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  • Books about Forms/Structure

    Hi guys,

    do you know any good books or web links where I could find information about structuring an arrangement and about music forms in general?

    Thanks,

    Vincent 


  •  This is the published curriculum from the conservatory where I served my sentence:

    "Formenlehre der Musik"

    Lemacher-Schroeder

    1962 Musikverlag Hans Gehrig, Köln/Cologne

    English translation:

    "Musical Form"

    1967 Belwin-Mills Publ. Corp.

    MCA Music New York

    .


  • There's really a very wide selection of books on these subjects ranging from very basic to incomprehensibly complex. Here are just a few."Basic Forms in Music" Charles W. Walton. "Structure and Style" : The Analysis of Musical Forms" Leon Stein. "The Serious Composer" " series and others by Percy Goetschius: http://books.google.com/booksas_auth=Percy+Goetschius&ots=IGDCD9keIL&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title. The Berklee Press "Arranging" Series: (go to berkleepress.com and search composition and/or arranging) "Jazz Composition & Orchestration" " William Russo. Then there's the whole standard list of Arranging authors that have been around and used by everyone forever including: Russell Garcia, Don Sebesky, Dick Grove, Henry Mancini, Nelson Riddle, Sammy Nestico. Each of these authors has written a study text on arranging whcih you can easily find.. I didn't include exmples of books on Orchestration because: a) you didn't ask about that and b) they are easy to find.. Hope this helps.. Be Well,. Jimmy.

  • Thanks for your recommendations!

    I already read a few of those and I'm going to look for the other ones.

    I'm mainly interested in knowing how to better structuring my pieces. That's why I'm looking for some books about forms and not orchestration.

    Thanks again for your help,

    Vincent 


  • Vincent You're welcome. If you're referring to structure in "classical" or serious music, the books by Goetschius give a good overview of all the standard forms and how they are put together. Be Well, Jimmy

  • Vincent,

     

    Here an old, copyright free PDF of a well known "Musical Form" book. The content of this book follows the typical curriculum as teached at every music academy. Starting with temporal structures like metre, foot, metric structure. Then the form constituents like motive and theme etc..

    Name: Musical Form_by Ebenezer Prout_1893 Augener London.pdf

    278 pages, 32MB

     

    Download link:

    http://www.sendspace.com/file/e0qbni

     

    "Musical Form"

    Ebenezer Prout

    1893 Augener & Co, London

    .


  • Thanks Angelo for the link. I started reading it, it's very interesting... Vincent

  • You have to be critical with this old text.

     

    But there is a lot of time encapsulated in this text by Prout.

    He also misses to mention several genera of important musical forms.

    But it is a very well suited to start with, especially when you later compare how composer from that era think about this part of the art.

    .

     

     

     


  • The best reference in therme of musical form. He was my teacher at University of Montreal. http://www.musique.umontreal.ca/personnel/Belkin/bk/index.html

  •  I have a list of books I've worked from and read on my site:

    www.jerrygerber.com/textlist.htm

    Toch's "The Shaping Forces in Music" is good, so are a few others.  Good luck.

    Jerry Gerber

    www.jerrygerber.com


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    If you go to my myspace music page and click on my top friend R Kaye-composer,he has studied the great composers and has a book out (check his links) that could give you an insight into styles and idioms.Also check the blog on my page :"baroque-idioms and styles" for an overview of counterpoint.mypsace page
    hope this helps.

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    Hello Angelo Clematide

    i came to this post bcopz i'm interested in this topic also

    It looks like the book is not available any more, would you please upload it again?

    Thanks 😊


  • Downloadable here:

    http://www.archive.org/details/15emusicalform00prouuoft

    The possibly best text about structure in the sense of metre, prosody, caesurae and so on, how the old masters structured all their their symphonies in the common practice period (Klassik) in classic metre is:

    "Musikalisch Rhythmik und Metrik"  (1917)

    by Th. Wiehmayer


  • Thanks Angelo


  • Hi,
    I have been lurking around a number of threads since joining and wanted to let some of the contributors know that although the question raised has no doubt been of great help to the originator, I am also finding the answers great from a learning perspective. Thank you all for taking the time to offer suggestions. It is much appreciated.

    Regards,
    Tom

  • Form in Tonal Music, Douglass Green is a pedagogues approach, complete, detailed, tons of examples but dense. Green assumes the reader knows a lot about music theory, a least two semesters of college level stuff under your fingers.

    http://www.alibris.com/booksearch.detail?invid=11046495928&qwork=2410289&title=form+in+tonal+music&qsort=&page=1


  • The curriculum in Formenlehre (Musical form) in German speaking culture (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) at Universities and Konservatorium is the text:

    "Formenlehre der Musik"

    Heinrich Lemacher, Hermann Schroeder

    Verlag: Volk-Verlag Gerig

    http://antiquariat-lenzen.antiquariatsportal.de/bild/12158~36354AB.jpg


  • Formenlehre der Musik

    Index:

    • Arie – Nebenformen: Frühe Opernarie, Da-capo-Arie, Cavatine, Rondoarie

    • Charakterstück (auch: lyrisches Stück, Genrestück)

    • Choral – Nebenformen: Accentus, Concentus

    • Fuge – Nebenformen: Permutationsfuge, Doppelfuge, Tripelfuge, Quadrupelfuge

    • Kanon – Nebenformen: Strenger Kanon, Zirkelkanon, Spiralkanon, Rätselkanon, Proportionskanon

    • Kantate – Nebenformen:Italienische Kantate, Deutsche Kantate

    • Konzert – Nebenformen: Vokalkonzert, Instrumentalkonzert, Solokonzert, Doppelkonzert, Tripelkonzert, Sinfonia concertante, Konzert für Orchester

    • Lied – Nebenformen: Kunstlied, Volkslied, Tenorlied, Chanson, Vaudeville, Air, Ständchen

    • Madrigal – Nebenformen: Trecento-Madrigal, Solomadrigal, Konzertantes Madrigal

    • Messe – Nebenformen: Gregorianischer Choral, Requiem

    • Motette – Nebenformen: Liedmotette, Anthem, Durchimitierte Motette, Chormotette u. a.

    • Oper – Nebenformen: Opera seria, Opera buffa und Komische Oper, Grand opéra, Operette

    • Oratorium

    • Ouvertüre – Nebenformen: Sinfonia, Kanzonen-Ouvertüre, Französische Ouvertüre, Neapolitanische Opernsinfonia, Klassische Ouvertüre, Programmouvertüre, Konzertouvertüre, Schauspielouvertüre, Potpourri, Freies Opernvorspiel

    • Passion – Nebenformen: Motettische Passion, Responsoriale Passion, Oratorische Passion

    • Präludium

    • Programmmusik – Nebenformen: Tonsymbolische Dichtung, Sinfonische Dichtung

    • Rezitativ – Nebenformen: Secco-Rezitativ, Accompagnato-Rezitativ

    • Serenade – Nebenformen: Serenata, Divertimento, Notturno, Kassation, Instrumentale Serenade

    • Sonate – Nebenformen: Frühe Sonata, Klassische Sonate, Barocksonate, Kammersonate, Kirchensonate, Triosonate, Sonatine

    • Suite – Sonata da camera, Variationssuite, Klaviersuite, Ouvertüren-Suite, Ballettsuite, Tanzsuite

    • Sinfonie – Vorklassische Sinfonia, Klassische Sinfonie, Nachklassische Sinfonie

    • Tanz – Nebenformen: Pavane, Galliarde, Allemande, Courante, Chaconne, Bourrée, Sarabande, Gavotte, Siciliano, Gigue, Menuett, Polonaise, Nationaltanz (z. B. Csardas (Csárdás), Bolero, Habanera, Tango, Ländler, Galopp, Kavalkade, Cancan u. a.)

    • Variation


  • Lasso - Palestrina - Lechner - Cavalieri (1600)
  • Bach - Händel - Vivaldi - Telemann (1700-1750)
  • Haydn - Mozart - Beethoven (1770-1810)
  • Schubert - Beethoven (1800-1828)
  • Schumann (1830-1850)
  • Oper (1600-1900)
  • Wagner (1857-1882)
  • Liszt (1839-1885)
  • Débussy (1900-1918)
  • Von Schönberg bis zur Gegenwart (ab 1914)
  • Zeichenerklärung - Wegweiser - Nachtrag (1992): Der Wiener Klang
  • Also available in English as translation, but costs a fortune.


  • The English translation of  "Harmonielehre"  by Diether de la Motte:

    "The Study of Harmony: A Historical Perspective"

    Jeffrey L. Prater

    Brown (William C.) Co ,U.S.; 4th Revised edition (1. October 1991) .