INTRODUCTION TO THE BAROQUE CONCERTO

INTRODUCTION TO THE BAROQUE CONCERTO

1. THE BAROQUE

   • THE WORD 'BAROQUE' IS USED TO INDICATE THAT SOMETHING IS ECCENTRIC OR ODDLY SHAPED.
     • IT IS USED TO DESCRIBE NOT ONLY MUSIC OF THIS PERIOD BUT ALSO PAINTING, SCULPTURE AND ARCHITECTURE
   • THE BAROQUE IS THE NAME WE GIVE TO THE STYLE OF MUSIC WRITTEN IN EUROPE BETWEEN ROUGHLY 1600-1750
   • THE BAROQUE COVERS MUSIC OF A GREAT RANGE AND VARIETY - FROM SHORT INSTRUMENTAL PIECES, SUCH AS BACH'S C MAJOR PRELUDE FROM HIS WELL-TEMPERED CLAVIER, TO LONG COMPLEX PIECES FOR CHORUS AND ORCHESTRA, FOR EXAMPLE THE SAME COMPOSER'S ST MATTHEM PASSION
     • HOWEVER, ALL THE MUSIC OF THIS PERIOD USES A SIMILAR LANGUAGE; MOST NOTABLY, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MUSIC WRITTEN FOR SOLO INSTRUMENTS, IT ALWAYS EMPLOYS A BASSO CONTINUO PART.
       • THE BASS ACCOMPANIAMENT PROVIDING THE CHORDS FOR THE COMPOSITION ALLOWED COMPOSERS TO WRITE THEIR MELODIC PARTS WITH FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE

2. BASSO CONTINUO

   • THIS WAS AN INSTRUMENTAL ACCOMPANIMENT PLAYED FROM A BASS LINE EITHER BY A MELODIC BASS INSTRUMENT OR INSTRUMENTS, OR BY AN INSTRUMENT OR INSTRUMENTS CAPABLE OF PLAYING CHORDS (SUCH AS A KEYBOARD INSTRUMENT, OR A LARGER TYPE OF LUTE) OR, MOST COMMONLY, BY A COMBINATION OF THE TWO TYPES OF INSTRUMENTS, I.E. ELODIC AND CHORD-PLAYING. SOMETIMES NUMBERS WERE PLACED UNDER THE BASS LINE TO HELP PLAYERS WORK OUT THE CHORDS REUIRED (OFTEN CALLED A FIGURED BASS)

3. INTRODUCTION TO MAJOR AND MINOR KEYS

   • LED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF OUR MODERN SYSTEM OF MAJOR AND MINOR KEYS (DIATONIC TONALITY), WITH THEIR TRIADS ON EACH DEGREE OF THE SCALE, ALONG WITH THE ABILITY TO MODULATE (CHANGE KEY)
   • IN REALITY, THESE TRENDS WERE ALREADY MANIFEST IN MUSIC OF THE SECOND HALF OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY AND EARLIER - BUT THE USE OF CONTINUO, WITH ITS IMPROVISED CHORDS ABOVE THE BASS, HELPED ACCELERATE THE PROCESS
   • THE ABILITY TO WORK WITH MAJOR AND MINOR KEYS GAVE COMPOSERS A NEW WAY OF STRUCTURING MUSIC. IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY MOST INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC WRITTEN FOR ENSEMBLES WAS EITHER BASED ON VOCAL MUSICAL FORMS, OR ELSE CONSISTED OF SHORT, CONTRASTING BLOCKS OF SOUND - EACH SECTION DIFFERING IN TEMPO AND TEXTURE.
   • THE USE OF DIATONIC TONALITY MEANT THAT COMPOSERS COULD PLAN MOVEMENTS BY STARTING IN THE TONIC, MODULATING TO VARIOUS RELATED KEYS, BEFORE RETURNING TO THE TONIC AGAIN; THIS RESULTED IN THE ABILITY TO CREATE MUCH LONGER MOVEMENTS THAN BEFORE

4. ANOTHER INVEVTION WAS THE ORCHESTRA

   • INITIALLY ASSOCIATED WITH OPERA, COMPOSERS SOON BEGAN TO SEE THAT IT COULD PROVIDE A NEW METHOD OF EXPRESSION.
   • THE BAROQUE CONCERTO WAS ONE OF THE WAYS COMPOSERS EXPLOITED THIS NEW MEDIUM.
   • RAPIDLY THE ORCHESTRA BECAME STANDARDISED IN THE BAROQUE PERIOD: STRINGS AND CONTINUO WITH THE ADDITION OF ALL KINDS OF OTHER INSTRUMENTS AS REQURED, BUT THE FOUR-PART STRING SECTION BECAME THE NORM, AS IT IS TODAY
   • THE BAROQUE CONCERTO WAS AN ORCHESTRAL FORM. BY THE EIGHTEENTH CENTRUY IT HAD SETTLED INTO A THREE-MOVEMENT STRUCTURE, NORMALLY FAST-SLOW-FAST.
   • THE OUTER MOVEMENTS WOULD BE IN RITORNELLO FORM. THE MIDDLE MOVEMENT WOULD NORMALLY BE IN A SIMPLER STRUCTURE - SUCH AS BINARY FORM. THERE WERE MANY VARIANTS OT THIS STANDARD PATTERN.

5. RITORNELLO FORM

   • CONTRASTS SECTIONS CALLED THE RITORNELLO - WHERE THE STRING ORCHESTRA PLAYS, STARTING AND FINISHING IN THE TONIC BUT COMING BACK AT OTHER TIMES IN THE MOVEMENT IN VARIOUS RELATED KEYS - WITH SECTIONS CALLED EPISONES WHICH ALLOW THE SOLOIST OR SOLOISTS TO EITHER DEVELOP THE RITORNELLO MATERIAL PLAYED BY THE STRINGS OR TO INTRODUCE THE NEW MATERIAL. THE EPISODES WERE ACCOMPANIED EITHER BY THE CONTINUO OR THE ORCHESTRA, OR ELSE THE SOLOIST WAS LEFT TO PLAY UNACCOMPANIED.