MUSI 4350: The Baroque Concerto

By the 18th century the term concerto denoted an instrumental work of one of three types: (1) the solo concerto for one soloist and orchestra, (2) the concerto grosso for two or more soloists and orchestra, and (3) the orchestral concerto for undivided orchestra. The solo concerto quickly became the favored type, but the concerto grosso represented the earliest essays in the new form.  The various types of concerto are most generally represented by three separate movements in a fast - slow - fast arrangement.  In the solo category the concertos of Antonio Vivaldi reign supreme (certainly in number) over the mature Baroque.

Of the pre-Bach concerto grosso repertoire the Twelve Concertos , Opus 6 of Archangelo Corelli (1653-1713) are most important. His concerti grossi grew out of his application of the concertato principle in a genre he helped to perfect - the trio sonata. Corelli's concertos are largely orchestrated trio sonata structures, and his twelve concertos may be divided into two groups: the first eight may be considered church concertos and the last four correspond to the chamber sonatas and are grouped under the title Preludii, Allemande, Gigue, Corrente, Sarabande, Gavotte e Minuetti Parte Seconda per Camera.

The Solo Concerto

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) born, and educated in Venice, and where, excepting frequent leaves of absence he largely made his name and career, is a composer whose fame rests, without argument, on his more than 500 concertos. He published only 9 collections, however, representing some 84 concertos which more than provide a solid foundation from which to study his entire career and development. About two-thirds of these (500) works are for a single solo instrument. The violin, with 230, is his favored and native instrument. Surprisingly the bassoon, which had only two keys at the time (!), is the next most frequently used instrument with almost 40 works. Following those are the concertos written for the cello (28), the oboe (20) and the flute (15).  There are 40 works for two soloists 25 of which are for two violins. About a half-dozen call for three or four violins, and there are perhaps two-dozen for various combinations of winds and strings as soloists.

Vivalidi followed in the footsteps of his predecessors in the form, namely Giuseppe Torelli (1658-1709) who established the three-movement form, and Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751) who infused it with a melodic warmth of operatic derivation. Vivaldi was not a great innovator. His works seem more carefully planned and the structures more clearly defined. The dramatic tension between solo and tutti, often only hinted at by the earlier composers, come to full fruition in the concertos of Vivaldi. His style is one of impelling rhythmic vitality, varied texture, and his relatively spontaneous-sounding melodic ideas. Most of his concertos are in the three-movement, fast-slow-fast scheme. About one-third have a first movement in the minor mode, and a distinct fondness for middle movements in the minor is evident in about two-thirds of the concertos. The relationship of keys between movements is fairly flexible, with about one-third of the slow movements in the same key as the outer movements; slightly less frequently the relative major or minor is selected, and in still fewer cases the dominant or subdominant is used.    E minor is a particular favorite for highly expressive slow movements. Most of the Vivaldi opening movements are in ritornello form, which Torelli had introduced earlier. Ritornello form was developed as a convention in opera arias as an excellent means of highlighting the vocal soloist and providing unity through the use of recurrent thematic material in the orchestra. The soloists in Vivaldi's concertos have more significant roles than in those of his predecessors. They are given highly decorative passage, lightly accompanied, making for marked contrast with the thematic tutti sections. This opposition augments the dramatic role of the soloist. Though it is doubtful, Quantz implied that Vivaldi was among the first to use a terminal cadenza in an Allegro movement. There are nine fairly extensive cadenzas by Vivaldi - some quite simple, with a succession of arpeggiated chords over a dominant pedal. Some of the more complex involve thematic quotations from all three movements. This cadenza was usually inserted before the final recurrence of the ritornello, as an embellishment of the dominant to tonic cadence at that point.

Prior to Albinoni and Vivaldi, the concerto middle movement was short and often viewed as a transitional section between the weightier outer movements. Drawing upon the more dramatic music of opera, these Venetian composers intensified the slow movement, sometimes creating the sense that it is the high point of a work. In contrast with the fast movements, the slow middle movement is not generally in ritornello form. The finale movements are similar in construction to the opening movements, but in comparison are lighter and more playful. They move very quickly and are generally the shortest of the three movements. A great many are set in triple meter and have a dance quality reminiscent of the final movement of the chamber sonata.

The Brandenburg Concerti

The greater number of Bach's orchestral works date from his tenure at the Cothen court beginning in 1717 and lasting until 1723 when he moved to his final position in Leipzig. The most important orchestral work of this period was the collection of six concertos written for the private orchestra of Christian Ludwig, the Margrave of Brandenburg. The works were completed in 1721 and are Bach's earliest large orchestral works and his finest accomplishments in this field. Ironically, the margrave's orchestra was rather meager and so in spite of the dedication it seems much more likely that Bach had in the mind the rather large and illustrious orchestra of the court of Prince Leopold at Cothen.
 
The order of composition is a disputed subject. The Nos. 3 and 6 are usually placed early because of their homogenous string texture, and also because they along with No.1 share close structural and motivic ties with Italian models. Nos.2 and 4, with their heterogeneous instrumentation, point to a later period, and the more sophisticated use of the harpsichord as a solo instrument places No.5 still later. These concertos hold a special place in the study of music history, for they are some of the most significant and most inspired concertos of the Baroque or any other era. They are also a virtual compendium of concerto practices, pointing out an array of ways suitable to achieving musical contrast. Three are orchestral concertos while the other three are concerti grossi. The orchestral concertos (1, 3, 6,) show a systematic reduction in the obvious means of contrast: No.1 is richly scored for winds and strings, No.3 is scored for strings only in three groups, and No.6 requires still more limited resources of low strings only, essentially divided into two groups.