![]() However, it may occur in an inner part, as in our Chopin example, in which case it is called an inner pedal, or occasionally it may be in the top part, in which case it is called an inverted pedal. The note that is sustained is very often the tonic or dominant and is usually found in the bass part. The term derives from organ playing, as the organist is able to hold a note with a pedal while continuing to play moving parts on the keyboard ‘manuals’. This note acts as an inner dominant pedal point: it is the anchor for the entire prélude.Ī pedal point is a note which is sustained through harmonic changes. Here is a classic example of ternary form, (Alfred Cortot’s poetic title for the piece was ‘Mais la Morte est là, dans l’ombre’ – ‘But death is here, in the shadows’ – which is perhaps more appropriate than the nickname derived from George Sand’s recollection of the work’s origins.) The opening section has a luminous theme which is dominated by a mesmerising Ab. In these cases the composer can use the Italian phrase da capo (often shortened to D.C.), meaning ‘from the start’ and the word fine – the end – will be written at the end of the A section. If the first section is to be repeated exactly then it is not necessary to have the music written out for a second time. The restatement may be an exact repetition of the opening ideas or it may slightly varied, with some melodic embellishment or harmonic twist. When the initial ideas are restated they can now be heard in a new light, viewed through the contrasting ideas of the B section. Composers may introduce formal contrast and variety with a new melodic idea, perhaps involving a modulation to a new key, or through changing the texture, the rhythm or the metre: the possibilities are endless! On the other hand, too much repetition and the music risks becoming monotonous and dull. Without repetition it can be difficult to grasp the ideas on first hearing the music may seem to wander aimlessly or to lack shape and balance. Repetition of some kind – melodic shapes, rhythmic patterns or harmonic progressions – is generally thought necessary in order to bring cohesion to a piece. In a performance of a jazz standard, for example, the ‘head’ – the main theme heard at the start which is then subjected to variation and improvisation – is usually reprised at the end following a variety of solos. This is a basic rhetorical concept found in music and language around the world. The beauty of ternary form lies in the restatement of the main idea following a period of digression. So while the two outer A sections use the same musical ideas, the B section – sometimes called an ‘episode’ – provides contrast and a sense of departure prior to the restatement of the original material in the tonic key. In A-B-A the A sections are the same in A-B-A the return of the A section is varied in some way. ![]() A piece in ternary form has three sections. Such a form is clearly heading towards being more properly considered as a three-part structure and some theorists have preferred the term ‘incipient ternary’ to describe it. When this is the case it is usually called rounded binary form. What might have been a short codetta becomes a more significant feature of the structure overall as it makes greater reference to the opening A section in the tonic. It’s also encountered in shorter Romantic genre pieces by Schumann, Mendelssohn and others. This two-part concept is extended further in many Baroque keyboard pieces such as dance movements within suites, or the self-contained sonatas of Scarlatti. This is known as asymmetrical binary form. The Menuet of the French Suite No 6 is a good example. In other binary pieces the B section is much longer than the A section, perhaps twice as long or more, and passes through different keys before returning to the tonic at the end. These short codettas elaborate the tonic simply and round the piece off smoothly. The opening Allemande of Bach’s French Suite No 6 is one example, which cadences back to the tonic four bars before its conclusion. Sometimes this symmetrical structure is extended a little by a short codetta (from the Italian coda meaning ‘tail’). There is much beauty in such well-crafted balance and sense of even proportion. The B section, of equal duration, works its way back to end with a ‘close’ cadence in the tonic. The theme of Bach’s Goldberg Variations is a classic example of symmetrical binary form in which the first A section ends with an ‘open’ cadence in the dominant. Each section of the minuet was eight bars long and the structure could be described in a diagram like this: A piece in binary form has two sections, each of them usually marked with repeat signs. ![]() In Part 10 we began to look at binary form, using a simple but charming minuet by Mozart as our illustration. ![]()
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