Period in music: period structure, forms and types

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Period in music is one of the simplest forms of composition. In translation, it means "circle", "bypass". Usually included in larger forms, but sometimes it can have a separate, independent meaning. The main task of the period is to express the completed sentence (one of the topics) in the product of homophonic-harmonic addition.

Homophonic-harmonic texture is one of the ways of presenting music, in which one voice is a melody, while others only obey it (perform the function of accompaniment).

Types of periods in music

There are a lot of them, but conditionally they are divided according to certain qualities:

1. By type of construction:

a) square

• the number of bars is 8, 16 or 32;
• periods that are divided into 2 equal offers.

b) non-square

• expanded (second sentence increased);
• abbreviated (second sentence shortened);
• symmetrical (two musical thoughts are the same in duration, but do not correspond to the norms of squareness,for example, the number of bars can be 6+6, 7+7 bars).

c) periods of three musical sentences; as an example, we can name Prelude No. 9, in E major by F. Chopin; sentences are 4 bars each.

2. By theme:

a) repeated

b) accurate; modified - is also divided into two types of the period: varied (some parts of the theme change: rhythm, melody, mode, texture of presentation); at the same time, the topic can still be recognized; an example is the sonata in D major, 1st movement by J. Haydn; there are no special changes in the sequential period, it's just that the theme is held at a different height; an example of a period in music: the 2nd part of the concerto in A minor by E. Grieg.

c) non-repetitive; in such a period in music, each sentence has its own unique material, and the second sentence continues the theme; as an example, we can name the 2nd movement of L. Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata.

3. By tonal design:

a) modulating; used exclusively as an element of large forms.

b) non-modulating.

Building

One of the most popular varieties of period harmonic structure in music is the modulation that occurs in the second sentence. Most often, the deviation occurs towards the dominant, which makes the form of the period more dynamic.

Musical syntax - a section of knowledge about the structure of musical speech. Conventionally, the individual parts of the work are called constructions. These elements are separated by borders - caesuras. Here are her signs:

• Using a long duration.
• Pause.
• Contrast.
• Repeat.

Signs of the end of the period are the mode and the metric base.

Cadences

One of the themes of each period in music is defined as the main one. Thus, a period appears in which there is a symmetry of the two sentences of which it consists. Usually their beginning is identical or similar, but such musical thoughts end with a different cadence, more complete in the second case.

Cadence is a harmonic turn that completes any musical construction.

Most often there is a sharing of half and full cadences. Then in the first sentence the thought ends with a dominant, and in the second with a tonic. Such a relation is the simplest authentic sequence. Thanks to her, the period becomes whole and structured.

Sometimes another combination of cadences is used: full perfect and incomplete perfect. In rare cases, the reverse order is used: perfect - imperfect, complete - incomplete.

Also, period forms in music sometimes have the same cadence.

Metric base

In the period plays a very important role. A typical metrical basis for, though not the absolute majority of genres of European music, is squareness. When using it, the number of cycles in each period is equal to the powers of two: 4, 8, 16, 32.

This result is due to the constant change of light and heavy measures (or vice versa). Thus, small subgroupsform larger ones - in 8, 16 and 32 bars.

Of course, in addition to this structure, there are others that are also found in the music of different countries. A period is formed if the differences do not go beyond in any genre and style. Signs of such structures are the metric structure and the harmonic warehouse.

Metric structure

Consider it:

a) The square symmetrical base can be changed by expanding the second sentence. This period is called extended, and it is also very common. His scheme may look like this: 4+6, 4+5, 4+7, etc.

b) In addition to the extended period, there are non-square periods in which the second sentence is shortened.

c) There is also a fundamentally different type of period on a metric basis, in which non-squareness appears as a property characteristic of this music, and not as an overcoming of squareness.

It is interesting to note that this type of period is typical for Russian classical music. The number of cycles may vary: 7+9, 5+5, 5+7.

In a non-square period after the final cadenza, the composer can supplement the work with one or more constructions that will be part of the previous period, and not independent units.

Harmonic warehouse

If one sentence does not repeat the first, but contains unique musical material, the period is called non-repeated (the period of a single structure). They will be united by conjugation of cadences.

Very often periodis repeated along with textural changes. If they significantly affect the harmonic warehouse, then the musical construction ends in a different key. In this case, it is not a period that arises, but the whole structure of a complex period.

Difficult period

This is the name of the combination of two simple musical periods.

The emergence of this form is associated with European professional music, when it took place in the change of polyphonic and homophonic-harmonic styles.

A difficult period in music was formed mainly due to folk and everyday dances, song and dance genres. The desire for a square construction of the period also came from here, because it is on its basis that dance music is created. And in general, the music of Western European countries (Italy, France, Austria) is characterized by the use of squareness.

For Russian music, on the contrary, length is more characteristic. Organic non-squareness is very popular in Russian classics. For example, in the work of S. V. Rachmaninov and M. P. Mussorgsky.