1 : an old Spanish dance tune of Latin American origin. 2 : a musical composition in moderate triple time typically consisting of variations on a repeated succession of chords.
What is passacaglia and Chaconne?
The passacaglia would usually be a dance that had a 3/4 time-signature and had associations to male rather than female dancers. The ‘chaconne’, is similar to the passacaglia in as much as its essence is a fiery and passionate one whose origins are also Spanish.
Does the Chaconne end in a major or minor key?
Chaconne, Italian Ciaccona, solo instrumental piece that forms the fifth and final movement of the Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004, by Johann Sebastian Bach. Written for solo violin, the Chaconne is one of the longest and most challenging entirely solo pieces ever composed for that instrument.
What is a Chaconne bass?
The musical form of the chaconne is a continuous variation, usually in triple metre and a major key; it is generally characterized by a short, repeating bass line or harmonic progression. … The chaconne form, which is similar to that of the passacaglia, was used by composers in the Baroque period and later.
What does Passacaglia mean?
Passacaglia, (Italian, from Spanish passacalle, or pasacalle: “street song”), musical form of continuous variation in 3/4 time; and a courtly dance. … Little is known of the actual dance movements and steps.
What is a gavotte dance?
Gavotte, lively peasants’ kissing dance that became fashionable at the 17th- and 18th-century courts of France and England. … At the French court in the 18th century, the gavotte was at first stately and later more ornate; its slow walking steps were in 4/4 time, with upbeats on beats 3 and 4.
What is the meaning of basso continuo?
Basso continuo, also called continuo, thoroughbass, or figured bass, in music, a system of partially improvised accompaniment played on a bass line, usually on a keyboard instrument.
How do you write Passacaglia?
The principle is simple. You first choose one of the melodies. Then for each bar you first play the bass note (melody 1) and then the chosen melody note. In the following example, you can see below the melody and bass written out, and above a melodic combination of the two lines.
When was the Chaconne composed?
One such work is the “Chaconne” from the Partita No. 2 in D minor for solo violin, composed by J.S. Bach between 1717 and 1723. Famously, Joshua Bell described the work as “not just one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, but one of the greatest achievements of any man in history.
What is the purpose of basso continuo?
A basso continuo is, in 17th- and 18th- century music, the bass line and keyboard part that provide a harmonic framework for a piece of music.
What is a Toccata in music?
Toccata, musical form for keyboard instruments, written in a free style that is characterized by full chords, rapid runs, high harmonies, and other virtuoso elements designed to show off the performer’s “touch.” The earliest use of the term (about 1536) was associated with solo lute music of an improvisatory character.
What is the Allemande Dance?
Allemande, processional couple dance with stately, flowing steps, fashionable in 16th-century aristocratic circles; also an 18th-century figure dance. … As a 17th-century musical form, the allemande is a stylized version of this dance. In a suite (as in J.S. Bach’s English Suites) it is normally the first movement.
What is a chaconne How is it like theme and variations?
A chaconne (Spanish: chacona; Italian: ciaccona) is a type of musical composition popular in the baroque era when it was much used as a vehicle for variation on a repeated short harmonic progression, often involving a fairly short repetitive bass line (ground bass) that offered a compositional outline for variation, …
What is the ground bass aria?
Dido’s Lament is the aria “When I am laid in earth” from the opera Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell (libretto by Nahum Tate). It is included in many classical music textbooks on account of its exemplary use of the passus duriusculus in the ground bass.
What does basso profundo mean?
: a deep heavy bass voice with an exceptionally low range also : a person having this voice.
What does continuo mean in English?
: a bass part (as for a keyboard or stringed instrument) used especially in baroque ensemble music and consisting of a succession of bass notes with figures that indicate the required chords. — called also figured bass, thoroughbass.
What 2 instruments are required for a basso continuo?
A basso continuo typically consists of a cello (or double bass) and organ or harpsichord. The cello plays the bass line while the keyboard player improvises chords, derived from musical shorthand notation called figured bass .
Is a gavotte fast?
The gavotte could be played at a variety of tempi: Johann Gottfried Walther wrote that the gavotte is “often quick but occasionally slow”.
Is Passacaglia hard to play?
If the Hayden is the hardest thing you’ve played, the cello part of Passacaglia is too hard. However, the violin part is even then much harder than the cello part, so if you continue do make sure your violin friend is also top notch.
Who wrote Passacaglia?
George Frideric Handel’s Keyboard Suite No. 7 HWV 432 (1720) is a set of baroque instrumental compositions consisting six movements. The last movement, Passacaglia, comprises sixteen variations over a groundbass (a bassline that is continually repeated throughout a composition).
Who invented Ritornello?
The ritornello as a recurring tutti passage can be traced back to the music of sixteenth-century Venetian composer Giovanni Gabrieli. According to Richard Taruskin, these repeating passages are “endemic to the concertato style” which Gabrieli is credited with developing.