Brandenburg Concerto no. 5 Vocabulary

Diatonic

Notes belonging to the key of the piece (literally ‘of the key’)

Ornamentation

Notes that decorate a melody.

Monophonic

A musical texture comprising a single line which can be sung or played by several people.

Homophonic

A texture comprising a melody part and an accompaniment

Polyphonic

More than one melody sounding at the same times or entering at slightly different times so that melodic lines overlap.

Sequence

The repetition of a musical phrase at a higher or lower pitch than the original

Pedal

A sustained note, usually in the bass part. It may clash with harmonic changes above it. Pedals are usually on the tonic or dominant notes, so would be called either a tonic or a dominant pedal.

Suspension

Prolonging a note to create a dissonance with the next chord

Affection

The prevailing mood in a Baroque movement

Concerto Grosso

(Plural - concerti grossi) A concert for more than one soloist/ The phrase literally means a large concerto. It is usually written in three movements in the order fast-slow-fast.

Dialoguing

Instruments literally ‘in dialogue’, playing one idea after the other, exchanging ideas

Antiphonal

Swapping between different musical groups (e.g. concertino and ripieno)

Concertino

The smaller group of soloists in a concerto grosso – here flute, violin and harpsichord

Ripieno

The larger group – here a string orchestra

Basso Continuo

Continuous bass parts are provided for harpsichord and stringed instruments such as bass viol and lute. The players add chords and melody

Figured Bass

A type of musical shorthand for a keyboard player. The figures indicate the chord to be played above the bass note and whether or not this is in root position or first or second inversion.

Fugue

A musical form comprising an exposition, middle section and final section. The music is contrapuntal

Ternary (ABA)

A simple musical form in three sections with an ABA structure

Subject

The short main theme of the fugue

Answer

In a fugue, the subject repeated in response to its initial appearance, usually a 4^th or 5^th lower or higher than the preceding subject.

Countersubject

The melody played after the subject or answer has been sounded.

Stretto

Entries of the subject occurring closer together than before, heightening the tension of the music

Contrapuntal

When the two melodies are played ‘against’ each other and interweave – almost the same as ‘polyphonic’; written in counterpoint

Counterpoint

Simultaneous combination of two or more melodies with independent rhythms.

Secondary Dominant

A key that is the dominant key of the dominant

Passing Modulations

Modulations where the new key only last for a few bars (or less) before modulating to another key

Scalic

Music that is based on scales ascending and /or descending in pitch

Canon

Parts copy each other in exact intervals, often at the 5^th or octave, but at different beats of the bar

Cadential

This refers to a progression of chords forming a cadence

Solo Concerto

A concerto for a single instrument accompanied by an orchestra

Chromatic harmony

Used to describe notes that are not diatonic (part of the key of the music)

Chromatic melody

Ascending or descending in semitones.