Form
Form is a vital part of both the analysis and performance of a choral work. Understanding form in choral music is essential for performers, conductors, and listeners alike, as it provides insight into the structure and emotional journey of a piece. Analyzing form allows us to appreciate the compositional techniques used to create unity, contrast, and emotional narrative within choral works. Before we dive into the “Key Terms and Concepts” necessary for understanding and studying form in choral works, we want to introduce a particularly useful tool for analyzing form. BriFormer, created by Brian Edward Jarvis, is a tool that helps with the study of analysis of structural elements within music composition. Through this powerful tool, you can analyze nearly any style and make it possible to share that analysis with others. BriFormer is a particularly helpful aid in form analysis, as it streamlines the complex process of dissecting and understanding musical structures. For students, educators, and music analysts alike, this tool helps make the study of compositional techniques appealing and stress–free, which allows us to better appreciate the music’s architectural beauty and enhance our overall learning and teaching experience in the field of music theory and analysis. Specific examples of the use of BriFormer to analyze form are provided in our “Examples” section later in this chapter.
The following terms are useful in the analysis of form:
- Verse–Chorus Form: A prevalent form in both choral and popular music, the verse–chorus form alternates between verses—sections of music with changing lyrics but usually the same melody—and choruses, which repeat both lyrics and melody, serving as the song’s main hook or theme. This form creates a balance between the storytelling of the verses and the emotional anchor of the chorus.
- Through–Composed Form: Through–composed form refers to music that changes continuously, without repeating sections of music. Each verse or segment introduces new material, making this form well–suited to texts that require a varied musical treatment.
- Strophic Form: In strophic form, the music for each stanza of text is the same, making it one of the simplest and oldest forms. This form is common in hymns and folk songs, where the melody is repeated for each verse of
lyrics. - Sentences: A musical “sentence” combines small units of music into larger structures in a specific manner. A sentence typically begins with a presentation of a musical idea, typically two measures long, continues with a two-measure continuation that develops or expands the idea, and concludes with a four-measure development ending in a cadence. Even when the smaller units are not exactly this number of measures, they still typically take the length ratios of 2:2:4.
