Reference Points for Corelli

Harmony

• Perfect V - I cadence bars 18-19 
• 7ths used often bar 9 beat 1
• Circle of Fifths bars 32-35 (traditional composition device)
• Pedal bar 15-18 (tonic)
• Functional Harmony
• Cadences to Confirm Key
• Chords are mostly in root position bar 6 beat 4 and first inversion bar 7 beat 1
• Frequent use of suspension bar 30 beat 4
• Perfect cadence close both sections i.e. bb 42-43
• Sharpened 6th chord
• Occasional use of second inversion bar 30 beat 1 but immediately resolves to root chord
• Figured bass harmony
• Nearly all diatonic harmony apart from bar 14 beat 4 where a diminished triad is used

Melody

• Simple diatonic, motivic, melodic writing
• Outline of thirds is a consistent feature e.g. bar 1
• Prominent use of sequence e.g rising sequence bar 1 beat 4 - bar 2 beat 3
• Decoration to the melody is often through use of passing notes e.g bar 1 beat 4-6
• Use of inversion bar 5
• Leads to mostly conjunct writing with some small leaps and occasional octave leaps e.g. bar 26 (Violin I) 
• Motivic writing leads to imitation as development bar 11-13
• Stretto (close imitation) bar 20-21

Texture

• 3 parts plus organ for figured bass harmonic support (bar 7 beat 1)
• Monophonic bars 1-2
• Two part bar 3-5 in thirds
• Just 3 parts (no harmonic support) bar 6 beat 4
• 3 part imitation (canonic) bars 11-13
• Stretto (close imitation) bar 20-21
• 2 part canonic writing with harmonic support bar 28-31
• Becomes more contrapuntal from 35 onwards
• Homorhythmic bars 3-4 (rare)
• Polarised texture when the Bass Viol comes in

Rhythm and Meter

• Piece is in compound duple time giving a dance (gigue) like feel
• Majority of the work is based around quavers and semi-quavers with longer notes in other parts bar 15 upper parts
• Clearly syncopated bar 26-27 with a cross rhythm in the top part
• Causes hemiola in bar 27

Tonality

• Functional Tonality
• Moves from D to A 
• B section starts in A major but moves back to D in bar 22
• Goes to E minor in bar 32 (super tonic)

Structure

• The piece is in Binary form with repeats
• Structure is entirely dependent on the motivic cell
• Motif is taken through sequence, inversion, imitation and stretto

Performing Forces

• Instrumentation
• A trio sonata is two instruments plus continuo
• In this case the continuo is a bass part and harmonic support
• The two instruments are Violins
• The continuo is an Organ for the harmonic support (plays figured bass) and a Violone/Bass Viol(large viol/a double bass with frets)
• Repeats have ornamentation on repeats
• Piece is highly idiomatic and under the hand
• Violin I never has to exceed third position with a top D at bar 34
• Range is standard but violin I keeps high tessitura
• Never falls below a C# bar 42
• Violin I leads e.g. bars 1-2 however once entries are in and Violin II bar 3 and continuo are in, everyone has equal parts
• Performance Markings
• Phrasing
• Lack of Staccato
• Legato
• Tenuto
• Dynamics
• Absence of lots of dynamics
• Limited dynamics e.g. bar 30 is piano until bar 32 when it is forte
• Unusual
• No pizzicato
• No double stopping, probably due to the speed of the piece
• No indication of articulation except for bar 1 beat 4-6

Homework: Write paragraphs on all of these (combine if you want) e.g. Structure and Melody, Harmony and Tonality