Ebooks for the Classroom+Faculty

Classical form: a theory of formal functions for the instrumental music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven
ISBN: 9780195104806
Platform/Publisher: ACLS / Oxford University Press
Digital rights: Users: Unlimited; Printing: Ten pages at a time; Download: Ten pages at a time
Subjects: Music & Musicology;

Building on ideas first advanced by Arnold Schoenberg and later developed by Erwin Ratz, this book introduces a new theory of form for instrumental music in the classical style. The theory provides a broad set of principles and a comprehensive methodology for the analysis of classical form, from individual ideas, phrases, and themes to the large-scale organization of complete movements. It emphasizes the notion of formal function, that is, the specific role a given formal unit plays in the structural organization of a classical work.