CTM

10/3/23

Musical Form and Binary Form

Musical Form
⁃ The way musical material is organized into identifiable parts
⁃ Relationship of those parts to each other
⁃ Can refer to pieces, movements, sections within movements, and phrases
within sections
⁃ Individual works usually unique in their use of form, but still have
points in common with others
⁃ "A form" normally means a formal structure for a whole movement (e.g.
sonata form, rondo form, binary form, ternary form)
⁃ Became a big deal in the 19th century; ritualistic, silent audience who
wanted to understand this "Higher art." The length of the concerts necessitated
roadmaps (e.g. programmes & forms) to be able to know where you are when you aren't
paying attention

Balance
⁃ Form in tonal music involves tension and resolution - Typically begins
in tonic, modulates to dominant, returns to tonic
⁃ Rarely ended in a different key from where it began until the end of
the 19th century
⁃ Pattern of incompleteness followed by completeness

Not just themes/melodies, but also:

⁃ Relative cadential strengths
⁃ Rhythmic energy
⁃ Tonal regions
⁃ Contrast/repetition
⁃ Digression and return

Writing tips:
⁃ Long notes on the downbeat at the end of the phrase, but don't follow
it too closely
⁃ Schenkerian - melody is just 3-2-1/5-4-3-2-1 prolongated

Binary form:
⁃ Complete piece or movement that divides into two sections - Theme and
theme-and-variations movements
⁃ Very common and important structure with long history:
⁃ • Dances in Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque music
⁃ • Minuets in Classical era (3rd Movement) - Interspliced with Trio
⁃ • Scherzos in Romantic era (3rd Movement) - Interspliced with Trio
⁃ • Theme of theme-and-variations
⁃ Also known as two-reprise form
⁃ • A repeated section came to be known as a "Reprise"

Simple binary form:

⁃ Two sections, A and B, each normally repeated with repeat marks or
written out twice
⁃ • Different beginnings
⁃ • A ends with HC or PAC in tonic or another key
⁃ • B often begins in non-tonic harmony
⁃ • B ends with PAC in tonic
⁃ Can be short part of a movement
Two types:
 ⁃ Sectional: First A section ends with PAC on tonic of main key - Stands
as a tonally complete section
⁃ Continuous: First A section ends on HC or modulates to another key

Rounded:
⁃ Initial melody from the main A section returns at the end of the final
B section. "Rounds out" the form
E.g.
[Mel.] dig. //[Mel.]
||: A :||: B :||

⁃ The return may be a carbon-copy or changed/shortened

⁃ B section is more exploratory - Digresses from A, less harmonically
stable


Digressions:
1755: German theorist Joseph Riepel described 3 options
⁃ Monte: Mountain to climb; pattern ascending by step
⁃ • Briefly tonicizes other keys, esp. IV, V, and vi
⁃ Fonte: Well to go down into; pattern descending by step
⁃ • Usually tonicizes ii, then back to tonic
⁃ Ponte: Bridge to cross over; extended passage on the dominant
Harmonic prolongation
⁃ Extend waiting time until tonic

Thematic design vs. harmonic design

⁃ If the digression is more independent and stands on its own, rather
than acting as an expansion of the A section, it's more likely ternary
⁃ If it ends on a PAC in the modulated key, it's more like ternary

Balance:
⁃ If the A and B sections have the same ending transposed, it's more
likely continuous binary