The Four Seasons, Op. 8, no. 1 - "Spring" This concerto was published in 1725 during the Baroque Era, and was written by Antonio Vivaldi. The composer, Vivaldi, was born in 1678 and was famous for making the formal rhythmic structure of the concerto more bright and flamboyant. It is one of the most popular Baroque pieces that depicts word painting. It was based off of 4 sonnets that Vivaldi may have written. The movement form is fast-slow-fast, a form which Vivaldi standardized. The genre is Programmatic concerto, which contains 3 movements, and the instruments used are violins, violas, cellos, and a harpsichord. The instrumentation is a solo violin, 2 supporting violins, and the other instruments. The genre "Concerto" consists of 3 movements, and usually has a soloist with accompaniment. Other examples of the same genre are Bach's Concerto for Two Harpsichords in C Minor, BWV 1060 and Heinrich Ignaz Biber's Sonata representativa. The texture of "Spring" is based off of the season, with light violins repeating a similar melody through out the piece. The first movement and the third movement are E major and the second is C# minor. Part 4 is the famous Chorus. It is in D major, and uses strings, oboes, continuo, trumpets, and timpani. This is the movement with the Hallelujah repeating over and over.
Prelude and Fugue in C minor, Book 1
Both the prelude and the fugue were written by J. S. Bach during the Baroque Era and were part of The Well-Tempered Clavier book, which was a collection of preludes and fugues in all 24 keys. It was composed in 1722 and was written for any keyboard instrument, mainly the clavichord or harpsichord. The composer, J.S. Bach, was one of the most famous composers of all time. He was a deeply religious man, and wrote a lot of music for churches. The Prelude is C minor and the fugue is G minor. A prelude is written with a single idea that the piece was connected with, usually using rhythm. The prelude was a short work with an improvisatory style, and it usually preceded a fugue. It has constantly moving sixteenth notes, which emphasize its Allegro tempo. The texture is polyphonic, which each hand playing the opposite of the other. Other examples of preludes are J.C.F. Fischer's Ariadne musica. The fugue is a highly structured composition where a single theme is important throughout the piece. The piece shows Bach's talent in counterpoint, a type of polyphony.
Messiah HWV 56
This Oratorio was written by Handel and was published in the year 1742. It is a mainly religious piece. The instrumentation includes strings, oboes, bassoons and continuo, which is a repetitive bass line.The piece is an oratorio, which is a large music drama that is not staged. Messiah is completely based on the life of Jesus and what his death means. The form is A-A-B. The three sections are
1. The prophecy of God's plan to save mankind with his Son, the Messiah.
2. Humanity redeemed through the death of Jesus, mankind rejecting God's sacrifice, and mankind's failure when trying to oppose God.
3. A Hymn of Thanksgiving for the final overthrow of Sin and the redemption of humanity.
The first part is a French overture, which describes a specific style of orchestral music played before an opera, oratorio, ballet, or suite during the Baroque era. The form is A-A-B.The overture is then divided in 3 parts, the first one giving a regal, stately feel, with dotted rhythms; the second more lively and imitative. The form is A-A-B.The second part (B) is a fugue with three voices in a polyphonic texture. The speed suddenly changes, which makes it feel more dramatic.
Now the 2nd part is a recitative, repeating f bars of song over and over. The text us from Psalm chapter two, from the Old Testament. After that there is an aria, with strings and continuo, oboes and bassoons. The form is A-B-A, section A being
