Bach- Brandenburg Concerto

Question 1

What is a concerto grosso?

Answer 1

When there are a group of soloists and an orchestra

Question 2

Give 4 examples of Baroque composers

Answer 2

Vivaldi, Purcell, Bach and Handel

Question 3

What Brandenburg concerto is this?

Answer 3

No.5 out of 6 and it is the last movement (3rd)

Question 4

Who was the Brandenburg concerto’s written for and in what year

Answer 4

For the Margrave of Brandenburg in 1721

Question 5

What type of orchestra was originally intended to play these concerto’s?

Answer 5

A small court orchestra

Question 6

What period was this written and what is the genre?

Answer 6

Late Baroque and it is a concerto grosso

Question 7

What is the concertino and what instruments does it consist of?

Answer 7

The soloists. It has a solo flute, violin and harpsichord (flauto, violino principale and cembalo)

Question 8

What is the accompaniment called and who plays it?

Answer 8

The ripieno. A small chamber orchestra with parts for violin, viola, cello and violone (contrabasso a predecessor of the double bass)

Question 9

What role does the harpsichord have in this set work

Answer 9

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

Question 10

What is the general structure

Answer 10

Ternary form (ABA)
A=bars 1-78
B= bars 79-232
A=bars 233- 310

Question 11

What happens in the first A section?

Answer 11

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

Question 12

What happens in the B section?

Answer 12

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

Question 13

What happens in the final A section

Answer 13

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

Question 14

What is the tonality in this set work?

Answer 14

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

Question 15

Describe the melody in this set work

Answer 15

• 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

Question 16

What is the tempo?

Answer 16

Allegro throughout

Question 17

What is the metre?

Answer 17

It is written in duple metre 2,4 but triplet quavers make it sound like compound duple metre 6,8

Question 18

The movement is in the style of a gigue. What is a gigue?

Answer 18

A fast courtly dance of the period generally in 6,8 time

Question 19

Give some features of the rhythm

Answer 19

Triplets and dotted rhythms, plus semiquavers in the harpsichord part

Question 20

Give features of the texture

Answer 20

• 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

Question 21

Describe the dynamics in this set work

Answer 21

Depends on the use of terraced dynamics with clear shifts between soft and loud passages. Dynamic markings are usually only added for balance

Question 22

Give features of the harpsichord

Answer 22

The strings were plucked instead of hammered and there was a shift you pulled to get it to change dynamic

Question 23

Describe the harmony in this set work

Answer 23

• 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)