Unit II - Class 12

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Bach

Bach

Christian Ludwig

Margrave of Brandenburg

Vivaldi

Brandenburg Concertos (1721)

Bach Suites• Orchestral Suites (1725-39)

Strings:• Partitas for Solo Violin (1720)• Cello Suites (c. 1720)

Keyboard:• English Suites (1720)• French Suites (1722-25)• Partitas (1722-25)

Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major

Movement Scheme:• Prelude• Allemande• Courante• Sarabande• Minuets 1 and 2• Gigue

FUGUEA polyphonic composition (usually involving three or more lines) in which a “Subject” is stated, and elaborated according to the rules of strict counterpoint

Structure: Alternation of:

Subject Entries – a passage where the subject is clearly stated in one or more voices

and Episodes – digressive passages (usually moving to new keys) which may develop motives from the subject, or may be based on new material

Terms: Exposition – refers to a musical passage which contains successive subject entries in all the

voices

Stretto – refers to the technique of overlapping subject entries, where a new voice begins the subject before the previous voice has finished it

Fugue

Wassily Kandinsky

The Well-Tempered Clavier (Book 1: 1722)

Collection of Preludes and Fugues for keyboard (probably intended for harpsichord) in the 24 possible Major and Minor keys

Displays a rich variety of compositional and stylistic techniques

Preludes vary in character from light introductions to probing, lyrical pieces

Fugues demonstrate a total mastery of the high-Baroque contrapuntal idiom, and an unexpected array of expressive states

Europe in the Early 18th Century