The Western classical tradition 1650 to 1910, including the Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods, their characteristic forms, harmony and instrumentation, and the set work the Badinerie for the AQA strand of study.

What this dot point is asking

AQA wants you to know the three style periods in the Western classical tradition (Baroque, Classical and Romantic), recognise their typical forms, harmony, texture and instrumentation, and apply this to unfamiliar extracts and to the AQA strand of study, including the Badinerie from Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 2. In the listening exam (Component 1) this Area of Study supplies both short Section A questions and one of the longer Section B extended responses, so you need both quick recall of features and the ability to write an organised paragraph.

The Baroque period (about 1650 to 1750)

The Baroque sound is driven from the bass upward. The continuo group (typically harpsichord plus cello or bassoon) plays a continuous bass line, and the keyboard player improvises chords above it from a figured bass (numbers under the notes that tell the player which chords to fill in). Above this, the upper parts weave contrapuntal lines of roughly equal importance, so the texture is often polyphonic rather than tune and accompaniment. Rhythms tend to be steady and motoric, with a strong sense of forward drive once a piece is underway, and the harmony stays diatonic, moving through clear sequences. A single mood, or affect, usually runs through a whole movement rather than changing from bar to bar.

The harpsichord is the typical keyboard. Because the harpsichord plucks its strings it cannot play gradually louder or softer, which is one practical reason Baroque dynamics are terraced. The AQA strand of study features the Badinerie from Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor, scored for solo flute and strings with continuo. It is a fast, light dance in binary form, in a minor key, with a virtuosic, conjunct then leaping flute melody and rapid quaver movement, and it shows the Baroque combination of clear two part texture, ornamentation and a driving continuo bass in miniature.

The Classical period (about 1750 to 1820)

The Classical style values balance, clarity and elegant melodies over chordal accompaniment. It develops sonata form, the symphony, the string quartet and the concerto, with Alberti bass accompaniment patterns. Leading composers are Haydn, Mozart and the early Beethoven. The texture is now mostly homophonic: one clear tune over supporting chords. Phrases are regular and balanced, often in two or four bar units arranged as question and answer (antecedent and consequent), and dynamics now change gradually with crescendo and diminuendo as the orchestra moves from harpsichord continuo toward a self sufficient string and wind body. The harpsichord falls out of use during this period as the piano, capable of true dynamic shading, takes over.

Sonata form, the central Classical structure, has three parts: an exposition that presents two contrasting themes (the second in a new key, usually the dominant), a development that fragments and modulates them, and a recapitulation that restates both themes in the home key. Tracking these key relationships is a quick way to recognise a Classical first movement in the exam.

The Romantic period (about 1820 to 1910)

The Romantic style is emotional and dramatic, with rich chromatic harmony, a larger orchestra, expressive rubato (flexible tempo), programme music that tells a story, and intimate piano music. Composers include Chopin, Schubert, Tchaikovsky and Brahms. Melodies become longer, more sweeping and more expressive, harmony grows more chromatic and dissonant with delayed resolutions, and the dynamic range widens enormously, from a barely audible pianissimo to a full fortissimo tutti. The orchestra adds extra brass, more percussion, harp and a larger woodwind section, and composers exploit a far wider palette of tone colour.