Baroque Instrumental

Forms

FUGUE• Highest form of polyphonic art

• Extremely structured architecture / formula

• Started out as keyboard piece

• Formula gradually applied to choral and instrumental music in the late Baroque

• Bach was “champion” of the fugue

Elements of the Fugue

• Subject• Counter-subject• Episode• “Voices”• Exposition

Compositional Devices

• Stretto• Augmentation• Diminution• Retrograde• Inversion• Any combination

Sonata• Instrumental composition• Usually identified in title• Solo sonata• Trio sonata – 2 melody instruments and

bass part• Work constructed in sections – later became

movements• Highly “Italian” in nature

Chamber Music

• Different size of performing group due to different nature of performance

• Designed for “chamber”

• Sometimes for outdoor “secular” concerts

• Mature Baroque = Suite

Suite• Series of “dance” related movements from

various countries

• Allemande = Germany

• Courante = France

• Sarabande = Spain

• Gigue = England

• Sometimes an additional movement