PART 1: Video Intro

 

All human faces share the same basic form--two eyes, two ears, one nose, one mouth.  Of course we all know what staggering variety comes from that "simple" combination, but what adds to the fascination is how different our perceptions of the same form can be. For instance, I have two children: a son named Luka and a daughter, Allegra.  Half of our friends think that Luka looks exactly like me while the other half insist that he looks just like my husband. Meanwhile everyone seems to have agreed that Allegra looks like me--except for my husband and me. We think she's a mirror image of my mother-in-law!

Luka, 8, and Allegra, 6

Melody, rhythm, harmony, texture-- these are the eyes, ears, nose and mouth of musical form, the compositional elements that contribute to the shape of a song or piece. Obviously, in the hands of a Bob Dylan or Johannes Brahms these same elements are combined in two vastly contrary ways--what adds to the fascination here is how differently we can all perceive the same Dylan tune or Brahms symphony. That 's part of the beauty of form.  It can be crystal clear, and yet it can still leave room for interpretation.

Take, for example, the song Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.  There are two ways we could look at the form.  Using letters of the alphabet to represent the phrases of the song, we can construct two different schematics depending on how you see it: either A-B-A form, or A-B-B-A form. Run the song in your mind or sing it aloud to compare:

 

A	Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star How I wonder what you are  Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky  Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star How I wonder what you are.
B B
A

Personally, I see this song in A-B-A form.  But when I've taught it to my children on the piano, I've always described it as A-B-B-A because the music for the line,  "Up above the world so high" is identical to "Like a diamond in the sky"--and the A-B-B-A scheme helped them remember to repeat that line of music twice. (To tell you the truth, I've also described "Twinkle" to my children as a Ham Sandwich: start with a piece of bread --"A"--, add a piece of ham --"B"--, and another piece of ham --"B"--, and top it all off with another piece of bread --"A."  Sounds crazy but it works!)

To hear the above demonstration of "Twinkle", click here.

The Star Spangled Banner is another really good example of how form can be perceived in different ways, depending on your interpretation. It has one section which is repeated verbatim (note-for-note) to start out with, so let's call that "A." So the initial form is A-A. The first A section starts with "Oh, say can you see..." and the second A section starts with "Whose broad stripes and bright stars..." Then we have "And the rocket's red glare." Now that music is definitely different, so let's call that "B." But then there appears to be one final section, a kind of tail-section, or what we call in music a "coda". Let's call the final section, "C"--"Oh, say does that star spangled banner yet wave..." The final form is: AABC.

Of course, if you wanted to, you could argue that the form is AAB-- when I hear the song those last lines sound important enough to me that I would call them a separate section-- the C section or coda. But perhaps you wouldn't agree-- maybe to you the form is AAB, those last few lines being a part of the B section. As with Twinkle, you can see it either of two ways, and either way is really 'correct.'
 

Your textbook mentions that there are three important elements that go into shaping a musical form:

• repetition
• contrast
• variation

One, two or all three of these elements can be present in a single work.  In Twinkle, the elements of repetition and contrast are both present--contrast in the way the B section differs from A, and repetition within the B section itself, and also in the fact that the A section returns at the end.

Using letters of the alphabet for analyzing form is a common technique, and it's good to get some practice using it. Let's try an experiment.  Listen to the following piece and see if you can come up with a scheme that describes it (don't peek below!):

This was a piece in binary form, with both halves repeated exactly.  We can schematicize it as: A-A-B-B. Now let’s suppose that the repetition of the first "a" phrase had been slightly varied, as was the repetition of the "b" phrase. In that case we would describe the form using superscripts to denote variation, this way: A-A'-B-B'

When we analyze vocal music, the addition of words adds another consideration to how we describe the music.  Some people will use capital letters to represent a refrain in which the music and the words are the same, and lower case letters for a refrain in which the words change while the music stays the same. For instance, let’s take Yesterday, by the Beatles. The refrain music is set to two different sets of words, so we could use lower case letters.

The first time:

Yesterday--all my troubles seemed so far away Now it looks as though they're here to stay Oh I believe in Yesterday.

The second time, the same music has different words:

Yesterday--love was such an easy game to play Now I need a place to hide away Oh I believe in Yesterday.

But with a song like Bob Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind, we would use capital letters for the refrain to show that the music and words are the same each time they come back.

The answer my friend, is blowin' in the wind,  the answer is blowin' in the wind.

The refrain is sometimes called the "hook" in pop music- a great descriptor, because that’s usually the part that "hooks" the listener on the song.

A very common form is ABA form, which will figure prominently when we get to the music of the Baroque, when it was used in songs called "arias."  Sometimes ABA form is called da capo form because there is a marking of "da capo" at the end of the B section ("da capo" translates roughly as, "go to the head of the piece," or repeat the A section again). In "da capo arias" when the "A" section came back, the singer often improvised embellishments and ornaments in the music, or otherwise varied it, so that the form might best be described ABA'.

Though ABA form was particularly popular during the Baroque period it has never really gone out of style.  If you like the singer Suzanne Vega, try listening to her song, In My Book of Dreams, which is roughly in ABA form.  Approximately 1'30" into the song you'll find the transition to the "B" section.

Rondo is another common form found in instrumental music: A B A C A D A E A F, etc., as far as the composer wants to take it. Here’s an example by the 18th century --see if you can count up how many returns of the "A" there are:

(The "A" section above was played 4 times in all, so the shape was: A B A C A D A)

Modulation as a Determinant of Form

All of the schematics we used above describe musical forms that are pretty much direct and unambiguous. But there are many forms that are not as easy to tag with letters or schematics--forms that depend on modulation to delineate sections or areas of music.  A great example of this is the 12-bar blues, which is the basis not only for the blues, but for much Rock as well.

The 12-bar blues starts with the tonic chord, goes to the subdominant, back to the tonic, to the dominant, and back to the tonic, like this:

Now here's a 'stripped down' version--just the bass line-- of what you see above.  Isolating the bass line this way will make it easier to follow the harmonic progression and will help you to find the '12 bar blues' in other songs.  When you listen to the example, count to yourself (or aloud) like this:

TONIC: 1-2-3-4/  1-2-3-4/  1-2-3-4/  1-2-3-4/
SUBDOMINANT: 1-2-3-4/  1-2-3-4/
TONIC:  1-2-3-4/  1-2-3-4/
DOMINANT:  1-2-3-4/  1-2-3-4/
TONIC:  1-2-3-4/  1-2-3-4/

Sometimes you find a IV chord (called the Subdominant) inserted between the V chord and I chord at the end, to ease the progression from V to I.  Here's a 'stripped down' version--again, just the bass line-- of how that might sound.  As above, try to follow along with the progressions, counting your way through 12 bars with four beats in each bar.

Now, let's listen to an excerpt of the famous "West End Blues" with the historic trumpeter Louis Armstrong.  This is a great example for you to listen to because the piano part is very exposed-- so you'll be able to follow the basic floorplan of the 12-bar blues more easily. Listen along and count like you did above in the first 12-bar blues example.

The 12-bar blues is set up so that it starts in the tonic, moves away, and then returns to the tonic. The AABB binary piece you heard above was set up so that the A section started in the tonic and modulated to the dominant, while the B section started off in the dominant and worked its way back to the tonic.  Remember that the tonic represents "home base," while the dominant represents a departure, so this idea of 'starting in the tonic, moving away, and then returning' is common to lots of musical forms.

Sonata Form

When you're listening to instrumental music it can be challenging to find your way around.  Some forms, such as Sonata Form, have more obvious landmarks that help you get your bearings. Sonata form is very close to a cross between binary form and ABA.  It is made up of 3 sections: Exposition, Development, and Recapitulation. It starts out with the exposition in the tonic and usually--though by no means always--presents two contrasting themes, the second of which modulates to the dominant.  The next section--called the development--starts out in the dominant and modulates freely, working its way back to the tonic and to the opening theme. The moment that the opening theme comes back is a major landmark often recognized by listeners--called the recapitulation--that helps listeners realize that they are on the homestretch to the end of the movement.

Think of Sonata form as basically a shape-- a very popular shape that composers through the ages have used to organize their thoughts. It is a very useful shape, and one that can even be employed successfully for things other than music. For example, it is very similar to what you learn when you take a class in English Composition, or Speech Writing.

1) Let's say I'm giving a speech. I need to first STATE the premise-- i.e., "I'm going to talk to you today about Trees." In this opening section (what we call the EXPOSITION) I lay out several of the themes that I will discuss in my speech, i.e., "There are different types of trees which grow in this region, and which need protection. For instance, there is the blue pine, and the evergreen. We also have deciduous trees, or 'trees that lose their leaves.' We must protect the trees of this region so that we can continue to enjoy them well into the future."

Professor Kobler

2) After I've laid out the basic ideas I'll start to develop them-- this equates with our DEVELOPMENT section, i.e., "Trees can go through changes during the seasons. The deciduous trees will have their leaves turn colors, dry out, and then fall off. Environmental pollutants can have a major impact on these trees."

3) After the development of the ideas I will sum up the speech for my listeners, so that they will feel a sense of closure and understanding-- this is the equivalent of the RECAPITULATION, when we bring back the opening ideas, in the original key-- i.e., "In conclusion, we must protect the trees of this region so that we can continue to enjoy them well into the future."

Does that make sense?

Sonata form movements come in all shapes, sizes, and varieties.  Here's a short one you can hear below to practice listening for the various landmarks, such as the two contrasting themes, the modulation to the dominant, the development section with its free modulations, and the recapitulation.

Exposition: Has two main ideas. The second one starts at 24.2 seconds. Note how 'different' this second theme sounds-- it is actually in the dominant, and the composer has, with this theme, modulated to the dominant.
Development: starts approximately at 55.3 seconds.
Recapitulation: starts at 1 minute, 14 seconds into the piece. You probably recognized this moment. If you're sitting in a concert hall, and the recapitulation comes, that's the time that people will get their car keys out, slip their shoes on again, and get ready to clap and go-- in other words, it sends you real signals of summing up the piece! It is the musical equivalent to, "In conclusion..."
click here to hear the above example and follow along with the form

We'll be working more on sonata form when we study the late 18th century, during which time it became a major tool of composers.

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