Chapter 11:Phrases and Form 149
Classical Music Forms
Within the genre that most of us know as “classical” music, several distinct
forms exist. If you plan to take a more traditional path in your musical career,
you’ll need to explore each of these forms in more depth:
◆Anthem An anthem is a piece of choral music, generally with a religious
text. (The anthem is the Protestant church’s version of the Latin motet.)
Most anthems are for four voices, and some even include instrumental
parts; most often for string instruments.
◆Aria An aria is a vocal piece (a song, operatic in nature) that can be
either standalone, or part of a larger work. Over time, arias have become
longer and more complex, serving as a type of showcase for the vocalist.
◆Canon The canon is a musical form in which the melody is imitated by
various parts at regular intervals. Canons typically are instrumental in nature.
◆Cantata A cantata is a type of chamber music, Baroque in style. It comes
primarily from Lutheran church music, and is written for either soloists
and instrumental accompaniment or soloists, chorus, and instrumental
accompaniment.
◆Choral symphony A choral symphony is, quite simply, a symphony that
incorporates a choir. The most notable example of this form is Beethoven’s
Symphony No. 9 in D Minor,an adaptation of Schiller’s Ode to Joy.
◆Chorale A chorale is a congregational hymn of the Lutheran church,
originally written in unison but later adapted for four vocal parts or organ.
◆Concerto A concerto is a piece of ensemble music for voices and instru-
ments, typically with a solo instrument or voice in contrast with an orches-
tral ensemble.
◆Fugue The term fuguedescribes a piece of music that incorporates imi-
tative counterpoint. (See Chapter 14 to learn more about counterpoint.)
Most fugues are instrumental in nature.
◆Grand motet This musical form is a motet for large ensembles of voices
and instruments, contrasting solo voices with the larger chorus.
◆Lieder The word liederis the plural of lied—German for “song.” In pop-
ular usage, lieder is a non-operatic art song with lyrics based on a dramatic
poem; in performance, the vocal and the piano accompaniment are of
equal importance.
◆Madrigal A madrigal is a piece of vocal music based on a fourteenth-
century Italian form. The typical madrigal is a polyphonic composition for
four to six voices, typically unaccompanied, based on a poem or other sec-
ular text.
◆March A march is an instrumental piece, based on a regular and
repeated drum rhythm, originally developed for military bands.