J S Bach: 3rd Movement From Brandenburg Concerto No 5. In D Major

Question 1

What does circa mean?

Answer 1

Roughly

Question 2

When was the Baroque era?

Answer 2

Circa 1600 - 1750

Question 3

What is patronage?

Answer 3

Music exclusively written for posh / rich people in return for payment

Question 4

What was the Baroque Era’s philosophy on?

Answer 4

Its intricacy and decoration (delicate and ornamented)

Question 5

Name 5 famous Baroque composers.

Answer 5

Bach
Handel
Purcell
Vivaldi
Monteverdi

Question 6

What does “da capo” mean?

Answer 6

Copy and paste (repeated)

Question 7

What is a diatonic harmony?

Answer 7

A harmony which uses both the tonic (chord 1) and the dominant (chord 5)

Question 8

What is prevalent “affection”?

Answer 8

When there is one main mood at a time

Question 9

Where did the word “Baroque” come from?

Answer 9

The Portuguese name for “pearl”

Question 10

Where and when was Bach born?

Answer 10

Born in Eisenach, Germany in 1685

Question 11

Who taught Bach the organ, and why?

Answer 11

His brother, because his parents were dead

Question 12

Where did Bach become a choirmaster?

Answer 12

1717 @ court of Prince Leopoldo

St. Thomas

Question 13

Where was Bach a choir boy?

Answer 13

St. Michael’s

Question 14

When were the Brandenburg Concertos composed?

Answer 14

Between 1711 and 1720

Question 15

Who were they dedicated to and why?

Answer 15

Christian Ludwig because he has bought a new harpsichord in 1721

Question 16

Why did Bach not get paid for the Brandenburg Concertos?

Answer 16

They were late and basically revisions of pieces that were meant for someone else

Question 17

Why were the Brandenburg Concertos left unplayed?

Answer 17

They were too hard and required too many people

Question 18

When were the Brandenburg Concertos rediscovered and played?

Answer 18

1849

Question 19

What is a Concerto Grosso?

Answer 19

A concerto with multiple soloists

Question 20

What were the 2 groups in a Concerto Grosso?

Answer 20

Concertino and Ripieno

Question 21

What did a Concertino contain?

Answer 21

A smaller group made up of soloists

Question 22

Which instruments were used in the Concertino?

Answer 22

Violin, Flute, Harpischord

Question 23

What did a Ripieno contain?

Answer 23

A larger group with a backing, an orchestra and accompaniment

Question 24

What instruments were in the Ripieno?

Answer 24

Cello, Double Bass, Viola, Harpsichord

Question 25

What was the only instrument that could be played in a Concertino and a Ripieno?

Answer 25

Harpischord

Question 26

What interaction was there between the Concertino and Ripieno throughout the Brandenburg Concertos?

Answer 26

Dialoguing / Antiphonal

Question 27

What does “Dialoguing” and “Antiphonal” mean?

Answer 27

Call and response

Question 28

What were the instruments in the Baroque orchestra?

Answer 28

First violins, second violins, cellos, violas, harpsichord, wooden flutes, bassoons, natural trumpets, timpani and a double bass

Question 29

What is “figured bass”?

Answer 29

A chordal system which uses numbers to display chords

Question 30

What is the literal translation of “basso continuo”

Answer 30

Continuous bass

Question 31

Which instruments normally play the “basso continuo”?

Answer 31

A keyboard instrument (harpsichord or organ) and a bass instrument (cell or bassoon)

Question 32

Why was “figured bass” no longer needed in the classical era?

Answer 32

The classical orchestra grew in size which meant there was no need for the support of a keyboard instrument to identify which chord to play

Question 33

What are the main roles of the harpsichord in Brandenburg Concerto No.5, 3rd movement?

Answer 33

Soloist, accompanist, direct the ensemble and realisation of the figured bass

Question 34

What is “octave coupling”?

Answer 34

When you pull out a stop on a Harpischord and the octave above of the notes you are playing are automatically played as weall

Question 35

Name features of the Harpischord.

Answer 35

It had 1 dynamic, and it made a twangy sound. It was plucked, not hammered. It was a piano precursor (piano wasn’t invented). It was really hard to play, but Bach was really good at it.

Question 36

Why is the Harpischord ornamented, and which ornament does it use?

Answer 36

It uses the trill, as the Harpischord can not sustain notes

Question 37

What is the structure of the Brandenburg Concerto?

Answer 37

Ternary / Da Capo

Question 38

What is a Ternary structure?

Answer 38

It contains a Fugato, then a Ritornello, and then goes back to the Fugato (Da Capo)

Question 39

Which chord is the Fugato in the Brandenburg Concerto?

Answer 39

D Major

Question 40

What chord is the Ritornello in the Brandenburg Concerto?

Answer 40

B minor

Question 41

What are the 2 main motifs of a Fugato?

Answer 41

A subject and a countersubject

Question 42

What is a Fugato?

Answer 42

Smaller version of a fugue (complex, contrapuntal compositional tune)

Question 43

What does the countersubject do?

Answer 43

It counters the subject

Question 44

What are the modulations in Baroque music?

Answer 44

Dominant | Secondary Dominant

Question 45

What is “stretto”?

Answer 45

‘Chopping up’ the motifs and overlaying them in quick succession

Question 46

What does “Ritornello” mean?

Answer 46

Little return

Question 47

What are the sections in between the Ritornello sections called?

Answer 47

Episodes