Baroque Period

Question 1

What is a fugue?

Answer 1

Contrapuntal piece in 3 or 4 parts.

Question 2

Describe the order of ‘voices’ in a fugue

Answer 2

Beginning with the Subject, we move to the Answer in the dominant key for the second voice, then the third voice plays the countersubject in the tonic key.

Question 3

Name the two other important features of a fugue.

Answer 3

Episode or Stretto

Question 4

Everyones favourite Baroque composers are…

Answer 4

J.S. Bach; Vivaldi; Handel

Question 5

When was the Baroque period?

Answer 5

1600-1750 (sixteen-hundred to seventeen-fifty)

Question 6

Name three types of vocal music

Answer 6

Mass, Oratorio, Opera and Chorale

Question 7

What is a chorale?

Answer 7

A religious song with musical ‘sentences’, each ending in a cadence.

Question 8

Name the cadences.

Answer 8

Perfect (V-I), Plagal (IV-I), Imperfect (x-V), Interrupted (V-VI)

Question 9

What is a sudden change to major called?

Answer 9

Tierce de Picardie

Question 10

When several voices overlap in a fugue we have…

Answer 10

Stretto

Question 11

When voices use parts of the subject and harmonise we have an…

Answer 11

Episode

Question 12

What note identifies the cadence?

Answer 12

The bass note

Question 13

What is a concerto grosso?

Answer 13

When the melody is passed between a large group and a small group of soloists.

Question 14

In a concerto grosso, what is the name for the small group?

Answer 14

Concertino (tino –> tiny)

Question 15

In a concerto grosso, what is the name for the large group?

Answer 15

Ripieno (rip –> big)

Question 16

What are the key features of the passacaglia?

Answer 16

Slow, 3/4 stately dance over a ground bass.

Question 17

Name some differences between the baroque and renaissance period.

Answer 17

• Renaissance music felt ‘held back’
• Baroque music includes both vocals and instrumentals from many more categories
• Renaissance music consisted of smooth regular flow of rhythm while baroque music was comprised of a metrical rhythm with varied motion.
• The tone of the baroque music was of development of tonal architecture and formal principles; baroque, binary, ternary, fugue, etc. while the form of renaissance music was much of the systematic point imitation and Cantus Firmus structures.
• Baroque had a lot of melody with accompaniment, whilst the melody of the renaissance usually has a voice play something, then another voice imitates in a different/same key