Baroque Instrumental wider listening

Question 1

Bach’s Fourth Brandenburg concerto - motifs/harmony

Answer 1

Key motifs outline tonic, dominant harmony

Question 2

2nd Mvt. Corelli’s Op. 6 No. 11 concerto grosso - cello

Answer 2

Rapid cello obbligato passage

Question 3

Bach’s Fourth Brandenburg Concerto - 1st Mvt., motifs

Answer 3

First movement breaks down opening ritornello theme into six motivic fragments that are developed through fortspinnung

Question 4

Op. 7 No. 7 concerto grosso by Valentini - solo violin

Answer 4

Solo violin accompanied by upper strings not common to more well known composers e.g Vivaldi, Albinoni

Question 5

1st Mvt. of Bach’s Fourth Brandenburg concerto - varying melodic movement

Answer 5

Conjunct passages immediately juxtaposed with angular and disjunct movement

Question 6

Torelli’s Op. 8 concerto grossi - ripieno and concertino

Answer 6

Subservient nature of ripieno and predominance of concertino looks towards 18th century classicism

Question 7

Bach’s Fourth Brandenburg Concerto - idiomatic virtuosi writing

Answer 7

Idiomatic virtuosi writing of the solo violin, paved the way for later Baroque violin concerto of Tartini (D. 125 first movement)

Question 8

Handel’s Op. 6 No. 8 concerto grosso of 1739-1740 - functional

Answer 8

Functional harmony including perfect cadences, primary triads in root position and first inversion, modulations to related keys, harmonic devices such as pedal notes and circle of fifths

Question 9

Bach’s C minor fugue from Book 1 of ‘The Well-Tempered Clavier’ - tonic pedal

Answer 9

Tonic pedal creates stability

Question 10

Bach’s Fourth Brandenburg Concerto, first movement - secondary dominant chords

Answer 10

Sequential passages of secondary dominant chords in first movement

Question 11

Allegro passage of Corelli’s Op. 6 No. 8 ‘Christmas Concerto’

Answer 11

Chains of suspensions, creates interest and intrigue

Question 12

First movement of Bach’s Fourth Brandenburg Concerto - chromatic chords

Answer 12

Chromatic chords used to increase emotional charge - e.g Neapolitan Sixth chord favoured by Bach

Question 13

Bach’s Fifth Brandenburg Concerto - tonality

Answer 13

Tonal contrast - No. 5 in D is in D but 2nd movement is in B minor

Question 14

Bach’s Fourth Brandenburg Concerto - ritornelli

Answer 14

Ritornelli differentiated by related modulations (in Brandenburg No. 4, G to E major)

Question 15

Bach’s Fourth Brandenburg Concerto, first movement - less related

Answer 15

Occasional passages in more remote keys; G to Bm

Question 16

Second Adagio of Corelli’s Op. 6 No. 1 concerto grosso - tutti

Answer 16

Written for tutti, chordal homophony, common to slow sections of concerto grossi