Beethoven Trio - large-scale form

Class discussion

Form

Form is the key when listening to music to understand what’s going on. When uneducated listeners couldn’t draw to much else, they listened to form to understand the music. Smaller forms grew into large-scale forms.

3 Basic forms

Song Form: the common form used in contemorary songs that originated a long time ago.

Two different types are:

• Strophic
• Through Composed

  Binary Form

  • 2 sections (A and B), with the A section repeated (AAB)
  • what identifies the two sections?
    • strong cadential points
    • difference in key
    • difference in melody with similar themes What is the relationship between the last 4 bars of the A section and the B section? The last 4 bars of the A and B section are the same, but the B section has more ornamentation. The B section is a decoration of the A section. The half cadence at the end of the A section helps set us up for the B section. The point is to develop the material, not contrast the material in Binary form.

  The structure is A section (ending on a half cadence and repeated), to the B section (briefly going to a new key, returning to the original key, and ending in a perfect authentic cadence).

  Ternary Form

  • 3 sections
    • A section (repeated)
    • B (developmental) section (repeated)    - back to A section (A^1) Ternary form differs from Binary form not only in structure, but in the contents of the B section. The B section in Ternary form is meant to contrast from the A sections and bring in new ideas. The B section in Binary form expands on the material in the A section.

      Other Common forms

      Rounded Binary

      A Rounded Binary is an important version of Binary form. It goes A (repeated) and B A^1 (repeated together). In Rounded Binary form the B section contrasts from the A sections.

Sonata Allegro Form

Sonata Allegro (also Sonata form) has 3 parts:

1. Exposition
   • the exposition presents the original musical material
2. Development  - the development takes the material from the exposition and runs with it in a new key (often the key of the V)
3. Recapitulation
   • the recapitulation brings back the material from the exposition in the original key

• there can be an intro, and there can be a coda

Exposition

The exposition contains a primary theme, transition and secondary theme. The primary theme is in the original key. The primary theme is more grand for the entrance into the piece. The transition takes the material from the primary theme (and intro if there is one) and develops it in a new key. The secondary theme is contrasting in key, style, and musical material. Secondary theme is more lyrical to contrast the big opening primary theme. The secondary theme is in the key of the V (v, III).

• each theme is brought about by a big cadential point
• some Expositions have a second transition and a closing theme.

In the Beethoven Trio in C Minor Op. 1 No. 3, the exposition contains (in this order) the primary theme, transition (w/ modulation), secondary theme (in new key), transition (w/ modulation), closing theme in V (v, III).

Development

The Development takes all the material from the Exposition and plays with its ideas in a bunch of new keys (in the Beethoven). The Development consists of free material and a retransition to get us back into the original key.

Recapitulation

The Recapitulation brings back the material from the Exposition in the original key.

Beethoven specifically brings back the intro in major after he restates the primary theme. He continues to the secondary theme in minor and then goes into the transition. He ends the whole piece with the closing theme and coda.

Beethoven’s compositions go past Sonata Allegro form and keep you guessing about what he’s going to do. He had grown tired of the standard Sonata Allegro form and chose to make it his own.

Beethoven Assignment

You have to include each section (Exposition, Development, Recapitulation), each theme and transition in each section, and the key and measure numbers for each of those themes amd transitions. By the end of the analysis you should have one big map of the whole piece.