Basic formal structures in music / Paul Fontaine.
| Author/creator | Fontaine, Paul H. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | New York : Appleton-Century-Crofts : Meredith Publishing Company, 1967. |
| Description | x, 241 pages : music ; 29 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | Subphrase units. Figures ; Motives ; Motivic figures ; Motivic and nonmotivic melody -- Phrases and phrase-groups. Simple and composite phrases ; Altered phrases (symmetrical and asymmetrical) ; Natural asymmetrical phrases ; Periods -- The three elementary forms. Small one-, two-, and three-part compositions -- Combining of elementary forms. Development of the ternary design ; Minuet-and-trio form -- The dance suite. Fixed and optional dances of the Baroque suite -- The simple rondo. The rondo as evolved from the elementary ternary form ; Use of variation in the rondo ; Irregular rondo constructions -- Theme with variations. Doubles ; Sectionalized variations ; The passacaglia and the chaconne -- The sonata form. The solo sonata ; The symphony -- Forms related to the sonata. Binary sonata-form ; Sonatinas ; The sonata-rondo ; The classical concerto -- The canon. Canons at various intervals ; Contrary motion ; Augmentation ; Double canons ; The round -- The fugue. The subject ; Real and tonal answers ; Voices ; Selected analytical studies from The Well-Tempered Clavier -- Miscellaneous studies. Hybrid forms ; Unusual adaptations of classical forms ; Etudes ; Toccatas ; Fantasies -- Music from the twentieth century. Five works by Bartok, Krenek, Barber, Carter, and Messiaen. |
| Abstract | This text is intended primarily for students of college level who have had at least one year of theory: in most colleges and universities this means two semesters or the equivalent. A modest knowledge of harmony, extending to the more common altered chords such as augmented sixths and diminished sevenths, is assumed. Also, the student should understand the forms and functions of ordinary cadences. An attempt has been made here to bring some order to the study of subphrase units, especially motives. This and the subsequent study of phrases and phrase-groups are the two most important steps in any approach to musical form. They are fundamental to all styles and types of music. The story of the elementary forms and how they grew is a sort of capsule history of music. The subject is pursued in this book beyond the traditional classical forms in order to investigate certain adaptations of these old forms. Some of the miscellaneous studies in Chapter 12 are concerned with definite hybrid types. Great emphasis is placed on student participation. Modest opportunities for original composition (a most valuable instructional techniqe) are included as optional assignments in the early chapters. The instructor can, at his discretion, add to these or omit them. The making of graphs compels a student to analyze the formal details of a composition and reduce them to a visible form on paper in a manner permitting easy correction. Here, again, the instructor can determine subject matter for such analyses according to his own preferences and experience. The final chapter devoted to recent music touches on what appears to the author to be the more important advances or developments in compositional techniques affecting form in our time. |
| General note | Includes index of musical examples. |
| LCCN | 66025266 |
| Publisher number | 6116-1 Meredith Publishing Company |
| Publisher number | E 32324 Meredith Publishing Company |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music | Closed Stacks - Ask at Circulation Desk | MT58.F65 B3 1967 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |