Beginning with a brief review of melodic concepts from Chapter 4, this chapter turns to a more thorough treatment of motivic development procedures, such as retrograde, inversion, augmentation, diminution, and fragmentation, and their use in the creation of phrases, period structures, and leitmotifs. You will also be introduced to a variety of musical forms from common-practice styles, jazz, and popular music, including binary form, ternary form, sonata form, AABA song form, 12-bar blues form, and verse-chorus form.
11.1 Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 2 no. 1, mvt I, mm. 1-811.3 Sentence structure in Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 111.4 Beethoven, Sonatina in F Major, mvt. II, mm. 1-6, parallel period structure
11.5 Period-like structure in “Autumn Leaves” by Kosma/Mercer/Prévert11.6 Mozart, Eine kleine Nachtmusik, mvt. III, mm. 1-1611.7 Schumann, Wichtige Begebenheit11.8 Sonata form in Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 2 no. 1, mvt. I
11.9 The twelve-bar jazz blues scheme11.10 Rodgers and Hart, “Have You Met Miss Jones?” (lead sheet)11.11 Silverchair, “Straight Lines” verse-chorus form
Flashcards
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leitmotif
a short, distinctive motive or portion of a larger theme that becomes associated with a particular character, place, object, emotion, or idea by consistently recurring along with it in a dramatic setting.
transposition
the repetition of a musical idea at a different pitch level.
fragmentation
the truncation of a motive through subtraction/deletion, the inclusion of rests, or other means.
retrograde
a motivic development technique that refers to the recurrence of a motive in reverse, such that the first note becomes the last note, the second note becomes the penultimate note, and so on.
inversion
a motivic development technique wherein the melodic intervals of a motive are maintained while their directionality is reversed.
augmentation
the lengthening of a motive via a systematic increase in its durational values.
diminution
the reduction of a motive’s length via a systematic decrease in its durational values.
sentence
a phrase that is dedicated to the development of a motive in a specific pattern of presentation and continuation.
antecedent
the initial phrase or set of phrases within a multi-phrase structure that ends in a relatively inconclusive manner, leaving space for the more conclusive consequent phrase(s).
consequent
the final phrase or set of phrases within a multi-phrase structure that ends in a relatively conclusive manner.
period
a multi-phrase structure that features related ideas structured such that the final cadence is the most conclusive.
parallel period
a period whose antecedent and consequent begin in the same way or in a similar manner.
contrasting period
a period whose antecedent and consequent differ significantly.
modulating period
a period that features a change of key within its duration.
three-phrase period
a period that possesses three phrases, typically consisting of a two-phrase antecedent and single consequent phrase.
double period
a period composed of a two-phrase antecedent and two-phrase consequent.
independent phrases
temporally adjacent phrases that do not relate to one another motivically.
phrase group
a set of phrases that cohere in a manner similar to a period, yet do not conclude with a relatively strong cadence.
musical form
the term used to describe the overall shape of a piece, which is created via the combination of sections that contrast one another due to changes in thematic design, harmonic structure, and/or other parameters.
binary form
a two-part form, with contrasting sections that are labeled A and B.
rounded binary
a two-part form featuring a return of the initial theme at the end of the second reprise.
simple binary
a two-part form whose second reprise consists entirely of new material.
ternary form
a form that includes three complete, independent sections that each end with a conclusive cadence.
simple ternary form
a three-part form whose constituent sections (ABA) are composed of phrases and periods that do not represent complete forms themselves.
composite ternary form
a three-part form whose constituent sections are complete binary forms.
sonata
a musical form featuring the exposition of contrasting themes and key areas, the development of themes, and the recapitulation of themes (typically within a single key area).
exposition
the initial formal section within a sonata or fugue that contains the main melodic ideas to be used throughout the form.
primary theme
in a sonata form, the initial theme or group of themes that exists within the tonic key area.
secondary theme
in a sonata form, the theme or group of themes representing a non-tonic key within the exposition.
transition
in a sonata, a subsection whose function is to modulate to the secondary key area within the exposition.
closing area
a subsection within a sonata that takes place after the secondary theme and remains in the secondary key area.
closing theme
a new theme introduced within the closing area of a sonata, after the secondary theme yet within the secondary key area.
codetta
a short, post-cadential subsection within a musical form that clearly and emphatically terminates the larger formal section without introducing any new, substantial thematic material.
recapitulation
an altered restatement of a piece’s exposition section (such as in a sonata or fugue) in the tonic key.
development
the initial part of the B section in a sonata form that often features the extensive motivic manipulation of earlier themes (though some developmental sections develop new material that is not necessarily associated with any previous theme).
retransition
a subsection within a musical form that sets up the return of the tonic key, often via a dominant pedal.
introduction
a formal section that takes place at the outset of a piece, prior to the exposition of the piece’s primary themes (or, in the case of pop/rock music, prior to the song’s first verse).
coda
a substantial, post-cadential subsection within a musical form that clearly and emphatically terminates the larger formal section while often introducing new thematic material or developing earlier themes.
bridge
the main contrasting section within a song form.
head
the composed melody of a jazz composition.
solos
a term used in jazz to describe the main body of the common head/solos/head out form, wherein individual instrumentalists take turns improvising over one or more choruses apiece.
head out
the final performance of the head in a jazz form.
verse-chorus form
the standard form in popular music, featuring primary verse and chorus sections that are paired together to form a large, repeated A section that is contrasted by a bridge section (B).
verse
a formal section in a pop song that typically features different lyrics each time it recurs, while the music remains the same (or is similar).
chorus
a section in a pop song that returns several times throughout the form, usually with the same lyrics and music each time; the chorus often includes the song’s main hook. In jazz, however, a chorus describes one complete instance of the tune’s form.
hook
a memorable motivic/thematic unit in a popular song.
interlude
a contrasting section within a popular song that is similar to a bridge but is entirely instrumental.
pre-chorus
a transitional section that is formally positioned before the chorus in a popular song.
link
a short instrumental passage within a popular song that is transitional in nature.
outro
an instrumental section that serves as a popular song’s conclusion.
