The Playlist of Classical Music with Details Essay

The Playlist of Classical Music with Details - Essay Example The Toccata was a fixture in Baroque music meant to demonstrate a player's dexterity on the keyboard. Bach's Toccata in D minor opens with single-voice ornaments played in the upper ranges of the keyboard. (Druckenbrod) A motif doubled at the octave, is reiterated throughout the parallel major section of the piece. This toccata is strewn with finger-taxing ornaments and flourishes so typical of the Baroque era. The fugue was also the form of choice during the Baroque era and Bach is touted as one of the best fugue writers. A fugue is contrapuntal with room for free counterpoint within the framework (Libbey, 247). Bach's Fugue in D minor exemplifies his brilliance in scoring multiple voices, interweaving melodies made up of 16th notes above an implied pedal point. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor are on this playlist because they are outstanding examples of two forms particularly important to the Baroque era, illustrate the development of tonality in this era with Bach's use of key s, particularly in the fugue, and demonstrate the emotional and dynamic range available to the Baroque composers. Bach had an indelible effect on the development of music and definitely deserves to be included in the time capsule. Vivaldi: Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, Spring: Allegro (1725). Antonio Vivaldi's (1678-1741) The Four Seasons is one of the earliest examples of program music. The Four Seasons is a group of concertos for solo violin, string quartet and basso continuo – typical of the Baroque era. Inspired by a set of four sonnets, these works demonstrate virtuosity in all players but especially the soloist. The first movement Allegro from the Spring concerto is perhaps the most famous movement and one of the most demanding scores for the players (Gengaro). The first movement of Spring makes immediate use of the terraced dynamics typical of Baroque; a loud opening sequence followed by a quieter passage and then again a louder one with clear dynamic divisions. Th e melodic lines, particularly in the solo violin, are ornamented with trills and mordents typical of the Baroque era's indulgence in ornamentation. The solo violin triplet flourishes above the agitated 32nd notes of the quartet require virtuosity while also depicting the mounting anticipation as spring becomes summer, as the world shakes off winter in the programmatic style typical of later eras. This work, while still exemplary of the Baroque era, also hints at the future of music, moving away from the Baroque absolute to the new and programmatic thus making this piece by Vivaldi a necessary inclusion in the time capsule. Handel (1685-1759) composed this orchestral suite for the entertainment of George I played from a barge on the river Thames. The 50 piece ensemble included the first use of French horns in English music (Libbey, 953). The second suite in D major consists of 5 movements. By tradition, Baroque suites consist of various dance movements, each in the same key. The seco nd dance from suite no. 2, also known as Alla Hornpipe, is the movement chosen for time capsule inclusion.