Rhythm in Baroque music

Menno Rubingh (c) 2000

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Rhythm patterns in specific kinds of Baroque

pieces
Most of the Baroque pieces in which interesting ``counter-rhythms'' are present are
pieces which also have a fairly rigid phrase structure. The rhythmical pattern
imposed or added on to the basic beat of the piece, repeats in each successive phrase.
To figure out the rhytmical aspects of a piece, it is necessary to have a clear picture
about how the phrase structure of the piece fits together. But conversely, hearing
some familiar rhythmical pattern happen in a piece, is also a help towards uncovering
the piece's phrase structure.
Most Baroque pieces in which interesing rhythmical things are happening are the so-
called ``dance-forms'' in ``suites'', such as menuets, allemandes, gavottes, and so on.
However, many Baroque pieces which are not labelled as any of the ``dance forms'',
do nevertheless exhibit the phrasing and rhythmical characteristics of one of the
``dance forms''. In pieces often called ``fantasies'', it also occurs that some newly
invented variant or amalgam of the ``dance-form'' rhythms and phrase structures is
used.
Some of the dance forms which use triple meters are:
Menuets. Each phrase is 8 bars long, each bar consists of 3 beats. The sequence of 8
bars forming a phrase always is made up out of two sub-phrases of 4 bars each. In
most menuets, the first of these two sub-phrases is further divided into two small
phases of 2 bars each, but the second of two sub-phrases of 4 bars is a unit as a whole
and has a ``counter-rhythm'' pattern precisely in the middle of it. The first two sub-
phrases of 2 bars are often much alike, and are e.g. repeats of the same harmonic
``theme''; and the phrase of 4 bars at the end forms a kind of ``finale'' to the whole 8-
bar phrase. Like this:
' ' '
| o o o | o o o | o o o | o o o | o o o | o o o | o o o | o o o |
 > >> > >> > \_/ \___/ \_/ >>
> > >
\............/ \.........../ \.........................../

' = Mark showing the start/end of larger (sub-)phrases

\.../ = Bracket encompassing a small phrase
> = Accent within a (sub-)phrase
>> = Final strong beat of a (sub-)phrase
\___/ = Bracket highlighting the group of beats that forms the
local ``counter-rhythm''

Sometimes, however, the ``counter-rhythm'' pattern is present in both of the two 4-bar
sub-phrases of the 8-bar phrases, like this:
' ' '
| o o o | o o o | o o o | o o o | o o o | o o o | o o o | o o o |
> \_/ \___/ \_/ >> > \_/ \___/ \_/ >>
> > > > > >
\.........................../ \.........................../

Endings. At this point, it is expedient to insert a small diversion into this section on
``dance forms''. The above pattern of 4 bars of 3 beats each, the middle two bars of
which form a hemiola of 2+2+2 beats, is a kind of ``standard pattern'' in triple meter
Baroque music. Very, very often, endings of triple meter pieces which are not
``dance forms'' and which otherwise do not show remarkable rhythmical features, are
made up of precisely this 4-bar rhythmical pattern:
' '
... | o o o | o o o | o o o | o o o || (end)
> \_/ \___/ \_/ >>
> > >

This happens often even in post-Baroque pieces in Western ``classical'' music. In

Handel (who is a late-Baroque composer), this ending occurs in nearly all triple-
meter pieces. This rhythmical pattern could be said in some ways to serve as a kind
of ``signal'' with the meaning ``this is the end of the piece''; in this way it is similar to
the very familiar and pervasive variants dominant-septime chord sequences in
endings of music. These harmonic and rhythmical patterns seem to help to give the
listener the necessary idea of ``satisfaction'' and ``conclusiveness'' at the end of a
piece.
We now go on with some other examples of triple-meter ``dance-forms''.

Gigues. Gigues are triple-meter pieces in which the phrases are 4 bars long, each bar
having 3 beats. Our familiar ``standard pattern'' occurs in each of these 4-bar phrases,
in its familiar position right in the middle of the phrase, like this:
 ' ' '
... | o o o | o o o | o o o | o o o | o o o | o o o | o o o | o o o | ...
> \_/ \___/ \_/ > > \_/ \___/ \_/ >
> > > > > >
\.........................../ \.........................../

This is the same diagram as the 2nd one in the section above on menuets, but note
that in the gigue, the ``counter-rhythm'' is present in each phrase of 4 bars. As we see
from the above diagram, this has as a result that actually half of the bars of the piece
have this ``counter-rhythm'' imposed on them, and also that there is a constant and
regular alternation between sections of 6 beats of triple-meter and sections of 6 beats
of duple-meter. In gigues, however, the triple meter is always still everywhere firmly
the most promiment rhythm -- the duple-meter sections are felt to be slight local
features added on top of the on-going triple-meter beat which always stays firmly in
charge; it is not felt that the duple meter actually temporarily sometimes takes over
from the triple meter.

Courantes. This same regular alternation between 6 beats of triple meter and 6 beats
of duple meter is present in courantes. Courantes are among the most rhythmically
interesting kinds of Baroque pieces. Basically, the rhythmical pattern of most
courantes is the same as that of the gigue as shown above, and the length of the
phrases in courantes is also 12 beats as in gigues. However, courantes are written
down most often in 6-beat meters (which makes each phrase therefore 2 bars long);
and the start and end of the phrases relative to the basic beat of the piece, and the
position of the ``counter-rhythm'' within the phrases, is often different in courantes
than in menuets and gigues. Courantes, when written in 6-beat meters, always
basically have one 6-beat bar of triple meter (i.e., 3+3), alternating with one 6-beat
bar of duple meter (i.e., 2+2+2). The duple-meter sections always entirely fill the 6-
beat measure, and are present only within these bars. Thus:

o | o o o o o o | o o o o o o | o o o o o o | o o o o o o | o ...
> > \_/ \___/ \_/ > > \_/ \__/ \_/ >
> > > > > >

The alternation between a bar of 2+2+2 and a bar of 3+3 is the hallmark of a
courante. In the courante, in the duple meter bars, the duple meter does entirely take
over from the triple meter. The courante seems to be the kind of piece in which two
competing rhythms are treated with the most equality. Listening to a courante, it is in
fact often very hard to decide whether the piece predominantly has a duple or a triple
meter ! The listener very often experiences a kind of interesting indeterminacy as to
what bar is intended to be in duple meter and what bar in triple meter. In my opinion,
this is an aspect of the courante form that is often used by composers to make their
courante pieces more interesting. The courante in a way could perhaps be said to be a
piece that maximizes the ``play'' with competing triple and duple meters in the same
piece.
The actual position of the phrases (which are always 12 beats long) within this
rhythmical pattern, i.e., the position of the ``full stops'' between the phrases within the
above rhythmical pattern, is often different between different courantes. The phrases
can begin with a duple-meter section, but in other courantes the phrases can begin
with a triple-meter section. Therefore, the piece as a whole can either begin with a
duple-meter section or with a triple-meter section. When studying a new piece from
printed music, some experimentation may be necessary to determine what seems to
``fit'' or ``sound'' best. However, it is always the case that within the same piece, the
basic phrase structure, is fixed and is basically repeated over and over.
There do however often occur variations on the rhythmical structure within a
courante, often in the middle of the piece, such as insertion of 12-beat long sections
with either a duple or triple meter throughout, or a repeat of the final 6-beat half of a
preceding phrase. After such a rhythmical ``excursion'' however, the initial
rhythmical and phrasing pattern is always resumed again to finish the piece.

Some of the dance forms which use duple meters are:

Gavottes. Gavottes have phrases of 8 beats long each. Regarding the quick pace of
gavottes, these phrases are rather short in duration; most often these 8-beat phrases
occur in pairs which together form longer phrases of 16 beats. Gavottes are written
in bars with 4 beats each. The ``full stops'' between 8-beat phrases occur exactly in
the middle of a bar. The phrasing and rhythmical struture is like this:
' ' '
o o | o o o o | o o o o | o o o o | o o
\_______/ \____/ >> \_______/ \____/ >>
> > > >
\......................./ \....................../

> = heavy beat inside a (sub-)phrase

>> = final beat of a (sub-)phrase

Schematically, the rhythm and phrasing of the first 8 beats of the gavotte of J.S.
Bach's French Suite nr. 5 is:
sopr. b g | d e fis g e | b '

bass g g | fis fis e e | d d '

\___________/ \_________/
> > >>
 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 (conting acc. to the meter)
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 (counting acc. to the
\................................../ counter-rhytms)

Often, the ``counter-rhythm'' in the second 8-beat sub-phrase of a 16-beat section

seems to be more marked than in the first 8-beat sub-phrase, in which case the first 8-
beat sub-phrase also often is built up out of two successive 4-beat sub-phrases; in that
case, we therefore have the following pattern in the 16-beat phrase:
' ' '
o o | o o o o | o o o o | o o o o | o o
> >> > >> \_______/ \____/ >>
> >
\........./ \........../ \....................../

Note that, interestingly, this last pattern effectively forms an entirely complementary
version of the menuet rhythmical pattern: duple and triple metric patterns are
exchanged troughout and play complementary roles.

Allemandes. These have phrases of 16 beats long. In most pieces, they are notated
in bars of 4 beats long. The rhythmical and phrasing pattern in allemandes is like
this:
'
o |
o o o o | o o o o | o o o o | o o o
>> >> \_______/ \____/ >>
\......./ \......./ > >
\....................../

> = heavy beat inside a (sub-)phrase

>> = final beat of a (sub-)phrase

After this, the 16-beat rhythmical pattern repeats. Note how the 6-beat hemiola
pattern sits right in front of the final beat of the phrase (= the beat that gets a final
chord), as it always does.
In the middle of a piece, however, it often occurs that phrases of half the above
length, i.e., of 8 beats instead of 16 beats, are used. Potentially, each of those can get
the hemiola rhytm pattern, either strongly or weakly expressed. It is therefore
possible that two of such 8-beat phrases that each show the hemiola rhythm succeed
each other directly, like this:
' ' '
... o o | o o o o | o o o o | o o o o | o o ...
\_______/ \____/ >> \_______/ \____/ >>
> > > >
\....................../ \....................../

J.S. Bach writes Allemandes in bars of 8 beats instead of 4 beats long, like this:
 '
o | o o o o o o o o | o o o o o o o ...
>> >> \_______/ \____/ >>
\......./ \...../ > >
\..................../

Note carefully that in Bach's allemande notation, the heavy final beat of the phrase ,
remarkably enough, falls right in the middle of an 8-beat bar, and that the 6-beat
hemiola patterns always straddle barlines.

Menno RUBINGH (M.Sc.),

Oldenburgstrasse 12
D-38108 Braunschweig
Germany

FUENTE: http://www.rubinghscience.org/music/baroquerhythm1.html consultada el 30 de octubre

de 2019