Classical Concerto
CONCERTO A concerto (from the Italian: concerto, plural concerti or, often, the anglicised form concertos) is a musical composition usually composed in three parts or movements, in which (usually) one solo instrument (for instance, a piano, violin, cello or flute) is accompanied by an orchestra.
The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words conserere (meaning to tie, to join, to weave) and certamen (competition, fight): the idea is that the two parts in a concerto, the soloist and the orchestra, alternate episodes of opposition, cooperation, and independence in the creation of the music flow. The concerto, as understood in this modern way, arose in the Baroque period side by side with the concerto grosso, which contrasted a small group of instruments with the rest of the orchestra.
The popularity of the concerto grosso form declined after the Baroque period, and the genre was not revived until the 20th century. The solo concerto, however, has remained a vital musical force from its inception to this day. Classical concerto . Sonata form in the Classical ConcertoFor exposition, development and recapitulation, The concerti of the sons of Johann Sebastian Bach are perhaps the best links between those of the Baroque period and those of Mozart. C. P. E. Bach’s keyboard concerti contain some brilliant soloistic writing.
Some of them have movements that run into one another without a break, and there are frequent cross-movement thematic references. Mozart, as a boy, made arrangements for harpsichord and orchestra of three sonata movements by Johann Christian Bach. By the time he was twenty, Mozart was able to write concerto ritornelli that gave the orchestra admirable opportunity for asserting its character in an exposition with some five or six sharply contrasted themes, before the soloist enters to elaborate on the material. He wrote one concerto each for flute, oboe (later rearranged for flute and known as Flute Concerto No. ), clarinet, and bassoon, four for horn, a Concerto for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra, a Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra, and Exsultate, jubilate, a de facto concerto for soprano voice. They all exploit and explore the characteristics of the solo instrument. His five violin concerti, written in quick succession, show a number of influences, notably Italian and Austrian. Several passages have leanings towards folk music, as manifested in Austrian serenades. However, it was in his twenty-seven original piano concerti that he excelled himself. citation needed] It is conventional to state that the first movements of concerti from the Classical period onwards follow the structure of sonata form. Final movements are often in rondo form, as in J. S. Bach’s E Major Violin Concerto. [2] Sonata form Sonata form is a large-scale musical structure used widely since the middle of the 18th century (the early Classical period). While it is typically used in the first movement of multi-movement pieces, it is sometimes used in subsequent movements as well—particularly the final movement.
The teaching of sonata form in music theory rests on a standard definition and a series of hypotheses about the underlying reasons for the durability and variety of the form—a definition that arose in the second quarter of the 19th century. [2] There is little disagreement that on the largest level, the form consists of three main sections: an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation;[3] however, beneath this, sonata form is difficult to pin down in terms of a single model.
The standard definition focuses on the thematic and harmonic organization of tonal materials that are presented in an exposition, elaborated and contrasted in a development and then resolved harmonically and thematically in a recapitulation. In addition, the standard definition recognizes that an introduction and a coda may be present. Each of the sections is often further divided or characterized by the particular means by which it accomplishes its function in the form.
Since its establishment, the sonata form became the most common form in the first movement of works entitled “sonata”, as well as other long works of classical music, including the symphony, concerto, string quartet, and so on. [3] Accordingly, there is a large body of theory on what unifies and distinguishes practice in the sonata form, both within eras and between eras. Even works that do not adhere to the standard description of a sonata form often present analogous structures or can be analyzed as elaborations or expansions of the standard description of sonata form.
Outline of sonata form Introduction The Introduction section is optional, or may be reduced to a minimum. If it is extended, it is, in general, slower than the main section, and frequently focuses on the dominant key. It may or may not contain material that is later stated in the exposition. The introduction increases the weight of the movement, and also permits the composer to begin the exposition with a theme that would be too light to start on its own, as in Haydn’s Symphony No. 03 (“The Drumroll”) and Beethoven’s Quintet for Piano and Winds Op. 16. The introduction usually is not included in the exposition repeat. On occasion, the material of introduction reappears in its original tempo later in the movement. Often, this occurs as late as the coda, as in Mozart’s String Quintet in D major K. 593, Haydn’s Drumroll Symphony, or Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 8 (“Pathetique”). Exposition The primary thematic material for the movement is presented in the Exposition. This section can be further divided into several sections.
The same section in most sonata form movements has prominent harmonic and thematic parallelisms (although in some works from the 19th century and onward, some of these parallelisms are subject to considerable exceptions), which include: First subject group, P (Prime) – this consists of one or more themes, all of them in the home key (also called the tonic)—so if the piece is in C major, all of the music in the first group will be in C major. Although some pieces are written differently, most follow this form. Transition, T – in this section the composer modulates from the key of the first subject to the key of the second.
Second subject group, S – one or more themes in a different key from the first group. If the first group is in a major key, the second group will usually be in the dominant. If the original key is C major, for example, the key of the music of the second group will be G major, a perfect fifth higher. If the first group is in a minor key, the second group will, in general, be in the relative major, so that, if the original key is C minor, the second group will be in E-flat major. The material of the second group is often different in rhythm or mood from that of the first group (frequently, it is more lyrical).
Codetta, K – the purpose of this is to bring the exposition section to a close with a perfect cadence in the same key as the second group. The exposition is commonly repeated, particularly in classical works. Often, though not always, the last measure or measures of the exposition are slightly different between the repeats, one to point back to the tonic, where the exposition began, and the second to point towards the development. Development In general, the development starts in the same key as the exposition ended, and may move through many different keys during its course.
It will usually consist of one or more themes from the exposition altered and on occasion juxtaposed and may include new material or themes – though exactly what is acceptable practice is a famous point of contention. Alterations include taking material through distant keys, breaking down of themes and sequencing of motifs, and so forth. The development varies greatly in length from piece to piece and from time period to time period, sometimes being relatively short compared to the exposition (e. g. , the first movement of Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K 525/I by Mozart) and in other cases quite long and detailed (e. . , the first movement of the “Eroica” Symphony by Beethoven). Developments in the classical era are typically shorter due to how much composers of that era valued symmetry, unlike the more expressive romantic era (“Eroica” is considered to be the first Romantic symphony) in which development sections gain a much greater importance. However, it almost always shows a greater degree of tonal, harmonic, and rhythmic instability than the other sections. At the end, the music will usually return to the tonic key in preparation of the recapitulation. On occasion it will actually return to the sub-dominant key and then proceed with the same transition as in the exposition). The transition from the development to the recapitulation is a crucial moment in the work. The last part of the development section is called the retransition: It prepares for the return of the first subject group in the tonic, most often through a grand prolongation of the dominant seventh. Thus, if the key of the movement is C major, the retransition would most typically stress the dominant seventh chord on G.
In addition, the character of the music would signal such a return, often becoming more frenetic (as in the case of the first movement of Beethoven’s “Waldstein” Sonata, Op. 53). A rather notable exception to the harmonic norm of the retransition occurs in the first movement of Brahms’s Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 1. The general key of the movement is C major, and it would then follow that the retransition should stress the dominant seventh chord on G. Instead, it builds in strength over the seventh chord on C, as if the music were proceeding to F major.
At the height of the musical tension, this chord triumphs with great volume and wide registral scope on the downbeat, only to take up immediately the first theme in C major – that is, without any standard harmonic preparation. Occasionally, the retransition can begin with a false recapitulation, in which the opening material of the first theme group is presented in a key other than the tonic. The surprise that ensues when the music continues to modulate toward the tonic can be used for either comic or dramatic effect. Recapitulation
First subject group – normally given prominence as the highlight of a recapitulation, it is usually in exactly the same key and form as in the exposition. Transition – Often the transition is carried out by introducing novel material, a kind of brief additional development section; this is called a secondary development. Second subject group – usually in roughly the same form as in the exposition, but now in the home key, which sometimes involves change of mode from major to minor, or vice versa, as occurs in the first movement of Mozart’s Symphony No. 0 (K. 550). More often, however, it may be recast in the parallel major of the home key (for example, C major when the movement is in C minor like Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, op. 67/I). Key here is more important than mode (major or minor) – the recapitulation provides the needed balance even if the material’s mode is changed, so long as there is no longer any key conflict. Exceptions to the recapitulation form include Mozart and Haydn works that often begin with the second subject group when the first subject group has been elaborated at ength in the development. After the closing cadence, the musical argument proper is said to be completed. If the movement continues, it is said to have a coda. Coda After the final cadence of the recapitulation, the movement may continue with a coda which will contain material from the movement proper. Codas, when present, vary considerably in length, but like introductions are not part of the “argument” of the work. The coda will end, however, with a perfect authentic cadence in the original key.
Codas may be quite brief tailpieces, or they may be very long and elaborate. A famous example of the more extended type is the coda to the first movement of Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony (no. 3 in E flat), although there are numerous others in Beethoven’s music. Explanations for why an extended coda is present vary. One reason may be to omit the repeat of the development and recapitulation sections found in earlier sonata forms of the eighteenth century. Indeed, Beethoven’s extended codas often serve the purpose of further development of thematic material.
