Music - Brandenburg Concerto; Bach

when was this piece written?

in the Baroque era

this is a concerto grosso. what does that mean?

concerto grosso - a concerto for a large number of instrumental parts

what name is given to the group of solo instruments and what are they?

concertino - flute, violin and harpsichord

what is the ripieno and how is it different to normal?

ripieno = string orchestra; it only has one violin part

what is the continuo?

continuo = the bass intruments - cello, double bass and harpsichord

What term is used to describe this piece? What does it mean?

a fugue = a contrapuntal composition in which a short melody or phrase (the subject) is introduced by one part and successively taken up by others and developed by interweaving the parts.

Fugues:

• what technique does it use?

• what is the subject?

• what is the answer?

• what is the countersubject?

• what is the exposition?

• uses a musical technique called counterpoint - where multiple melodic lines can be followed individually but together form a harmony. (aka polyphonic)

• subject = main idea/melody

• answer = subject presented in a different key

• countersubject = acts as an accompaniment to the subject/answer

• exposition = section of a fugue where voices enter

Structure:

• what is the general structure of the piece?

• where does each section start and end?

• what key is the A section in?

• what key does the B section begin in?

• what key does the B section modulate to?

• what type of cadence does the B section end on?

• the A section repeats - what key is it in and how does it establish this?

• general structure = ternary (ABA)

• Part A = Bars 1-78, Part B = Bars 79-232, Part A = bars 233-end

• key of A section = D major in fugal style, brief sections in the dominant key (A major)

• key of B section = begins in relative minor (B minor) with a new theme in the flute

• B section modulates to dominant (A major) in the ripieno in bar 148

• B section ends on a perfect cadence in B minor

• A section repeats - key is established back to D major with an extra D major chord in continuo.

Texture:

• What features of a fugue appear in the first 4 bars of the piece?

• How many more bars play before the harpsichord left hand enters and with what?

• What textural technique does the harpsichord play in?

• subject in solo violin is followed by an answer in the flute at a distance of 2 bars - this is two part imitation

• there are then four bars before the left hand of harpsichord enters with the subject, which then is answered two bars later by the right hand

• harpsichord plays in two-part counterpoint, and once both hands are playing, the music is in four-part counterpoint

Melody:

• the music can be described as mostly…

• what melodic device appears in bar 137?

• the harpsichord is ornamented with what melodic device?

• what ornament appears in the main middle section theme when it returns in A major? (bar 148)

• conjunct (although there are leaps e.g fourths in bar 1)

• bar 137 - rising sequence

• the harpsichord is occasionally ornamented with trills e.g bar 19

• appoggiaturas (grace notes) appear in main middle section theme when it returns in A major

Tonality:

• what is the main key of the piece?

• the music can be described as diatonic - what does this mean?

• what is the difference in the key of the A and B sections?

• D major

• diatonic = only notes in the key are played (no dissonance)

• A sections are mostly D major, B section is in the relative minor (B minor)

Harmony:

• What harmonic devices announce the ends of sections?

• the harmony can be described as functional - what does this mean?

• what harmonic device is used in the bass line for the new middle section theme?

• there are occasional ________

• perfect cadences announce the ends of sections

• functional harmony = when perfect cadences are used to move between closely related key signatures.

• harmonic device in bass line = tonic pedal note on B

• there are occasional suspensions

Tempo, metre and rhythm:

• what is the metre?

• what metre could it be notated in as well?

• what rhythmic devices are used throughout?

• the harpsichord has many _______ runs

• metre is 2/4 (duple time - two beats to the bar)

• could also be notated in 6/8 compound time

• the harpsichord has many semiquaver runs

• rhythmic devices = triplets and dotted rhythms