Structure

Question 1

ground bass

Answer 1

a repeated bass line over which harmonies and melodies change
popular in Baroque music

Question 2

What musical feature mostly appears at the end of sections?

Answer 2

cadence

Question 3

similarities and differences between musical sections

Answer 3

words (new verse or repeated chorus)
texture
melody
some sections may be repeats of previous sections

Question 4

Describe the two sections of binary form.

Answer 4

Section A begins in the tonic key, ends in the dominant key and is usually repeated.
Section B begins in the dominant key and returns to the tonic key.

Question 5

ternary form

Answer 5

ABA - although the repeat of section A is not always exact

Question 6

ritornello form

Answer 6

ABACA
Section A is referred to as the ritornello section and it keeps coming back, often in keys related to the tonic.
The sections in between are called episodes.
evolved into rondo form in the Classical period

Question 7

rondo form

Answer 7

ABACA - evolved from ritornello form, used as the final movement of a symphony, sonata or concerto
section A returns in related keys

Question 8

three main sections of sonata form

Answer 8

exposition
development
recapitulation

Question 9

What happens in the exposition section of sonata form?

Answer 9

The material is “exposed,” including two main themes known as the first and second subject.
The first subject is in the tonic key.
The second subject is in a different key, usually the dominant or relative minor.
The two subjects are connected by a transition or bridge passage.

Question 10

What happens in the development section of sonata form?

Answer 10

The material from the exposition is transformed using modulations.

Question 11

What happens in the recapitulation section of sonata form?

Answer 11

The material from the exposition is recapped - repeated in a slightly different and shorter form.
Both subjects are heard in the tonic key.

Question 12

How was sonata form developed in the Romantic period?

Answer 12

Composers used keys which were less related to the tonic.

Sections were much longer and modulated to more distant keys.

Question 13

form of a minuet and trio

Answer 13

overall, ABA (minuet, trio, minuet)
within each section, binary:
minuet - AABB
trio - AABB
minuet - AB (no repeats)

Question 14

What is the form of 32-bar structure?

Answer 14

AABA, each section 8 bars long

Question 15

What form was mainly used in Baroque dances?

Answer 15

binary form

Question 16

What form was mainly used in the Classical period?

Answer 16

sonata form

Question 17

features of a cadenza

Answer 17

played towards the end of the first movement
improvised; based on themes from the first movement
shows of the skills of the soloist
often ends on a trill

Question 18

de capo aria

Answer 18

a type of vocal music where one voice returns to the top of the movement (da capo) and repeats the first section
ornamentation is often added by the soloist

Question 19

features of verse-chorus structure

Answer 19

a chorus is repeated with the same music and words
verses have the same music but different lyrics
intros and outros
middle 8 - a section only heard once, usually before the final chorus
instrumental breaks
bridges

Question 20

structure of Indian music

Answer 20

alap - slow and unmetred; an unaccompanied sitar explores and improvises on the notes of the raga
gat 1 - a fixed composition that is heavily ornamented
gat 2 - faster with more improvisation

Question 21

What is samba mostly based on?

Answer 21

ostinatos
each instrument has its own ostinato within each section
Each section is called a groove, with breaks and mid-sections in between.