Brandenburg Concerto No.5 in D major (Johann Sebastian Bach) Flashcards
Concerto grosso
Made of concertino (small group of soloists - violin, flute, harpsichord) and ripieno (larger orchestra)
Basso continuo
Continuous bass played by harpsichord and low strings
Figured bass
Harpsichord reads single bass line with added figures (shows chords above notes)
Role of harpsichord
Soloist, part of basso continuo, accompaniment to complete harmony, realises figures bass, and coordinator
Time signature
2/4
Speed
Allegro - lively
Gigue
Dance like movement - in 6/8 (compound) time
Rhythmic features
Triplets - makes seem like in 6/8, dotted rhythms and quavers
Key
D major
Modulations
Lots of modulations to dominant key: D - A(add Gsharps) - E(add Dsharps) - A - D (Section A)
Section B : Bm - Fsharpm - A - Em - Bm - D - Fsharpm
Diatonic
Trills
Used on minims for harpsichord since cant sustain notes
Texture
Mostly contrapuntal (subject and countersubject - often virtuosic) and fugal but parts where monophonic (beginning) and homophonic
Structure
Combines fugue (exposition, middle, final) and ternary (ABA)
Fugal exposition
Subject and answer played alternatively every two bars (countersubject played while not playing)
Stretto
Subject and answer enter only one bar after - like tumbling over - more exciting
Baroque musical devices
Suspensions, sequences, pedals
Dynamics
No dynamics since weren’t invented back then. Use terraced dynamics - layer instruments to create louder sound
Melody
Stepwise + conjunct
Scalic runs in harpsichord
Passagework - quick short notes
Sequences
Harmony
Functional - chords related to each other
Modulations
Tonic pedals
Root position chords (sometimes first inversion)
Perfect cadences
Suspensions - 9th resolved to 8ths
