Bach - Brandenburg - Music Glossary

Context

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Chamber Music

Music for a small group of musicians, usually a string section and limited number of wind players.

Affection

The prevailing mood in a Baroque movement

Ternary form

ABA

Ritonello Form

When the opening material returns in a shortened form.

Fugue

A musical form consisting of exposition, middle section and final section. The music is contrapuntal/ polyphonic.

Subject

The short main theme of the fugue

Answer

In a fugue, the subject is repeated in response to ts initial appearance, usually a 4th or 5th higher or lower.

Countersubject

The melody after the subject or answer has been sounded

Harmony and tonality:

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Diatonic

Notes that belong to the current key

Pedal

A sustained or repeated note as the chords above change

Suspension

Prolonging a note to create dissonance with the next chord.

Figured bass

A basso continuo part with figures and symbols to indicate the harmonies of the music.

Dominant

The 5th degree of the scale

Secondary dominant

The dominant of the dominant

Passing modulations

When the new key only lasts for a few bars

Chromatic

Notes that do not belong to the key or move by semitones.

Functional harmony

Music that uses cadences.

Performing forces:

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Concertino

The group of soloists in a concerto grosso

Ripieno

The accompaniment group in a concerto grosso

Basso continuo

an accompanying part that includes a bassline and harmonies,

(in baroque music)

Concerto grosso

Large scale composition for orchestra with a group of soloists.

Solo concerto

Concerto that has one soloist

Texture

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Dialoguing

Motifs exchanges between different parts without overlapping

Antiphony

Call and response

Contrapuntal

polyphonic

Stretto

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

Unison

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simultaneous performance

Imitation

Contrapuntal device where the melody is overlapped by the same melody in another part starting a few notes later on a different pitch.

Melody

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Variant

A phrase whose shape resembles the original

cantabile

in a singing style

Sequence

The immediate repetion at a different pitch of a melody

Passagework

A constantly moving passage, often in patterns of quick notes.

Scalic/ conjunct

Movement by step

Appoggiatura

A ‘leaning’ note. An expressive dissonance that moves by step to resolve onto a note of the current chord.