Go for Baroque
Sheela Lewis
ARTS 340 - Exploration of Western Classical Music
March 3, 2014
Steven Kennedy
Go for Baroque
The Baroque musical period occurred throughout Europe from 1600 to 1750. The compositions during this period had certain characteristics. Some of these characteristics included unity of mood, continuity of rhythm and melody, and most compositions, in the middle to late Baroque period, included polyphonic textures (Kamien, 2011). Many musicians, such as Johann Sebastian Bach and Arcangelo Corelli, thrived during this period. They composed hundreds to thousands of compositions in various different musical forms and each piece holds the characteristics of the Baroque period uniquely. This paper will review the
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The trio sonata leaves on an incomplete cadence which causes the expectancy of more, it is later completed in the other movements. The piece seems to cut off the melody and start back over from the beginning.
The second characteristic that both pieces share in common is the continuity of rhythm, whether it is at the forefront or showcased as the beat, and the repetition of the melody. The tutti is the melody of Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, and it is repeated several times throughout the piece and sometimes even when the soloist performs. The Trio Sonata is a short piece compared to the concerto, but the melody is repeated twice in the first movement. There can be variations to the melody during the piece but it keeps the same tone and mood.
Finally another common characteristic between the pieces is that the texture of both is polyphonic. Polyphonic texture shows two of more melodic lines competing for attention. The listener would hear the polyphonic texture during the soloist performances in Bach’s work. One instrument would imitate the other leading to the competition of being heard. This is also seen in Corelli’s sonata. The two violins are the showcase for the melodic lines and are imitated by the bass continuo, played by the organ and cello.
One major difference in the pieces is the use of the basso continuo. This basso continuo helps to establish a harmony between the instruments and usually takes a back seat in the composer. In
The symphony has three different textures: monophonic, homophonic, and polyphonic. Similar to the Tabuh Pisan piece, there is a monophonic texture in playing the melody. Listening to only the single melody line enables the audience to engrave the melody in their heads without the adornment of an accompaniment line. By using this texture, Beethoven introduces the first melody line the rest of the movement varied off on. Overall, texture changes, homophonic texture, polyphonic texture and monophonic texture, are used to accentuate the technique of theme variation throughout the movement. The polyphonic texture is shown through the fugal melody in measures 117-174. The same melody is played in different parts at different times, which causes the melody to overlap, creating two melodies that are played at the same time. Below is an example of the fugal subject, or melody, played by different parts.
Broadly speaking, the first movement can be divided in to three pieces, each beginning with a version of what I have denoted A_0, the introduction to the piece inwhich motifs float around in a constant void, gaining energy, and morphing into musicalthemes. If we were to impose the sonata structure onto the piece, we would say that the three pieces are the exposition, development, and recapitulation. The exposition introduces two large thematic blocks separated by a transition that
Then follows a scherzo with trio - Molto vivace - also in D minor. The scherzo itself is in sonata form with all parts repeated. The octave tuned drums immediately announcing the important role they play in the tonality of the movement as a whole. Then follows a hushed fugato, which serves an introductory purpose as the full force of the orchestra. Then follows a more harmonic path with the utmost vigor. The second subject in C major adds an unusual harmonic flavor. The trio has a quasi-pastoral flavor, The trio is played only once, although Beethoven fools us into believing we will here it once more at the end, like in the first movement but it abruptly ends.
The first piece was Bach-Siloti Prelude in B Minor, BWV 855a. This is a very slow and somber piece. This is the oldest piece written and is very different as it is the slowest most repetitive. Most of the piece was in a piano with occasional fluctuations in dynamic. The piece overall was rather simple without too many chords or complex notes. This allows the audience to hear the melody without too much distraction. The second piece was Beethoven Sonata No. 30 in E Major, op. 109 This piece is much faster and more exciting as the contrast from slow and peaceful to intense and loud with many chords. This piece didn’t repeat nearly as much as the first but still had very repetitive sections. The tempo would change
This work was composed during the Classical period, 1750- 1820. One aspect of the classical music style beign applied to this work includes the reoccurance of two or more contrasting themes. Another is the use of short and clearly defined musical phrases. Lastly, this piece, on a purely musical level, was simply more to hum along to. This type of melody took over the complex polyphony of the Baroque period.
The basic elements that make up a concerto include three movements with one movement usually dedicated for a solo instrument such as the piano or violin with orchestra accompaniment. Since the late 18th century, the first movement is most likely in the sonata form
The third movement lead straight into the fourth, and that lead into the fifth movement without missing a beat. The fifth and last movement of this symphony is in sonata rondo form, which is a blend of the two. A rondo is when the first theme, A, repeats several times with other music (B, C). This form then also shares characteristics of the sonata, so it has a development section as well that is common in sonata
In classical music, the structures emphasize more the grace of proportion and balance, moderation and control; polished and elegance in character with expressiveness and formal structure held in perfect balance. Furthermore, the forms do not vary as much as the Romantic era, they had forms like sonatas, symphonies etc. The melodic phrases are usually balanced and symmetrical made up of two phrases of the same length. For an example, in Mozart's Clarinet Quintet, the music is very symmetrical and well balanced, in a variation form. However, in Romantic music, they rather emphasize on the emotional content than trying to sound balanced and symmetrical, and expanded their use of forms and created new forms, like impromptu, ballade, etude, nocturnes etc,. Moreover, the melodies normally have either really long or short phrases, increased in range, but also increased in chromaticism. For example in Mahler's symphony no.1 in D major "Titan", we can see that except it is in a ABA form, the whole movement was not as symmetrical and well balanced as the Mozart, although it is in a variation form, the melodic phrases have increased in range, are either really long, for example in the first 18 bars, or really short, where the melody can be hardly seen in bar 134-137.
Composers since the early classical era have used sonata form to express through music ideas which are at once complex and unified. This form contains a variety of themes and permutations of these themes, but is brought together into a comprehensible whole when these excerpts reappear. Beethoven, in the first movement of his Piano Sonata Opus 2 Number 3 utilizes this form to its full potential, modifying the typical structure in his characteristic way.
The Italian opera and the German opera are two different fields that both share characteristics, some of which are paralleled, and some of which contrast. Specifically, Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner use motifs such as: redemption through love, patriotism, and sacrifice which run throughout both of their operas. The theme of betrayal also seems to be echoed throughout both operas; yet they are each used to project a different response. The significance of this comparison demonstrates that Verdi and Wagner may allude to the same references, such as Victor Hugo, Shakespeare, and Byron, but the operas The Flying Dutchman (German opera) and that of Nabucco (Italian opera) are completely different in context, and musical style; perhaps even
Toccata is an unstructured form, where the artist can give free rein to their imagination. Bach’s Toccata can be described as the toccata as a long piece in which both hands alternate, at times complemented by long pedal notes. Toccata can be connected to early baroque music, which was popular in North Germany from the 17thcentury. This fantastic style of composition that had come over from Southern Europe is remarkable, both the toccata and the prelude are paired with the fugue having linked to strict compositional
Music is constantly changing. The Baroque period (1600-1750) and the Classical period (1750-1820) have both differences and similarities in elements such as form, texture, and dynamics. I will be comparing the first movement of Spring from the Four Seasons composed by Antonio Vivaldi and the first movement of Symphony No. 5 in C minor by Ludwig van Beethoven. I will construct a stylistic comparison of the two compositions and their musical stylings with regard to the periods of music of which they belong.
Trio Sonata also uses engaging rhythms and harmonies, for example, the 7-6 suspension in bar 9 and the hemiola before the perfect cadence in bar 28. Corelli also uses an inverted tonic pedal in bar 15 to create a sense of strength and anticipation before the start of the B section. “Unity of mood in Baroque is first conveyed by the continuity of rhythm.”3 This quote shows the importance of rhythm in the Baroque era, particularly lively, driving
The Baroque Period (1600-1750) was mainly a period of newly discovered ideas. From major new innovations in science, to vivid changes in geography, people were exploring more of the world around them. The music of the baroque period was just as extreme as the new changes. Newly recognized composers such as Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, and Monteverdi were writing entirely new musical ideas and giving a chance for new voices to be heard that were normally not thought of sounds. Their musical legacy is still recognized today, and is a treasured discovery of outstanding compositions being reiterated with every performance of them.
•The use of the basso continuo, also known as thoroughbass, is a bass line running