Musical forms and devices

AREA OF STUDY 1

Forms and devices are of fundamental importance in musical composition, and many
of the common musical forms and devices used by composers today have their origin
in the Western Classical Tradition. The music of the Baroque, Classical and
Romantic eras provides the context for a study of binary, ternary, minuet and trio
rondo, variation and strophic forms. Learners are encouraged to engage with a
variety of music from the prescribed eras, through a range of performing, composing
and appraising activities. They are also encouraged to make links between music
they listen to, pieces they perform and their own compositions, as well as music by
composers from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries who use these forms and
devices.