Purcell – Sonata I (Score Excerpt)

15 question-and-answer flashcards summarising instrumentation, texture, motif development, harmony, rhythmic devices and expressive markings in the provided Purcell Sonata I score excerpt.

Which instruments open Purcell’s Sonata I?

Trumpet and basso continuo (treble and bass only).

In the opening, what is meant by a “polarised” texture?

Only the extreme treble and bass parts (trumpet and continuo) are heard, leaving out the inner parts.

How is the string writing characterised when the violins, viola and cello enter?

It is largely homophonic, with the strings moving together rhythmically beneath the trumpet line.

What intervallic pattern shapes the main trumpet motif?

A rising D–F♯–A triad that follows an initial auxiliary (upper-neighbour) note.

How is the trumpet motif later developed?

Its five-note figure is contracted to a three-note idea, creating greater momentum.

What rhythmic device intensifies the passage leading to the first cadence?

Continuous semiquaver (16th-note) motion in the accompaniment.

Name three ornaments found in the cadential figure.

A trill, dotted (double-dot) rhythm, and a note of anticipation.

What happens to the harmonic rhythm as the music approaches the cadence?

It speeds up, with chords changing more quickly to heighten tension.

State the home key and the first modulation in this excerpt.

Starts in D major and modulates to the dominant, A major.

Which bass-line device underpins the first section?

A gradually rising stepwise bass line covering an octave.

Give the basic chord progression at the start (in D major).

I – Ib – IV – V – IVb – Vb – I – V – I, finishing with a V 4–3 suspension resolving to I.

Identify one prominent suspension used in both D and A major passages.

A 4–3 suspension over the dominant chord (V 4–3).

What dominant harmony is added in the A-major section for extra colour?

A V⁷b (dominant seventh in first inversion).

Which dynamic markings illustrate Baroque terraced dynamics in this score?

Sudden shifts such as f (forte) and mf (mezzo-forte), plus written cresc. and dim. blocks.

What does the allargando marking at bar 25 indicate?

A broadening of tempo and often a fuller, more expansive tone at the approach to the cadence.