What are the musical form analysis contents of music appreciation?

There is a broad concept in music, which is the concept of "structure". We explain it from two aspects, one is the structure of music in space, which we call "texture", and the other is the structure in time, and the technical term is "form".

Why is the musical form a "time structure"? A musical work, whether it is a long masterpiece, such as symphony, opera or short song, should be spread out bit by bit in the long river of time, and it is impossible to grasp the overall structure in an instant like enjoying a painting. This continuity in time is a major feature of music art, so music is called "the art of time". The continuation of music in time, no matter how long, two or three minutes or two or three hours, must have a structural framework and a discipline, and can not be chaotic. This kind of structural frame or composition is called "musical form". It is not a preset theory, but a thinking paradigm summed up in a lot of practice.

There are many forms of music, just as a big palace has a big structure and a small house has a small form. No matter how big or small, whether classical or modern, innovative works will contain the following three principles: comparison, variation and repetition.

There are many musical materials in the works that are in contrast, and their differences in melody form, rhythm type and emotional characteristics bring fresh feelings to the listeners. There are always some comparative factors in a work. Large-scale works will have a wider range of contrast and more materials for comparison. Relatively speaking, the contrast range of small-scale works will be smaller, and there will not be so much material.

Variation technique is to change a piece of music material while retaining some characteristics, which can still make people feel fresh while listening to the prototype. The relatively simple variation is to basically keep the melody outline, rhythm and even harmony of the theme, but only add some small decorations. A little more complicated, melody, rhythm, mode tonality, texture and harmony will change greatly, and even a certain factor of raw materials will be selected for development, so that the relationship between them and the prototype can hardly be heard. The "unfolding" in music works belongs to this type of variation.

Repetition refers to the reproduction of music material. Transient is one of the characteristics of music art. In order to leave a deep impression on the audience, repetition or varied repetition is a necessary means. In addition, reproduction is also a form of repetition. When a music material is presented, new factors will appear, and the reproduction of the above-mentioned material behind the new factors is called reproduction, which can bring a sense of echo, symmetry and stability to the whole song. Reproduction can be intact, or it can be completely changed, so as to obtain the effect of generalization and sublimation.

The above three principles are not unrelated, but can permeate each other in use. For example, the reappearance of changes actually embodies the variational principle, and at the same time, because of its changes, it has produced a comparative effect.

The establishment of musical form is obtained through the comprehensive application of various musical elements, especially harmony and tonality, which play a very important role. For example, the main chord can get a sense of cohesion in one paragraph, and the change of tonality can not only bring contrast, but also often mean the beginning of the next paragraph. Reproduction is usually based on the original tonal regression, etc.

According to tradition, music forms can be divided into two categories, small forms and large forms. Small ones are one, two, three, two and three. Large-scale variations, Rondo, sonatas and so on. According to the characteristics of musical forms, Professor Yang Ruhuai, a Chinese music theorist, divides musical forms into juxtaposition, reappearance, compound, circulation, variation, sonata, cyclotron sonata, polyphony, divertimento and fringe. Part of this book adopts the classification of Professor Yang Ruhuai, and makes an appreciative introduction selectively.

Parallel music form

A musical form

In the coordinate form, the smallest is a form. It consists of the statement of a single musical concept and the continuous development of this musical concept. In a musical form, there are several phrases, but the middle cannot be divided into paragraphs, that is to say, there is no ending pause in the middle, and only at the end can there be a definite ending. Many short folk songs are a musical form, such as the familiar Jiangsu folk song Jasmine, the Inner Mongolia folk song Gadamer, and the Shandong folk song Yimeng Mountain Minor. Schubert's song Wild Rose has many different lyrics, but the melody is only one paragraph, which is itself a form of music.

A musical form can be simple, consisting of several parallel phrases, or complex, consisting of the development of a series of musical ideas. Listen to two piano works by Polish composer Chopin. Listen to the prelude in B major first, which is bright and beautiful. One of the materials is changed repeatedly. Although it is short, it contains the whole process of "connecting the past with the future" and is perfect.

Example1:Chopin Prelude Op.28 in B major 1 1

The other is a prelude in B minor, which is slow and slightly melancholy. On the quiet accompaniment, a long singing melody unfolds quietly, and the mood gradually pushes to the climax, then falls, and then unfolds again by the melody, forming a second complete climax through repetition and change, and then gradually falls back and ends in silence, giving people a deep feeling.

Example 2: Chopin Prelude in B minor, Op.28, No.6.

Although a musical form is short, its internal structure is varied, just like a kaleidoscope.

Two parallel forms

The two juxtaposition forms are composed of two sections, and their differences in mood, melody form, tonality and harmony are in contrast, which can be expressed by A+B. The familiar song My Motherland by Liu Chi is such a form. The first part is the lyric lead singer with narration, and the second part is the passionate chorus like an ode, which reaches the climax of the whole song. These two paragraphs are in sharp contrast and completely harmonious at the same time.

The Norwegian composer Grieg's Song of Solvig is also A+B structure. This song shows an infatuated girl waiting for her fiance who travels abroad year after year. After the string played a soft and lyrical prologue, the soprano sang:

Winter passed long ago,

Spring will never come again.

Summer will disappear,

Waiting year after year.

I always believed that you would come back,

I promised you,

I want to wait for you faithfully,

Waiting for you to come back.

Musically, the composer divided the lyrics into four phrases, with beautiful and long melody and a little sadness, which showed the girl's expectation. This is the first part of the whole song, in a minor. The second part was transferred to Liang A major. This passage has no lyrics, but is sung with the vowel "ah". The tone becomes a little active and the grammar is relatively free. The composer showed us the image of a pure girl and reminded us of her longing for a beautiful reunion moment. These two parts are repeated, and the lyrics are:

If you're still alive,

God bless you,

When you kneel before God,

God bless you.

I will wait for you faithfully forever,

Waiting for your return.

If you go to heaven,

Meet me in the sky.

Section b is still sung with the vowel "ah", exactly the same as before. Finally, it is an instrumental ending.

The structure of the whole song is:

Introduction ||: A B :|| End

Example 1: Grieg's Song of Solvig.

Part a (start only):

Part b (start only):

The materials of A and B in this piece are completely different, which makes the two parts form a great contrast. However, in order to make the whole piece complete and echo, the composer reproduced the introduction material with the end of instrumental music.

Song Example 3: Grieg's Song of Solvig (the recording is instrumental, without repetition).

In order to facilitate readers to understand the basic principles of various musical forms, simple examples are selected here. In fact, music creation is free and diverse, and composers always make their own innovations within the scope of basic principles.

Three-part parallel form

The three-part coordinate musical form is represented by A+B+C b+C, and the materials of the three parts are different and in sharp contrast. This form is not very common in music works, because there are too many paragraphs of different materials, which will lack cohesion and distract the listener's attention. But there is a wonderful example, Schubert's song "Spring Dream". Lyrics are Miao Lei's poems, which are three completely different emotions and images:

I dreamed that flowers were everywhere,

Because it's in May,

I dreamed of lush grass,

Birds are singing happily.

But the rooster has already broken dawn,

I opened my eyes.

It was dark and cold around,

I only heard crows.

Who's in the window,

Draw all these branches and leaves?

You will laugh that I am still dreaming,

In the cold winter, I dream of spring.

Schubert used three completely different musical images to appropriately express these three different emotions-beautiful dreams, sudden awakening and sad self-mockery. The first paragraph is a brisk 6/8 beat in A major. The melody seems to be smiling and full of happiness. The rhythm of piano accompaniment is like a happy beating heart. In the second paragraph, the speed suddenly increases, the tonality is unstable and constantly changing, the melody becomes awkward, and the piano accompaniment is scary. The speed of speech in the third paragraph suddenly slowed down, and the mood became sad and helpless. The tonality changed from D major to A major, and finally fell on the bleak A minor. If the melody is carefully analyzed, the first paragraph and the third paragraph are similar to some extent, which makes the beginning and the end get internal connection and echo.

Like Solvig's previous songs, the three songs in Dream of Spring are repeated as a whole. The lyrics of these three songs are:

I dreamed of a beautiful girl,

She gave me warm love,

I dreamed of caresses and sweet kisses,

Dream of happiness and happiness.

But the rooster has already broken dawn,

My heart goes with it? Wake up,

I'm sitting here alone,

Memories of sweet dreams.

I closed my eyes again,

My heart is beating,

When will the leaves on the window turn blue?

When will the lovers meet again?

The structure of "Dream of Spring" is:

Intro ||: A B C :||

Spectrum example 2: Schubert's song "Spring Dream"

At the beginning of paragraph a:

At the beginning of paragraph b:

At the beginning of paragraph c:

Example 4: Schubert's song "Dream of Spring" (without repetition)

Although the three-part coordinate musical form can be expressed by A+B+C, there are actually various forms. For example, the three parts use the same material, and the latter two parts are the development and derivation of materials.

As for the coordinate forms of four or more parts, I won't introduce them one by one.

All the above musical forms can be used for an independent piece of music or as part of a large musical form.