How do you tell which period a concerto extract comes from, and answer the listening questions on Area of Study 2?
Recognising the concerto by ear for J536/05: using forces, harmony, dynamics, structure and the cadenza to place an unfamiliar extract in the Baroque, Classical or Romantic period, and answering aural and appraisal questions on Area of Study 2.
A focused answer to recognising the concerto by ear in OCR GCSE Music J536, covering how to use forces, harmony, dynamics, structure and the cadenza to place an unfamiliar extract in the Baroque, Classical or Romantic period and answer the listening questions on Area of Study 2.
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point is the listening skill for Area of Study 2. The J536/05 paper plays unfamiliar concerto extracts and asks you to place them in a period (Baroque, Classical or Romantic) and appraise how the music works. You need a reliable method: use forces, harmony, dynamics, structure and the cadenza to date an extract from a cluster of features, and work through the elements to answer appraisal questions.
A method for dating an extract
No single feature is decisive, but a group of features usually points clearly to one period. Hearing a harpsichord, terraced dynamics and small string forces together is a strong Baroque cluster; a single piano soloist, gradual dynamics and an Alberti bass point to the Classical; a huge orchestra with full brass, a virtuoso soloist and rich chromatic harmony point to the Romantic. Listen for several features and check they agree.
The period checklist
- Baroque (about 1650 to 1750): harpsichord continuo; terraced dynamics; ritornello form (a returning tutti theme alternating with solo episodes); small string forces; busy, continuous movement. Composers: Corelli, Vivaldi, Bach.
- Classical (about 1750 to 1820): a single soloist (often piano); gradual dynamics; balanced periodic phrasing; Alberti bass; a larger orchestra with no harpsichord; a cadenza near the end of the first movement. Composers: Haydn, Mozart.
- Romantic (about 1820 to 1910): a large, colourful orchestra (full brass, percussion); a virtuoso soloist; chromatic, expressive harmony; a wide dynamic range; rubato. Composers: Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Grieg.
Working through the elements for appraisal
Appraisal questions reward a systematic pass through the elements, each observation tied to what is heard.
- Texture - the solo-tutti contrast: full ensemble against lighter solo.
- Dynamics - terraced or gradual, and the overall range.
- Melody - who has the theme, its shape, and the soloist's virtuosity.
- Harmony - diatonic and clear, or chromatic and expressive.
- Structure - ritornello returns, development, the cadenza.
- Instrumentation - the soloist's timbre and the make-up of the ensemble.
Naming a feature for each element, and explaining its effect, builds a strong answer for the higher-tariff appraisal questions.
Managing the playings
The extract is played a set number of times. Use the playings in passes: on the first, get the big picture (forces, period, mood); on later playings, gather specific features for each element you need to write about. Note quickly as you listen, then organise the points into your answer. Spreading the listening across the playings, rather than trying to catch everything at once, is how you build an accurate, detailed response.
Examples in context
An extract opens with a chinking harpsichord, a continuous string texture and sudden loud-soft contrasts, with a recurring orchestral theme between violin solos: that cluster (continuo, terraced dynamics, ritornello) places it firmly in the Baroque. Another opens with a balanced piano theme over an Alberti bass, gradual crescendos, paired woodwind and horns, and later an unaccompanied piano cadenza: that is Classical. A third opens with a huge orchestral sweep, thunderous piano chords, chromatic harmony and a vast dynamic range: that is Romantic. Each is dated from features that agree.
Try this
Q1. Name three features that would tell you an extract is Baroque. [3 marks]
- Cue. Any three of: a harpsichord continuo, terraced dynamics, ritornello form, small string forces, and busy continuous movement.
Q2. Why should you date an extract from a cluster of features rather than one? [2 marks]
- Cue. A single feature can appear in more than one period, so a group of consistent features gives a reliable answer, whereas one clue can mislead.
Q3. Appraise how a composer creates contrast between the soloist and the orchestra. [8 marks]
- What the marker wants. A systematic pass through the elements (texture, dynamics, melody, harmony, structure, instrumentation), each tied to what is heard and explaining the soloist-versus-orchestra contrast, with the period named.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR J536/05 (AoS2 listening)6 marksListening. State which period of the concerto this extract comes from and justify your answer with three features. [6]Show worked answer →
A 6 mark dating question on AoS2. Marks for the period plus justifying features.
Method. Decide the period from a cluster of features. Baroque: continuo (harpsichord), terraced dynamics, ritornello form, small string forces. Classical: single soloist (often piano), gradual dynamics, balanced phrasing, Alberti bass, a cadenza near the end of the first movement, larger orchestra with no harpsichord. Romantic: large colourful orchestra, virtuoso soloist, chromatic expressive harmony, wide dynamic range, rubato. Give three features that point the same way.
Develop. The top band states one period and supports it with three consistent, accurately heard features. Hedging between periods, or giving features that contradict each other, loses marks.
OCR J536/05 (AoS2 listening)8 marksListening. Appraise how the composer creates contrast between the soloist and the orchestra in this extract. [8]Show worked answer →
An 8 mark extended-response appraisal on AoS2.
Method. Work through the elements, tied to what is heard: texture (full tutti against lighter solo), dynamics (louder tutti, lighter solo), melody (who has the theme, the soloist's virtuosity), structure (ritornello returns, or solo episodes), and instrumentation (the soloist's timbre against the ensemble). Explain how each creates the soloist-versus-orchestra contrast, and name the period if you can.
Develop. The top band gives a spread of accurate, specific observations across several elements, all explaining the contrast, with technical vocabulary. A list of features that do not address the contrast, or vague description, caps the mark.
Related dot points
- The Baroque concerto (roughly 1650 to 1750): the concerto grosso and solo concerto, ritornello form, the basso continuo, terraced dynamics and small forces, with composers such as Corelli, Vivaldi and Bach.
A focused answer to the Baroque concerto in OCR GCSE Music J536, covering the concerto grosso and solo concerto, ritornello form, the basso continuo, terraced dynamics and small forces, with composers such as Corelli, Vivaldi and Bach.
- The Classical concerto (roughly 1750 to 1820): the single soloist, the first-movement ritornello-sonata form, the cadenza, Alberti bass and balanced phrasing, the growing orchestra, with composers such as Haydn and Mozart.
A focused answer to the Classical concerto in OCR GCSE Music J536, covering the single soloist, the first-movement ritornello-sonata form, the cadenza, Alberti bass and balanced phrasing, the growing orchestra, with composers such as Haydn and Mozart.
- The Romantic concerto (roughly 1820 to 1910): the virtuoso soloist, the large orchestra, expressive and chromatic harmony, wide dynamic and pitch range, rubato and lyricism, the integrated cadenza, with composers such as Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Grieg.
A focused answer to the Romantic concerto in OCR GCSE Music J536, covering the virtuoso soloist, the large orchestra, expressive chromatic harmony, wide dynamic and pitch range, rubato and lyricism, and composers such as Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Grieg.
- Concerto structure across the period: the three-movement plan (fast, slow, fast), ritornello form in the Baroque, sonata and rondo forms in the Classical and Romantic concerto, and the place of the cadenza, across roughly 1650 to 1910.
A focused answer to concerto structure in OCR GCSE Music J536 Area of Study 2, covering the three-movement plan, ritornello form in the Baroque, sonata and rondo forms in the Classical and Romantic concerto, and the place of the cadenza.
- Concerto instruments and texture across the period: the growth from the small Baroque string ensemble with continuo to the large Romantic orchestra, the changing solo instruments, and how texture (the solo-tutti contrast) develops, roughly 1650 to 1910.
A focused answer to the instruments and texture of the concerto in OCR GCSE Music J536 Area of Study 2, covering the growth from the small Baroque string ensemble with continuo to the large Romantic orchestra, the changing solo instruments, and the solo-tutti texture.
Sources & how we know this
- OCR GCSE (9-1) Music (J536) specification — OCR (2016)
- OCR GCSE Music (J536) Listening and Appraising guidance — OCR (2016)