ABSTRACT
Traditional Western forms, including ritornello form, ternary form, rondo form, and theme and variations, all capitalise on the use of one primary theme which recurs throughout the piece, either in alternation with other themes or with variation on its own original material. In Hindustani classical music, the dhrupad uses a four-stanza form in which the opening theme returns in the closing stanza to create an arch-like structure. Recent examples of pieces which use recurring refrains to achieve a balance between musical repetition and contrast can be found from traditions all over the world. The head initially occurs in the synthesiser after the saxophone introduction. Identify where it recurs throughout the piece. It is notable that, in the Western classical tradition, the prevalence of structures carefully balancing musical repetition and contrast greatly reduced during the rise of modernism. For serialists, repetition and the generation of expectation was something to be avoided at all costs.
