The Brandenburg Concertos (so called because they were dedicated to the Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt ) are not only some of the liveliest and most colourful orchestral works of their day, they were also groundbreaking, generating new sounds and new possibilities that Bach’s contemporaries could not ignore.
What is unique about the Brandenburg Concertos?
These six concertos are considered among the pinnacle of Baroque composition . Each one uses a different combination of instruments and shows off different musical styles popular during Bach’s lifetime, from the French minuet to the counterpoint for which the composer himself is so well known.
Why did Bach write the Brandenburg Concerto?
This concerto makes use of a popular chamber music ensemble of the time (flute, violin, and harpsichord) , which Bach used on its own for the middle movement. It is believed that it was written in 1719, to show off a new harpsichord by Michael Mietke which Bach had brought back from Berlin for the Köthen court.
What makes the Brandenburg Concerto No 5 unique?
5 sounds for all the world like a harpsichord concerto . It is actually composed in concerto grosso form, for solo instruments including flute and violin as well as harpsichord. But while Bach adored the violin, the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 does seem to showcase the harpsichord in preference to the flute and violin.
Which is the most famous Brandenburg Concerto?
As the most popular of the six concertos, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 may well be the most popular concerto grosso ever written.
How will you describe Bach’s Brandenburg concerto No 1 in F major as a composition?
1 is Bach’s use of hunting horns . The concerto also calls for three oboes and a bassoon, as well as continuo strings and the violino piccolo. ... Each movement has a brisk pace and extraordinary counterpoint that inventively shades and blurs the contrast between the small concertino group and the tutti ensemble.
What are the main characteristics of the Brandenburg Concertos?
The Brandenburg Concertos represent a popular music genre of the Baroque era—the concerto grosso—in which a group of soloists plays together with a small orchestra . The word grosso simply means “large,” for there are more soloists than was customary at the time, and the music tends to be more expansive.
Why are the Brandenburg Concertos so named quizlet?
Why are the Brandenburg Concertos so named? They were composed at the request of the Margrave of Brandenburg .
Are the Brandenburg Concertos religious?
In this sense, contrary to currently accepted views, Bach’s concertos share with his extensive output of vocal music for the Lutheran liturgy an essentially religious character . Michael Marissen is Assistant Professor of Music at Swarthmore College. His most recent book is Lutheranism, Anti-Judaism, and Bach’s “St.
What was patronage and how does it relate to the Brandenburg Concertos?
During the Baroque period most composers were servants who worked for wealthy families providing music for weekly church ceremonies, parties and special occasions. Composers wrote a lot yet were paid little. This process of composers working for a wealthy individual is known as Patronage.
Which of the following were included in Bach’s responsibilities in Leipzig?
After finding his feet in Leipzig, Bach made the most of his responsibilities in church to compose a huge amount of sacred music – as well as writing secular music for the Collegium Musicum.
What is the overall texture of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto #5?
The third movement employs a fugue structure and texture. In a fugue a melody starts the piece (the subject), which is then repeated at different pitches and imitated by different instruments throughout the work. This creates a complex texture of independent moving parts known as counterpoint .
What are the main roles of the harpsichord in Brandenburg Concerto No 5 3rd movement?
In bar 110 the harpsichord plays triplet quavers , which are three quavers played in the space of two quavers. The triplet quavers are groups of three notes, creating a sense of 123, 456 rhythm against the written 2/4 time signature. The third movement employs a fugue structure and texture.
How would you describe Brandenburg Concerto No 3?
Typical concertos follow a three-movement format: fast, slow, fast. The Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 also follows the three-movement format, but instead of one soloist, it is written for three violins, three violas , and three cellos, and a continuous bass.
What famous concertos were composed while Bach was at kothen?
The Brandenburg Concertos
Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos are some of the most important Baroque compositions written. They are actually a collection of ideas that Bach composed over a ten year period while he was a church musical director at Köthen, Germany.
Who invented ritornello?
The ritornello as a recurring tutti passage can be traced back to the music of sixteenth-century Venetian composer Giovanni Gabrieli . According to Richard Taruskin, these repeating passages are “endemic to the concertato style” which Gabrieli is credited with developing.
What are the similarities and differences between the Baroque solo concerto and concerto grosso?
Unlike a solo concerto where a single solo instrument plays the melody line and is accompanied by the orchestra, in a concerto grosso, a small group of soloists passes the melody between themselves and the orchestra or a small ensemble.
Was Bach classical or baroque?
Johann Sebastian Bach, (born March 21 [March 31, New Style], 1685, Eisenach, Thuringia, Ernestine Saxon Duchies [Germany]—died July 28, 1750, Leipzig), composer of the Baroque era , the most celebrated member of a large family of north German musicians.
Is Brandenburg concerto No 2 Polyphonic?
The individual instruments popping off their sixteenth-note creates a very unique polyphonic texture , and where the instruments diverge, also creates a nice sense of momentum which is reinforced by the well-organized and (deceptively so) focused harmonic structure of the piece.
Which best describes the second movement of the Violin Concerto in G La Stravaganza?
The form of the second movement of the Violin Concerto in G, La stravaganza, is: variation . The main melody of the second movement of the Violin Concerto in G, La stravaganza, is: in the bass.
What were embellishments as practiced during the Baroque period?
In the Baroque period, composers expected musicians to add ornamentation, including trills, mordents, turns, appoggiaturas, grace notes, passing tones , etc. Use of vibrato was also considered an ornament.
What term is used to refer to the whole orchestra as opposed to the soloist?
Baroque Concerto . Genre: type of composition based on alternation and contrast between soloist and orchestra (also called grosso); major quality of Baroque music is contrast.
What are the Brandenburg concertos quizlet?
A concerto is a large-scale composition for contrasting musical forces , most commonly a soloist/group of soloists and an orchestra. ...
What was Vivaldi’s main instrument?
Vivaldi composed many instrumental concertos, for the violin and a variety of other musical instruments, as well as sacred choral works and more than fifty operas. His best-known work is a series of violin concertos known as the Four Seasons.
How does Vivaldi evoke the image of a thunder and lightning storm in the first movement of the spring concerto quizlet?
How does Vivaldi evoke the image of a thunder-and-lightning storm in the first movement of the Spring concerto? With repeated notes and fast ascending scales . The middle movement of a Baroque concerto was typically set in a fast tempo.
Why did Bach write the Brandenburg concerto No 5?
5 is inspired by that new harpsichord Bach ordered in Berlin when he met the Margrave, as it is one of three featured instruments in this concerto , along with the flute and violin. ... Bach may not have got a new job thanks to his Brandenburg Concertos, but he was right about his long term prospects at Cothen.
What is Baroque music known for its grandiose and elaborate ornamentation?
Baroque music, a style of music that prevailed during the period from about 1600 to about 1750, known for its grandiose, dramatic, and energetic spirit but also for its stylistic diversity. Keyboard Sonata in D Minor , K 64, by Domenico Scarlatti, played on the piano.
Which of the following was an important keyboard instrument during the Baroque?
The chief keyboard instruments of the Baroque were the organ, harpsichord, clavichord , and at the end of the period, the pianoforte. Although the organ is played by virtue of a keyboard, its sounds are produced by wind rushing through pipes.
What are features of baroque music?
- long flowing melodic lines often using ornamentation (decorative notes such as trills and turns)
- contrast between loud and soft, solo and ensemble.
- a contrapuntal texture where two or more melodic lines are combined.
Who composed the Four Seasons?
The Four Seasons, Italian Le quattro stagioni, group of four violin concerti by Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi , each of which gives a musical expression to a season of the year.
What does the term Concerto Grosso mean?
concerto grosso, plural concerti grossi, common type of orchestral music of the Baroque era (c. 1600–c. 1750), characterized by contrast between a small group of soloists (soli, concertino, principale) and the full orchestra (tutti, concerto grosso, ripieno).
How will you describe Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No 1 in F major as a composition?
1 is Bach’s use of hunting horns . The concerto also calls for three oboes and a bassoon, as well as continuo strings and the violino piccolo. ... Each movement has a brisk pace and extraordinary counterpoint that inventively shades and blurs the contrast between the small concertino group and the tutti ensemble.
What makes the Brandenburg Concerto No 5 unique?
5 sounds for all the world like a harpsichord concerto . It is actually composed in concerto grosso form, for solo instruments including flute and violin as well as harpsichord. But while Bach adored the violin, the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 does seem to showcase the harpsichord in preference to the flute and violin.
When did the harpsichord stop being used?
Demand for the harpsichord remained steady until the 18th century, when it was gradually replaced by the fortepiano and then by the modern piano. The transition was largely complete by the early 19th century . In the 20th century, the growing interest in historical instruments sparked a revival for the harpsichord.
Did Bach go deaf?
Johann Sebastian Bach was not deaf , but another famous composer was: Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven began to lose his hearing in his 20s and composed...
Which instrument did Bach not play?
Paul’s Church had a much better and newer (1716) organ than did the St. Thomas Church or the St. Nicholas Church. Bach was not required to play any organ in his official duties, but it is believed he liked to play on the St.
Which famous attractions would you like to see in Leipzig?
- Markt and Old City Hall. Markt and Old City Hall | Photo Copyright: Stillman D. ...
- Hear the Music at St. Thomas Church. ...
- St. ...
- Battle of the Nations Monument. ...
- Leipzig Zoo. ...
- Neues Gewandhaus. ...
- Museum of Fine Arts. ...
- Forum of Contemporary History (Zeitgeschichtliches Forum)
What are the main characteristics of the Brandenburg concertos?
The Brandenburg Concertos represent a popular music genre of the Baroque era—the concerto grosso—in which a group of soloists plays together with a small orchestra . The word grosso simply means “large,” for there are more soloists than was customary at the time, and the music tends to be more expansive.
What three solo instruments are featured in Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No 5?
Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major is scored for flute, solo violin, obbligato harpsichord, and strings .
What is the texture of the Brandenburg Concerto?
homophonic textures .
A piano sonata is a piece for solo piano. It has several movements—we are studying movement 1.
What is the form of Brandenburg concertos?
Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, third movement, is in concerto grosso form . This means that the work uses groups of solo instruments – the concertino – rather than a single soloist. Overall there are three main groups of instruments – the concertino , the ripieno and the continuo .
What instruments were used in the Brandenburg concertos?
This concerto is remarkable for its unusual form and instrumentation. Bach composed it for three violins, three violas, three cellos and basso continuo . In other words, 3×3, which is a rational choice you would expect from a modernist like Pierre Boulez, rather than a Baroque composer like Bach.
