1. Area of Study 05: Structure and Form
AQA GCSE Music

2. Areas of Study AoS 01: Rhythm and Metre AoS 02: Harmony and Tonality
A0S 03: Texture and Melody
AoS 04: Dynamics and Timbre
AoS 05: Structure and Form

3. What is Structure and Form?
The way musical ideas are arranged and ordered in a composition Needs to have the right balance of repetition and contrast

4. Binary A B Two sections of roughly equal length
First section (A) is then answered by the second section (B)
Each section is usually repeated
There is usually a modulation (Key Change) in Section A which is continued into Section B, where there is another modulation changing the key signature back to the beginning one. A B
Each Section Usually Repeats

5. Track 01
Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 6 (K.284 III)

6. Ternary Built up in three sections: A, B, A
Section B contains a contrast in some way to Section A
The repeat of Section A can be exactly the same as the first time or it may have added detail to make it more interesting A1 B A2

7. Track 02
Schubert Piano Sonata No. 13 in A major, D. 664 (Op. 120) I

8. Track 03
Ternary – Example 02
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

9. Arch-Shape This form is completely symmetrical
The plan of the music resembles an arch;
A, B, C, B, A A B C B C B A A
Bartók – The 4th and 5th string quartets by Bartók are examples of Arch-Shape being used.

10. Rondo Form A, B, A, C, A, D, A and so on
A main theme (A) keeps on returning between contrasting sections
A, B, A, C, A, D, A and so on
The contrasting sections are called episodes (B,C,D etc.)
Remember the Main Section (A) may change slightly each time e.g. may be made shorter A1
(Main Theme) B1
(First Episode) A2
(Repeat of Main Theme) C
(Second episode) A3
(Repeat of Main Theme) D
(Third Episode) A4

11. Typical Exam Questions (Structure and Form)
Example 01
A1 A2 A1 A2
A1 A2 B A2
A1 A2 A3 B
A1 A2 B C
Track 04
Example 02
A A B B A
A A B A A
A B A C A
A B C A A
Track 05
Example 01 – Track 07
Example 02 – Track 08
Example 03 – Track 09
Example 03
A A B B
A A B A
A A B C
A B A B
Track 06

12. Theme and Variations
Involves starting a piece with a main theme which is then repeated several times, but changing or ‘varying’ each time
May be changed in;
Tempo
Rhythm
Tonality (e.g. major to minor)
Ornaments/ Adding extra notes
Excerpt on next slide

13. Theme and Variations
Listen to this piece by Mozart.
You should recognise the main theme at the start (Twinkle Twinkle).
At 34 Seconds, it moves to the 1st variation
At 1min 03secs, it moves to the 2nd variation
Listen to (and look if you can) the main and the variations. There are a lot of extra notes added, decoration of notes…anything else?
Video 01 - Theme and Variation - Mozart/ 12 Variations "Ah, vous dirai-je, maman" KV 265 (Clara Haskil)

14. Ground Bass
A melody in the bass (the lowest part) that is repeated throughout the music
Harmony and Melody may keep changing above the ground bass
This is a characteristic common of the Baroque Period

15. Ground Bass Examples Ground Bass in Classical Music (Baroque);
Used in Baroque music, enabled the composer to achieve unity (togetherness) in the music
The music shows the same bass part/melody being repeated throughout.
Pachelbel’s Canon in D
Track 08

16. Pedal
A sustained (held) or repeated note, usually in the bass. The harmony on top of a pedal note must change while the pedal note stays the same or it is not a pedal note.
It may be a Tonic pedal or a Dominant pedal note.

17. Call and Response
A musical phrase is sung by one person or musician and is followed by a responding phrase by one person or a group of musicians.
Common in traditional African Music and African-American music like Gospel
Think ‘Oh Happy Day’
Used in Blues and Jazz too, often found in musical phrases between Vocals and an instrument.
“Oh Happy Day”
This is a typical example of “Call and Response.”
Listen to the interaction between the soloist and the group.
Sung by an African-American Gospel Group.
Track 07

18. Minuet and Trio Form
The Minuet is a dance from 17th/ 18th centuries in 3/4 time, at moderate tempo
Often performed in the Royal Courts
The Trio is a ‘thinner textured’ section, often made up of just three instruments A B
Contrasting tune, key and texture C D
Repeat of minuet, but without internal repeats
A B A2
Minuet Trio Minuet 1

19. Strophic, Through Composed, Da Capo Aria
All forms used in vocal music;
Strophic
When the same tune is repeated throughout for each verse. Think hymn tunes or Adele’s ‘Make you feel my love’
Through-Composed
Opposite of Strophic. When new music occurs for each verse, changing to reflect different moods or situations described in the lyrics
Aria
A solo singer sings a melody with orchestral accompaniment. Found frequently through operas.

20. Cyclic Form
Constant repetition of a fixed number of beats or melodic pattern
During each cycle these patterns can be repeated and developed through;
improvisation
changes in texture
dynamics
Common in;
African Drumming music, Indian Classical Music (Think of the Tabla), and Asian Gamelan music – World Music

21. Popular Song Forms Popular songs are made up of main sections called;
Verse – All verses in popular music are usually the same, repetition of melodies etc. but there may be a change in terms of more instruments, different words etc.
Chorus – Repeated as the main, catchy idea of the song, and is usually repeated throughout with little change
Bridge
Some may also involve;
Intro
Outro
Fills – Common to use drums or guitar to connect sections
Middle 8s – 8 Bars in the middle of the song that is sometimes a contrast to the rest of the song.

22. Popular Song Form 12 – Bar Blues
12 Bar song structure used in Blues and other music such as Rock n Roll, Swing, Jazz etc.
Based on 3 Chords throughout the whole song
The 12 bars are repeated throughout the song.
CHORD I
CHORD IV
CHORD V

23. Large scale musical form in 3 parts:
Sonata Form
Large scale musical form in 3 parts:
Exposition: Characters are introduced
Development: Develops ideas such as melody & rhythm. It’s dramatic, usually with many key changes
Recapitulation: Brings back musical ideas from exposition – ‘rounded off’
Sonata Form really is a large musical form, too long to be tested aurally through musical excerpts in the exam….but be aware of the order and names of these 3 parts