Listening Exercise 8 Musical Form

Musical Form

“The Star-Spangled Banner” (not included in our recordings) has one of the simplest forms, a a b. “Oh, say can you see . . . the twilight’s last gleaming” is a, “Whose broad stripes . . . gallantly streaming” is the second a, and the rest of the anthem is b. Section b makes a definite contrast with a by means of its new melody and higher range, as we’ve seen on page 26.

When sections of music are not identical but are considered essentially parallel, they are labeled a, a′, a″, and so on. The first theme of Schubert’s String Quartet in A Minor is in a a′ a″ form.
0:00 a Melancholy
0:21 a′ Begins like a, but the melody lasts longer and goes higher and lower than in a
0:47 a″ The beginning now turns luminously to the major mode.

Smaller form elements (a, b, a′) can be nested in larger ones, marked with capital letters: A, B, A′. A more extended example comes from an all-time classical favorite, the Christmas ballet The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky used the “Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy” mainly to show off the celesta, a rare instrument (see page 17). The A B A′ form of the dance breaks down into a a′ b b a a′.
0:00 Introduction: The 2/4 meter is previewed by low stringed instruments.
0:08 A a Solo for celesta, with comments by a bass clarinet
0:23 a′ Begins like a, but the ending is different — on a new pitch and harmony
0:37 B b Contrast with a
0:44 b
0:51 Transition: The music has a preparatory quality.
1:07 A′ a Celesta an octave higher, with a quiet new click in the violins; the high celesta is a very striking sound.
1:22 a′

The new orchestration is what gives this A B A′ form its prime mark — not changes in melody or harmony, as is usually the case. More strictly, the form could be marked introduction A (a a′) B (b b) transition A′ (a″ a″), but this level of detail is seldom needed.