The most common forms of music

You must have come across such philosophical concepts as form and content. These words are universal enough to denote the similar sides of the most different phenomena. And music is no exception. In this article you will find a review of the most popular forms of musical works.

Before we name the common forms of musical works, let us decide what is the form in music? The form is that which relates to the construction of the work, to the principles of its structure, to the sequence of musical material held in it.

The form of musicians is understood in two ways. On the one hand, the form is scheme the location of all parts of the musical composition in order. On the other hand, the form is not only a scheme, but also process formation and development in the work of those expressive means that create artny image of the work. What kind of expressive means? Melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, register, and so on. The substantiation of such a double understanding of the essence of the musical form is the merit of the Russian scientist, academician and composer Boris Asafiev.

Forms of music

The smallest structural units of almost any piece of music are motive phrase and sentence. And now we will try to name the main forms of musical works and give them brief characteristics.

Period - This is one of the simplest forms, which is a statement of the complete musical thought. Meets often, as in instrumental, so and in vocal music.

The duration norm for a period is two musical sentences, which take 8 or 16 bars (square periods), in practice there are periods both longer and shorter. The period has several varieties, among which the so-called "deployment type period" and "difficult period".

Simple two and three-part forms - these are forms in which the first part, as a rule, is written in the form of a period, and the rest do not outgrow it (that is, for them the norm is either a period or a sentence).

The middle (middle part) of the three-part form can be contrast with respect to the extreme parts (showing a contrast image is already a very serious artistic device), and it can also develop, develop what was said in the first part. In the third part of the three-part form, the repetition of the musical material of the first part is possible - such a form is called reprisal (reprise is the repetition).

Verse and chorus forms - These are forms that are directly related to vocal music and their structure is often associated with the peculiarities of the poetic texts that underlie the song.

The couplet form is based on the repetition of the same music (for example, a period), but each time with a new text. In the chorus-chorus form there are two elements: the first is the solo (the melody and the text can change in it), the second is the chorus (as a rule, both the melody and the text are preserved in it).

Complex two-part and complex three-part forms - These are forms that are composed of two or three simple forms (for example, a simple 3-part + period + a simple 3-part). Complex two-part forms are more common in vocal music (for example, some opera arias are written in such forms), while complex three-part forms are, on the contrary, more characteristic of instrumental music (this is a favorite form for minuet and other dances).

A complex three-part form, like a simple one, can contain a reprise, and in the middle part a new material (most often it happens), and the middle part in this form is of two types: "type trio" (if it is some kind of slim simple form) or "episode type" (if in the middle part there are free constructions that do not obey either periodic or any of the simplest forms).

Variation form - this is a form built on the repetition of the original theme with its transformation, and these repetitions must be at least two, in order for the emerging form of a musical work to be classified as variational. The variation form is found in many instrumental compositions of classical music composers, and no less often in the compositions of contemporary authors.

Variations are different. For example, there is such a kind of variations as variations on the ostinate (that is, immutable, held) theme in a melody or bass (the so-called soprano-ostinato and basso-ostinato). There are variations figurative, in which with each new performance the theme is colored with various decorations and is progressively split up, revealing its hidden sides.

There is one more kind of variations - characteristic variationsIn which each new theme is carried out in a new genre. Sometimes these transitions to new genres greatly transform a theme — you can only imagine that a theme may sound in the same work as a funeral march, as a lyrical nocturne, and as an enthusiastic hymn. By the way, something about the genres can be found in the article "The main musical genres."

As a musical example of variations, we suggest you to get acquainted with the very famous work of the great Beethoven.

Rondo - another widespread form of musical works. You probably know that the word is translated into Russian from French "rondo" means "circle". This is not by chance. Once given, rondo was a group round dance dance in which the general fun alternated with the dances of individual soloists - at such moments they went out into the middle of the circle and showed their skills.

So, in the musical part, rondo is made up of parts that are constantly repeated (common ones are called by refrains) and individualized episodes that sound between refrains. For the rondo form to take place, the refrain must be held at least three times.

Sonata form, so we got to you! Sonata form or, as it is sometimes called, the form of the sonata allegro is one of the most perfect and complex forms of musical works.

The basis of the sonata form rely on two main themes - one of them is called "main" (the one that sounds first), the second - "side". These names mean that one of the themes passes in the main key, and the second - in the secondary (dominant, for example, or parallel). Together, these themes undergo various tests in the design, and then in the reprise, both usually sound in the same key.

Sonata form consists of three main sections:

• exposition (presentation to the public of the first, second and other topics);
• development (the stage at which intensive development occurs);
• a reprise (here the themes held in the exposition are repeated, at the same time their convergence occurs).

Sonata form so fond of composers, that on its basis, they have created a number of forms that differ from the main model by different parameters. For example, you can name such varieties of the sonata form as rondo sonata (mixing of sonata form with rondo), sonata without development, sonata with an episode instead of (remember, what was said about the episode in a three-part complex form? Any form can become an episode - often these are variations) concert form (with double exposure - in the soloist and the orchestra, with the virtuoso cadenzas of the soloist at the end of development before the beginning of the reprise), sonatina (little sonata), symphonic poem (the largest canvas).

Fugue - this is the form, once the queen of all forms. At one time, fugu was considered the most perfect musical form, and until now, the attitude to music of fugues is special.

The fugue is built on a single topic, which is then repeatedly alternately repeated in unchanged form in different voices (for different instruments). The fugue begins, as a rule, one-voice and immediately with the holding of the topic. Here another voice responds to this topic, and what sounds during the response on the first instrument is called contraposition.

While the topic is walking in different voices, the expositional section of the fugues continues, but as soon as the topic has passed in each voice, development begins in which the topic may not be fully completed, shrink and, conversely, expand. But why only in the development does not occur ... At the end of the fugue, the main tonality is restored - this section is called the reprise of the fugue.

On this you can already stop. Almost all the main forms of musical works are named by us. It should be borne in mind that more complex forms may contain a few simple ones - learn how to detect them. And often both simple and complex forms are combined in various cycles - for example, form together suite or sonata-symphonic cycle.