Baroque Fingerprints Guide

Melody
 Linked very closely to harmony, outlines and embellishes chords often with scalic
 Sense of balance in melodies that ascend then descend
 Largely conjunct, big leaps used at expressive points
 Octave displacement, simulating multi-voiced texture
 Regular two and four bar phrases
 Lots of ornamentation: trills, appoggiaturas, mordents and grace notes notated

Harmony
 Functional and diatonic
 Primary chords most commonly used- I, IV and V as well as secondary chords, II,III
& VII
 Dominant 7th very common at cadence points
 Chord VII sometimes used as substitute for dominant 7th
 Chord III rarely used except in modulating and circle of 5ths
 Mainly root and 1st inversion chords used; sometimes 3rd inversions
 Largely consonant but with some dissonances for extra colour
 Suspensions -4-3, 7-6, 9-8
 Mostly perfect cadences-sometimes tierce de Picardie; occasionally interrupted
cadences
 Circle of 5ths progressions
 Pedal notes; dominant and tonic-can be inner and inverted

Tonality
 Diatonic- major and minor tonality
 Different keys used in different movements
 Key signatures sometimes use accidentals in minor keys
 Occasional modal inflections
 Exploring related keys through modulation
 ????? modulation in slow movements
Structure
 Early solo concertos in four or more movements, as in concerto Grosso
 Later solo concertos in three movements-fast-slow-fast
 Ritornello form -made up of ritornellos and episodes
 Cadenza passages
 Length of concertos increasing as time went on

Sonority
Instruments used
 Orchestra made up of string players and harpsichord
 Music written for differently proportioned instruments which ?????
 Other string instruments such as viols
Parts played
 Violins played top-line melodies
 Cello, double bass and harpsichord played continuo
 Viola played a mixture of both
Instruments??????
 ????? but players could choose to do otherwise
 Vibratos not used as much as nowadays
 Harpsichord has plucked strings and fast decay of sound
Solo writing
 Soloist could be wind instrument or keyboard as well as strings
 Idiomatic writing; slurring and tonguing for wind instruments, ?????? instruments;
arpeggio figurations and multi-voiced textures ??????

Dynamics and articulation

 Sparse dynamic markings-only forte and piano used
 Slurring
 Staccato dots and wedges
 Performer adds own articulation
Texture
 Lots of homophony in contrast with contrapuntal concerto grosso
 Often still contrapuntal elements
 Imitation
 Monophonic solo passages, but multi-voiced textures often //////
 Diminishing orchestral forces in slow movements- trio sonata
 Parallel octaves not used in unison passages without ///////keyboard writing
 Parallel 3rds and 6ths =especially between the violin parts

Tempo, metre and rhythm

Metre
 Mainly time signau///// 2/4,3/4 and 4/ (C)
 Sometimes compound time: 6/8
 Influence of dance
 Constant throughout movement
 Emphasis on first beat of bar

Tempo
 Movements alternating between fast and slow
 Constant throughout movement, but slight fluctuations made

Rhythm
 Rhythmic clarity-cross -rhythms rare
 Hemiolas-often at cadence points
 Syncopation-drawing attention to important notes
 Dotted rhythms and Lombard rhythms give sense of movement
 Semiquaver passages-energy and vitality