Chapter 10, Fundamental Forms; I. Sectional Form and Chapter 11, Fundamental Forms; II. Variation Form Summary and Analysis

I. Sectional form: Two-part; Three-part; Rondo; Free Sectional Arrangement

The simplest form for a listener to understand is a form that is built in sections.

The two-part, or binary, form isn't used very much these days but it played an integral role in music that was written between 1650 and 1750. This form was utilized in the composition of thousands of short works for the clavecin during the 17th and 18th centuries. Examples of the two-part form are: compositions by the French composer François Couperin and Couperin's Italian counterpart, Domenico Scarlatti.

The three-part form tends to be used continuously by modern composers. Basically, it starts with one part, followed by a different second part, ending with a third...