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Chapter 10

Chapter 10. Baroque Instrumental Music. Key Terms. Concerto Concerto grosso Movement Ritornello Ritornello form Variation form Ground bass (basso ostinato). The Rise of Instrumental Music. Required new understanding between composers and audiences When to end a piece?

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Chapter 10

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  1. Chapter 10 Baroque Instrumental Music

  2. Key Terms • Concerto • Concerto grosso • Movement • Ritornello • Ritornello form • Variation form • Ground bass (basso ostinato)

  3. The Rise of Instrumental Music • Required new understanding between composers and audiences • When to end a piece? • How to make instrumental works coherent? • How to sustain interest and drama?

  4. The Rise of Instrumental Music (cont’d.) • Length • With vocal music, text ends • With instrumental, form or genre determines length • Coherence • Begin and end in same key • Use repetition, return, sequence, and imitation • Sustaining interest • Use contrast and variation • Modulate to other keys • String contrasting movements together

  5. Concerto and Concerto Grosso • The most important orchestral genres of the Baroque era • Underlying idea is contrast • Soloist against orchestra • Group of soloists against orchestra • Virtuosity, brilliance against power, stability

  6. Movements • Movement = Self-contained section of a larger work • Typical concerto has three • I: Bright, extroverted, fast • II: Slower, quieter, more emotional • III: Similar to I, often faster

  7. Ritornello Form • Based on contrast of musical ideas • Orchestral material (ritornello) • Solo material • Returns many times to a stable element • In whole or in part • In various keys • Usually in full and in tonic key to end piece

  8. Standard Ritornello Form RIT = Complete ritornello statement [RIT] = Partial ritornello statement Solo 1, 2, 3, etc. = Solo episodes

  9. Ritornello vs. Episode Ritornello • Principal theme • Solid and forceful • Often very tuneful • For full orchestra • Ends in tonic with strong cadence • Familiarity grows with each return • Solo episode • Contrasting section • Faster, more brilliant • Free and virtuosic • For soloist(s) • Modulates, flows into next ritornello • Always something new and surprising

  10. Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) • “Red Priest,” famous as virtuoso violinist, composer, and teacher • Wrote over 400 concertos • Renowned for quality of teaching • Famous for student concerts • Toured frequently throughout Europe • Settled in Vienna near end of his life

  11. Vivaldi, Violin Concerto in G • Opus 4 = Fourth published set of concertos • La stravaganza = Descriptive title of set • No. 12 = Concerto’s number within the set • Standard three-movement format • I and III fast and brilliant, in ritornello form • II slower and gentler, in ground bass form

  12. Violin Concerto in G, I • Ritornello theme (for orchestra) • Three short sections (a, b, c) • Alternates between first and second violins

  13. Concerto in G, I • Only ritornello 1 uses entire theme • Solos become progressively freer and virtuosic • Ritornellos and solos swap roles at times! • Ends with literal return of ritornello (b, c)

  14. Baroque Variation Form • Simultaneous repetition and contrast • Short theme repeated and varied over basso ostinato • Dynamics, tone color, harmonies often changed • Less often, tempo, key, and mode • Other names: passacaglia, chaconne,ground bass form

  15. Violin Concerto in G, II • Contrasting slow movement in variation form • Continuity • Repetition of ground bass • Dominant harmony at end of ground bass pulls to tonic in next repetition • Variety • Gradually faster solo figuration in variations 1–4 • Sudden, dramatic changes in 5–6

  16. Violin Concerto in G, II • Overall ternary feel (A B A) • Theme and variations 1–4 • Entirely in G major, basso ostinato • Variations 5–6 • Shifts to G minor, ostinato moves to violins, continuo drops out • Final statement of original theme

  17. Violin Concerto in G, III • Fast tempo, ritornello form • Form even freer than in movement I • Solo introduction • First ritornello statement interrupted by solo • Second ritornello presents new theme • Solo violin jumps from one idea to another • Ritornellos 3 and 5 provide stability

  18. Concerto Grosso • Concerto for a group of solo instruments and orchestra • Otherwise similar to concerto • Three movements: fast, slow, fast • Fast movements usually ritornello form • Emphasis on contrast (contest) between soloists and orchestra

  19. J. S. Bach (1685–1750) • From family of musicians • First a church organist, later a court composer • 1723—Cantor and Director musices, Leipzig • Prolific, wrote in almost every genre

  20. Bach,The Brandenburg Concertos • Set of six concertos by Bach • Gift to Margrave of Brandenburg, 1721 • Each uses a different group of solo instruments • Unusual combinations • Dazzling tone colors • Imaginative contrasts between soloists and orchestra

  21. Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 • Solo group = Flute, violin, harpsichord • Some soloists do double duty • Violin leads orchestra in ritornellos • Harpsichord provides continuo chords • Standard three-movement format

  22. Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, I • Allegro movement in ritornello form • Extended movement—nearly 10 minutes • To sustain interest, Bach introduces progressively more dramatic contrasts

  23. Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, I • Ritornello theme • Homophonic feel • Complete theme only at beginning and end • Three subsections (a, b, c) • Complex, irregular rhythms, melodic contour, and phrase lengths

  24. Brandenburg ConcertoNo. 5, I • Solo episodes • Solo group with continuo • Rich, imitative polyphony • Progressively more dramatic contrasts (central solo and cadenza) • Cadenza = Improvised solo passage • Typically near end of concerto’s first movement • This one unusually long for 1721

  25. Key Terms • Fugue • Subject • Exposition • Subject entries • Episodes • Countersubject • Inversion • Stretto • Prelude • Arpeggio

  26. Fugue • Most characteristic form of Baroque music • Systematized imitative polyphony • Polyphonic composition for a fixed number of instrumental lines or voices • Built on a single principal theme (subject) • Subject “chased” from one voice to another

  27. Typical Fugue • Exposition • Alternating episodes and subject entries

  28. Fugal Exposition • The subject = The principal theme • All voices take turns presenting the subject in full • Each voice continues with new material as next one states subject

  29. Episodes and Subject Entries • Subject reenters at intervals • In any voice • In different keys • Episodes contrast with subject entries • Final subject entry in tonic key

  30. Subject Entries vs. Episodes Subject entries • Fixed—always recognizable as subject • Stable—in one key for each statement • May occur in different keys after episodes • Episodes • Free—may explore motives from subject in any order • Unstable—modulate from one key to another • Connect subject entries that are in different keys

  31. Bach, The Well-Tempered Clavier • A testament to Bach’s fugal skill • Book 1 (1722) and Book 2 (1744) • Each presents a fugue in every key, both major and minor (48 total) • Each fugue preceded by a prelude

  32. Bach, Prelude 1 in C Major • Upward-moving arpeggio • Rich succession of chords • Some dissonant harmonies

  33. Bach, Fugue 1 in C Major • No episodes, no countersubject • 24 entries of the subject • Stretto

  34. Key Terms • Dance suite • Minuet • Sarabande • Gigue • Binary form • Trio • Tambourin

  35. The Dance Suite • A grouping of miscellaneous dances • All in same key • Last dance always fast • Usually stylized dances • Written for listening, not dancing • Allow greater musical sophistication • Written for various performing forces • Orchestra, chamber ensembles, solo harpsichord or lute

  36. Baroque Dances • Each dance characterized by • Specific dance steps • A certain meter • A distinctive tempo • Unique rhythmic features

  37. Baroque Dance Form • Binary form: two sections (a, b) • Each ends with strong cadence • Each is repeated (a a b b) • Symmetrical feel—shared motives, cadences, etc. • b usually longer than a • a a b b or |: a :||: b :|

  38. Dance and Trio • Larger-scale A B A form • Groups two shorter dances of same type (A) • Contrasting middle dance is the trio (B) • Minuet and trio, gavotte and trio, etc. • Trio is softer and lighter than A dance • Uses different melody and rhythms • Return of A creates satisfying conclusion

  39. Rameau, Menuet and Tambourin from Castor et Pollux • No trio for the minuet • Instead, fast tambourin • Form |: A :| |: B :| 8 16

  40. Handel,Minuet from Royal Fireworks Music • Composed to celebrate the end of the War of the Austrian Succession • Not meant to be danced

  41. Bach, Gigue from Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor • Part of a set of six suites for solo cello • Bowing on two adjacent strings • Form |: a :| |: b :|

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