Music Form

Binary or 2 part Form

 2 part AB
 Example: Row, Row, Row, Your Boat
 Part A (Row, row, row, your boat gently
down the stream)
Part B (Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
life is but a dream)
Ternary or 3 part form
 3 part ABA
 Example – Twinkle, Twinkle
 A- Twinkle……How I wonder what you
are
 B- Up above…..in the sky
 A-Twinkle……How I wonder what you
are.
Theme and Variations
 A A1 A2 A3
 The composer states a theme (A) and
varies it to change the way it sounds
(A1A2A3)
 There is no set number of variations.
Fugue
 Polyphonic composition
 Subject and answer
 Popular during the Baroque period,
especially with Bach.
Round
 Similar to a fugue, a round is a melody
that is done in exact repetition at
different times.
 Example – Row Your Boat
 Also becomes polyphonic texture when
performed as a round
Rondo
 Can be 5 part ABACA or 7 part
ABACABA
 Longer music, used a lot as the 4th
movement in the Classical symphony.
Call and Response
 A group or individual starts with a line
or phrase
 Another group “answers” the call
 Example: cadences used by the
military
Verse and Chorus
 Has a verse that changes, chorus that
remains the same
 Used for hymns and popular music
(both country and rock)
 Example: Jingle Bells
 Verse: Dashing through the snow….
 Chorus: Jingle Bells……..
Sonata Allegro Form
 Similar to ternary, but more extensive
 1st part is the Exposition
 2nd part is the Development
 3rd part is the Recapitulation.
 Often used as the 1st movement in the
Classical Symphony.
Movements of the Symphony
 1st –Fast, heroic movement
Often Sonata allegro form
 2nd – usually slow and lyrical
often theme and variations
 3rd – dance type movement
example- minuet, scherzo
 4th – fast, heroic movement
Rondo form popular