AREA OF STUDY

05:
STRUCTURE AND
FORM
AQA GCSE Music
AREAS OF STUDY
AoS 01: Rhythm and Metre
AoS 02: Harmony and Tonality
A0S 03: Texture and Melody
AoS 04: Dynamics and Timbre
AoS 05: Structure and Form
WHAT IS STRUCTURE
AND FORM?

The way musical ideas are arranged and ordered in a
composition

Needs to have the right balance of repetition and contrast
BINARY
Two sections of roughly equal length
First section (A) is then answered by the second section (B)
Each section is usually repeated
There is usually a modulation (Key Change) in Section A which is
continued into Section B, where there is another modulation changing
the key signature back to the beginning one.
A B
Each Section Usually Repeats
Mozarts Piano Sonata No. 6 (K.284 III)
Track 01
TERNARY
Built up in three sections: A, B, A
Section B contains a contrast in some way to Section A
The repeat of Section A can be exactly the same as the first
time or it may have added detail to make it more interesting
A1 B A2
Schubert
Piano
Sonata
No. 13 in
A major,
D. 664
(Op. 120) I
Track 02
Ternary Example 02
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
ARCH-SHAPE
This form is completely symmetrical
The plan of the music resembles an arch;
A, B, C, B, A

A B C B A
A
B C
B
A
Bartk The 4
th
and 5
th
string
quartets by Bartk are
examples of Arch-Shape being
used.
RONDO FORM

A main theme (A) keeps on returning between contrasting sections
A, B, A, C, A, D, A and so on
The contrasting sections are called episodes (B,C,D etc.)
Remember the Main Section (A) may change slightly each time e.g.
may be made shorter
A1
(Main
Theme)


B1
(First
Episode)


A2
(Repeat
of Main
Theme)

C
(Second
episode)


A3
(Repeat
of Main
Theme)

D
(Third
Episode)


A4
(Repeat
of Main
Theme)

TYPICAL EXAM QUESTIONS
(STRUCTURE AND FORM)
A
1
A
2
A
1
A
2
A
1
A
2
B A
2
A
1
A
2
A
3
B

A
1
A
2
B C

Example 01
Example 02
Example 03
A A B B A

A A B A A

A B A C A

A B C A A

A A B B A A B A A A B C A B A B
Track 04
Track 05
Track 06
THEME AND VARIATIONS

Involves starting a piece with a main theme which is then repeated
several times, but changing or varying each time
May be changed in;
Tempo
Rhythm
Tonality (e.g. major to minor)
Ornaments/ Adding extra notes
Excerpt on next
slide
THEME AND VARIATIONS
Listen to this piece
by Mozart.
You should
recognise the
main theme at
the start (Twinkle
Twinkle).
At 34 Seconds, it
moves to the 1
st

variation
At 1min 03secs,
it moves to the
2
nd
variation
Listen to (and
look if you can)
the main and the
variations. There
are a lot of extra
notes added,
decoration of
notesanything
else?
Video 01 - Theme and
Variation - Mozart/ 12
Variations "Ah, vous
dirai-je, maman" KV
265 (Clara Haskil)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO-ecxHEPqI

GROUND BASS
A melody in the bass (the lowest part) that is repeated
throughout the music
Harmony and Melody may keep changing above the ground
bass
This is a characteristic common of the Baroque Period

GROUND BASS
EXAMPLES
Ground Bass in Classical Music (Baroque);
Used in Baroque music, enabled the composer to achieve unity (togetherness) in the
music
The music shows the same bass part/melody being repeated throughout.
Pachabel's Canon in D

PEDAL
A sustained (held) or repeated note, usually in the bass.
The harmony on top of a pedal note must change while the
pedal note stays the same or it is not a pedal note.
It may be a Tonic pedal or a Dominant pedal note.
CALL AND RESPONSE
A musical phrase is sung by one person or musician and is followed by
a responding phrase by one person or a group of musicians.
Common in traditional African Music and African-American music like
Gospel
Think Oh Happy Day
Used in Blues and Jazz too, often found in musical phrases between
Vocals and an instrument.
Track 07
Oh Happy Day
This is a typical example of Call and Response.
Listen to the interaction between the soloist and the group.
Sung by an African-American Gospel Group.
MINUET AND TRIO FORM
The Minuet is a dance from 17
th
/ 18
th
centuries in 3/4 time, at moderate
tempo
Often performed in the Royal Courts
The Trio is a thinner textured section, often made up of just three
instruments
A B
Contrasting tune, key and
texture
C D
Repeat of minuet, but
without internal repeats
A B
A1 B A2
Minuet 1 Trio Minuet 1
STROPHIC, THROUGH
COMPOSED, DA CAPO
ARIA
All forms used in vocal music;
Strophic
When the same tune is repeated throughout for each verse. Think
hymn tunes or Adeles Make you feel my love
Through-Composed
Opposite of Strophic. When new music occurs for each verse, changing
to reflect different moods or situations described in the lyrics
Aria
A solo singer sings a melody with orchestral accompaniment. Found
frequently through operas.
CYCLIC FORM
Constant repetition of a fixed number of beats or melodic
pattern
During each cycle these patterns can be repeated and
developed through;
improvisation
changes in texture
dynamics
Common in;
African Drumming music, Indian Classical Music (Think of the
Tabla), and Asian Gamelan music World Music

POPULAR SONG FORMS


Popular songs are made up of main sections called;
Verse All verses in popular music are usually the same, repetition of melodies etc. but
there may be a change in terms of more instruments, different words etc.
Chorus Repeated as the main, catchy idea of the song, and is usually repeated
throughout with little change
Bridge
Some may also involve;
Intro
Outro
Fills Common to use drums or guitar to connect sections
Middle 8s 8 Bars in the middle of the song that is sometimes a contrast to the rest of
the song.

POPULAR SONG FORM
12 BAR BLUES
12 Bar song structure used in Blues and other music such as Rock n
Roll, Swing, Jazz etc.
Based on 3 Chords throughout the whole song
The 12 bars are repeated throughout the song.
CHORD I CHORD I CHORD I CHORD I
CHORD IV CHORD IV CHORD I CHORD I
CHORD V CHORD IV CHORD I CHORD I
SONATA FORM
Large scale musical form in 3 parts:

1)Exposition: Characters are introduced

2)Development: Develops ideas such as melody & rhythm. Its
dramatic, usually with many key changes

3)Recapitulation: Brings back musical ideas from exposition
rounded off

Sonata Form really is a large musical form, too long to be tested
aurally through musical excerpts in the exam.but be aware of
the order and names of these 3 parts