The third movement of Bach’s concerto features a steady, duple meter rhythm, an upbeat tempo, and a pleasant melody. This movement is a clear departure from the calm, slower paced rhythm of the second movement and the fast rhythm of the first movement. It was initially challenging for me to recognize the numerous reoccurring themes that were present, simply because I became “lost” in the complexity of hearing various instruments and could not pinpoint reoccurring elements. A better understanding of the role musical forms play in instrumental music enabled me to begin to understand what I should be listening for.

According to Greenberg, the third movement of a Baroque era concerto is typically similar to a fugue. Although I’m not positive that this is true in Bach’s third movement, I could detect what seemed to be elements of a fugue form. The movement begins with the violin coming in, followed by an imitative polyphony from the flute (0:02). This is a theme that is repeated throughout the duration of the movement (0:33, 0:47, 1:09). Afterwards the harpsichord joins in and shortly afterwards another reoccurring theme comes in, possibly the countersubject (0:17, 0:48, 1:03). 1:12 marks the beginning of the series of “episodes” that Greenberg speaks of in which the main theme and countersubject are partially repeated or restated in various ways, while maintaining their original musical characteristic. A brief cadence (3:32) marks the end of the episodes and a final reinstatement of the opening of the movement is heard (3:33 – 4:43) after which the piece is ended (4:44). Although these elements seem to fit in with the fugue form, I am not positive if they are more characteristic of a ritornello or a fugue.