STRUCTURE AND FORM
ACROSS GENRES
POP SONG STRUCTURE (EXAMPLE - THE
SCIENTIST - COLDPLAY)
SONATA FORM (EXAMPLE -MOVEMENT 1
OF SYMPHONY 104 -HAYDN)
Intro
Verse 1
Chorus
Interlude
Verse 2
Chorus
Instrumental
Coda
Introduction
Exposition
Development
Recapitulation
Coda
POP SONG STRUCTURE (EXAMPLE - THE
SCIENTIST - COLDPLAY)
SONATA FORM (EXAMPLE -MOVEMENT 1 OF
SYMPHONY 104 -HAYDN)
Intro – start of the piece – introduces the style,
feel, tempo, mood and key to listener
Introduction – start of the piece – usually lively or
dramatic, to capture the listeners attention.
Verse 1 – new material, usually consists of a
chord pattern, melody and lyrics.
Exposition – introduces the 2 main, significant
themes or tunes (known as subjects) that the rest of
the piece is based on.
1st subject – normally the tune you remember the
most - then modulates to dominant just in time for…
2nd subject – a new ‘tune’ – contrasts with 1st subject.
Chorus – new material – usually has chord
pattern related to, but not always identical to –
verse 1. Usually has a new, catchy melody and
often contains the song’s hook.
Interlude – A short connecting passage
between to sections of the song – usually
instrumental.
Verse 2 – usually identical chords to verse 1,
but more developed - i.e. changes to melody /
lyrics, different instruments etc.
Chorus – same as first chorus
Instrumental – usually asolo over the verse or
chorus chords
Coda – the ending, sometimes an instrumental
to fade, or similar to intro.
Development – where the composer experiments
and develops material from the exposition. Usually
feels ‘unsettled’ and waiting to resolve experiments
with dynamics, tempo, rhythms, plays around with
themes and almost always goes crazy with key
signature – modulation city!
Recapitulation – recap from the exposition. All the
main themes and original material are revisited and
made concrete in the listeners head.
Coda – the ending – a nice big finish in the tonic key.