This page provides musical examples for A. Peter Brown's article "Approaching Musical Classicism: Understanding Styles and Style Change in Eighteenth-Century Instrumental Music" (College Music Symposium 20/1 (Spring, 1980): 7-48). Scores of the examples are provided in Brown's article.
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To characterize and compare the style of these four excepts, Prof. Brown utilizes the SHMRG approach developed by Jan LaRue. LaRue advocates examining music in terms of five aspects: Sound, Harmony, Melody, Rhythm, and Growth. For a detailed exposition of this method, consult Jan LaRue, Guidelines for Style Analysis (2nd ed., Detroit, Harmonie Park Press, 1992).
| Sound | Harmony | Melody | Rhythm | Growth |
|
Texture - exclusively free or imitative polyphony, with concertante or concertato. Chords have from 2 to 6 notes. Homogeneous sound, no dynamic markings. |
Begins in D minor then touches upon related keys: iv (g), III (F). Ends on V of D minor. | Homogenous melodic ideas whose length equals 1 quarter-note beat are elaborated by Fortspinnung and motivic play between voices. | Homogeneous surface. Very little difference between strength of beats within measure.1st and 3rd beats are emphasized by upbeat figures of varied length. Additional stress is provided by ornamentation, dissonance, and duration. | Melody can't be divided into phrases. Lacks internal cadences and a sense of hierarchy and structural function. Based entirely on one affect. |
| Sound | Harmony | Melody | Rhythm | Growth |
|
Texture - generally 2- or 3-voice fabric but decisive changes occur. Melodic lines don't control harmonic activity as much as in Ex. 1. Uses dynamics in Baroque manner. |
More obvious cadences but tonality still migrates and fails to confirm a related key area. | 6 melodic units use 3 contrasting ideas, but Fortspinnung is still primary technique of expansion. | Baroque anacrustic rhythms with use of dissonances and ornaments to accent strong beats. Classic use of rhythmic contrasts and alternation of large and small-scale units | Exposition has multiple affects but its components lack functional clarity of the Classical style. |
| Sound | Harmony | Melody | Rhythm | Growth |
|
Texture - more transparent than Ex. 2 but same number of voices. Changes of texture underline functional aspects of structure. Synthesizes functional and registrational dynamics with ornamental. |
Cadences are used sparingly to establish two key areas. Transition is more directional with tonicization of prolongation of V of A. | More homogeneous toccata-like ideas. Hierarchical and balanced phrase structure. | Flexible in size of rhythmic units and harmonic rhythm. | Clearer sense of structural functions: Primary, Transition, and Klosing. |
| Sound | Harmony | Melody | Rhythm | Growth |
|
Texture - homophonic for P, S, and K areas; polyphonic for T. Variety of fabrics and sonorities used for articulation of formal units. |
Long, tonally stable passages, Subtle use of chord voicing to vary strength of units. | Close identity of melodic function, character, and syntax. Strong contrasts between P, S, and K. | Activity in various strata is complementary. When one increases, the other decreases. | Clear sense of grouping structure, tonal plan, and structural functions. |