The major dominant of a minor key is not a closely-related key. This should not be interpreted as an indication of a modulation to the major dominant key. 8, making a major triad out of what would otherwise be minor. In both of the examples below, the opening section is tonally closed: The A section of the piece shown in Example 36–1 is tonally closed because it concludes with a PAC in G major, the home key. If a section ends with an inconclusive cadence-such as a half cadence-or if it ends in some key other than the home key, it is said to be tonally open since it leaves the listener with a sense of open-endedness. If a section ends conclusively-that is, with an authentic cadence-in the home key it is said to be tonally closed since it gives the listener a sense of harmonic closure. When discussing the harmonic structure of a binary form, we are concerned primarily with how each section ends relative to the home key. ![]() A piece in binary form can-and often will-contain one or more periods, but it would be nonsensical to say that a period contains one or more binary forms. The term “binary,” on the other hand, is typically used to refer to the form of an entire composition, likely consisting of many more than two or four phrases. ![]() The term “period” refers to a short passage of music consisting of just two phrases (or four in the case of a double period). The distinction between the two is one of scale. Note: Students sometimes confuse periods and binary forms since both are comprised of two parts. Because of this, the two large-scale sections are sometimes called reprises and some theorists and teachers use the term two-reprise form instead of binary form. The repeat pattern in Example 36–1 is standard: in a binary form the first and second sections are almost always repeated independently. Pieces such as this are said to be in binary form-the prefix bi– specifying that there are two sections. Visually, this is made very clear on the score with the double bar lines and repeat symbols. Furthermore, each of these sixteen bar spans is repeated independently from the other. The next sixteen bars, on the other hand, are thematically contrasting and are therefore set off from that which comes before them. The first sixteen bars form a cohesive unit-a period made of two eight-bar sentences. ![]() (Other texts use superscript numbers instead of prime symbols: A 1, A 2, etc.)Īt the highest level, the piece shown in Example 36–1 is divided into two sections. If a section or sub-section comes back in an altered but recognizable form, we will indicate that with one or more prime symbols (A′, A″, etc.). If a section or sub-section reappears later in a piece, it will be labeled with the same letter as the original. When it becomes necessary to describe finer details, we will use lowercase letters (a, b, c, etc.) to label sub-sections. Note: In diagrams such as the one shown above, we use capital letters (A, B, C, etc.) to label large-scale sections. The example below provides summarizing diagram of Example 36–1: After these two smaller periods repeat together as a unit, we have reached the conclusion of the piece. The remaining measures present another contrasting period with the antecedent and consequent ending on a HC and PAC, respectively, both in the home key. 17–24) constitute another period, although this time the phrases are contrasting and only four bars in length. The move to the dominant is confirmed by a PAC in D major four bars later. This phrase begins in G major, but ends with a HC in the dominant key (D major) in m. 1–16 form a parallel period.Īfter a repeat of mm. Taken together, the two sentences found in mm. 9-16, we hear the sentence again but with the half cadence replaced by a PAC in the home key. To put it succinctly, these opening eight bars form a sentence. The motive is truncated in the following measures and repeated three more times with an inverted contour as the phrase drives toward a half cadence in m. 3–4, transposed and with a slightly different contour. ![]() We hear a motive in the first two bars of this piece. 20 is a half cadence in D major, the dominant key (V). The first cadence, for example, is a half cadence in G major, the home key (I) whereas the cadence in m. Note: Note that all of the labels identifying cadences in Example 36–1 indicate the type of cadence as well as the current key and the relation of that key to the home key.
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