Baroque Instrumental Forms
FUGUE Highest form of polyphonic art Extremely structured architecture / formula Started out as keyboard piece Formula gradually applied to choral and instrumental music in the late Baroque Bach was “champion” of the fugue
Elements of the Fugue Subject Counter-subject Episode “Voices” Exposition
Compositional Devices Stretto Augmentation Diminution Retrograde Inversion Any combination
Sonata Instrumental composition Usually identified in title Solo sonata Trio sonata – 2 melody instruments and bass part Work constructed in sections – later became movements Highly “Italian” in nature
Chamber Music Different size of performing group due to different nature of performance Designed for “chamber” Sometimes for outdoor “secular” concerts Mature Baroque = Suite
Suite Series of “dance” related movements from various countries Allemande = Germany Courante = France Sarabande = Spain Gigue = England Sometimes an additional movement