The most popular type of sonata in the Baroque was the trio sonata, so called because it was written with three lines: two melodic instruments (usually two violins) and a continuo.
What instruments are part of the basso continuo?
A low melody instrument, such as a viola da gamba, cello, or bassoon , usually served to reinforce the bass line, and the keyboard player received additional guidance in most instances from figures placed above the bass notes, a kind of musical shorthand indicating the intervallic constitution of the chords in question.
What instrument could be used as the basso continuo in the Baroque era?
Basso continuo, sometimes just called “continuo”, was played by an instrument providing chordal accompaniment such as a keyboard instrument or plucked string instrument such as the lute along with another bass instrument such as cello, violone, or bassoon.
What is an example of basso continuo?
Basso continuo, though an essential structural and identifying element of the Baroque period, continued to be used in many works, mostly (but not limited to) sacred choral works, of the classical period (up to around 1800). An example is C. P. E. Bach’s Concerto in D minor for flute, strings and basso continuo.
What is the form of a trio sonata?
Trio sonata, major chamber-music genre in the Baroque era (c. 1600–c. 1750), written in three parts: two top parts played by violins or other high melody instruments, and a basso continuo part played by a cello.
What does basso continuo mean in English?
thorough bass in British English
(beɪs ) noun. a. Also called: basso continuo, continuo. (esp during the baroque period) a bass part underlying a piece of concerted music.
Why is the basso continuo so important?
The basso continuo was important because it provided a strong, continuous bass line against which the melody was expressed .
What is the difference between basso continuo and basso ostinato?
Basso continuo. ostinato – a musical phrase repeated over and over during a composition . ground bass – a short melody in the bass that is constantly repeated. musical phrase, phrase – a short musical passage.
What is Baroque period?
The Baroque period refers to an era that started around 1600 and ended around 1750 , and included composers like Bach, Vivaldi and Handel, who pioneered new styles like the concerto and the sonata. The Baroque period saw an explosion of new musical styles with the introduction of the concerto, the sonata and the opera.
How can you tell a basso continuo?
The keyboard (or other chording instrument) player realizes a continuo part by playing, in addition to the indicated bass notes, upper notes to complete chords, either determined ahead of time or improvised in performance.
What is the basso continuo answers?
Basso continuo refers to a continuous bass line with improvised harmonies in Baroque period music . The term can also refer to the instruments that play the bass line and harmonies. Basso continuo performers play, or realize, a variety of abbreviated music notation symbols called figured bass.
Is basso continuo used in romantic period?
Basso continuo parts, almost universal in the Baroque era (1600–1750), provided the harmonic structure of the music. The phrase is often shortened to continuo, and the instrumentalists playing the continuo part, if more than one, are called the continuo group.
Is a term that describes solo singing with basso continuo accompaniment?
Continuo. In connection with a keyboard part in the baroque period, obbligato has a very specific meaning: it describes a functional change from a basso continuo part (in which the player decided how to fill in the harmonies unobtrusively) to a fully written part of equal importance to the main melody part.
What is the texture of Trio Sonata in A Minor?
The texture of music in a Trio Sonata is usually contrapuntal . This means that each instrument is equally important, and the music is created by an intertwining of rhythmically independent parts.
How many people does it take to play a trio sonata?
“Trio sonata” is a capacious term. Some were written for the church, others to play at home. Despite being called trios, there are usually four players —two upper lines, often violins but sometimes winds; a bass part, often a cello or a bass viol; and an instrument to fill in the harmony, a harpsichord, say, or a lute.
Who composed Trio Sonata in A Minor?
The composer and violinist Arcangelo Corelli established the model for the trio sonata. His Trio Sonata in A Minor (1689) is structured in four-movements: fast – fast – slow – fast.
