The Daily Book of Classical Music

DAY 2

COMPOSITIONAL FORMS

Binary Form

WE KNOW WHAT WE WANT

Most musical forms result from two conflicting desires: the desire for something familiar, and the desire for something new. The binary form is the most basic example of this.

A simple binary form is in two parts—A and B—roughly equal in duration, and distinguished by different melodies. These parts are divided by clear cadences, and quite often each part is repeated, becoming a two-reprise form. Thus we end up with AABB, repeating A material to give us something familiar before moving to a new B section. The repetitions provide boundaries for the sections and give us the opportunity ...