Concerto in D Concerto in D minor Concerto in D Concerto in D minor
minor (Vivaldi) – (Vivaldi) – Mov 2 minor (Vivaldi) – (Vivaldi) – Mov 4
Mov 1 Mov 3
Context Vivaldi: leading Italian composer of the Baroque period, virtuoso violinist (would have been the soloist in many
first performances of his works), lived in Venice (where music/culture was thriving due to Venice losing its
trade identity)
Concerto in D minor: written in 1711, one of the concertos in L’estro armónico (harmonic inspiration)
Concerto grosso: main feature is alteration between passages for concertino + tutti passages (soloists double
rest of players), work for one or more solo instruments
Perform Concertino: solo violin 1, violin 2 + cello + ripieno: violin 1 + 2, viola 1 + 2, continuo – instrumentation not
ing fixed (sometimes a lute/double bass)
Movement 3: violin 1 solo melody, no solo cello in solo sections + no continuo
Forces
Sonority Two solo violins with no Spiccato intro – bounce bow on Spiccato Virtuosic writing for the
accomp + solo cello string Cello + continuo soloists exploiting their
with continuo Contrast of tutti with concertino only in tutti at capabilities + timbres
Tasto solo adds to tension of beginning + end Focus on concertino
dominant pedal towards end Siciliano: associated
with pastoral scenes
Structur 2 solo violins then Slow tutti intro, ritornello 1 Tutti phrase, solo Ritornello 1, ritornello 2
e continuo + solo cello till (subject, answer in dominant, ABACC, tutti phrase (concertino play alone, the
end = AB subject with CS 1 + 2, answer in violin 1 plays with rest of
Could be seen as part of dominant with CS 1, 2 + 3), ensemble), episode (ends
the 2nd movement – episode 1 (violin 1 = some of with alternating
becoming a fast-slow- subject with violin 2 combining concertino + ripieno every
fast structure that would opening of CS 1 with the bar or two), ritornello 3
become conventional for semiquavers from CS 2),
the Baroque concerto ritornello 2, episode 2, ritornello
3
Texture Solo violin 1 + 2 in a Contrasting homophonic intro, Melody dominated Very contrasting
two-part canon texture fugal resulting in a 4-part homophony, Canon, often mel dom
with each having equal polyphonic texture, thinner continuo only hom (e.g. solo cell
importance textures of episode (e.g. episode present in accompanied by rest of
Cello melody with 1: violin 1 melody, counter homophonic tuttis ensemble), solo violins
continuo accomp melody in thirds + continuo imitating/playing in 3rds
accomp outlining melody) with cello accomp,
tutti/concertino contrast
, Tonality D minor (driven by tonic D minor, modulates to A min in D minor D minor
pedal) ritornello 1, cadences in A maj Passes through G Modulates to A min in
at end of episode 1, episode 2: minor + F minor ritornello 2
opens in G min, passes through (mediant minor) Ritornello 3: Dm, Gm, Dm,
F, C and Bb Am, Gm, F, Dm
Harmon A: diatonic, triadic Adagio: series of secondary b.2 = Neapolitan 6th Chromatic descending
y patterns, tonic pedal, dominants over a circle of 5ths + diminished 7th cello becomes reoccurring
Functional passing dissonance (e.g. + chromatically descending (without 5th) theme (e.g. in
+ tonal C# + D) melody + Neopolitan 6th continuo/cello later in
Root/1st B: end cadence = II (5 of Cycle of fifths evident from ritornello 1)
inv chords 5) V I with a subject with all chords being a Chain of suspensions (like
chromatically ascending dom 7th except the tonic mov2), lots of 7th chords +
bassline to cadence P cads (e.g. A mj + II7b V I at circle of fifths, end
end), long tasto solo dominant cadence = ii7b V I
pedal in ritornello 3
Melody Imitation, triadic + Sequences used throughout (e.g. Mainly conjunct with Repetition of ideas:
scalic patterns (e.g. descending 2nd counter subject, some 5th and octave ritornello 2 repeated ideas
descending scales over inverted ascending sequence leaps in the slower from beginning of
ostinato D) b.37), melody = mainly moving rhythms, ritornello 1 in Am + start
Cello = ascending conjunct/3rd leaps, but the some ornamental of ritornello 3 = decorated
sequence, lower second half of the subject trills, some version of beginning
auxiliaries includes contrasting octave descending dotted Solo violin canon: trills +
jump + descending circle of 5ths rhythm arpeggios expanding leaps of 3rd, 4th,
to return back down with some melodic 5th + 6th
chromaticism (e.g. Violin 1 imitates violin 2
G#s and Ebs) descending sequence a 4th
up
Sequences (cello) +
virtuoso vln1
Dynami No dynamics, but clear Alternating pianos and fortes pp under violin Assumed to be played
cs from the nature of the (terraced dynamics) in ritornello melody forte
Very melodies that it would 3 Clear from the Dynamic contrast
limited be played with nature + tempo of specified when different
energy/force melody that it is instrument combinations
meant to be played repeat passages
piano
