Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major reminded me of a few of the operatic pieces in its presentation of repetition and non-repetition. The first movement begins monophonically, and we hear the ripieno play the ritornello theme in full. Although we continue to hear the ritornello theme throughout the first movement, it is fragmented into shorter pieces rather than being presented in its full form. The repetition of the ritornello theme adds a sense of constancy to an otherwise chaotic movement. This need of constancy is particularly felt during the second half of the first allegro with the presentation of the harpsichord solo. Unlike the ritornello theme, the harpsichord solo is unpredictable, as it lacks a steady melody and cadenza. Most notably, the harpsichord seems to play the fastest notes out of all the instruments, and the second half is remarkably tense. Bach deceptively adds a few cadences, prompting the listener to believe that the harpsichord solo has ended. However, the ripieno eventually rejoins and repeats the full ritornello theme, allowing for the much needed release of tension.

As noted by Greenberg, Bach was the first to dedicate a lengthy solo to the harpsichord, and this solo was most certainly impressive. While the movement departed frequently from the ritornello theme, exemplified by the harpsichord solo, the listener knows that the repetition will eventually return. This is characteristic of Baroque music: “the theme, the control element, the invisible ‘hand of God'” (Greenberg, 100). Unlike some of the operas, Bach’s concerto still maintains a heavy emphasis on religion and almost acts as a devotion to God: Whenever there is a sense of inconstancy, God will add control and structure.

The harpsichord continues its spotlight in the affettuoso, which, unlike the first allegro, is a showcase of the concertino: the flute, violin, and harpsichord. The harpsichord acts independently, while the flute and violin play homophonically and act as a support to the harpsichord’s intermittent solos. But the concertino is finally united at the end of the affettuoso, in which the flute, violin, and harpsichord play homophonically, transitioning the affetuoso to the third movement, the last allegro. The last allegro begins with the concertino but unlike the affettuoso, the tempo is much faster. After about thirty seconds, the ripieno accompanies the concertino, and the last movement embodies a fugue-like form. The initial exposition is followed by slight and short restatements and a series of episodes such as the harpsichord solos. Much like some of the operatic pieces, such as Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Bach’s overture, or exposition, introduced portions of the rest of the piece that would later be presented.

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.

Moving on from opera towards instrumental and orchestral compositions, involves a major shift and transition in the way in which one needs to view the structure and form of a musical piece. As Greenberg and Copland state, an opera utilizes the existence of words and speech in order to create transitions, and organize the entirety of the musical piece. Pure instrumental compositions however, do not have this luxury and therefore have other tools and elements which are applied in order to give pieces a musical structure. I choose to emphasize and mention the information within Greenbergs and Coplands books since I had no idea how to approach a purely instrumental musical piece.

The first movement of Bachs Brandenburgisches Konzert begins with a joyous and uptempo rhythm accompanied by flutes and violins which compose the melody. One element which stood out to me immediately is the baseline instrument which persists throughout the entirety of the first movement. While listening to this specific instrument, (which i do not know the name of) I was able to infer that the first movement possess a duple meter which is pretty much consistent throughout the whole piece.

Greenberg stated that four major components compose the structure of instrumental music, being repetition, variation, contrast, and development. Merely from listening to the first movement of Bachs Brandenburgisches Konzert, three of these four components are extremely prevalent.  First of, this movement contains repetition due to the presence of a ritornello at the 3:54 mark, which again reoccurs at 4:41 and at 8:54. Secondly, there is a notion of development within this movement of the piece, since a crescendo is used, which sets up and introduces the ritornello at the 3:54 mark and the 8:54 mark. The re occurrence of the ritornello at the 8:54 mark is also developed with a crescendo. However, this crescendo was created with the persistent baseline instrument which I referred to at the beginning of this response (the instrument of which I do not know the name of) and while this creschendo was developed, it was difficult to detect the meter simultaneous. This was an interesting observation for me personally, since the loss of the meter immediately caught my attention and made me pay attention to the development of the crescendo which got released with the re-occurrence of the ritornello. Lastly, the first movement also contains contrasts since the ritornellos are composed of instruments such as the violin while the instruments which are used to develop the crescendos do not incorporate the violin.

Greenberg mentioned the importance of form within his text, emphasizing that “the art of the Baroque is, at a structural level, about control, about logic. about discipline” (Greenberg p. 101). This statement holds completely true in regards to my listening experience with this piece, due to the persistence of the underlying baseline instrument!

As Greenburg points out, the form of the musical piece would have been familiar to the audience, and that the knowledge creates an expectation that the composer can use to develop intricacies in the music. Although I played in an orchestra, I didn’t spend much time looking at the formal features, so I thought the proper thing to do would be to learn what kind of form this movement should take on and why it’s called the “Jupiter” symphony. The Jupiter Symphony is Mozart’s last symphony. After some research and more careful listening, I began to understand the structure and the remarkable feat of Mozart to present the numerous themes in the piece. The fourth movement consists of 5 main themes that are passed around within the string section and between the string and the woodwinds. The first couple (the opening four notes and the phrase that comes after) are obvious as they are present in isolation, but the next three are a little harder to pick up, but present nonetheless. Unlike the Brandenburg concerto in which Bach gives a variation of the themes by changing keys and creating a progression, Mozart seems to strictly use the themes without any change, creating perfect repetition. For this reason when I listened to the themes, I didn’t associate any particular affect or scene with each of them, so I felt that Mozart’s music carried meaning in the music itself.

A notable section outside of the themes for me was how Mozart transitioned from one theme to the other. One can clearly distinguish the end of sections as the music comes down and the dynamic becomes more piano. If anyone has experience playing music written by Mozart, one should recognize the apparent soft cadence that comes at the end of the phrase. Between the transitions, Mozart switches into a minor key, unassociated with any of the themes he presents. This is present at 4:01, 6:50, and 7:26. In both of these phrases, the minor key creates a rising chord progression that elevates the tension because it differs from the patterns established in the previous themes. Rightfully, Mozart relieves the tension created in each of these moments by delivering the familiar theme.

A unique feature of this piece is the ending. At 7:36, Mozart remarkably uses all five themes he presents throughout the piece. To some it might be chaotic, and to some it might be refreshing. I had a hard time distinguishing all five themes as the first violin and the woodwind section stuck out for me. After showing off all of his themes, Mozart comes to a magnificent closure that is very full, includes a flourish in the end, and it certainly meets the expectation that he sets at 7:36 for the grandeur of the piece.

For those having trouble seeing the themes just from listening, here is a video that visually represents the piece, and it makes clear the different themes in the music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiX3z_fOR5k

Shifting from operatic music, which was often driven by text, to Bach’s concertos, which have no words, I was worried that I would perceive his music as lacking structure or as chaotic and muddled. To my surprise, however, I found that in the first movement of Bach’s Bradenberg Concerto No. 5, I felt a sense of geometry in the form that the music took. The concerto begins with an orchestral ensemble of many stringed instruments playing together. At twenty seconds, there is a distinct shift from the orchestral ripieno to the soloist concertino (which Greenberg tells us is made up of a flute, violin, and a harpsichord). This is the first of many such transitions that occur throughout the movement, allowing the listener to move back and forth between a complex ensemble to a simpler concertino. As per Greenberg’s description of Bach’s concerto, the ritornello theme itself is only played at the beginning and end, and there are different variations of it that pop up throughout the middle of the concerto. However, I felt that the general affects of the ripieno and concertino were distinctive enough that even when they were played slightly differently than before, I was still able to differentiate between the two and experience a sense of continuity in the piece. For example, at 1:06, the listener once again hears the ripieno, and even though it sounds like there may be less instruments here than there were when we were first introduced to this theme at the beginning, it is similar enough to the original ripieno that I could easily recognize it. Moreover, the transition from this shorter-version ripieno to the concertino at 1:12 is distinct and dramatic. While the ripieno always sounds showy, a little brusque, and faster-paced, the concertino is softer and more fluid.

While this back-and-forth between the concertino and ripieno occurs quite dependably for much of the piece, what was particularly interesting to me was the sort of chaotic descent that occurs at 7:52. After the concertino, instead of transitioning back to the ripieno, there is a long solo by the harpsichordist. The rhythm and melody of this section does not seem to jive with the previous melodies of the piece. Moreover, from 8:17 to 8:43, the same short melody is played at different pitches one after the other.  This section seems to escalate in intensity with each repetition, and as I listened, I felt myself losing sense of the structure I felt before. However, at 8:54, Bach returns to the ritornello theme we heard right at the beginning of the piece.  Thus, despite feeling momentary tension during the harpsichord solo, I felt a release of this tension with the return of the theme that I fondly remembered from the beginning of the piece. Through repetition and symmetry, the piece therefore came together for me and ended with a satisfying sense of finality.

Beginning with the introduction of this opera, a certain atmosphere is being created, which in my opinion, is different than the introductions of previous operatic pieces which we have come across so far. The opera begins with a rather mysterious mood, which is created through a mixture of major and minor pitches played by violins. However, this mysterious and somewhat anxious atmosphere is beautifully released with a consonant interval or pitch which leads to a beautiful transition towards a more romantic and joyous melody and atmosphere! Also, this new part after the transition resembles the music which is played during elegant ballroom dances and therefore reflects a romantic atmosphere. Similar to the way in which Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” introduces all the various elements which the audience will be exposed to, the introduction in “La Traviata,” communicates to the crowd that the following opera that they are about to witness reflects a romantic drama, due to the mysterious opening combined with the transition to the joyous and romantic atmosphere. Also, this introduction also resembles the introduction of L´Orfeo for instance, due to the presence of a ritornello! The ritornello in this opera is identical in melody, with the difference that the melody is played in lower pitches the second time. When trying to identify whether this opera should be considered seria or baffa opera, then I would say that this piece contains aspects and elements from both each operatic style. It suits the baffa style, due to the existence of characters which reflect nobility, servants and figures of real social classes. Also, the beginning scene in Act 1 contains several comedic moments which hints towards the baffa style. At the sime time however, the Seria operatic style is very much present as well due to the abundance of singing in this piece. In Act 1, scene 1, singing dominates the progression and action of the opera, which is a trait of the Seria opera.

Watching Die Walküre, I noticed how seamlessly Wagner blended the musical and theatrical components of the production. This fluidity came, in part, from the way Wagner’s music complemented the affect of each character’s words. So much so, that if the words of the opera were removed and only the music remained, the audience would likely be able to understand the type of action that was taking place in each scene (tragic, violent, mysterious, etc). For example, at 1:09:34 in Act 2, Scene 1, Wotan defends the love of Siegmund and Sieglinde. As he expresses compassion for his children, the music is soft and the melody is simple. However, the moment before Fricka begins to attack Wotan’s reasoning, we hear an abrupt, staccato sound (1:09:50). When she specifically attacks the couple for breaking a wedding vow at 1:10:03, the music gets louder, darker in mood, and overlaps with Fricka’s words. Wagner seems to very purposefully choose when to make the music louder than the words, and the heightening of the music’s volume when Fricka specifically speaks about marriage vows gives a sense of the tension and betrayal Fricka feels towards Wotan.

Similarly, in Scene 4 of Act 2, in the exchange between Brünnhilde and Siegmund, Wagner utilizes distinct textures and styles of music depending on who is speaking and what they are communicating. For example, at 2:09:14, the music sounds majestic as Brünnhilde tells Siegmund that she will support him in Valhalla. When Siegmund begins speaking at 2:09:47, the music slows down and becomes lower; Siegmund’s words overpower the low music and become the focus of the moment. Right before he asks the dramatic question about whether he will be able to see Sieglinde in Valhalla, there is a pause (2:10:16). This momentary silence clues the audience in on the importance of what Siegmund is about to say. Once he begins to ask whether he will get to see his wife, the music also starts up again. As Siegmund’s voice gets louder, the texture of the music becomes more complex and the music gradually crescendos. Thus, the increase in intensity in the music parallels the drama of Siegmund’s question as it slowly makes its way off of his lips. There is then a drastic shift in musical affect as Brünnhilde replies that Siegmund will not be able to see Sieglinde. While the escalation of the symphony coupled with Siegmund’s question created a sense of hope just moments before, the music now tapers to a much softer, somber melody. The subdued music complements Brünnhilde’s sad reply. In Wagner’s opera, the music thus seems to frame what the characters say, helping to complete and emphasize the character’s emotions through volume and texture changes. The overall effect is that the musical and theatrical components weave together to create a very holistic and fluid production.

This piece was interesting to me because although it was a chant, it seemed to portray a happy feeling that was missing from first piece. It starts with a polyphonic sound but switches between polyphony and monophony. A single melody seemed to lay on top of a more steady set of long sustained notes but at times, more layers were created. This gave the song a continuous feeling until the first break with a brief pause. A monophonic melody followed, perhaps signifying the significance of those specific lyrics. This monophonic melody was much stronger and sounded deeper than the other melodies, further supporting the significance of the lyrics. The constant switching between monophonic and polyphonic or homophonic help to distinguish certain parts of the song and make the monophonic lyrics stand out.

Although there are pauses and cadences, it doesn’t seem like there is much build up of tension or release. The song also ends on a sustained note that doesn’t really relieve the piece and in terms of volume, the entire piece seems consistent and once again there isn’t much build up or release. Generally, the harmonies created were seemed to be major and the pitches seemed to fit well with each other to create consonance. Although various pitches were sang, and there were separate melodies, all the voices had the same timbre, thus making the song still feel chant-like. It was also interesting how the meter was created by the melody itself rather than an accompaniment whereas we usually think of melodies as more free flowing and the accompaniment or percussion usually creates a sustained beat or rhythm; however, any sense of meter or a beat is lost when the melody became monophonic. Overall, this piece maintained certain elements of a plainchant but at the same time seemed to explore the use of multiple voices to make it seem like a bridge between plainchants and more complex polyphonic and even homophonic music.

Welcome to our brand new class blog at EdBlogs! To get started, simply log in using your UNI and password, and check out all the options available to you.

You’ll find several menu items already in place above, including a copy of the syllabus, a listening schedule, and my contact info. On the right I put up a few links (see under Bookmarks). These will take you to important online resources, intended to help you become more familiar with various elements of the music you’ll be listening to. You might want to explore them at some length over the first few days of the semester.