Baroque or Contrapuntal Period

(c. 17th and first half of 18th centuries)

COMPOSERS

Purcell (English)
Scarlatti (Italian)
Monteverdi (Italian)
Frescobaldi (Italian)
Couperin (French)
Lully (French)
Vivaldi (Italian)
J.S. Bach (German)
Buxtehude (German)
Händel (German/English)
Stanley (English)
Krebs (German)
Sweelinck (Dutch)
Frescobaldi (Italian)
Scheidt (German)
Charpentier (French)
Corelli (Italian)
Telemann (German)
Pergolesi (Italian)

 

Bach age 35

FORMS

Opera/theatre:- recitativo secco & stromentato, aria, duet, chorus, overture, etr'acte
Church:- oratorio, church cantata, mass, passion, chorale & anthem.  aria (ternary) form
Instrumental:-  sonata, suite, partita, concerto grosso, French overture..
Harpsichord:- suites, sonatas, preludes, fantasias & fugues
Organ:- prelude, toccata, fantasia, fugue, chorale prelude, trio sonata
Binary form:-
      ..
early dances:- allemande, courante, sarabande, gigue, pavan, gavotte, bouree, minuet, polaca.  chaconne & passacaglia (both on a ground bass)

INSTRUMENTS

Typical orchestra

violins 1        oboe 1        flute 1        trumpet 1 (in D)
violins 2        oboe 2        flute 2        trumpet 2 (idem)
 violas                                                 trumpet 3 (idem)

                                     violincellos
                                     double basses
                                     continuo (organ or harpsichord)          timpani

horns 1 and 2 and bassoons added for fuller effect
 

DEVICES

imitation
ground bass
pedal
inverted pedal
sequence
canonic imitation
run (roulade or melisma)
trill
inverted mordent (shake or upper mordent)
mordent (lower mordent)
turn
inverted turn
appogiatura
inverted appogiatura
acciacatura
inverted acciacatura
Bachian ornaments, e.g. nachschlag, doppelschlag, pralltriller


embedded track: Fughetta on 'The Lark in the Clear Air' by Mel Young (1977)
(as J.S. Bach might have treated this Irish theme)

This was written originally for three blockflöten but is heard
here (perhaps unrealistically) on harpsichord to
capture the 18th century Bachian concept.

Demonstrates:- subject, counter subject, free part,
imitation, sequence, inversion, stretto,
inverted pedal, trill and mordent.

What more could one ask for -
a redundant entry perhaps?
Well, there isn't one!

INDEX