 1704 - was an asylum in Venice for orphaned and abandoned girls. many orchestral works such as concerto grossi and solo concerti, were written for the girls that lived there.

Question 29

Influences: Corelli

Answer 29

His concerto grossi were amongst the earliest of the form, demonstrate the use of solo-tutti contrast.
Resembled amplified trio sonatas - could be played by 3 people or 100
Imitated by his pupils.

Question 30

Influences: Torelli

Answer 30

Idea of contrapuntal or fugal Allegro opening predominantly founded by Torelli
Also a pioneer of the ritornello form of first movement concerti
Twelve concerti of Op. 8 constitute one of the greatest achievements of the Baroque era

Question 31

Vivaldi’s legacy

Answer 31

Innovator of the concerto style - famous set of four solo violin concerti , ‘The Four Seasons’ (1721)
Built on the traditions of earlier composers such as Torelli and Corelli, thus inhabiting a mid-Baroque style
Simultaneously looking to the future with new stylistic innovations such as the three-movement format of allegro-adagio-allegro.
Would go on to influence not only later German exponents of the genre but the very foundations of the typical solo concerto of the Classical era.