A quick review on musical forms.
Music is organized and labeled using FORMS. Think about an easy song like Twinkle Twinkle. The form for Twinkle Twinkle is in ABA form. When you sing Twinkle Twinkle in your head, you can easily hear 3 sections or parts. 2 of these sections sounds the same while the middle part sounds different.
Let’s listen to another, more challenging song. This song is in AABA Form. See if you can pick out where the B section is (it will sound quite different from the beginning melody).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSZxmZmBfnU
In “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Judy Garland, you can see how the first two verses establish the main melody of the song. Then the bridge shifts the song into a different gear, giving it a contrasting quality. Then, the return to the last verse provides the listener a comfortable return to what is familiar.
| A | First verse | Somewhere over the rainbow way up high |
| A | Second verse | Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue |
| B | Bridge | Someday I’ll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me |
| A | Final verse | Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly… |
Here is a list of common elemental forms:
ABA AABA ABAB ABAC ABACA ABCBCA
Please listen to these 3 pieces, and answer what form each of these are in.
1: Oh Suzanna
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Oh%2C_Susannah_rounded_binary_form.mid
Form: __________________
- Fly Me To the Moon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFlMy48ui9s
Form: ___________________
- Moon River
https://www.omarimc.com/a-complete-guide-to-song-form-structure-examples-aaba-aaa-abab-abac/
Form: ____________________
Bonus: Old Town Road
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eMKT8H_76g
Form: _____________________