Structure (Part 2)
What is Structure?
The structure is how the different sections in a piece of music are organised. We can use structure when composing to create shape and balance in music.
A piece of music can be structured in a variety of different ways - here are some of the common musical forms:
Strophic Form (A, A, A)
Through Composed (A, B, C, D, E....)
Binary Form (A, B)
Ternary Form - A, B, A
The structure of ternary form is A, B, A. This means the musical material, in the beginning, reaps at the end with a contrasting section in the middle:
Rondo Form - A, B, A, C, A
Rondo form takes the structure of A, B, A, C, A. This means that the A section keeps repeating with new contrasting material between each return:
Arch Form - A, B, C, B, A
Arch form can be seen as a triangle shape, with the C section in the middle surrounded by a B and A sections on either side:
Theme and Variations - A, A1, A2, A3
The structure of theme and variation has a clue in the name. There is a main A theme which is repeated. However, with each repeat of the main theme the musical material is developed, creating lots of new variations of the same theme:
