Critical analysis
Baroque - The Dunedin Consort
When analysing music it is important to consider how the composer has approached the use of the following key elements:
- melody/harmony
- rhythm/tempo
- texture/structure
- timbre/dynamics
Brandenburg Concerto No.4 is an example of Baroque music, and shows an early form of the concerto known as a concerto grosso - Italian for 'great concerto' - which is a concerto where lots of instruments get the chance to play solo passages with accompaniment.
The Dunedin Consort performs the opening section of J.S. Bach’s 'Brandenburg Concerto No. 4' written in 1721
Instruments and genre
This clip highlights many concepts in the music that are associated with the Baroque period.
It demonstrates the importance of the string family during the Baroque period, with violins and cellos very prominent in the ensemble.
It also features the harpsichord - a keyboard instrument where the strings are plucked to produce a short, spikey sound.
A concerto grosso allowed performers to show off their technical ability on their instruments. During the classical era, composers began to write more substantial works for solo instruments. The concerto grosso, which was common during the Baroque period, became a popular form of solo concerto in the classical period.
Towards the end of a movement in a concerto, the player would be asked to perform a section of music without the orchestra. The solo section within a concerto is called cadenza. Here they would play melodies and themes from the concerto, decorating them to make the piece more extravagant and impressive. Soloists would often improvise these sections of music, although many composers wrote their ideas down so that the player would perform the piece the way they had envisaged.
The following instruments are all common in Baroque music and can be clearly heard and seen in the video above. Each instrument belongs to a family and is either blown, hit or struck, or bowed or plucked.
| Instrument | Family | Technique |
| Violin | String | Bowing/Arco |
| Harpsichord | Percussion | Hit |
| Cello | String | Bowed |
| Recorder | Woodwind | Blown |
| Viola | String | Bowing/Arco |
| Instrument | Violin |
|---|---|
| Family | String |
| Technique | Bowing/Arco |
| Instrument | Harpsichord |
|---|---|
| Family | Percussion |
| Technique | Hit |
| Instrument | Cello |
|---|---|
| Family | String |
| Technique | Bowed |
| Instrument | Recorder |
|---|---|
| Family | Woodwind |
| Technique | Blown |
| Instrument | Viola |
|---|---|
| Family | String |
| Technique | Bowing/Arco |
Melody/harmony
Different styles of music use different textures for their melody and harmony. Baroque composers liked instruments to be independent of each other and wrote pieces where there was lots of polyphony, where parts imitated each other and shared the passing melodies.
Baroque pieces also feature many sequences, repeated patterns beginning on different notes each time they are played, and scales. The patterns in the clip above are repeated by different instruments in the ensemble, illustrating the concept of imitation.
To provide interest, composers will change the tonality of a piece of music by introducing a new key and scale in their melody and harmony. A common technique is to begin a piece of music in a major key and then write a new section of music in a minor key for contrast.
Brandenburg No.4 begins in the key of G major and includes changes of key to create different moods. The concept that relates to the changing of key is called modulation.
Rhythm/tempo
Composers use different Italian terms to describe the tempo, or speed, of the music. The mood of the music can be created or changed by using a certain tempo.
Some terms that are used to describe types of tempo include:
- Andante - a walking/flowing pace
- Moderato - a steady pace
- Allegro - a lively pace of music
This piece of music has a tempo marking allegro and is played fast, creating a happy mood. It remains at a constant speed throughout.
Some music includes tempo markings that suggest the performer must slow down, especially during the coda, the final section of the music. This is known as a ralentando.
Baroque music is played steadily with very little tempo change. However, composers during the Romantic period suggested that performers include rubato as they played. This was an indication for the player to vary the tempo and allowed them to express a little freedom and/or emotion in their playing of the piece.
Texture/structure
Baroque music follows very structured patterns. This piece is in three sections with the first and third sections consisting of the same melodies and being played in the same key. We can call these section A.
The second section is played in a different key and creates a new mood in the piece. We can call this section B.
The term ternary describes a piece of music that has ABA form.
Baroque music is made up of lots of sequences and repetition. Composers often use the notes of a chord - two or more notes played at the same time - to create patterns in music. One technique is to play the notes of a chord individually, one after the other.
The name of the concept used to describe a broken chord is arpeggio.
Baroque music uses lots of repetition and sequences, with these patterns being repeated by different instruments in order to keep the listener and the performer interested. The concept used to describe one instrument repeating something played by another instrument is imitation.
