Music Analysis Questions to ask when previewing a piece of music literature

Composer/Arranger/Editor Who is the original composer of this piece? Has this piece been edited? By who? Has this piece been arranged? By who? Have you seen or performed other arrangements of this piece? Who arranged them?

History When was this piece written? Is it contemporary or traditional? How do you know? What elements make it contemporary/traditional?

Key/Tonality Is there a definitive key signature and do the cadences support the key signature or tonality? How do you know? Is the piece major or minor? How do you know? Does the key or tonality remain the same throughout the piece?

Time Signature Rhythmic Breakdown What is the time signature? What does it mean? Does it remain consistent throughout the piece? Are the rhythms complex or simple? What rhythms are most common? Are the rhythmic figures repetitive?

Cadences Cadences are the closing statements of melodic or harmonic movements How often does the piece cadence? What are the most common chord/tonality cadences? Does everyone cadence together?

Form Are there repeated sections or melodic ideas? Where do they occur and what order are they in? [ex. A, B, A, C, or A, A’, B, B’, C, D, E, etc.]

Imitation/Similarities Do any voices repeat or borrow material from other voices? Does your part share notes with other voices throughout the piece?

Melodic Lines How are the melodies structured? (Stepwise or leap?) Are all of the lines structured the same way?

Tempo How fast or slow should the piece go? How do you know? Does the tempo of the piece change? How and when?

Dynamics What dynamic level(s) does the piece revolve around most? Are their multiple dynamic changes?

Lyrical Content What is the language of the piece? What is the piece about? What personal connection can you make to the lyrical content of the piece?