Vivaldi Instrumentation Flashcards
The piece is written for the ‘standard trio sonata group’. What instruments are in this group?
2 Violins and 1 Cello
Other than the trio sonata group, who else plays in the piece?
String orchestra and a ‘continuo’.
What instruments are in a Baroque string orchestra?
Violin I & II, Viola, Cello, Double Bass
What instruments play the continuo part?
Bass (cello or double bass) and harpsichord.
Why was the harpsichord used in the Baroque period?
The piano was not invented fully by this point.
What was the role of the continuo part in Baroque music?
The continuo filled the harmony. Often the orchestra was quite small, so having a harpsichord and strong bass instrument helped to fill the texture.
Name 2 instruments, other than the harpsichord, that could have played the chordal role in the continuo part.
Organ or Lute
What was the concertino and ripieno?
The concertino group were the soloists. This involved the ‘trio sonata group’, along with accompaniment from the continuo.
The ripieno is the string orchestra, who also had the continuo.
How did the continuo players know what to play?
They had a bass line with figures to tell them what chords to play. They improvised the voicings to some extent (the order in which the notes are stacked above the bass note).
What is notable about the cello part?
The cello has some virtuoso passages (this means it is technically challenging/lots of notes in a short space of time).
Name a section where the cello has to play a virtuoso passage.
A good example is towards the end of the first section where the cello breaks away from the harmonic bass line of the continuo to do its own thing!
What is unusual about the use of the 2 concertino violins at the beginning of the piece?
They are the only 2 instruments playing.
Who plays at the beginning of the second movement of the piece (adagio)?
Tutti (all the players).
Explain the bowing technique ‘spiccato’.
This is when the player bounces the bow on the string to make it sound detached. It is a bit more bouncy sounding than staccato - you get less of the note.
Where does Vivaldi use ‘spiccato’?
In the opening of the second movement (adagio).
