Badinerie by J.S. Bach (final movement of the Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor, BWV 1067) as a set work: its instrumentation, binary form, key scheme, melodic and rhythmic features, texture and the signature moments to locate on the score.

What this dot point is asking

The Badinerie is the set work for Area of Study 1, and the appraising paper asks detailed questions on it. You must know its instrumentation, its binary form, its key scheme, its melodic and rhythmic features, its texture, and the signature moments you can locate on the score. This is the close knowledge that the set-work questions reward. Always confirm the current set work with your centre, because Eduqas reviews set works periodically.

The work, its title and instrumentation

The whole suite is a sequence of dances; the Badinerie is the brilliant, fast finale. The solo flute is the star, and the strings and continuo provide the harmonic and rhythmic support. This forms a typical Baroque texture: an active solo line, a continuous bass, and the harmony filled in by the harpsichord.

Form, key and metre

This is a model of Baroque binary form: the music travels away from the home key in the first half and returns in the second, with both halves repeated. Recognising the two repeated sections and the key journey (out to a related key, back to the tonic) is exactly what the structure questions reward.

The flute writing, rhythm and texture

The flute part is technically demanding, exploiting the instrument's agility and range. The strings sometimes echo or support the flute and sometimes provide simple accompaniment, while the continuo keeps the harmony and bass moving. The relentless semiquaver motion and the playful, teasing character give the Badinerie its famous energy.

How Eduqas examines this

The Badinerie is examined in Component 3 Appraising as the Area of Study 1 set work: you can expect a question on it using a recorded extract and, often, the printed score, asking about its form, key, melody, rhythm, texture and instrumentation. Because you have prepared it, the questions reward precise, detailed knowledge, so learn its structure and the flute writing thoroughly and fix the signature opening in your ear and on the page.

Try this

Q1. What is the instrumentation of the Badinerie? [2 marks]

• Cue. Solo flute, string orchestra (violins, viola, cello and double bass) and basso continuo (harpsichord plus bass strings).

Q2. What form and key is the Badinerie in? [2 marks]

• Cue. Binary form (two sections, each repeated, AABB), in B minor, in fast duple time ($\frac{2}{4}$). Confirm the current set work with your centre.

Q3. Describe three features of the solo flute writing in the Badinerie. [5 marks]

• What the marker wants. Any three specific features: fast agile semiquavers, a mix of conjunct and disjunct movement, sequences, a wide range exploited for brilliance, and crisp light articulation, with the flute as the clear soloist over strings and continuo.