Listen to at least one movement of each example, attentively, twice. In your first listening, take notes on staff paper — what kinds of rhythm do you hear? What kinds of melodic contour? Try to write at least four rhythmic “motives,” as defined by Ellis Koss, and try to add specific pitch contour to at least two of them.
Ioana Gandrabur (guitar) plays performs (iv. & v.) Gigue & Double from J.S. Bach’s Suite in C minor for Lute, BWV 997 [score].
Luca Pianca performs (ii., iii., and iv.) Loure, ‘Gavotte & Rondeau’ and Minuet I from J.S. Bach’s Suite in E major for Lute, BWV 1006 [score].
For your second listening, follow along in the score (use a photocopy of a print from an online version). As you listen, mark cadences with a bracket, using a heavy pencil stroke for a strong conclusion, and a lighter touch when cadences seem “internal” or continuous.
How are the motives and the cadences related? Can you find examples of period or double-period structure? Are they parallel, or contrasting? Are there non-periodic sentences? If so, take a moment to recognize how a motive develops through the sentence.