Analysis Guide
MUSC 476 Instrumental Methods 3
Fall 2021
I.
II.
1
Preliminary Research
a. Include the composer dates and the date of the work.: Since everyone
is analyzing works by the same composer, your research should focus
on the period of Mozart’s life in which your concerto was written.
b. Where does the piece fall in his overall compositional output?
c. Program Notes/Dedication/Commission
i. Level of difficulty or sophistication
ii. Source of inspiration
iii. Dedication usually means a source should not be treated
lightly.
d. Instrumentation: Do you see any instruments or special equipment
necessary to meet the composer’s goals?
General Outline1
a. Large Scale Musical Form
i. The larger work is connected to create an organic whole:
1. Sonata Form
2. Large Ternary Form
3. Sonata without Development
4. Rondo
5. Minuet/Trio Form
6. Theme and Variations
7. Concerto Form
ii. Medium Scale Musical Form (Inter-Thematic): A section of
music, that you can consider complete, but that also forms a
part of a larger work. The theme is built off of a standard set of
expected features, that create the sense of beginning, middle,
and end—cadence.
1. Themes
2. Exposition
3. Transitions
4. Development
iii. Small Scale—Intra-Thematic: The structure of the themes that
make up the larger section or piece.
1. Motives
2. Ideas—A two-measure unit, constituting a portion of a
larger phrase.
3. Phrases
4. Cadences
See: Brantingham, J. (Musical Form: A Short Guide to the Power of Classical Form
(www.artofcomposing.com) for more information and some small-scale
structural cheat sheets.
III.
5. Loosening Techniques: Techniques used to create
nonconventional thematic structures, including
expansion, extension, compression, interpolation,
fusion, asymmetrical grouping, functional redundancy,
and harmonic instability.
b. Isolated Aspects
i. Timbre and Dynamics
ii. Rhythm
iii. Pitch
iv. Harmony
c. Coordinated Elements
i. Texture
ii. Form
d. Larger Elements
i. Continuity and Discontinuity
ii. Unity and Variety
iii. Content and Function
Detailed Outlined
a. Isolated Aspects
i. Timbre and Dynamics
ii. Timbre Complement—i.e., what different instruments, voices,
or other sound sources are heard?
iii. Articulation and special effects—legato, staccato, muted,
bowings, pizzicato, etc.
iv. Dynamics:
1. How many different dynamic levels are used?
2. How are changes from one level to another affected—
suddenly (terraced) or gradually (crescendo and
decrescendo)?
v. Combinations
1. What vocal, instrumental, or mixed combinations are
used?
2. Does the combination or ensemble remain the same, or
change?
3. If it changes, is it a sudden or gradual substitution of
various instruments or voices?
b. Rhythm
c. Metric Structure
i. This may be described in traditional terms such as ¾ meter in
an andante tempo, or more precisely in terms of the grouping
and rate of speed of pulses on various levels of rhythmic
activity.
ii. Example: Beats or basic durations at a moderate rate of speed
organized in groups of fours (2+2), higher levels (measures)
organized usually in groups of twos with occasional groupings
into threes, etc.
IV.
V.
d. Duration Complement:
i. How many different types of patterns are heard and how can
they be described—in notes (2:1:1) or in words such as lamb,
trochee, anapest, dactyl, dotted, siciliano, etc.
ii. They may also be described according to beginnings—thetic
(beginning on the downbeat), anacrustic (beginning on the
upbeat), “initial rest” (beginning after a rest on the downbeat);
and according to endings—strong (downbeat), weak (ending
on an upbeat).
e. Relation of durational patterns to metric structure.
i. Are they identical to pulses on one level of the metric structure
(basic or “even-note” patterns)?
ii. Do they confirm the metric structure or do they conflict with it
in terms of accentuation (syncopation, hemiola), or grouping
(extrametric or irregular groupings such as triplets).
f. Successive uses of durational patterns: Repetition, Variation
(Diminution, Augmentation, Other Variations), contrast, restatement,
varied restatement.
g. Simultaneous uses of durational patterns—identical (hmorhythmic or
familiar style), similar, equal (two or more parts moving in different
but equally active patterns), unequal (one part clearly more active
than others), complimentary (give and take).
h. Successive relations between different parts—antiphonal, imitative,
non-imitative.
i. Composite Rhythm: Duration patterns produced by the interaction of
all parts of the texture.
Pitch
a. Pitch complement (number of different pitches heard) and pitch
hierarchy (ordering of frequency with which pitches or pitch classes
are heard).
b. Interval complement and prominent intervals used. This may also
effect pitch focus or tonality.
c. Pitch focus or tonality. Factors which create it.
d. Scale Type: Major, minor, modal, major with some incidental
chromaticism, whole-tone, pentatonic, twelve-tone, etc.
e. Mutation (change of scale type) or Modulation (Change of tonic)
f. Prominent pitch patterns
g. Successive usage of pitch patterns, repetition, sequence, varied
repetition (inversion, interval expansion or contraction, retrograde,
embellishment, etc.)
h. Basic pitch analysis, step progression
i. Pitch contour on larger levels, ascending, descending arch, inverted
arch, “axis” (hovering around one central pitch), location of pitch
climax, overall range and tessitura.
Harmony
VI.
VII.
a. Harmonic Complement: Types of harmonic intervals or chords used
(diads, triads, tetrads, tertian or non-tertian, m6, Mm7, etc.)
b. Root relations of successive chords
c. Types of harmonic formulae used. Common practice types such as
tonic-dominant, tonic-predominant-tonic, circle of fifths, parallel sixth
chords (fauxbourdon), or other “non-common practice” types such as
chromatic third relations, movement by tritone, etc.
d. Larger harmonic formulae: Consideration of structural and nonstructural chords.
e. Harmonic Rhythm: Rate of harmonic change
f. Non-chord tones: Passing tones, suspensions, etc.
Texture
a. General Type
i. Monophonic—one voice or part
ii. Polyphonic—more than one voice or part
1. Contrapuntal: Parts are relatively equal in importance
or interest (some theorists also call this polyphonic)
2. Homophonic: One part dominates the other parts
b. General Aspects of Contrapuntal Texturesi. Number of lines
ii. Spacing of lines
iii. Relative independence of lines (contrasting or non-imitative,
strict imitative, free or varied imitative, antiphonal—
answering)
c. Pitch aspects of contrapuntal textures—interval formed, motion
(parallel, similar, oblique, contrary)
d. Rhythmic aspects of contrapuntal textures—simultaneous relations
between durational patterns of various lines (identical, similar, equal,
unequal, complimentary)
e. General aspects of homophonic textures
i. Types of Accompaniment
1. Block Chords (homorhythmic, familiar style)
2. Sustained Chords
3. Repeated Chord
4. Bass-Afterbeat
5. Arpeggio
6. Alberti Bass
7. etc.
ii. Location of melody in relation to accompaniment
iii. Note: Every homophonic texture will have some contrapuntal
interest, especially between outer voices and this should be
analyzed according to the aspects listed above.
Form
a. Smallest Unit: Motives, figures, patterns, germs, sub-phrases)
i. These should be described according to previously given
criteria for isolated aspects.
VIII.
b. Phrases: Repeated motive, varied motive, head motive and spinning
out, non-motivic,
i. Types of cadences:
1. Melodic—Terminal, progressive, transient terminal,
perfect or imperfect
2. Harmonic—Authentic, plagal, Phrygian, half, deceptive,
perfect or imperfect
3. Rhythmic—Strong, weak, upbeat
4. Contrapuntal
c. Periods or Phrase Groups: Parallel or Contrasting Cadences
d. Factors contributing to similarity or unity, and those contributing to
contrast or variety.
i. Sub-sections or theme groups
ii. Sections
iii. Movements
e. Formal Type: Sectional, Variation, Developmental, etc.
i. Specific names such as binary, ternary, rondo, chaconne,
sonatina, etc.
ii. These are often subject to varying interpretations at different
historical periods and with different schools of theory.
Larger Aspects
a. Continuity and Discontinuity:
i. Which of the above aspects contribute to a sense of ongoing
motion, goal direction, flow, etc. and which contribute to a
sense of arrested motion, closure, cadence, etc.?
ii. What is the balance between the two?
b. Unity and Variety:
i. Which aspects remain the same or nearly the same throughout
a composition or a section and thereby contribute to unity, and
which aspects are substantially changed or altered to
contribute to a sense of variety?
ii. What is the balance between these two.
iii. Which isolated aspects are more prominent in various sections
of the composition?
c. Content and Function
i. Do the musical events of a composition or section refer to or
enhance a sung or recited text?
ii. Do they portray, represent, imitate, or suggest a specific extramusical content (program, mood, picture, etc.)? If so, was this
intended by the composer or rather read into the work by one
or more listeners?
iii. What function do various sections of a composition perform?
1. Presentation: Setting forth material, themes, ideas,
motives, etc.
2. Repetition: Immediate restatement of material—strict,
literal, or slightly varied
3. Restatement: Delayed restatement after intervening
material
4. Contrast: Presentation of radically different material
5. Variation: Some aspects are maintained while others
are changed (dividing line between variation and varied
repetition impossible to draw)
6. Development: Working our of various units or aspects
of formerly presented material
7. Introduction: Preparation for presentation section
8. Transition: Leads from one presentation section to
another.
a. May be for a single phrase (phrase extension),
section (codetta), or an entire movement (coda).
i. Codettas and codas may be like
presentation sections per se, but their
overall function in the larger formal sense
is extension.