Formal sections in music analysis

thumb|A bar from Johann Sebastian Bach|J. S. Bach's [[Fugue No. 17 in A-flat, BWV 862, from The Well-Tempered Clavier (Part I), an example of counterpoint. The two voices (melodies) on each staff can be distinguished by the direction of the stems and beams.thumbthumb|Voice 1thumb|Voice 2thumb|Voice 3thumb|Voice 4]]

thumb|Musical notation for the chorus of "Jingle Bells"

thumb|300px|Leitmotif associated with Siegfried's horn call in Richard Wagner's 1876 opera, Siegfriedcenter

thumb|right|300px|This score for Handel's ''[[Lascia ch'io pianga'' shows the simple accompaniment for a recitative; much of the time, the basso continuo (the lower staff in bass clef) play half notes and whole notes underneath the vocalist's recitative part.]] thumb|right|200px|A recitative from J.S. Bach's Cantata 140, "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" Recitative (, also known by its Italian name recitativo (), is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repeat lin

A scherzo (, , ; plural scherzos or scherzi), in western classical music, is a short composition – sometimes a movement from a larger work such as a symphony or a sonata. The precise definition has varied over the years, but scherzo often refers to a movement that replaces the minuet as the third movement in a four-movement work, such as a symphony, sonata, or string quartet. The term can also refer to a fast-moving humorous composition that may or may not be part of a larger work.

musical passage that leads on to the conclusion

thumb|upright=1.2|Decorated incipit page to the Gospel of Matthew, 1120–1140

self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form

thumb|350px|Ostinato from Radiohead's "Creep" features [[modal mixture, common tones between adjacent triads (B between G & B, C and G between C+ & C−), and an emphasis on subdominant harmony (IV = C in G major).]]

short musical idea, a salient recurring figure, musical fragment or succession of notes that has some special importance in or is characteristic of a composition

musical melody on which a composition is based

unit of musical meter that has a complete musical sense of its own, built from figures, motifs, and cells, and combining to form melodies, periods and larger sections

section of a musical composition

In music, a cadenza (from , meaning cadence; plural, cadenze ) is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist(s), usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing virtuosic display. During this time, the accompaniment will rest or sustain a note or chord. Thus, an improvised cadenza is indicated in written notation by a fermata in all parts. A cadenza will usually occur over either the final or penultimate note in a piece, the lead-in (), or the final or penultimate note in an important subsection of a piece. A cadenza can also be found befor

thumb|The tutti piston seen over the organ pedalboard Tutti is an Italian word literally meaning all or together and is used as a musical term, for the whole orchestra as opposed to the soloist. It is applied similarly to choral music, where the whole section or choir is called to sing. Music examination boards may instruct candidates to "play in tuttis", indicating that the candidate should play both the solo and the tutti sections.

contrasting section of music

succession of two distinct phrases usually played by different musicians (in music)

musical concept

division in music

introductory thematic material of a musical composition

shortest idea in music, a short succession of notes

complete, but not independent, musical idea

process by which a musical idea is communicated in the course of a composition

In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any repeated section, such as is indicated by beginning and ending repeat signs.

last movement of a sonata, symphony, or concerto etc.

ending of a musical composition that may take the form of a coda or outro

section of a movement written in sonata form

The Alap (; ) is the opening section of a typical North Indian classical performance. It is a form of melodic improvisation that introduces and develops a raga. In dhrupad singing the alap is unmetered, improvised (within the raga) and unaccompanied (except for the tanpura drone), and started at a slow tempo. For people unfamiliar with the raga form, it introduces the thaat to the listener. It defines the raga, its mood, and the emphasized notes and notes with a secondary role.

complete, somewhat self-contained statement within musical composition

smallest indivisible unit of music of rhythmic and melodic design