purcell all movements

Purcell's style?

- Lively rhythmic energy
- Expressive and poignant harmony
- Adventurous chromaticism
- Strongly inventive melodic creativity

which elements of the piece relate to a concerto, which took over from the sonata from 1680?

- three movements (fast - slow - fast)
- emphasis on firm bass with a florid (intricate) melody
- clear tonal organisation of major and minor keys to reveal musical structure
- contrasts of texture within each movement (enabling later composers like Vivaldi and Bach to build longer structures in a single movement).

What was the Baroque trumpet like?

- Natural instrument - no valves
- Most were pitched in celebratory tonality of D
- Purcell only uses 10 pitches, from 9 harmonics.
- 'Clarino' register makes the sound more brilliant and sharp.

What is the overall structure of the first movement?

- Just 29 bars long
- A: b1 - 11.1
- B: 11.2 - 19
- C: b20 - 29

1st Movement: What are the key features of Section A's opening, b 1 -3?

- Built on a single motif.
- Trumpet - fanfare-like mood with rhythmic pattern emphasising tonic and dominant notes, with a distinctive upper auxiliary on the second semiquaver.
- Root position D major chord supports first bar.
- Texture - melody and accompaniment.
- Motif is repeated, rising through 3rd and 5th of tonic triad. Extra semiquaver adds liveliness and includes an unprepared 7th - unexpected dissonance typical of Purcell.
- Phrase repeats above a rising bas line before falling to tonic for cadence - classic arch-shape.
- Perfect cadence is followed by quickening harmonic rhythm and more semiquavers. Dominant chord decorated with 4-3 suspension, trill and anticipatory note.

1st Movement: What are the crucial differences between b1 -3 and b4 -6?

- Bars 4 - 6 repeats the melody exactly.
- The violin takes the melody with the trumpet tacet.
- The melody is a fourth lower and after the opening bar of tonic melody, the music modulates to dominant A major - enhancing bright mood.

1st Movement: How does the A section end, b 7 - 11.1?

- Bars 1-3 and 4-6 are followed by a four bar section where the motif is passed antiphonally between the trumpet (mostly unaccompanied) and the strings (violin and bass in parallel tenths).
- 1st 3 phrases on dominant chord, 4th is back to tonic and bars 9 - 11.1 are a repeated of bars 2 - 4.1, with a change in bass rhythm.
- Distinct ternary structure within the A section.

1st Movement: How does Purcell achieve a contrast between the A section and the B section?

- More relaxed, lyrical and plaintive, after A's lively and decisive rhythmic style. Achieved by:
- stepwise motif instead of triadic
- falling instead of rising melodic shapes
- regular quaver movement without semiquavers
- B minor tonality (relative minor)
- more imitative, contrapuntal style
- quieter, more legato style

1st Movement: What are the key features of the B section?

- Descending quaver motif played 4 times, violin closely imitating trumpet over bass in parallel compound 6ths, then in compound parallel 10ths, the violin extending to a perfect cadence in B minor with 4-3 suspension and anticipatory note.
- B14 - trumpet picks up final 3 notes of motif in rhythmic diminution, antiphonally exchanging with strings. Trumpet ascends in sequence as bass descends.
- Sustains long-held notes at top of range over 2 cadential progressions in dominant A major.
- B 17 - 18 - abrupt switch to A minor after first cadence, dissonance and affection heightened by secondary chords II and VI under inverted pedal.
- Motif weaved into texture, closely imitated by violin and bass - long descending bass line reinforces unity of sections.

1st Movement: How is the opening mood restored at the end of Section B - start of Section C?

- C# in A chord in b19 restores major tonality (initially sounds like tierce di Picardie), semiquaver movement reappears motif is inverted in violin leading to rising shapes to return opening mood.
- Tonic firmly re-established with root position D major chords in b20, reminiscent of b1.
- Trumpet reasserts itself with principal melodic line above the chordal texture and phrase shapes rise again, outlining tonic triad.

1st Movement: What are the key features of the C section?

- Purcell uses only the first 3 notes of the original melody before a different direction of rhythmic movements and passing notes based on motif A.
- Antiphonal exchange between violin and bass in parallel 10ths - trumpet varying 3rd motif with first 7 notes, rising in sequence - IV, IIb, V, IIIb, VI, IVb and Vb.
- Halfway through b24 trumpet uses motif b's final 4 notes in inversion (rising pattern) in rhythmic diminution - imitated twice by strings before trumpet descends to tonic with violin in unison.

2nd Movement: How does it provide a direct contrast from the 1st movement?

- Gently expressive and poignant mood.
- Trumpet is tacet / rested.
- Strings play in homophonic texture, short 2-3 note gestures punctuated by rests --> thoughtful and melancholic.
- Slow tempo.
- Minor tonality (B minor - relative minor).
- Almost entirely conjunct melody.
- Rhythmic movement in crotchets, with dotted patterns preceding the cadence points and minims at phrase endings.

2nd Movement: What is the structure of the movement?

Binary form:
- A: b 1 - 4
- A': b 5 - 7.3
- B: b 7.4 - 14.3
- B': b 14.4 - 20

2nd Movement: What are the main features of the first A section?

- 1st bar establishes relative minor B minor with I - Vb - I progression under repeated melody F# which acts as a transition to this movement as it is the 3rd of D major.
- 2nd bar uses a stronger VI - V - I progression, melody rising stepwise for 3 notes as bass descends, extending range.
- 2 one bar phrases followed by a 2 bar phrase, melody rising chromatically through D# (harmonised by secondary dominant) and up four notes, as in movement 1.
- Falls a characteristic diminished 5th to a perfect cadence in B minor with 4 - 3 suspension and anticipatory note.

2nd Movement: How do bars 5 - 8 relate to bars 1 -4?

- Bars 5 - 8 are a repeat of bars 1 - 4 a fourth higher in the subdominant E minor, further changing the mood.
- Identical chord progression with varied melodic shapes of outer voices - falling diminished 5th occurs earlier to create a short descending melodic sequence and rising minor 6th is inverted into a falling major 3rd.
- Cadence ends with tierce de Picardie, preparing for upcoming modulation to A major.

2nd Movement: How does the B section intensify the emotion?

- Series of falling gestures in melody.
- Increasingly chromatic and bold use of harmony, exploring flatter and darker keys.
- Phrases all begin with an anacrusis.
- Melody is entirely conjunct, starting and ending with falling tones but descending in semitones b 10 - 13.3.
- Melody falls and bass rises - contrary motion.

2nd Movement: What are the key features of the B section?

Sequence of appoggiaturas
- Repeated Cs in bars 11 and 12, extending phrase to 6 bars
- Unresolved 7th in bar 11
- Vb7 in F in bar 12
- Augmented triad in b13 (IIIb in A minor).

2nd Movement: What is notable about the repeated B section? (B')

- 6 previous bars repeated with expanded textural range.
- B14's A major chord used as dominant of D major to explore distant key of Bb major before another tierce de Picardie is used to switch from D minor to final D major chord - prepares for tonality of last movement.