AOS1: Baroque music

Question 1

When was the Baroque period?

Answer 1

1600-1750.

Question 2

What are 7 general features of Baroque music?

Answer 2

• Repetition of motifs
• Simple harmonies, mainly chords 1 and 5
• Ornaments in melody
• Often involves counterpoint
• Terraced/stepped dynamics
• Tonal (music was previously atonal)
• Modulation between sections

Question 3

Give 5 melodic features of baroque music.

Answer 3

• Repetition of motifs/ostinatos
• Variation of conjunct, scalic, disjunct, triadic/arpeggaic
• Intervals within one octave
• Passing notes
• Ornamentation (trills, acciaccaturas, appoggiaturas, mordents, turns)
• Often involves counterpoint
• Heavy articulation
• Glissandos
• Melodic inversion
• Retrograde
• Sequencing
• Imitation

Question 4

Give 5 harmonic features of baroque music.

Answer 4

• Simple harmonies, mainly chords 1 and 5 (sometimes dominant 7th)
• Music tonal (was atonal before)
• Modulation between sections
• Often consonant harmony
• Basso continuo
• Pedal notes / drone
• Cadences often perfect (also plagal, tièrce de picardie, imperfect, interrupted)

Question 5

Give 2 tonality features of baroque music.

Answer 5

• tonal: major/minor (was atonal before)
• modulation between sections (typically to dominant/subdominant, relative minor/major or tonic minor/major)

Question 6

Give 5 typical structures of baroque music.

Answer 6

• Binary form (AB, AABB)
• Ternary form (ABA)
• Arch-shape (ABCBA)
• Concerto grosso
• Theme and variation form
• Solo concertos
• Ritornello
• Ground bass form
• Basso continuo form
• Through-composed

Question 7

Give 2 timbre features of baroque music.

Answer 7

• Instruments and voices play singly and in combination to vary the sonority
• String techniques: arco, pizzicato, con sordino

Question 8

Give 5 textural features of baroque music.

Answer 8

• Homophonic/chordal (especially in choir music)
• Polyphonic/contrapuntal/layered (counterpoint melodies)
• Melody and accompaniment (e.g. solo concertos)
• Call + response
• Imitative/imitation
• Unison and octaves
• Monophonic single melodic lines
• Canonic melodies
• Choral music = antiphonal, sometimes a capella

Question 9

What are motifs?

Answer 9

Short melodic ideas that tend to be repeated (like ostinatos).

Question 10

What is ostinato?

Answer 10

A repetition of one melodic phrase.

The ostinato is usually played by the bass part. Ground bass form features (often very long) ostinato phrases in the bassline.

Question 11

What is counterpoint?

Answer 11

2 or more different melody lines played at the same time - this is contrapuntal/polyphonic.

Question 12

• What is an acciaccatura?
• What is an appogiatura?

Answer 12

• a grace note played as quickly as possible before an important note in a melody
• a grace note which delays the next note of the melody, taking half or more of its written time value.

Question 13

• What is a mordent?
• What is a turn?

Answer 13

• an ornament on a note. say your note is C: you would play C B C D C (lower mordent) or C D C B C (upper).
• similar to a mordent. say your note is C: you’d play D C B C.

Question 14

What is a trill in Baroque music?

Answer 14

Quickly switching between the note above the written one and the written one.

Question 15

What is melodic inversion?

Answer 15

The tune is turned upside down: there are the same intervals between notes, but they go in the opposite direction.

Question 16

What is retrograde?

Answer 16

The tune is played backwards, in reverse order, but with the same rhythm.

Question 17

What is it called when both melodic inversion and retrograde are applied to the same melodic line?

Answer 17

Retrograde inversion.

Question 18

What is sequencing?

Answer 18

Repeating the pattern of a phrase while varying the pitch (starting on a different note). Ascending sequences go up in pitch; descending sequences down.

Question 19

What is imitation?

Answer 19

Repeating a phrase with slight changes each time, often done between 2 or more instruments.

Question 20

What are terraced/stepped dynamics?

Answer 20

Sudden changes in dynamics, without crescendos or diminuendos.

Was mainly because harpsichords could only play loudly or softly, not in between.

Question 21

What is a glissando?

Answer 21

A slide up/down. Can be diatonic (uses only notes in scale) or chromatic (uses every semitone).

Question 22

What is a basso continuo? What instruments play it?

Answer 22

A continuous bass part which follows the chords of the piece.

Mostly played by organs or harpsichords, but can be others like cellos, double basses or bassoons.

Question 23

Describe binary form.

Answer 23

2 related but contrasting sections, both of which are usually repeated. Usually AABB structure.

Modulation to related keys (relative minor/major, or to dominant) between the 2 themes.

Used for baroque dances, e.g. minuet.

Question 24

Describe ternary form.

Answer 24

A three-part form consisting of an opening section, a following section and then a repetition of the first section.

General structure ABA but sections can be repeated, e.g. AABBAA.

Section A ends in home key, normally with a perfect cadence. In section B, it often modulates to a related key, then returns to the home key.

Question 25

What is an arch-shape structure?

Answer 25

Symmetrical, e.g. ABCBA.

Question 26

Describe concerto grosso form.

Answer 26

Form where musical material is passed between a small group of soloists (the concertino) and full orchestra (the ripieno or concerto grosso).

Question 27

Describe theme and variation form.

Answer 27

Theme is usually a memorable melody (motif/ostinato).

Theme is played, and is repeated with different variations of itself each time.

Question 28

Describe solo concerto form.

Answer 28

A solo instrument is showcased and accompanied by an orchestra.

Question 29

Describe ritornello structure.

Answer 29

The same musical idea recurrs at various points in a piece.

Question 30

Describe ground bass form.

Answer 30

The main theme is a fixed and repeating bass part called the ground, or basso ostinato.

Varying melodies and harmonies, becoming more complex, are played over the top.

Question 31

What is a fantasia?

Answer 31

A piece with an improvised feel, and that doesn’t follow a set structure. These often involve variations on a theme (theme and variation form), or can be through-composed.