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Form (Number order and key relation)

The number, order, and key relation of the several themes that are combined to make an extended composition, such as the sonata, rondo, symphony, concerto, etc.

The lyric or dance form is the germ from which all varieties of instrumental music have been developed. The simplest form of lyric melody may be thus divided:

Motive, two measures; Section, two motives; Phrase, two sections; Sentence, two phrases; Period, two sentences, making sixteen measures in all. The lyric form may be extended indefinitely by the addition of new periods in related keys. One of the most usual is the addition of a new period in the key of the dominant, subdominant, or relative minor, followed by a repetition of the first period. This is called the Aria