Baroque Music

1600-1750

St. Margarets
Academy

Assessment Standards
1.1 Identifying and distinguishing between complex level-specific music concepts in excerpts of
music
1.2 Analysing the impact of social and cultural influences on the development of specific music
styles.
1.3 Identifying and understanding the meaning of a variety of music signs, symbols and terms.

Baroque Instrumental
Music

Activity 1
Research three of the Baroque period's most famous composers Antonio Vivaldi, George F. Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach. Give
a brief background on each composer and choose one
INSTRUMENTAL work by each composer to describe in more detail.
Present your research in the form of a PowerPoint slideshow and
make sure you include any links to musical excerpts on YouTube

 Describe what it is about the music that you like and make sure that
you include references to some Baroque concepts.

Activity 2
Give a brief definition of each of the following Baroque instrumental
concepts:

CONCERTO GROSSO

RIPIENO

CONCERTINO

RITORNELLO

PASSACAGLIA

ACCIACCATURA

MORDENT

PIPE ORGAN

HARPSICHORD

BASSO CONTINUO

Activity 3
Listen to this Two-Part Invention by J S Bach and follow the score. Now
answer the following questions in your jotter.
1.

What is the time signature?

2.

Is this a COMPOUND or a SIMPLE time signature? Give a

reason for your answer.

3.

What key is the music in? Give 2 reasons for your answer.

4.

What bar features the intervals of a 3rd and a perfect 4th?

5.

Write the bar numbers that you hear a SEQUENCE being used.

6.

What bar features IMITATION?

7.

Name the ornament used in bars 14 and 15.

8.

Name the ornament used in bar 19.

9.

What does the word TONALITY mean in music?

10.

Give a brief description of the purpose of the BASSO

CONTINUO including what instruments were used.

Baroque Instrumental
Music
CONCERTO GROSSO
A CONCERTO GROSSO is a piece written in 3 movements and is
characterised by contrasting a small group of solo instruments called the
CONCERTINO against a larger orchestral group called the RIPIENO.

RIPIENO
CONCERTINO
One of J S Bach's most famous compositions is the group of Concerto
Grossi he wrote called the Brandenburg Concertos.

Activity 4
Listen to the first movement of Brandenburg Concerto No 2 and follow the
score.
Notice that on the score the instruments of the CONCERTINO group are at
the top of each system - they are:
Tromba - trumpet

Flauto - flute

Oboe - oboe

Violino - violin

Activity 5
Go back and read your definition of RITORNELLO FORM and then
complete the following passage by filling in the missing words.

This musical form was used by Baroque composers as a way

to structure their music. It was often used in the first and last
movements of ____________ _______ and sometimes in
______ .

Ritornello literally means ___________ and is the name given to the way
that the orchestra ____________ the main theme between each _______
section.
An example of a plan for a ritornello would be:
_________

_________ _________

________

________

Activity 6
Listen again to Bach's Brandenburg Concerto number 2 and answer the
following questions:
1.

What instruments form the concertino group?

2.

What is the key of the music? What tonality is this?

3.

What is the time signature of the music?

4.

What is the name given to music which begins before the first
beat in the bar?

5.

What chord do the first 3 notes of the trumpet part form?

6.

What bar is the first bar given to the concertino group ALONE?

7.

Which instrument of the concertino plays this part?

8.

What bar does the ripieno return in?

9.

What instruments play the next solo entry of the concertino

part?

10.

Give the bar number where the trumpet part plays a long
sustained sequence passage.

Baroque Vocal Music

Activity 7
Give a brief definition of the following Baroque vocal concepts. Write
these in your jotter.
ORATORIO

RECITATIVE

DA CAPO ARIA

ARIA

OBBLIGATO

GROUND BASS

CHORUS

Activity 8

Watch the definition of Da Capo Aria and take notes in your jotter.

Activity 9
Follow the score for Handel's Da Capo Aria Lascia Ch'io Pianga and
answer the following questions:

1. The opening bars form the Ritornello passage. What bars

do the repeated passages occur in?
2. What is the key of the music?
3. What bars can you hear a perfect cadence in?
4. What is the key of the music in the middle, contrasting section?
5. Give another word to describe the style of vocal music in the middle
section.
6. Give the meaning of the phrase Da Capo.
7. What should the singer do with the music in the Da Capo section?

Activity 10
Follow the score and listen to this example of an Obbligato aria, sung by
Kathleen Battle.
Which instrument is playing the obbligato part?