AS Music: Corelli: Trio Sonata in D (IV)

Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)

• Influential late baroque composer
• only wrote instrumental music
• developed the concerto grossi

Op. 3 No. 2 (Trio Sonata in D)

• Written in 1689 (common exam question)
• 1 of 12 Sonatas (6 major, 6 minor)
  
• Sonata da Chiesa (Church Sonata)
• ^ is often in 4 mvts - slow - fast - slow - fast
• Contrapuntal style
• no. 2 has 4 mvts: Grave - Allegro - Adagio - Allegro.

Features of the Baroque Period (that can be found in this piece)

• Basso continuo
• Terraced Dynamics
• Binary Form (AB/AABB)
• One affection (mood) throughout
• Ornamented melodies (e.g. appogiaturas within melody, even if there are no explicitly notated mordents etc.)
• Interweaving melodies and contrapuntal style (imitative counterpoint)

Performance Forces and their Handling

• Trio Sonata = 3 lines of music
• 4 parts, as the basso continuo is shared between violone and organ
• 2 violins 
• Imitation between instruments, crossing parts, exchanging ideas
• For violone - low-pitched string instrument - only Baroque, so Edexcel recording uses CELLO! watch out!
• organ is a PIPE ORGAN, improvises around figured bass (numerical chords)
  
• Violone (/cello) plays written bass part
• Idiomatic - doesn't stretch ranges (Violins don't venture past 3rd position)
• Violin 1 always states material first (imitated by violin 2)
• Both violins treated with equal importance
• violin 2 finishes above violin 1
  

Tonality

• Functional Harmony (uses cadences to define key)
• Begins and ends in D Major
• Monothematic (one affection throughout), so tonality helps define structure

Modulates at:

• Bars 3-4, to A major
• Bars 9-19, to A major (A section only modulates to A)
• (B Section begins in A major [20-22]) Bars 23-26, to D major
  
• Bars 26-28, to B minor
• Bars 29-31, to E minor
• Bars 32-33, to A major
• Bars 34-35, to G major
• Bars 36-43, back to D major
  

Rhythm and Metre

• Style of a Gigue (think 'jig') - a lively dance...
• ...so Compound Duple time (6/8*)
• Plays around with regularity of metre
• e.g. syncopation in bars 26-27
• Hemiolas in bars 27 and 31
• Hemiolas create a feel of Simple Triple time (3/4)

* I hate writing time signatures as fractions - seems obvious but don't write them like that in the exam :)

Texture

• 3 part imitative counterpoint
• (polyphonic, each part independent, all parts based on same idea)
• Opening is fugal
• Some monophonic sections
• Inverted pedals used in bars 15-17
• Violone drops out at bar 23 - creates a more distinct bassline
• All 3 parts drop an octave in final bars to draw movement to a close

Harmony

• Diatonic functional harmony 
• Mostly root/1st inversion chords
• Uses suspensions - dissonances left from previous chord which are resolved (usually resolved downwards) *
• In bar 39, there is an unresolved suspension (unusual for Baroque!)
• Cycle of fifths in bars 32-35
• Frequent perfect cadences
• Pedal points at ends of sections to reinforce key, e.g. bars 16 onwards

* E.g. 7-6 suspension bar 10, 4-3 suspension bar 40

Structure

• Binary form (AB/AABB)
• Two sections are not contrasting (monothematic)
• A section is only in D major and A major
• B section travels through related keys
• Bars 41-43 could be considered a codetta
• This codetta emphasises the tonic key of D major

Melody

Develops original motif with:

• added passing notes
• rising sequences
  
• Inversion (as in the B section)
• Bar 32 adds an anacrusis

• Movement is usually stepwise
• Some octave leaps e.g. in bar 7 

(In other performances/pieces, extra ornaments might be added on repeats)