Brandenburg Concerto - Keywords

Polyphonic texture

two or more melodies playing at the same time

Baroque Period

1600-1750

Terraced dynamics

clear contrasts between loud and soft sections of a piece rather than gradual changes (no cresc./dim/ just p-f-p)

Basso continuo

instruments who play the bass line and chords (harpsichord, cello)

Concerto grosso

“large concerto” for more than one soloist + orchestra

Contrapuntal

multiple melodies at the same time

Figured bass

numbers which tell the keyboard player what the RH harmony is

Tempo

speed of the music

Rhythm

length of the notes

Metre

time signature

fugato

very imitative and contrapuntal

stretto

imitation, close together

ritornello structure

solo sections alternate with recurring phrases from section A

simple time

each beat can be divided into two, e.g. 2/4,3/4,4/4

Compound time

each beat can be divided into 3, e.g. 3/8,6/8,12/8

Gigue

a lively piece in the style of a dance, usually in compound time. Often used for the final movement in a Baroque suite/concerto grosso

Motif

short phrase that is reused

Ripieno

rest of orchestra

Concertino

soloists

Counterpoint

the technique of combining two or more independent melodies to create a rich, interwoven texture