Another free lesson on musical form in this “Everything You Want to Know About Learning to Read Music” series… (continuation from the last post)
Binary and ternary forms have served composers as basic structures for numerous compositions. These forms can also become the building blocks for more elaborate musical structures. In theme and variation form, the composer presents a musical idea that is repeated several times. Each repetition varies the material and builds in complexity. We can represent this form as:
A A’ A” …
The first A section, the ‘theme’, may have its own binary or ternary structure, for example:
| A | A’ | A” |
| | : a : | | :b: || | | :a’: | | :b’: || | | :a ”: | | :b”: || |
Other larger forms exhibit similar modes of construction. In rondo form, the first main section of music repeats at least three times. These repetitions are contrasted with new material, each having its own internal structure:
A B A C A
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