Music GCSE
Study Guide
Music GCSE
Exam Board: Edexcel
Anish Shah
, AO1 Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, 3rd Movement
• BACH (1685 – 1750) wrote 6 Brandenburg Concertos dedicated to the Margrave of
Brandenburg
• They are examples of concerto grosso meaning a ‘large concerto’ for more than one soloist,
written in three movements usually in the order slow-fast-slow
• This work features two groups of instruments played separately and in combination:
o CONCERTINO – the smaller group of soloists, here the flute, violin and
harpsichord
o RIPIENO – the larger orchestra
• In Baroque music there is a BASSO CONTINUO meaning a continuous bass played by the
harpsichord and low strings
• The harpsichord reads a FIGURED BASS. The bass part is annotated with musical shorthand
indicating the chords to be played above the notes, which in turn gives a clue about the
melody which should be REALIZED (improvised)
• The harpsichordist has five main functions: soloist, part of the continuo, realizing a figured
bass part, completing the harmony, and directing the ensemble
• It was custom in Baroque music to only have one mood expressed in any one movement. This
was known as the affection.
• The music is CONJUNCT with few leaps, uses scalic runs, some rising sequences and
ORNAMENTS such as trills, and appoggiaturas
• In this set work, the mood is UPBEAT AND UPLIFTING, achieved through the GIGUE
dance rhythms (two beats of triplet quavers in the bar) triplet and dotted rhythms, the fast
tempo, the 2/4 metre and the D MAJOR KEY, which suits stringed instruments. The B
section modulates into B MINOR
• In this movement Back explores a number of musical textures. Although it is mainly FUGAL
AND CONTRAPUNTAL, there are also homophonic and monophonic passages
• The movement combines FUGUE AND TERNARY STRUCTURE
• In the opening fugal exposition, the subject and answer enter alternately every two bars. The
exposition ends when the last entry has been made. The music line played at the same time as
the subject is called the countersubject
• Sometimes the entries of subject and answer occur after a shortened duration - after only one
bar (rather than two bars) in this movement - and seem to tumble over one another. This is
called stretto. The effect heightens tension and excitement.
• Common Baroque musical devices include SUSPENSIONS, SEQUENCES AND PEDALS.
• As was the custom of the time, NO DYNAMICS were written into the music. There are
instead terraced dynamics. This means that the music is soft when just a few instruments play
and then loud when all play. There are no crescendos or diminuendos.
, AO1 Ludwig Van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Pathétique, 1st
Movement
• BEETHOVEN (1770 - 1827) composed 32 piano sonatas
• Music for the ROMANTIC ERA often expressed powerful emotions. The title ‘Pathétique’ in
this set work refers to suffering which the movements expresses suing minor keys, dramatic
chords, accented notes, Romantic harmony and strong chords such as diminished sevenths
• Beethoven was a CLASSIC-ROMANTIC COMPOSER as he spanned two stylistic periods in
his lifetime. He was known as a composer who pioneered the Romantic style through his use
of adventurous harmony and extended structures
• The PIANO STARTED TO UNDERGO DEVELOPMENT to strengthen it’s structure and
increase the range of notes during Beethoven’s lifetime to cope with the increases musical
demands that Romantic composers made in their music
• The first movement of the sonata is in sonata from with three sections – EXPOSITION,
DEVELOPMENT AND RECAPITULATION. Unusually, Beethoven opens the piece with a
ten-bar SLOW INTRODUCTION. He also uses four bars from this introduction section at the
start of the development section and the start of the coda
• The two fundamental ideas expressed in sonatas form are repetition and contrast
• Features of the introduction include: HEAVY, ACCENTED CHORDS and right hand floric
melody with chordal accompaniment, the texture is HOMOPHONIC, with the use of
dramatic chords like DIMINISHED SEVENTH CHORDS, ‘GRAVE’ TEMPO
• The exposition includes: FAST tempo, in 2/2 time, contrasting themes in the keys of C
MINOR (first subject) and Eb minor (second subject), SFORZANDOS AND ARPEGGIOS,
tonic pedal in the bass, ‘allegro di molto e con brio’ tempo
• The development includes: begins with a four bars based on introduction, Beethoven
develops the subjects, exploring different keys, ends with 30 bars of dominant preparation,
leading to the recapitulation, TRILLS
• The recapitulation includes: a reprise of the subjects, UNUSUALLY IN F MINOR rather
than C minor of second subject
• The start of the coda features four bars from the introduction and the movement ends with the
first subject in the TONIC KEY OF THE MINOR
• Common use of chromatic CHORDS, PERFECT CADENCES AND AUGMENTED 6TH
CHORDS, ornaments such as mordents, trills and acciaccaturas
• Continuous QUAVER SEQUENCES, STACCATO CROTCHETS, RAPID RHYTHMS
AND DOTTED RHYTHMS
Study Guide
Music GCSE
Exam Board: Edexcel
Anish Shah
, AO1 Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, 3rd Movement
• BACH (1685 – 1750) wrote 6 Brandenburg Concertos dedicated to the Margrave of
Brandenburg
• They are examples of concerto grosso meaning a ‘large concerto’ for more than one soloist,
written in three movements usually in the order slow-fast-slow
• This work features two groups of instruments played separately and in combination:
o CONCERTINO – the smaller group of soloists, here the flute, violin and
harpsichord
o RIPIENO – the larger orchestra
• In Baroque music there is a BASSO CONTINUO meaning a continuous bass played by the
harpsichord and low strings
• The harpsichord reads a FIGURED BASS. The bass part is annotated with musical shorthand
indicating the chords to be played above the notes, which in turn gives a clue about the
melody which should be REALIZED (improvised)
• The harpsichordist has five main functions: soloist, part of the continuo, realizing a figured
bass part, completing the harmony, and directing the ensemble
• It was custom in Baroque music to only have one mood expressed in any one movement. This
was known as the affection.
• The music is CONJUNCT with few leaps, uses scalic runs, some rising sequences and
ORNAMENTS such as trills, and appoggiaturas
• In this set work, the mood is UPBEAT AND UPLIFTING, achieved through the GIGUE
dance rhythms (two beats of triplet quavers in the bar) triplet and dotted rhythms, the fast
tempo, the 2/4 metre and the D MAJOR KEY, which suits stringed instruments. The B
section modulates into B MINOR
• In this movement Back explores a number of musical textures. Although it is mainly FUGAL
AND CONTRAPUNTAL, there are also homophonic and monophonic passages
• The movement combines FUGUE AND TERNARY STRUCTURE
• In the opening fugal exposition, the subject and answer enter alternately every two bars. The
exposition ends when the last entry has been made. The music line played at the same time as
the subject is called the countersubject
• Sometimes the entries of subject and answer occur after a shortened duration - after only one
bar (rather than two bars) in this movement - and seem to tumble over one another. This is
called stretto. The effect heightens tension and excitement.
• Common Baroque musical devices include SUSPENSIONS, SEQUENCES AND PEDALS.
• As was the custom of the time, NO DYNAMICS were written into the music. There are
instead terraced dynamics. This means that the music is soft when just a few instruments play
and then loud when all play. There are no crescendos or diminuendos.
, AO1 Ludwig Van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Pathétique, 1st
Movement
• BEETHOVEN (1770 - 1827) composed 32 piano sonatas
• Music for the ROMANTIC ERA often expressed powerful emotions. The title ‘Pathétique’ in
this set work refers to suffering which the movements expresses suing minor keys, dramatic
chords, accented notes, Romantic harmony and strong chords such as diminished sevenths
• Beethoven was a CLASSIC-ROMANTIC COMPOSER as he spanned two stylistic periods in
his lifetime. He was known as a composer who pioneered the Romantic style through his use
of adventurous harmony and extended structures
• The PIANO STARTED TO UNDERGO DEVELOPMENT to strengthen it’s structure and
increase the range of notes during Beethoven’s lifetime to cope with the increases musical
demands that Romantic composers made in their music
• The first movement of the sonata is in sonata from with three sections – EXPOSITION,
DEVELOPMENT AND RECAPITULATION. Unusually, Beethoven opens the piece with a
ten-bar SLOW INTRODUCTION. He also uses four bars from this introduction section at the
start of the development section and the start of the coda
• The two fundamental ideas expressed in sonatas form are repetition and contrast
• Features of the introduction include: HEAVY, ACCENTED CHORDS and right hand floric
melody with chordal accompaniment, the texture is HOMOPHONIC, with the use of
dramatic chords like DIMINISHED SEVENTH CHORDS, ‘GRAVE’ TEMPO
• The exposition includes: FAST tempo, in 2/2 time, contrasting themes in the keys of C
MINOR (first subject) and Eb minor (second subject), SFORZANDOS AND ARPEGGIOS,
tonic pedal in the bass, ‘allegro di molto e con brio’ tempo
• The development includes: begins with a four bars based on introduction, Beethoven
develops the subjects, exploring different keys, ends with 30 bars of dominant preparation,
leading to the recapitulation, TRILLS
• The recapitulation includes: a reprise of the subjects, UNUSUALLY IN F MINOR rather
than C minor of second subject
• The start of the coda features four bars from the introduction and the movement ends with the
first subject in the TONIC KEY OF THE MINOR
• Common use of chromatic CHORDS, PERFECT CADENCES AND AUGMENTED 6TH
CHORDS, ornaments such as mordents, trills and acciaccaturas
• Continuous QUAVER SEQUENCES, STACCATO CROTCHETS, RAPID RHYTHMS
AND DOTTED RHYTHMS
