Guide to Analysis

• Texture
  • Medium: voices or instruments or both; What kinds? How many?
  • Timbre: specific instruments, range and tessitura, types of articulation
  • Voice parts:
    • Homophonic
      • Chordal: familiar style, note against note (chorale)
      • Melody w/accompaniment: sustained chord, repeated chord, arpeggio, etc.
    • Polyphonic (contrapuntal)
      • Imitative
      • Dialogue (give and take)
    • Monophonic

• Rhythm
  • Metric Framework: metrical, changing meters, polymetric, non-metric, mixed meter
  • Durational Patterns: note values, motives, repetition, devices used (hemiola, syncopation)
  • Rhythmic relationship of parts: 1:1, 2:1, etc.
  • Tempo
  • Significant patterns

• Melody
  • Interval Structure (conjunct or disjunct or mixed)
  • Character: lyric or dramatic; cantabile or instrumental
  • Dimensions: vertical (narrow or wide range) or horizontal (long lines or short fragments)
  • Diatonic or Chromatic
  • Ornamentation: embellishment, coloration, figuration

• Form
  • Phrase Form: how many phrase; relationship (aba, abb, etc.)
  • Large-scale Form (types of design):
    • Sectional (binary, ternary, rondo, free)
    • Variational: theme and variations, passacaglia, chaconne, ground bass
    • Fugal: fugue, invention, motet, madrigal
    • Developmental: sonata-allegro, sonata-rondo
    • Through-composed
  • How is the large-scale form established?

• Tonality
  • Scale Basis
  • Key Scheme
  • Atonality
  • Modulation (location, method)

• Harmony
  • Sonority Types (tertian, non-tertian, mixed)
  • Relationships (functional, non-functional)
  • Nonchord Tones
  • Harmonic Rhythm
  • Harmonic progressions
  • Cadence Types

• Miscellaneous
  • Orchestration (or vocal distribution)
  • Dynamics
  • Coloristic effects: pizzicato, tremolo, harmonics, mutes, etc.
  • Rests
  • Text
  • Programmatic Considerations