Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Prelude and Fugue in D Minor, BWV851

J. S. Bach was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period. His
music is famous for its technical command, artistic beauty and intellectual depth.
This Prelude and Fugue in D Minor is the sixth set of pieces from The WellTempered Clavier I, a collection of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor
keys.
The prelude is a toccata-like piece with a continuous arpeggiated right-hand part
which moves in triplets, while the left hand is played with steady detached notes.
At the beginning, the bass line serves as a tonic pedal point. Later on, the bass
line has hidden melodic elements and weaves together with the broken chords
above. The first cadence can be detected at the end of the lower D. The more
encompassing first section of the prelude modulates to the relative key, F major.
The fugue is more complex with three voices. It begins with the soprano in the
tonic key of D minor and the other voices join in, gradually building up the
polyphonic texture. It is of typical fugue style, with contrapuntal characteristics
and clear entries. The harmonic background to the subject is that of a simple
cadential progression; the tonic gives way to the subdominant followed by the
dominant seventh and resolving onto the tonic.

(225 words)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)-Sonata in C, K309/284b

i. Allegro con spirit
ii. Andante un poco adagio
iii. Rondo
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an influential composer of the Classical era. He
composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic,
concertante, chamber, operatic, and choral music.
In the first movement, the first subject is a marcato opening followed by a fivebar response. The seven measures of the main theme are repeated, slightly
varied. The transition consists of new material and then, after two measures of
preparation comes a second cantabile theme, in the dominant G major. The
development presents the opening motif first in G minor, and then the various
ideas of the first subject are worked out. Two further statements of the opening
motif lead back to the recapitulation. The second subject is now in the tonic.
The Andante alternates the opening theme with a single episode, on the
dominant (C major). This movement is sentimental, with numerous contrasts
between dynamics.
The first section of the Rondo is in the tonic key of C major throughout and closes
with a perfect cadence. The second section has greater chromaticism and more
adventurous harmonies including diminished seventh chords and the minor key.
There is then a transition to the subdominant key of F major followed by a
recapitulation of sonata form. Approaching the end, the rondo theme returns,
after which material from the end of the primary episode appears, but on the
tonic key.

(243 words)

Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828) No. 3 of Four Impromptus, D899 (Op.90)

Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer who produced over 1500 works,
such as the much praised Ninth Symphony.
This serenade is a classic example of Schubert's outstanding lyrical facility, as
well as his penchant for long melodic lines. There is little interruption in the
fluttering harp-like broken triad accompaniment, creating a tense contrast with
the spacious and languid melody. The melody floats above the gently rippling
accompaniment with a slow-moving and solemn bass line treading softly far
below. Without repeats, the melody develops into a shadowy and frequently
modulating middle section before returning to its relaxed flow.
The intensifications of the melody are accomplished by modulations through
keys rather than through any increases in the work's tempo or pace. The
occasional expansion of the bass line into a countermelody during these
intensifications brings an added pathos to the music.

(151 words)

Joseph Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)-Pavane Pour Une Infante Dfunte

Joseph Maurice Ravel was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He
attended the Paris Conservatoire but was not well regarded. After leaving the
conservatoire, Ravel found his own way as a composer, incorporating elements
of baroque, neoclassicism and, in his later works, jazz.
Pavane Pour Une Infante Dfunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess) is Ravels more
well-known piece written for solo piano. The pavane was a slow processional
dance that enjoyed great popularity in the courts of Europe during the sixteenth
and seventeenth centuries.
It unfolds in an ABACA scheme, with both the B and C sections containing two
parallel but differing statements of the same theme. The B section is comprised
of the first phrase followed by a variant, and then two overlapping primary
phrases. This all repeats, is varied texturally, and followed by a final primary
phrase, cast in parallel dominant 9th chords.
The Pavane keepsa steady eighth note pulse and is filled with stylized rhythmic
gestures. The final iteration of the opening melody is much fuller than the
previous two, and here there is a dramatic move from pianissimo to fortissimo
over the course of the last few bars.

(200 words)

Total:819 words