Invention Analysis Checklist
- Tonal Profile:
- What keys are implied or confirmed? Where?
- How do they relate to each other and to the original tonic?
- Characteristics of the theme:
- length
- does it start on tonic or elsewhere?
- what are the implied harmonies?
- where within the measure does it begin--on the beat, after a rest,
etc.?
- what are its significant melodic and rhythmic features?
- is it introduced alone, or with an accompanying voice?
- if a second voice is used, how does it relate to the theme both melodically
and rhythmically?
- Characteristics of the imitation:
- is it at the octave, or some other interval?
- is the imitation literal or varied?
- is the accompanying voice a countertheme, or free material?
- Subsequent statements:
- what keys are involved? how do they relate to the original tonic?
- are they complete or partial statements?
- Episodes:
- what is the source of the material?
- how long is the episode?
- does a modulation occur, and if so, how?
- what developmental techniques are used?
- Sectionalization:
- what types of cadences are used? how are tonicizations effected?
- is there an exchange of voices between sections?
- do they rely on the same, or different, harmonic progressions?
- what harmonic progressions are used?
- is there a sense of proportion between sections? some sort of symmetry
or lack of it?
