Structure in Different Periods of Music
This section explains structure through different periods of music including: the renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic and 20th century periods.
Renaissance Period (c. 1400–1600)
Structure: Renaissance music often focused on vocal forms, like masses, motets, and madrigals, with less focus on instrumental music. The structure of these forms tended to be through-composed, especially in sacred music, with no repeated sections. However, imitation and canon (repeating a melody in another voice) were key techniques in creating structure.
Composers: Palestrina, Josquin des Prez.
Baroque Period (c. 1600–1750)
Structure: The binary form (AB) was commonly used in dance suites. Fugues were a significant form, with sections based on a subject (main theme) and its development through counterpoint. The da capo aria (ternary form) was used in operas and oratorios. The ritornello form was common in concertos, featuring a recurring theme (ritornello) alternating with contrasting episodes.
Composers: Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel.
Classical Period (c. 1750–1820)
Structure: The sonata form became the most important structure in instrumental music, particularly in symphonies, sonatas, and concertos. This three-part form (exposition, development, recapitulation) allowed for the clear presentation and development of themes. Ternary form (ABA) and rondo form were also widely used. Theme and variations form appeared often in the slow movements of sonatas and symphonies.
Composers: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven (early period), Franz Joseph Haydn.
Romantic Period (c. 1820–1900)
Structure: Romantic composers expanded on the forms established in the Classical period but often made them more flexible. Sonata form and rondo were still used but with greater freedom. Composers also favoured forms that allowed for emotional expression, such as through-composed structures in lieder (German art songs) and symphonic poems. Cyclic form was introduced, where themes from earlier movements reappear in later ones to create unity across a large work.
Composers: Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Twentieth Century (c. 1900–2000)
Structure: The 20th century saw a break from traditional forms. Composers used free forms, like through-composed pieces, or adapted existing structures in new ways. Serialism (where a tone row governs the structure), aleatoric (chance) music, and minimalism (repetitive patterns and cells) became influential. Impressionist composers like Debussy blurred traditional structures, while neo-classical composers like Stravinsky returned to older forms such as rondo and fugue but with a modern twist.
Composers: Arnold Schoenberg, Igor Stravinsky, Claude Debussy (early 20th century), Steve Reich (minimalism).
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