IES Las Encinas 1º de ESO Proyecto Bilingüe

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Unit 7: Musical form

Index:

1. Some musical forms…

2. Musical form in popular music

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Basic vocabulary

Block /capital letters: letras mayúsculas.

Bridge: puente.

Chorus: estribillo.

Scheme: esquema.

Stanza: copla.

Strophic form: forma estrófica.

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Musical form is the structure of a musical composition. Musical form depends on the disposition of certain structural units successively in time. The main units in a musical composition are the sections and we are going to mark them using block letters (A, B, C...). The relationship between the sections is the logic of the form and can be repetition, variation and contrast, the three fundamental characteristics of musical form.

1. Some musical forms...

• Strophic form (AAAA...)

In music, strophic form is a way of structuring a piece of music based on the repetition of one formal section. A work in strophic form may be analyzed as A A A... or A A' A".... Most folk and popular songs are strophic in form

A A` A” …

• Binary form

Binary form uses two sections (AB...); each section is often repeated (AABB...)

A B

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• Ternary form

Ternary form has three parts. In Western classical music a simple ternary form has a third section that is a recapitulation of the first (ABA). Often the first section is repeated (AABA)

A B A

• Rondo form

Rondo form has a recurring theme alternating with different (usually contrasting) sections called episodes. It may be asymmetrical (ABACADAEA) or symmetrical (ABACABA).

A B A C A B A

• Variational forms

Variational forms are those in which variation is an important formative element. Theme and Variations is a theme, which in itself can be of any shorter form (binary, ternary, etc.) and is repeated indefinitely (as in strophic form) but is varied each time (AA1A2A3A4A5A6).

A A1 A2 A3 …

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2. Musical form in popular music

The structures or musical forms of songs in popular music are typically sectional forms, such as strophic form. The more common parts are:

• Introduction

The introduction is a unique section that comes at the beginning of the piece.

• Stanza or verse

In music, a stanza, or verse, is a poem set with a recurring pattern of both rhyme and meter. Normally verses have the same structure but different lyrics.

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• Chorus

Chorus is used to mean the refrain of a song, which often sharply contrasts the verse melodically, rhythmically, and harmonically, and assumes a higher level of dynamics and activity, often with added instrumentation. Normally a chorus will repeat the music and lyrics.

• Bridge

In song writing, a bridge is an interlude that connects two parts of that song, building a harmonic connection between those parts.

• Instrumental Solo

A solo is a section of reduced instrumentality designed to feature a single performer. A break is an instrumental or percussion section that forms an interlude during a song.

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Exercise 1: translate the following terms and fill in the blanks using them.

Logic of the form:

Sections:

Variation:

Structure:

Repetition:

Structural units:

Capital / Block letters:

Contrast:

Musical form is the __________________ of a musical composition. Musical form depends on the disposition of certain _______________________successively in time. The main units in a musical composition are the________________ and we are going to mark them using __________________(A, B, C...). The relationship between the sections is the _______________________and can be ______________, ______________and________________, the three fundamental characteristics of musical form.

In your own words, tell me what is musical form?

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Exercise 2: complete the scheme and write the type of musical form 1) ____________________________________ 2) _____________________________________ 3) _______________________________________________ Exercise 3: Match with arrows and put the parts in the correct order.

Stanza / verse

Instrumental Solo

Chorus

Bridge

Introduction

It´s an interlude that connects two parts of that song It´s the refrain of a song

It´s a unique section that comes at the beginning of the piece.

It´s a section of reduced instrumentality It´s a poem set with a recurring pattern of both rhyme and meter