Scarlatti Keyboard Sonata in D minor, K.1 – Largely homophonic but with imitative elements busy repeated patterns ornamentation.īach Prelude and Fugue No.2 in C minor, from “The Well-Tempered Clavier”, Book 1 Handel Adagio, 1st movement from Keyboard Suite No.2 in F, HWV427 – Extensive ornamentation, flowing, homophonic. Many modern pianists do use the pedal when playing Baroque music, but it would be unfair of the examiner to use pedal in music from this period! Suggested Listeningīach 2-Part Invention No.13 in A minor – Imitative (polyphonic) texture of 2 independent parts continuous flow. Sustaining pedal – was not invented during the Baroque. Keyboard range – the smallest range of the periods you are dealing with, usually within 2 octaves either side of middle C. Ornamentation – Baroque music is more heavily ornamented (trills, mordents, turns) than any other period. If used at all, there are likely to be sudden changes from loud to soft and vice-versa, without crescendo or diminuendo. Harmony – often very simple, but can sound more complex when the texture is polyphonic.ĭynamics – the keyboards for most of the Baroque period were only able to play at one volume level, so composers rarely wrote dynamics. There is also much homophonic music of course, but if the extract you hear is polyphonic and not dissonant, the chances are it will be Baroque. Texture – the Baroque is the main period for polyphonic textures. However, there is often a continuous flow in Baroque music, with repeated patterns and sequences, and with phrases and cadences merging seamlessly into one another. the themes you are most likely to know from Vivaldi’s ubiquitous ‘Four Seasons’). Melody and Phrasing – phrase structures can be very clear (e.g. There are many types of Baroque expression, ranging from busily flowing movements deriving from dance forms to grandly religious works. Baroque c.1600 – 1750 Main Composers: Bach, Handel, Scarlatti, Vivaldiīaroque music can be relatively serious and complex, but its surface is often enlivened by plenty of decoration and ornamentation. But reading this article should prepare you sufficiently for the musical ingredients likely to be highlighted in these Associated Board exams. It must be stressed that the characteristics for each period as outlined below are only general, as there is plenty of variety in the music of all eras. When it’s someone else’s turn, the other voices sing subsidiary material. Imagine 2 or 3 voices, each of which has a turn to sing the melody. Polyphonic: literally ‘multi-voiced’, so that each line is independent and equally important. Homophonic: essentially a melody with accompaniment Conversely, full chords including deep bass notes evidently produce a heavier, richer texture.Īs for the patterns, there are two very important words with which you can impress the examiner: For example a simple melodic line with an accompaniment that doesn’t go much below middle C could be described as a ‘light’ texture. Texture – just as an item of clothing can be heavy or light, plain or patterned, texture in music defines how much is going on (heavy or light) and what the patterns are. Such music can be described as dissonant (see the Twentieth Century section below). In the last hundred years or so composers have used new combinations of notes and chords, which may at first sound strange to the listener. if chords outside the scale are widely used, the term is chromatic.white notes only within a C major framework), it is called diatonic if the chords used for a piece or section remain within the scale of the home key (e.g. You aural test training with your teacher should be helping you hear the difference between major and minor. The extract is likely to have a variety of major, minor and other chords (otherwise it would be very monotonous!), but the beginning and particularly the ending will usually tell you whether the overall key is major or minor. Often it will be enough simply to state whether the extract you hear is in a major or minor key. Harmony – for the purposes of these exams, just think of harmony as the types of chords used. We will concentrate mainly on keyboard music, as that is the instrument the piece will be played on in your exam.įirstly, let’s define some terminology, which should be also helpful for some of the other questions you will be asked about the same piece: As such, we will identify the main features of music from the relevant periods: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Twentieth Century, with a separate section for Jazz. This guide is aimed to help students with the questions in the Associated Board aural tests grades 5-8 where the candidate has to comment on the style and period of the piece the examiner plays.
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