[Listening extract audio not available in printed QP] (a) What are two instruments, other than strings, heard in a typical Baroque orchestra. [2] (b) Descri...

(a) Two instruments, other than strings, heard in a typical Baroque orchestra include any two from the following [2]:

• Oboe - a double-reed woodwind instrument with a penetrating, bright tone, commonly used in Baroque orchestras
• Trumpet - the natural (valveless) trumpet was used for festive and ceremonial music, often in brilliant, high-register passages
• Recorder - a woodwind instrument with a soft, sweet tone, used both as an orchestral instrument and a soloist
• Flute - the Baroque traverso (transverse flute), made of wood, with a gentler tone than the modern metal flute
• Bassoon - a double-reed instrument providing bass support in the woodwind section
• Timpani - large kettledrums often paired with trumpets in festive or ceremonial passages
• Harpsichord - the primary keyboard instrument, providing harmonic support as part of the continuo

(b) Three features that identify the passage as Baroque rather than Classical or Romantic include any three from the following [3]:

• Ornaments such as trills and appoggiaturas decorating the melody - Baroque music makes extensive use of melodic ornamentation, far more than Classical or Romantic styles
• Polyphonic texture with two or more independent melodic lines heard simultaneously - Baroque music favours counterpoint, whereas Classical music tends toward clearer homophony
• Sequences where a melodic or harmonic pattern repeats at different pitch levels - sequential repetition is a hallmark compositional device of the Baroque period
• A harpsichord providing continuous harmonic support beneath the melody - the presence of continuo accompaniment is distinctively Baroque; Classical and Romantic orchestras do not use this practice
• Clear major or minor tonality - while all three periods use tonal harmony, Baroque harmony tends to be more straightforward, without the extended chromaticism of Romantic music
• Regular rhythmic drive with a strong sense of pulse - Baroque music often maintains a steady, motoric rhythm throughout a movement
• Use of imitation between instruments - one instrument echoes a phrase from another, a contrapuntal technique especially prominent in the Baroque
• Contrasts between solo instruments and the full ensemble - the concerto grosso principle of alternating concertino and ripieno is unique to the Baroque period