Learn to Play Recorder

Lesson 42: Baroque Sonata Allegro Movement

  • Learn one Baroque sonata allegro movement end-to-end.
  • Apply paired articulation, terraced dynamics, and trills at cadences.

Excerpts teach skills. Complete movements teach music.

From here on, the work is on whole movements. The Allegro is typically the longest, fastest, and densest movement of a Baroque sonata, and learning one is a study in pacing yourself across an extended piece.

The structure to listen for

A Baroque sonata Allegro is usually binary: two repeated halves, the first modulating to the dominant, the second returning home. Identify the main motive in the first bar; you will hear it again, transposed, every few bars.

Method — how to learn a movement

  1. Read through once at half tempo. Identify the main motive and the modulation points.
  2. Practise each half separately. Master each before connecting them.
  3. Mark the cadence points. These are the trill opportunities.
  4. Mark the breath points. Long Baroque phrases want long breaths.
  5. Bring up to tempo in small increments. Do not jump from half-tempo to full.

Drill — sequence and modulation

A one-bar motive repeating two steps higher — the Baroque Allegro's most-used building block.

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Now play these

Choose one and spend two weeks on it.

Telemann: Sonata in C major, TWV 41:C5 — Allegro
The most accessible Allegro in the library.
Telemann: Sonata in F major, TWV 41:F2
F major — pleasant under the fingers.
Telemann: Six Sonatas, TWV 40:101
Methodical sonatas built for the developing player.

When you can play one full Allegro movement end-to-end at tempo with trills at the cadences, move on to Lesson 43.