Listening
Johann Sebastian Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier Book I: Prelude and Fugue in B-flat major, BWV 866 (prelude, fugue)
Prelude - An introductory piece
Fugue - Systematized imitative polyphony, or more specifically, a polyphonic composition for a fixed number of instrumental lines or voices (usually three or four) built on a single principal theme (subject) that is imitated in all of the voices. The form consists of alternating sections, those that have the subject and those that don’t (episodes).
Listen to the piece played on the harpsichord by Bart Naessens, harpsichordist. [Listen On YouTube]
OPTIONAL: Listen to the piece played on the piano by Marcin Dąbrowski at the Polskie Radio Studio S1. [Listen on YouTube]
Arcangelo Corelli, Trio Sonata in D major, Op. 3 No. 2 (trio sonata)
Sonata (genre) - One of the two major instrumental genres of the Baroque. A work for one instrument is called a solo sonata.
Trio sonata - A type of Baroque sonata featuring two high-range instruments (usually playing in imitation) + basso continuo
Basso continuo - Bass line played by an instrument that can also play chords, such as a keyboard (organ, harpsichord) or lute. Other instruments, such as a cello, might play the bass line as well. Instruments playing the bassline in a Baroque composition are referred to as the Continuo.
Recording by the Rinnovatori period ensemble at Musica Antiqua Festival Brugge. [Listen on YouTube]
Georg Philipp Telemann, Don Quixote Suite (suite)
“Don Quixote awakens”
“His attack on the windmills”
Suite - A composition inspired by dance music. This multi-movement work references different musical characteristics of dances in each movement. A suite cannot accompany actual dancing; it is music for listening.
Listen from 2:31 to the end: Recording by Apollo’s Fire and the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra. [Listen on YouTube]
IN YOUR DISCUSSION POST: For the assigned Bach and Telemann ONLY: Think about the musical element you hear as the most prominent (pick only one!) and write a brief description (a sentence or two) that describes that element in the context of the piece. Next, consider how that element interacts with at least one other musical element and share your observations in a sentence or two. For example, you may hear the melody as the most prominent and could then discuss how the melody relates to the texture, the harmony, or the form. Be sure to identify which work you are describing.
Remember that musical elements include the following:
- Melody (pitch)
- Rhythm/beat/meter
- Timbre / tone color (Instrumentation, including the human voice)
- Texture (monophonic, polyphonic)
- Harmony (more than one sonority sounding simultaneously. Here you can think about whether the simultaneous sonorities sound consonant or dissonant to your ear.)
- Form
Reading
Who is Corelli?
Corelli, Arcangelo - Oxford Reference
Who is J. S. Bach?
Bach, Johann Sebastian - Oxford Reference
Who is Telemann?
“Telemann, Georg Philipp.” Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, edited by Nicolas Slonimsky and Laura Kuhn, vol. 6, Schirmer, 2001, pp. 3608–3609. Gale eBooks.
FOR DISCUSSION: In a sentence or two, comment on the careers/works of these three composers. Your comments do not need to go beyond the information provided in the short biographies linked here; however, if you do, please be sure to provide the source of your information (another class or experience, a website, etc.).
Wider Context
OPTIONAL: For a wider context, see Oxford Reference for timelines of world history by century.
