Bach brandenburg concerto

• Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major (3rd movement)


  A musical work by Bach
• Period and genre


  • Late Baroque
  • Concerto grosso (a type of work)
• Resources


  • Three solo instruments (the concertino): flute, violin, harpsichord
  • Accompaniment (the ripieno): a small chamber orchestra with parts for violin, viola, cello and violone
• This concerto is the first ever to feature a solo part for harpsichord
• Basso continuo


  A process where the harpsichord plays chords indicated by a figured bass, and the notes are also played by at least one bass instrument like a cello or double bass
• Fugato


  A section that is like the opening of a fugue, where the opening tune (subject) is taken up by each instrument in turn
• Ritornello structure


  A structure where episodes based on the first four notes of the subject alternate with ritornelli (little returns) of other material from the A section
• The final A section is a repeat of the opening fugato, indicated by 'Da Capo' (from the top)
• Tonality


  The use of keys in a piece of music, not to do with tone
• This movement is in D major, with modulations to the dominant (A major) and the relative minor (B minor)
• Melody


  • The entire movement is based on triadic and scalic (stepwise) ideas heard in the first few bars
  • The opening melody of Section B uses the first four notes of Section A, transposed up from D major to B minor
• The melodic writing includes frequent use of sequence and two types of ornament- the trill and the appoggiatura
• Rhythm


  • The tempo is Allegro (fast) and doesn't change
  • The movement is written in simple duple metre but has a triplet quaver feel, like compound duple metre
  • The movement is in the style of a gigue (a fast courtly dance)
• Texture


  • Apart from the opening, the movement is contrapuntal throughout, with frequent use of imitation
  • The texture of Section A could be described as a fugato
  • The violone (double bass) plays in the tutti sections, mainly doubling the cello
• Dynamics


  • Bach relied on changes in texture to produce contrasts, rather than using dynamic markings
  • Baroque music often uses terraced dynamics with clear shifts between loud and soft passages
• Harmony


  • Simple, diatonic chords - mainly triads in root position or first inversion, along with dominant 7ths
  • These chords are enlivened by frequent notes of melodic decoration, including occasional on-beat discords that 'resolve'
  • Tonic and dominant pedals underline the key changes in the central B section
• The Brandenburgs are scored for small ensembles, with the first three concertos featuring solo instruments accompanied by strings.
• The piece begins with an introduction played by the full ensemble, followed by a slow movement featuring the soloist playing a melody over a continuo accompaniment.
• The final movement is a fugue, which showcases the virtuosity of the soloist.
• Bach wrote six Brandenburg Concerti between 1717 and 1720.
• Structure 


  Subject= two bars long then countersubject is played in some cases overlapping of the subject e.g b39 harpsichord subject is in LH then b40 subject is in the RH (stretto)
• Brandenburg Concerto No.5 in D major: movement III


  By JS Bach (1685-1750)
• Instrumental music


  • Baroque period (1600-1750)
  • 1721
• Main revision points


  • Style/period/background
  • Instrumentation/forces/sonority/dynamics
• Bach wrote 6 concertos collectively known as the Brandenburg concertos while he was working in Cathen
• Concerto grosso


  A composition for orchestra and a small group of soloists
• Concertino


  The small group of solo instruments (flute, violin and harpsichord)
• Ripieno


  The larger orchestral group (strings)
• Continuo


  One or more bass instruments (cello and double bass) with a chordal instrument (harpsichord)
• Figured bass


  A shorthand system of numbers under the bass notes guiding the player as to what type of chord to play
• The harpsichord has a dual role as part of the concertino group as well as occasionally playing 'continuo' chords
• There are only occasional dynamic markings as the harpsichord could not vary the dynamics
• Ternary structure (ABA)


  • Section A (bars 1-78) in D major
  • Section B (bars 79-232) in the relative minor (B minor) with a new theme
  • Section A (bars 233-end) repeat of the opening A section
• Harmony


  • Diatonic and functional with frequent perfect cadences and use of standard chords of the time (predominantly I and V chords)
  • Mainly root position and first inversion chords
  • Suspensions are used occasionally (bar 130)
  • Pedal notes (e.g. tonic pedal in 79 and dominant pedal in 217)
• Texture


  • Mostly polyphonic but opening 2 bars are monophonic
• Melody


  1. Begins in fugal style using imitation throughout

  2. The subject (main theme) in solo violin is followed by the answer in the flute part

  3. Stretto (subject enters after only 1 bar instead of usual 2 e.g. bars 220-224)

  4. Use of fugal subject and tonal answer

  5. Mostly conjunct (stepwise) though there are leaps (e.g. 4ths in bar 1)

  6. Scalic runs, especially in the harpsichord part

  7. Sequence (e.g. ascending sequence at bar 137)

  8. Occasional ornaments-trills (harpsichord bar 19) appoggiaturas (flute bar 80)
• Rhythm/metre/tempo


  • Allegro 2/4-but the music could also be notated in 6/8, compound time. Essentially a Baroque gigue (a dance in compound duple time)
  • Uses triplets and dotted rhythms
  • Harpsichord has many semiquaver passages