Bach- Brandenburg Concerto Flashcards
What is a concerto grosso?
When there are a group of soloists and an orchestra
Give 4 examples of Baroque composers
Vivaldi, Purcell, Bach and Handel
What Brandenburg concerto is this?
No.5 out of 6 and it is the last movement (3rd)
Who was the Brandenburg concerto’s written for and in what year
For the Margrave of Brandenburg in 1721
What type of orchestra was originally intended to play these concerto’s?
A small court orchestra
What period was this written and what is the genre?
Late Baroque and it is a concerto grosso
What is the concertino and what instruments does it consist of?
The soloists. It has a solo flute, violin and harpsichord (flauto, violino principale and cembalo)
What is the accompaniment called and who plays it?
The ripieno. A small chamber orchestra with parts for violin, viola, cello and violone (contrabasso a predecessor of the double bass)
What role does the harpsichord have in this set work
It plays a solo virtuoso part which Bach may have written for himself to play
When it is not playing as a solo instrument it plays an accompanying role as part of the basso continuo playing chords indicated by a figured bass (realisation of the figured bass). The basso continuo also consists of at least one other bass instrument
What is the general structure
Ternary form (ABA) A=bars 1-78 B= bars 79-232 A=bars 233- 310
What happens in the first A section?
It is a Fugato in D major. This means it’s like the opening of a fugue in which the subject is taken up by each of the other instruments in turn. Each new part enters in imitation of the previous part, overlapping with it, often at a lower or higher pitch
What happens in the B section?
It begins and ends in B minor and has a ritornello structure in which episodes based of the first 4 notes of the subject alternate with ritornelli (little returns) of other material from the A section
What happens in the final A section
It is a repeat of the opening Fugato written with a da capo at the end of bar 32 so this structure is often called da capo form
What is the tonality in this set work?
It is in d major. The A section is in D major with modulations to the dominant (A major). The B section is in B minor with modulations to it’s dominant (f# minor) and to a major
Describe the melody in this set work
- based on triadic and Scalic ideas heard in the first few bars.
- the opening B section used the first 4 notes of section A transposed up from D major to B minor
- frequent use of sequence
- 2 types of ornaments- the trill and appogiatura
What is the tempo?
Allegro throughout
What is the metre?
It is written in duple metre 2,4 but triplet quavers make it sound like compound duple metre 6,8
The movement is in the style of a gigue. What is a gigue?
A fast courtly dance of the period generally in 6,8 time
Give some features of the rhythm
Triplets and dotted rhythms, plus semiquavers in the harpsichord part
Give features of the texture
- monophonic in the first 2 bars
- contrapuntal throughout with frequent use of imitation
- Section A is fugal
- A stretto (close imitation) starts in bars 64
- the violone plays in the tutti sections mainly doubling the cello. All other parts are mainly independent although the flute and violin sometimes double
- Bach uses texture to create areas of contrast. For example the 4 part texture at the beginning is followed by a tutti whereas the harpsichord sol9 in bars 163-167 has a two part canonic texture
- A free cannon between flute and violin starts in bar 193
Describe the dynamics in this set work
Depends on the use of terraced dynamics with clear shifts between soft and loud passages. Dynamic markings are usually only added for balance
Give features of the harpsichord
The strings were plucked instead of hammered and there was a shift you pulled to get it to change dynamic
Describe the harmony in this set work
- Simple diatonic chords mainly triads in root position or first inversion along with dominant 7thd in root position or first inversion
- these chords are often enlivened by frequent notes of melodic decoration including occasional on beat discords (appogiaturas and suspensions) that resolve by moving to a harmony note after the dissonance has sounded
- tonic and dominant pedals underline the various changes of key in the B section
- Each of the sections ends with a perfect cadence. (In d major in the A sections and B minor in the B section)
