06/11 6. The Baroque Era Free Online FlashCards

When did the Baroque era generally occur?

The Baroque era in Western art music is generally dated from about 1600 to 1750, ending around Johann Sebastian Bach’s death.

How does contrast shape Baroque music?

Baroque composers created drama through oppositions such as solo and ensemble, loud and soft, high and low, or homophonic and polyphonic textures.

What roles do tonic and dominant harmony play?

The tonic provides harmonic stability, while the dominant creates expectation that the music will return to the tonic.

What is basso continuo?

Basso continuo combines a written bass line played by a bass instrument with harmony realized by a chord-producing instrument.

What do figures indicate in a basso continuo part?

Figures are numerical symbols written above or below the bass line that indicate intervals and guide the player in constructing harmonies.

What is Baroque ornamentation?

Ornamentation decorates a written melody through devices such as trills, mordents, appoggiaturas, turns, and acciaccaturas.

What is the typical movement pattern of a late-Baroque solo concerto?

A typical late-Baroque solo concerto has three movements: fast, slow, and fast.

What is a ritornello?

A ritornello is a recurring instrumental passage, especially in a Baroque concerto, that alternates with contrasting solo episodes.

What groups are contrasted in a concerto grosso?

A concerto grosso contrasts the small concertino group of soloists with the larger ripieno ensemble.

What defines a fugue?

A fugue is a contrapuntal composition built from the imitation and development of a principal theme called the subject.

What is the answer in a fugue?

In a typical fugue, the answer presents the subject in another key, usually the dominant, after the initial subject entry.

What is stretto?

Stretto is a fugal technique in which entries of the subject overlap before the preceding entry has finished.