MUSI 4360

MUSI 4360 – The Baroque Sonata

Sonata (plural sonate) in the Baroque era means a piece to be played instead of sung. It may come from the word sonare, to sound. A sonata may be for a solo instrument such as the lute or a keyboard instrument, or a solo instrument with basso continuo, or a chamber group or even an orchestra. The term has NO further specific meaning. Baroque pieces called sonata may have one or a dozen movements, and may have any type of structure the composer wishes. Five of Corelli's publications are called sonate and mix solo and ensemble pieces; likewise, one is a chaconne (Opus 2) and one a theme and variations (Opus 5).

The Sonata da Camera is a chamber sonata, meaning a work to be played in a chamber rather than in a concert hall or church. The movements are often based on dance rhythms and the titles of individual movement may be called by the name of a dance, thus similar to a suite. Corelli wrote two sets of these, Opus 2, and Opus 4

The Sonata da Chiesa is a church sonata, meaning a serious work in several movements, most often SLOW-FAST-SLOW-FAST, each movement in the same or near related key (such as dominant major if the first movement is in a major key, or relative major if the first movement is in a minor key). The movements are not usually related melodically. The movements are not based on vocal forms or dance rhythms, but are simply abstract music, meaning that there is no extra-musical associations such as the titles of French ordres such as those of Couperin. There are often Italian terms indicating character and tempo.

Pieces named Sonata da Camera or Sonata da Chiesa were composed for (1) solo instrument, which always means solo instrument with basso continuo unless for lute or keyboard. The basso continuo requires a minimum of two performers, one to play the written-out bass line as a melody and another to realize the harmony of the figures. (2) a trio sonata group, which was the favorite Baroque chamber music ensemble. Chamber music means only one performer to a written part. The trio sonata consists of two high melody lines and a basso continuo part, thus the trio of melody lines, even though the basso continuo requires a minimum of two performers. Therefore, the Baroque trio sonata requires four performers at a minimum. (For example, Corelli's Opus 3, which are of the da chiesa variety, and Opus 4, which are of the da camera variety). (3) an orchestra, although there is no standardization to the orchestra in the Baroque era. An orchestra has a basic group of strings with more than one performer to a part, plus whatever wind and brass instruments may have been available. Instruments often played for which there were no written-out parts. The Baroque composers were interested in the lines of melody, more than in specific tone colors. Such pieces were usually called concerto (plural = concerti) a word meaning to concert together or against, and thus to play together or against one another. Corelli's Sonata da Chiesa, Opus 5, No. 1, was composed for violin, violone and cimbalo, The first thing you may notice is that there are five rather than the usual four movements to this church sonata, in the following order:

·                Grave

·                Allegro

·                Adagio

·                Allegro

The first slow movement, Grave, has several sections:

Grave - Allegro - Adagio

and the second Allegro movement has a written-out retard, marked "Adagio".

Each of the slow movements has a line marked "Corelli's Graces," which were published in 1710 by John Walsh in London to show what Corelli did to ornament his own music. As usual, the most ornamentation is possible mainly in the slow movements.

Grave. The first movement is actually a binary movement with the second part written out (from m. 14). The Return to "Adagio" was omitted from m. 23. Incidentally, "Tasto solo" means that the bass line alone is played, without realization of any kind, as you may have noticed from the recording. Your score is from the old edition of the nineteenth century, edited in part by Johannes Brahms. This type of movement might be considered one of the improvisatory type movements, beginning in D Major, cadencing on the dominant m. 14 (in the middle), then continuing in the dominant for the second half with the same material from the opening almost exactly through m. 27, then extending the material, based upon the same melodic ideas, to t The second movement (Allegro) is also in D Major. Typically a piece using imitation or fugue-like opening, two melody voices in the violins, one in the basso continuo, and also - using the Fortspinnung technique - continuing to work over the initial motive (a short one, since it is rather difficult for the violin to sustain two melodies for a lengthy period, although a melody and harmony idea is used a lot; see mm. 22ff with melody in lower or alto part and harmony notes above), and, of course, the "Arpeggio" section gives the violinist an opportunity to display virtuosity. Allegro. DWMA2 p. 225 B. The third movement is also in D Major. It is a sort of moto perpetuo type movement. The violin again has a melody with the first note of each beat, making a sort of pseudo three-part texture. Note the constant octave leaps in the bass line of this movement, over the basic arpeggiation of the violin. The bass line is a running bass until m. 12. The interest seems to be in the harmonic progressions from D Major through A Major, E Major, and returning to Tonic about m. 22, ending with one of the favorite Baroque devices, the Echo. Since so much of the movement seems to be related to the material of the second movement from m. 42, perhaps it is not really a separate movement, but just the last 30 measures of the second movement? There is no good explanation why another fast movement follows. But, each of the Opus 5 Corelli da chiesa sonatas has five movements.

The fourth movement, marked Adagio, is in B minor, ending on a F# major triad. This movements is another slow one with the graces indicated. Since the movement is in triple meter, you expect hemiola, and certainly at the cadence: so look at mm. 43-44, with hemiola and a Picardy third in the final chord. Fortspinnung is the device employed here, with the opening motive (best seen in its original rather than in the graced part) constantly reworked

The fifth movement, marked Allegro returns to the tonic D Major. Whatever else, it resembles the second movement with its three-part imitative opening, two parts in the violin and then one subject in the basso continuo. Also whatever else, it makes use of gigue rhythms, and hemiola (m. 17, 30, 49-50). After the working out of the main motive, much of the rest of the movement seems to concentrate on arpeggiation for the violin.