GCSE MusicAOS 1 – Musical Forms and

Devices

Mozart

Minuet and Trio from Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

Basic informationThis piece is the 3rd movement from Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. There are 4 movements to the full piece:I – AllegroII - Romanze – AndanteIII – Minuet and Trio – AllegrettoIV – Rondo – Allegro

The piece was originally written for 2 violins (violin 1 and violin 2), viola and cello (full title ‘violincello’). This grouping of instruments is called a string quartet.

It was written in 1787 (during the Classical era) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He is considered to be one of the main composers of the Classical era.

The structure for the Minuet and Trio can be loosely classed as ternary form, with each section (minuet and trio) in binary form.

The texture is melody and accompaniment = Homophonic

To begin with…

Time%signature%– How%many%beats%are%in%each%bar%(top%number)%and%the%type%of%note%(duration)%used%(bottom%number).

3/4%means%that%there%is%the%equivalent%of%3%crotchets%in%every%bar.

Bass%clef

Treble%clef

Alto%clef

Key%signature%–the%key%signature%is%used%to%show%the%performer%which%notes%will%be%sharp%or%flat.%This%saves%having%to%put%a%sharp/flat%sign%next%to%every%note%that%needs%one.%The%key%of%the%minuet%is%G%Major%(F%sharp)

Minuet: Section ABars 1 - 8

Bar$0.3Anacrusis

Bar$1$to$8Violins,1,and,2,are,playing,in,octaves.,TEXTURE

Bar$7.3$– 8.1Perfect,cadence,9 chord,V,to,chord,I.HARMONY

Bar$3.2$– 3.3Contrary,motion,– when,different,parts,move,in,different,directions.,TEXTURE

Bar$7.3Dominant,7th chord,–This,is,chord,V,with,an,added,note,(C),

Dynamic$markingForte&=&LoudDYNAMICS

Slur$markingARTICULATION

AppoggiaturaMELODY

TrillMELODY

Disjunct movementMELODY

Minuet: Section BBars 9 – 16

Bar$8.3The$remainder$of$bar$8$is$played$as$an$Anacrusis

Bar$9$/ 12Violins$1$and$2$play$a$sequence$in$octavesMELODY.$This$is$also$parallel$motionTEXTURE

Bar$13.1StaccatoARTICULATIONBar$12.1

Accidental$– when$a$note$not$in$the$key$is$usedMELODY$&$HARMONY

Bar$12Crescendo$– gradually$getting$louderDYNAMICS

Bar$16Fine%– finish.$STRUCTURE

Bar$15.3Double$stopping$HARMONY

Dynamic$markingPiano&=&Soft/quietDYNAMICS

Bar$16Repeat$marksSTRUCTURE

Minuet: Section BBars 9 – 16

Bar$9$& 10The$B$section$starts$with$a$brief$modulation$to$E$minor.$This$is$the$relative$minor$(submediant)$of$the$tonic$key$(G$major)$

Bar$11$& 12The$B$section$then$modulates$to$D$major$This$is$the$dominant$key$of$the$tonic$key$(G$major)$

Bar$14$& 15Hemiola device$– the$piece$remains$in$3/4$but$the$rhythm$implies$2/4RHYTHM

Trio: Section ABars 17 - 24

Trio:The$piece$has$now$modulated$to$the$dominant+key,$which$is$D+major

Violin+1+is$the$melodic$instrument.$Violin+2+is$now$accompanying.$

Bars+18+– 23Violin$2$and$viola$are$playing$a$broken$chord$accompanimentHARMONY+&+TEXTURE

Sotto$voce:A$performance$instructionDYNAMICS

Bar+21+E 22Violin$1$plays$a$sequenceMELODY

The$cello$is$playing$octave$leaps$as$part$of$the$accompaniment

General+points:• In$contrast$to$the$minuet,$the$dynamic+marking$at$the$start$of$the$trio$is$piano."• The$articulation+has$changed,$the$trio$is$much$smoother,$with$slurs$being$used$(with$the$exception$of$the$

cello).• Violin$2$is$no$longer$supporting$the$main$melody$but$is$now$part$of$the$accompaniment.$

Bars%28.3%* 36A"repeat"of"the"trio"A"sectionSTRUCTURE

Trio: Section BBars 25 - 36

Menuetto da%capoPerformance"instruction"–return"to"the"minuetSTRUCTURE

Bars%25.3%– 28Violin"1,"violin"2"and"viola"are"playing"in"parallel"motionTEXTURE

General%points:• This"section"is"12"bars"

in"length."This"differs"from"the"A"section"of"the"trio"and"the"A/B"sections"of"the"minuet,"which"are"all"8"bars"in"length"

• The"first"4"bars"of"the"B"section"are"marked"forte."The"B"section"then"returns"to"the"original"sotto'voce'and"piano'marking.

Bars%25.3%– 28The"piece"briefly"modulates"to"A%major,"the"dominant"key"of"D"major"

Chromatic%passing%noteA"note"not"in"the"key"(accidental),"used"to"create"conjunct"semitone"movement"MELODY

Bar%28Diminuendo"markingDYNAMICS

Glossary of important terms:

Anacrusis A lead in at the start of a piece or section of music. Will always be an incomplete bar.

Octave The distance from one note to another (up or down) with the same letter name.

Cadence The 2 chords at the end of a section or piece of music.

Dominant 7th Chord A chord built on the 5th degree (note) of the scale/key that has an added note (3 semitones/steps) above the top note of the chord: D F A C

Allegretto Fairly quick/lively or quite fast/lively - Not as quick as Allegro. If asked to describe the tempo do not just write ‘fast’!!

Slur When notes are played as smoothly as possible – a type of articulation.

Appoggiatura An ornament/embellishment to the melody, where the smaller note takes half the value of the note it’s played in front of.

Trill An ornament/embellishment to the melody. A rapid movement is played between 2 adjacent notes, usually the written note and the note above.

G Major This is the tonic key and the key for the minuet sections of the piece.

Conjunct When the melody moves mainly by step (small intervals/gaps between the notes).

Disjunct Wide intervals (gaps between the notes) are used. This creates a ‘jumpy’ movement, as the melody leaps from one note to another.

Double stopping Two notes played simultaneously on a string instrument, such a violin or viola.

Sequence When a short melodic phrase is played at a slightly higher or lower pitch in the same part.

Staccato When the notes are played ‘detached’ as opposed to smoothly (legato).

Accidental When a note not in the key is used. This can often indicate modulation to a different key.

Cresc./crescendo Gradually getting louder. Often abbreviated as cresc. or written as two lines starting at a point and gradually moving away from each other.

Glossary of important terms continued:Fine Finish – used at the end of a repeated and final section.

Piano A dynamic marking meaning soft/quiet.

Forte A dynamic marking meaning loud.

Octave An interval of 8 notes. Violin 1 and 2 play in octaves throughout the minuet.

Repeat marks Used at the end of a section or passage of music to indicate to the performer theymust play the section again.

Modulation When the piece moves to a different key.

Hemiola device Implying a different metre without changing time signature.

Parallel motion When simultaneous parts move in the same direction.

Contrary motion When simultaneous parts move in different directions.

Sotto Voce A performance instruction meaning ‘under the voice’ or ‘hushed voice’.

Menuetto da capoPerformance direction. This instructs the performers to return to the minuet. The minuet is performed without repeats. The fine marking at the end of the minuet B section instructs the performers to finish.

Structure

How the piece is arranged. The structure is Minuet and Trio:

M A D T S H I R TMelody Articulation Dynamics• Conjunct• Disjunct• Sequence• Trill• Appoggiatura• Narrow range

• Legato• Slur• Staccato

• Forte• Piano• Crescendo• Diminuendo • Sotto voce

Texture Structure Harmony• Homophonic• Melody and

accompaniment• Unison• Parallel motion• Contrary motion• Octaves

• Minuet and Trio• Repeat marks• Menuetto da capo –

return to the minuet• Fine - finish

• Diatonic• G major (minuet)• D major (trio)• Modulation• Rapid change of chords in

minuet (mostly one per beat)

• Slower change of chords in trio

Instruments Rhythm Tempo & Time sig.• String quartet – 4 parts• Violin 1• Violin 2• Viola• Violincello/Cello

• Simple rhythms throughout, mainly crotchets and quavers

• Hemiola device• Some dotted rhythms in

the trio

• Allegretto – fairly/quite fast. Not as fast as Allegro

• 3/4 – simple triple time – 3 crotchet beats per bar

Typical exam questions:Minuet

o What key is the minuet in?o What is the cadence at the end of the A/B section?o What is the structure of the minuet?o Describe the relationship between violin 1 and 2:o What technique does the viola use in bar 7.3?o The piece begins with an anacrusis. What does this mean?o Describe the role of the of the viola and cello in the minuet:o What key does the second section of the minuet start in?o Name the rhythmic device used in bars 14 – 15 of the minuet:o Identify the following the score:

o A trillo An appoggiaturao A slur markingo A staccato markingo Conjunct/disjunct movemento Parallel/contrary motion o A crotchet/quaver/semiquavero A crotchet resto A dominant 7th chord

o What key is the trio in?o Describe the relationship between Violin 1 and Violin 2 during the A

section of the trio:o Describe the role of violin 2 and the viola during the A section of the

trio:o Describe the cello part during the A section of the trio: o What key does the piece modulate to at the start of the B section of

the trio?o How is the B of the trio section different from the other sections of

the piece?o The end of the B section is marked ‘Menuetto da capo’: what does

this mean?o Identify the following the score:

o An octave leap in the cello parto A chromatic passing noteo A dotted noteo A diminuendo markingo A sequence

Typical exam questions:Trio

o Compare the Texture of the Minuet and Trio sections:o Compare the Articulation of the Minuet and Trio sections:o Compare bars 25 – 28 to bars 29 – 32 (B section of the trio).

Describe the changes in the accompaniment:o Describe 4 musical differences between the Minuet and the Trio:

Typical exam questions:Comparisons

Typical exam questions:Identifying chords*

You may be asked to identify chords on the score or write your answer as bar/beat numbers.

The question will usually refer to the chord as a roman numeral:o Identify chord VIMake sure you identify the key of the extract (G major – Minuet, D major – Trio) and work out that degree of the scale; in G major this will be E. The chord of E will be E G B, so you will need to find where these notes are played together.*these questions are quite tricky and only worth one mark, so if you’re unsure, do not spend too much time trying to figure it out

o Don’t panico Read the questions carefully and try to answer everythingo Get the basics learnt – composer, date it was composed,

structure, tonic and dominant keys, instruments, how the musical elements feature in the music

o Don’t spend all your time trying to figure out a 1 mark question. Answer the questions you are most confident with first and come back to those that need a little more thinking time – there will be 3 minutes after the final playing to finish your answers

o If the questions asks you to describe the melody, do not mention anything other than melody. You will not gain marks writing about harmony/tempo/articulation etc.

o Use your musical vocabulary and don’t romanticise i.e. ‘the violin had a lovely soft flowing melody that sounded bright and happy’ (‘the violin played a conjunct major melody, legato, at a piano dynamic’ would be far better.)

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