A typical example of the Classical sonata form is quite evident in Mozart’s Piano Sonata in Bb major, which has clearly defined exposition, development and recapitulation sections. Tonally, Mozart’s sonata also goes where expected – he starts in the tonic (Bb major) and modulates to F major around half way through continuing in F until the end of the exposition, ending on a perfect cadence in F to cement the tonality. Throughout the development, the tonal centre is challenged which leaves a sense of insecurity. This is achieved through the use of chromaticism, dissonances and chords such as secondary dominants. The stormy development then resolves itself back to Bb major and F respectively which continues until the end of the piece. This fits with the classical conception of sonatas, and what they were expected to be; Mozart uses totally functional harmony, modulating to the keys he was expected to, and yet somehow creates a work which leaves the listener guessing as to what’s coming next.
The tonality of the sarabande can also be said to be typical of the period it represents. Unlike within the sonata, there are no passages of tonal insecurity. J.S.Bach remains firmly within related keys; in the A section we stay solidly in the tonic and dominant (D and A major respectively), before modulating to closely related keys in quick succession (B minor, E minor and A minor). We then end the B section in D major on a perfect V-I cadence, another feature typical of tonal writing. The exceptions to this generalisation can be seen in bar 23 in the form of a Neapolitan 6th chord which is a far cry from the general use of chords I, IV and V, although acoustically this doesn’t stand out.
Texturally, both of them can be said to differ quite dramatically. In the sarabande, we can quite clearly see contrapuntal writing; however there is a hint of homophony shown in the B section where bass is more akin to the outlines of chords than something that could be played as a self-sufficient melody. This shows how writing bordering the Late Baroque and Early Classical periods can often show a balance of the two styles. It was in fact quite like J.S.Bach to use a well known technique (contrapuntal writing) and fuse it with something then seen as more experimental (homophony). Thematically, there is a quite obvious ‘theme’ (albeit very short) which consists of two demisemiquavers and a dotted quaver, all descending a tone at a time. This is then manipulated quite extensively by inversion, intervallic augmentation, repetition and sequential repetition. This was known as ‘fortspinnung’, translated from German as ‘the spinning out of an idea’, again very common of the period the piece originated in, although less so in the Classical period. A more common practice of the Classical period was the use of clearly defined themes, which were then manipulated generally by modulation, although sometimes by intervallic modification. However, despite these changes, these were always recognisable as the theme. Another aspect typical of the Classical period, as seen in this piano sonata, are certain bass figurations such as the arpeggically figured block chords, and even the almost cliché Alberti bass.
Another rather stylistic feature of J.S.Bach which can be seen in this Sarabande is his frequent use of suspensions. These are seen on the second beat of the piece (a 7-6 suspension) as well as at the end of the A section. These are seen in abundance throughout many of his other works. In this sarabande he also uses two secondary dominants although these are inconspicuous and don’t interrupt the overall harmonic flow. In general, it can be said that the harmony is functional and diatonic, a feature very common of the Late Baroque period as music moved away from modality into tonality. This feature of tonal writing can be seen within the Mozart Piano Sonata quite clearly, although the idea of only modulating to strictly related keys dissolved slightly, as can be seen quite clearly in the development section. For example, in bar 70, Mozart abruptly switches from F major to F minor, not so much in the fashion of a modulation, more a dramatic change to the tonic minor. This forms the basis on which Romantic harmony built itself, the notion of harmony not necessarily needing to be ‘theoretically’ sound, or related to the previous key, but existing purely to create different sounds and emotions.
Melodically, the scalic and arpeggic contours of J.S.Bach’s sarabande could not possibly be mistaken for any period other than Baroque. The continuous flowing melody line is something which J.S.Bach strove for in all his works, although this was also a necessity considering the types of instruments he was writing for. The sparse ornamentation is herald of the impending transition into the Classical period; of the ornamentation that has been included, such as mordents and an appoggiatura, are all notated using the symbols, instead of the fully notated tradition of the earlier Baroque periods. The Mozart piano sonata on the other hand includes a grand variety of suspensions, appoggiaturas and trills amongst other ornamentations and dissonances, all of which is notated in the shortened versions. This clearly marks the transition into the Classical period. A feature quite typical of not only the Classical period, but also of Mozart himself, is the bar long trill over chord V (7) of a perfect cadence, as can be seen in bar 58. As both melodies can be said to be inherently scalic and arpeggic, there must be some other melodic factor which differentiates a Late Baroque melody from a Classical melody. The most defining difference seems to be the complexity of the melody line; a classical melody tends to be a lot lighter and clearer opposed to a generally denser Baroque melody line. This could largely be due to the instruments available; in order to achieve a continuous sound on a harpsichord, continuous streams of notes were needed, whereas with the introduction of the piano (and consequentially the sustain pedal) melodies could retain their shape without the need of continuous streams of notes. In addition to this, Classical pieces tend to be much more homophonic in texture, which affects the tone of the melody.
On the point of ornamentation in Baroque music, especially with regard to performance and free ornamentation, the general practice was in fact not to notate everything to be played. This was a result of the general methods of distributing music in the Baroque era; the majority of composers either knew the performer well, or composed for a specific composer, generally meaning that the performer could be instructed by the composer. In terms of performance in the modern day, the concept of an authentic performance is quite literally impossible without written manuscripts, or a recording of the composer, which in this case is also impossible. A view which I thoroughly agree with is that ‘’an authentic’ performance, rather than recreating the past, states its own sense of the contemporary through its current perspective on the past’ [5]. To begin with, the majority of modern recordings can’t possibly to sound anything like the original as they are played upon a modern piano, when modern pianos didn’t exist in the Late Baroque period. Also, none idiomatic writing was common within the Baroque period and so, although it’s apparent the piece is for a keyboard instrument, the specific one is not stated. This is well illustrated in the recording of this sarabande by Wolfgang Rubsam. For example, in the repeat of the A section, he begins with an upward ‘flourish’ in the form of a scalic run from A to E which isn’t notated. In the remaining part of the passage, he frequently uses rubato, pauses, and adds in extra ornamentation such as mordents and trills. As recordings weren’t possible when the J.S.Bach specified his intentions, and ornamentation wasn’t written on the score for that very reason, it is impossible to gauge how close Wolfgang Rubsam’s performance is to what J.S.Bach intended. However, I would be inclined to believe that his interpretation of free improvisation is a little indulgent. For example, considering that there are no trills in the rest of the piece, there is nothing to suggest that J.S.Bach would have wanted one in the repeat. Also, considering that Bach strove for a continuous uninterrupted melody line, and that rubato is a predominantly romantic concept, the pauses and rubato in this seem out of place.
Although not as profound a problem as in the Baroque period, the problem of not notating everything still persisted in the Classical period, although not so much concerning ornamentation. Often things omitted from the written score tended to be things such as dynamics and pedalling amongst other things. However in my opinion, in these cases it is much easier to accurately guess what the composer intended, by listening and following the melodic shape and phrasing.
In conclusion, through the analysis of the multitude of features within each piece, it is easy to identify the periods they come from, thus making them excellent examples of the periodic styles of composition. Especially in the case of J.S.Bach’s sarabande, the achievement of managing to create a typically Baroque piece whilst incorporating a personal style and forward thinking compositional trends is a feat unto itself. With regard to the Mozart Piano Sonata, to have created a set of works which are famously known almost 300 years later is proof of their success. The two pieces, both intricate and well written, frequently re-recorded and re-interpreted, stand to show the insurmountably high standards which both composers set in their works and justify why both composers enjoy such popularity so long after their time.
Bibliography
‘The Cambridge Companion to Bach’ (Butt)
‘Bach’ (Boyd)
‘Baroque Music in Focus’ (Benham)
‘Baroque Music: Style and Performance, a Handbook’ (Donington)
‘Mozart the Golden Years’ (Landon)
‘The Mozart Companion’ (Landon and Mitchell)
‘The Oxford Dictionary of Music’ (Kennedy)
‘Music in the Baroque Era’ (Bukofzer)
Citations
[1] – The Oxford Dictionary of Music – Kennedy.
[2] – Bach – Malcolm Boyd
[3] – The Mozart Companion, H.C. Robbins Landon and Donald Mitchell.
[4] - Bach – Malcolm Boyd
[5] – Musicology – The Key Concepts – David Beard and Kenneth Gloag.
