Baroque Music

Baroque Music
KS3 scheme of work – 6-8 lessons
Objectives
• To listen to music from the Baroque Era (1600-1750) in a variety of genres by several composers
• To perform part of Pachelbel’s Canon on the keyboard
• To compose a melody above the ground bass of Pachelbel’s Canon
Lesson overview
• Lesson 1: Pachelbel’s Canon
• Lesson 2: Scarlatti’s Sonata
• Lesson 3: Bach’s Toccata and Fugue
• Lesson 4: Handel’s Messiah
• Lesson 5: Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas
• Lesson 6: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
• Lesson 7/8: Group composition and performance

N.B. The last two lessons are optional and can be completed in one lesson if necessary.
Vocabulary
• Genres
o Sonata – piece for solo instrument(s) in several movements
o Oratorio - religious story in several movements with singers and orchestra (not staged)
o Opera - non-religious story in several movements with singers and orchestra (staged)
o Concerto – piece for soloist(s) and orchestra in several movements
• Movements within vocal works
o Chorus – where the choir sings
o Aria – a solo song
o Recitative – a style of story-telling, halfway between normal speech and singing
o Overture – a scene-setting piece for the orchestra (without singing)
• Ground bass (ostinato)
• Bass clef and bass stave notation
• Instruments:
o Bowed string family (violin, viola, cello, double bass)
o Keyboard instruments (harpsichord and organ)
Assessment
• Performing: part of Pachelbel’s Canon on the keyboard
• Composing: a melody above the ground bass of Pachelbel’s Canon
• Listening: short exercises on different genres of Baroque music