Lesson Plan

 

1.  In our last lesson we talked about Motives (which are the smallest identifiable musical idea, but not a complete musical thought), Phrases (which

     are when motives combine to create a complete musical thought), and Periods (which are when two Phrases are paired together to create an even

     more complete musical idea).

 

     Today we are going to talk about the next size of musical thought - a Section.

 

Definition:  A musical Section is a complete musical idea that includes several phrases and/or periods.  It also contains at least one motive that

                  defines the section.

 

     Most music contains more than one Section.  In fact, we probably know several common songs that contain at least two Sections, such as a verse

     and a chorus.  The song I think of right away is Jingle Bells.  The verse 'Dashing though the snow...' is the first Section, while the chorus 'Jingle

     bells, jingle bells...' is the second Section.  Of course, within Jingle Bells there are also motive(s), phrases, and periods.  Can you determine which

     words or lines are motive(s), phrases, and periods?

 

Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh
O'er the fields we go
Laughing all the way
Bells on bobtail ring
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight!
(chorus)

Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way.
Oh! what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way;
Oh! what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.

 

      

     Other songs contain more than two Sections - like For Your Love by The Yardbirds.  Most pop songs contain several Sections - an Introduction,  

     two or more verses, a chorus (which is repeated several times) a Bridge (a middle part that ties one section into another) and an Ending.  Let's see

     if we can hear these sections. For the first listen, just close your eyes and raise your hand every time you hear a new section.  During the next

     listen try to pick out a Motive and Phrase.  During the final listen, look at the handout while listening - take notice of the number of Sections,

     Periods, Phrases, and Motives.

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.  Both classical and popular music composers use musical Sections to organize their compositions. This organization is called the music's Form.

 

Definition:  Form is the overall structure or organization of a piece of music, and it describes the layout of a composition as divided into musical

                  sections.  

 

     There are several ways to organize the musical Sections; thus, there are several different musical Forms.  To keep everything straight, musicians

     label each of the Sections with letters, starting alphabetically, to determine the music's specific Form.  This means the first section of a piece of    

     music would be labeled A, the next section B and so on.  If a section ever reappears (i.e., the same melody and harmony), then we label

     the section with the original letter.  

 

     Let's start with something simple.  Think of the song Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.  If we were to sing it, we should notice how the first line is different

     than the second line (in both words and melody).  This indicates that we will use two different letters to label these sections.  You should also

     notice the first and third lines are the same (again in both words and melody).  This indicates we will use the same letter to denote these sections.

 

A     Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are

B     Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky

A     Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are

 

     Okay, let's practice with a song that is a bit more involved like Somewhere Over the Rainbow sung by Judy Garland.  The lyrics and a recording

     are below.  Please determine the Sections and then what letters should label each Section.

 

 

A      Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
        There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby

A      Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue
        And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true

B     Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me
       Where troubles melt like lemon drops, way above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me

A     Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly
       Birds fly over the rainbow. Why then, oh, why can't I?
 

 

     Before we start our next practice I need to give you one more rule when using letters to label Sections.  While a section that reappears is labeled

     with the original letter, there will be times when this reappearance will be just slightly different than the original.  When this happens, we call it

     Prime.

 

Definition:  Prime is a repetition of a Section that is just slightly different than the original.

 

     To denote Prime, we use a superscript apostrophe A'.  Each variation of the section is given an additional apostrophe - A', A'', A''', A'''' and so on.

     Let's practice using Prime with IZ's version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.  Again, the lyrics and a recording are below.

 

 

 

A     Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
       And the dreams that you dreamed of once in a lullaby

A'    Somewhere over the rainbow blue birds fly
       And the dreams that you dreamed of dreams really do come true 

B    Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me
      Where trouble melts like lemon drops, high above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me

A''  Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly
      And the dream that you dare to Oh why, oh why can't I?

 

 

 

     Our last example is Michael Bublé's version of Jingle Bells.  For this example I have already split the song into Sections of verses and choruses, as

     well as denoted who is singing within each Section (to help you keep track).  Your task is to label each Section with the correct letter, including

     Prime.