ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces some basic concepts of form in Western tonal music, relates the theoretical constructs to empirical research into the perception and comprehension of larger-scale musical structure, evaluates such research, and offers some directions for future investigation. When musicians speak of the "form" of a piece of music they are referring to its overall design, plan, pattern, or structure. Musical works, composed or improvised, are rarely so brief as to be contained within the perceptual present. Two aspects of musical structure are typically seen as fundamental in analysis of musical form: the pattern, plan, or design of the piece's divisions and subdivisions, and the tonal relationships across the work. Traditional music theory sees compositions as hierarchically structured, with smaller units combining into larger ones. The parameters in Generative Theory of Tonal Music (GTTM) are pitch-based and are derived from prior music-theoretic notions; they focus on harmony rather than melody or theme. GTTM's reductions are primarily harmonic in nature.
