Keyboard LIterature Exam 1

The Well tempered clavier

• old testament

• teaching pieces

• Equal temperament:

  • all half steps are tuned to be equal; it makes it possible to modulate to different keys

Well Tempered Clavier: Prelude in C Minor

Genre: Prelude and Fugue

Form: Toccata- Touch Piece, sectional, devoid of melody

• Toccata section- etude, touch Piece

• Improvisatory section- arpeggiated figure

• Canon section- Presto (lively), C minor pedal point, canon (delayed imitation)

• Recitative (declamatory) section- Adagio, improvising

• Allegro Section-

Wett tempered clavier: Fugue in C Minor

Genre: Fugue (Texture)

• Continuity (with cadences to mark off larger sections)

• Counterpoint- polyphonic

• Artifice- specific compositional techniques

  • inversion

• Answer- layered voice on top of the subject

  • tonal answers- intervals repeated differently

  • real answers-intervals repeated the same

• Counter-subject- Musical material heard against fugue theme

• Texture: monophonic → polyphonic

Form:

• Exposition: 3 subject entrances; two counter-subjects; bridge uses related material (inversion etc) and leads to the final entrance; ends with a C-minor cadence

• Episode 1: sequential counter-subject fragments and subject fragments; modulates to E♭

• Episode 2: subject returns with counter-subjects, including one in contrary motion

• Episode 3: subject fragments and counter-subject in contrary motion

• Return: home key of C minor; Counter-subject 1 moves between voices

• Coda: 5 voices; ends on C, with a pedal point

Italian Concerto in F major

From: Die Klavierubungen (1725-42): Partitas, Organ pieces, goldber variations, WTC Book II.

Genre: Concerto- “To contend”, contrast, contest

• Concerto Grosso: large group alternates with smaller group

• Imitation of vivaldiʻs concerto style

Performing Forces: solo instrument((s)-concertino) + Orchestra

• Tutti: Everyone (Likely just the orchestra)

• Ripieno: larger group

• concertino: smaller group or soloist

• Basso continuo: keyboard, plucked strings, bowed strings.

Texture: Homophonic

Instrument: 2-manual harpsichord- creates the concerto effect with contrast

• Dynamics for contrast: Left hand piano, right hand forte

• Tempo for contrast

Form: 1/2- Ritornello (Return): Main theme that returns (refrain)

• Sectional

• Baroque: Irregular length of phrase

1st movement: Allegro- ritornello

• Four-bar phrases

• 1- Ritornello- F major tonally closed

• 1- Episode- Piano and forte

• 2- Ritornello- Tutti, Forte, forte (8/28 bars)

• 2- Episode- Invention: two-voice texture, Piano Piano

• 3- Ritornello

• 3- Episode- D minor

• 4- Riternello- 2 measures

• 4- Episode- Suspensions in r.h., modulatory/devopemental, cello solo

• 5- Episode- Concertino, piano

• 6- Riternello

• 6- Episode

• 7- Riternello- Entire theme 26/26

2nd Movement: Andante

• only concertino instruments

• R.H. solo violin

• L.H. basso continuo, 2 viola de gamba

• Registration- melody on 4ʻ, play an 8va lower

3rd Movement: Presto

• riternello form

Suites

Background

• Thirty Years' War

• Back went to school around a lot of French dance music

• Book by Lilith/Jenne- treatises

  • beat, pulse, and tap

• Tempo: depends on character, and pulse of the piece

Types of Suites

• French suites:

  • 6

  • no prelude

• English

  • 6

  • A, C, S, G

  • Preludes: ABA form

• Partitas

  • 6

  • A, C, S, G,

  • Introductory movements- could be any genre??

Suites: Dance movements (collection of dance pieces)

• Binary form: (Minor- ll: I-V :ll: V I :ll ) (Major- ll: i-III :ll: III i :ll )

• functional & Stylized

• A, C, S, (OD) G (Cosmopolitan- bringing many different cultures together into one piece)

  • Allemande: German

  • Courante: French

  • Sarabande: Spain

  • Optional pieces: minuet, air, menuet and trio, gavotte, Loure, polonaise

  • Gigue: Ireland

  
  

  • Air: Opera

  • Anglaise: English

  • Polonaise: Poland

French Suite no. 5 in G major: Sarabande

Ornemantation and Technology

• Expert: Judith schneider

• Trills: start above the note

• Mordets: start on the note and go down

Sarabande is played like a saraband, maybe rubato

• Gilel- rubato

• Uchida-

• Kirkpatrick- swinging

• Kipnis- adds decoration on repeat

• Schiff- different ornamentations

• Hewitt- Accurate, slower

• Gould- Modernist, Staccato, singing along

• Turek

• Landowska- harpsichordist

It’s good to compare different performances

• Start at the source

• Speculate on why performers made the decisions they made

Hob. XVI: 37, i

• Exposition: PTK (no S)

  • P

  • T: (abnormally long) b- B- Bb

  • K:

• Development:

  • P idea: modulation to B minor

  • Polyphonic section with suspension- to D major

  • Sequence- idea keeps repeating

  • B minor emphasis

  • Bb M

  • Ends in A major, Bb is chromatic to A major, b2, which is Neopolitan,

• Recapitulation: 61

  • 93 - BbM

Hob. XVI: 37, ii

Genre: Sarabande

Form: Binary

• ll: i(d) III(F) :ll (A) ll

• Attacca Subito finale- Attack suddenly final- go straight into third movement without a rest

• End of first half modulation to F - then D interruption ( this foretells key of 3rd mov. D)

• Neopolitan= b2

• Ending Dominant of D pedal in A, third mov. starts in D

• Double or triple dotting, as expected in sarabande- French overture style- emphasis on second beat of each bar

• High style of music

Hob. XVI: 37, iii

Genre: Contredanse- Country Dance

Form: Rondo: Binary- ll: a :ll: b aʻ :ll

• A lot of four bar phrasing

• Innocentemente- innocent- simple, charming, light

• Asymmetry

• Juxtaposition- contrasting things set next to each other

• Monothematicism- Haydn often uses the same themes

  • Refrain: theme that keeps repeating

• B: d minor, contrasting, episode

• Sections: regularity of phrase structures

  • A- ll: 4+4 :ll: 4+4+4 :ll

  • Ep.- ll: 4+4 :ll: 6+6 :ll

  • A- ll: 4+4 :ll: 4+4+4 :ll

  • Episode 2? C (contrasting material)- ll: 4+4 :ll: 4+4+4 :ll

  • Retransition- 4+3+6 (Aʻs (Extended anticipation))

  • A- alberti bass, 16th notes- effect of acceleration

18th century keyboard instruments:

Instruments:

Harpisichord:

• opera, symphony, concerto

• 16ʻ: 8va lower, 8ʻ: at pitch, 4ʻ: 1 8va higher, 2ʻ 2 8va higher,

• 2 manual: france/germany

• 1 manual: Italy

Organ:

• Church

• Choir: the group of pipes that play when you press a not

Clavichord:

• houses

Fortepiano:

• Clementi helped it along

Vocab:

Manual: Keyboard

Tangents: Metal that strikes the strings

Plectrum: Plucks the string

Hammers:

Ralph Kirkpatrick

• Bach expert

Edition Types

Types of Editions

• Scholarly- most accurate editions possible

  • Drawbacks: Unsure of dynamics

  • Advantages: Certain it was what the composer intended

• Critical- record of how sources are interrelated

  • Drawbacks: May add confusion to the performer

  • Advantages: An experienced performer can decide

• Performance- Gives a lot of ideas on how to perform a piece

  • Drawbacks: may or may not be reliable depending on performer

  • Advantages:

• Urtext- the original text

  • Drawbacks: It can become a dry performance

  • Advantages:

    • composerʻs original manuscript

    • facsimile editions

    • Urtext editions that make no editorial additions

    • Urtext editions which do have fingerings and dynamics

    • Urtext with original text and great performer notes

    • Urtext which are performance editions

• Practical- Editor fixes mistakes

  • Drawbacks: May or may not be helpful or correct

  • Advantages:

• Reprint- Dover,

  • Drawbacks: there may be edition more accurate then 1st

  • Advantages:

Scarlatti Sonata in A minor K. 3

Scarlatti Sonatas

• one movement, binary

  • possible to start in tonic and end in dominant of the dominant

1st half: central section (dynamic) & tonal section (static)

• Opening:

• Central section: modulations

  • Continuation

  • Transition

  • Pre-crux: material right before the crux

• Tonal section

  • Crux- dominant of dominant

  • Post-crux- immediately following the crux

  • closing

  • further closing

  • final closing

2nd Half:

• excursion then restatement of the tonal section

  • Crux separates the excursion from the tonal section

    • must have thematic parallelism

    • establishment of closing tonality (dominant of dominant)

• Tonal: material that follows the crux

  • Post crux

  • Closing

  • (Further closing)- something unique and distinguishable

  • Final closing

F minor variations

Barbara ployer

• student of mozart

• vienna performer

Form: 2 themes and each theme has variations (unusual)

• 1st theme: f

• 2nd theme: F

• Back and forth between variations of each theme

Things:

• Characteristic: has a certain mood or feeling, storylike

• Contrast of mood or mode

• funeral march

• fantasia- freedom of rhythm and tempo

  • Ab- Bb- C

  • Instrumental virtuosity

  • Chromatism and dissonance- Neapolitan chord

  • rubato- left hand off beat

• repeats used for people back then to be really remember and enjoy themes.

Johann Sebastian Bach Keyboard Works

(1685-1750)

• 2-part Inventions: 15

• Sinfonias: 15

• French Suites: 6

• English Suites: 6

• Partitas: 6

• Partita in B minor 

• Toccata: 7

• The Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1: 24 preludes and fugues

• The Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2: 24 preludes and fugues

• Goldberg Variations: 32

• Italian Concerto

• Chromatic fantasy and fugue

• Capriccio on departure of beloved brother

Domenico Scarlatti Keyboard Works

(1685-1757)

• 550 Sonata

• Cat’s Fugue 

• Essercizi 30

Joseph Haydn keyboard works

(1732-1809)

• Piano sonatas 52

• Variations in f minor

Johann Sebastian Bach Biography

Born: Germany (1685-1750)

Where he lived and worked:

• Germany- Churchs, Court,

How he earned a living:

• Organist, court musician, music directer, cantor , and teacher,

Genres:

• Cantatas, passions, masses, motets, chorales, concertos, suites sonatas, chamber music

Pianist:

• No, organist harpsichord, clavichord, only tried early fortepianos

Performer:

• Yes, he was a organ and keyboard virtuoso

Keyboard music ratio:

• About 40% of his works

Joseph Haydn Biography

Born:

• Austria (1732-1809)

Where he lived and worked:

• Vienna, London (england)

• Worked for the Esterházy family in Austria and Hungary

How he earned a living:

• Music lessons, accompaniment, and church music

• Music director and Kapellmeister for Esterházy princes

• London concerts, commissions, publishing, and lessons

Genres:

• symphonies, string quartets, piano sonatas, piano trios, concertos, opera, mass, oratorio, and song

Pianist:

• Harpsichord player, late life spent on fortepiano

Performer:

• Yes, he performed and conducted at concerts in London

Keyboard music ratio:

• keyboard works are the minority

Facts

Important scholars:

• A. peter brown: Joseph haydnʻs keyboard music

• Anthony van Hoboken: collected edition (5,000 collection)

  • Hob. (hoboken) XVI (volume) 37 (sonata number) i (movement)

    • I symphonies

    • XV: trios

    • XVI: solo keyboard sonatas

    • XVII: Klavierstücke

• La Rue: exposition

  • P: primary

  • T: transition

  • (missing S for secondary)

  • K: closing

Editions:

• Dover: Pasler

• Vienna Urtext: Chr. Landon/Jonas

• Kenner: connoisseur

• Liebhaber: amateur; dilettante (for the love)

• likely enjoyed the clavichord

Domenico Scarlatti Biography

Born: Italy (1685-1757)

Patron: Maria Barbara (Portuguese, Queen of Spain)

Where he lived and worked:

• Italy, Rome, Lisbon, Spain

How he earned a living:

• His patron, Maria Barbara (Portuguese) she became the Queen of Spain

• Chapel music director, composer, music teacher

Genres:

• Sonatas, opera, sacred music, cantatas, serenatas, vocal works‘

Pianist:

• Harpsichord player, late life spent on fortepiano

Performer:

• Yes, he performed for royal and aristocratic circles

Keyboard music ratio:

• Keyboard works are the majority

People:

• Alessandro Longo Organized Scarlatti sonatas: L numbers

• Ralph Kirkpatrick, K number- wrote Domenico Scarlatti, gave us a method of analyzing scarlatti sonatas

• Sheveloff: wrote tercentenary frustrations in the Musical Quarterly

• Pestelli: group sonatas

Scarlatti sonata sections

First Half

• Opening: Establishes the basic tonality.

• Continuation (optional): Extends the Opening or prepares the Transition.

• Transition: Distinguishable material between the Opening and Pre-Crux.

• Pre-Crux: Moves toward the closing tonality through its dominant.

• Crux: Establishes the dominant of the closing key by way of its dominant.

• Post-Crux: Cadences in the closing tonality.

• Closing: Begins after the closing tonic is stated and confirms the closing tonality.

• Further Closing (optional): Passage between the Closing and Final Closing.

• Final Closing: Last closing passage; may extend earlier cadential material.

Second Half

• Opening (optional): Opens the second half.

• Excursion: Modulatory section between the double bar and Crux.

• Restatement (optional): Returns to the Pre-Crux or earlier material.

• Crux: Establishes the dominant of the closing key by way of its dominant.

• Restatement of the Tonal Section: Returns to the closing material:

  • Post-Crux

  • Closing

  • Further Closing (optional)

  • Final Closing

Tonal Section: The cadence-focused sections from the Post-Crux through the Final Closing. The Excursion is a separate, modulatory section.