![minuet form minuet form](https://www.schoolofcomposition.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Bach-Minuet-in-G-BWV-Anhang-116.png)
Dances differed from one another in their rhythm and associated steps, but not in form. Originally, the second minuet had a lighter texture–only three parts instead of four or more, so it became known as the trio.īoth parts were repeated.
![minuet form minuet form](https://cdn.imslp.org/images/thumb/pdfs/1b/ab9af363c443231265ee0176d215c4849939a305.png)
They made it a little bit longer by actually writing two minuets. Hardly anyone still danced it, but composers usually included one in their multi-movement works. The minuet was one of a number of old dance forms, the only one still common in the Classical Period. The others, rondo, theme and variations, and minuet are all at least a couple of generations older. Sonata form is the most characteristic of the period. All music has form, but we refer to these basic patterns as forms. They had a few basic patterns that they used all the time. If everyone listened to the same music, then clearly the composers cared about making it easy to listen to. We have come to call it the Classical Period. The time I mentioned, when everyone enjoyed the same music in different ways, was the last half of the eighteenth century. Repetition, contrast, and variation are the basis of all musical form. In other words, you will always hear repetition and contrast. You might notice other parts of the music that sound something like what you have heard before, but not exactly the same. You will also notice that, however a piece starts out, it will eventually come to something completely different. Forms in musicĪs you listen carefully to music, you will notice that you will hear repetitions of some of the same “licks” over and over. For people who like classical music, they find that if they can actually hear the form of the music as they listen, it gives them a whole new level of enjoyment. Some people like various kinds of popular music. They respond to the emotion or the beat, or whatever suits their fancy. Nowadays, I suppose, most people who actually listen to music pretty much just let the sound wash over them. I”m not sure watching music videos does, either. Having something on as background doesn’t count. Not everyone listens to music these days, even though many people carry radios and iPods and what not everywhere they go. But everyone pretty much listened to the same music. Others liked to listen over and over to discover the clever things composers did with melody, harmony, and form. Some people liked novelty and got tired of pieces after hearing them a few times. There was no distinction between art music and popular music. Minuet / by Frederick Hendrik Kaemmerer (ca.