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
Each Section Usually Repeats

Track 01

Mozarts Piano Sonata No. 6 (K.284 III)

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

A2

Track 02

Schubert
Piano
Sonata No.
13 in A
major, D.
664 (Op.
120) I

Track 03

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
B

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

B
B

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
C
(Repeat of (Second
Main
episode)
Theme)

A3
D
(Repeat of (Third
Main
Episode)
Theme)

A4
(Repeat of
Main
Theme)

Typical Exam Questions (Structure and

Form)
Example 01

A1 A2 A1 A2

A1 A2 B A2

A 1 A2 A3 B

A1 A2 B C

AABAA

ABACA

ABCAA

AABA

AABC

ABAB

Track 04

Example 02

AABBA

Track 05

Example 03
Track 06

AABB

Typical Exam Questions (Structure and

Form)
Example 01

A1 A2 A1 A2

A1 A2 B A2

A 1 A2 A3 B

A1 A2 B C

AABAA

ABACA

ABCAA

AABA

AABC

ABAB

Track 04

Example 02

AABBA

Track 05

Example 03
Track 06

AABB

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

Listen to this piece by

Mozart.
You should
recognise the main
theme at the start
(Twinkle Twinkle).
At 34 Seconds, it
moves to the 1st
variation
At 1min 03secs, it
moves to the 2nd
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?

Theme and Variations

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.
Pachelbels Canon in D
Track 08

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 AfricanAmerican 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 17th/ 18th 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
A1

A2

Minuet 1

Trio

Minuet 1

Contrasting tune, key and

texture

Repeat of minuet, but

without internal repeats

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