Classical Form: A Theory of Formal Functions for the Instrumental Music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven Revised Edition

by William E. Caplin (Author)

37 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0195143997

ISBN-10: 019514399X

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Building on ideas first advanced by Arnold Schoenberg and later developed by Erwin Ratz, this book introduces a new theory of form for instrumental music in the classical style. The theory provides a broad set of principles and a comprehensive methodology for the analysis of classical form,
from individual ideas, phrases, and themes to the large-scale organization of complete movements. It emphasizes the notion of formal function, that is, the specific role a given formal unit plays in the structural organization of a classical work.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This ambitious book offers nothing less than a new theory of form for the music of the Classical period....In its combination of scholarship, musicality and sheer common sense, Caplan's Classical Form is a major achievement by any standards....it should be read by anybody who teaches, studies or
writes about this music."--Music and Letters

"His book is an important and impressive statement that no theorist or musicologist can afford to ignore."--Music Theory Spectrum

"A compilation of intriguing examples illustrating classical design and function, an up-to-date bibliographical guide, and a source of fresh insight into the accomplishments of the classical masters. Caplin's approach, buttressed by methodological rigor and theoretical detail, makes a persuasive
case for the revival of Formenlehre as a pedagogical tool and analytical discipline."--Music Theory Online

"Caplin draws his Beethoven examples from all genres...the fortepiano sonatas are particularly well-represented."--The Beethoven Journal

About the Author

William E. Caplin is at McGill University.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press, U.S.A.; Revised edition (December 28, 2000)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 019514399X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0195143997
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.94 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.25 x 0.8 x 11 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #224,017 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #146 in Music (Books)
- #305 in Music Theory (Books)
- #466 in Music History & Criticism (Books)

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Nathan

AVOID THE KINDLE EDITION

Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2017

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It might seem like a great idea to get this as an eTextBook on all of your kindle apps/devices, it is NOT. The musical examples where way to small to read, and when they where enlarged they didn't have enough detail to differentiate things like notes and any analytical markings. I tested this book on two different kindle apps and a kindle.

14 people found this helpful

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Halvor Hosar

Five stars to Caplin, two stars to Oxford University Press

Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2010

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For anyone interested in the music of the Viennese Classicism, this book is a godsend. It basically follows a two-part plan: (1) Teach a new, highly detailed sonata construction terminology, from the smallest parts to parts of whole movements and (2) show how these interrelate most of the time, and why certain instances break the supposed norms (based on the styles of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, which are very much alike and MOSTLY complimentary). It starts with showing how various types of opening phrases are built, and how these relate and differ to later phrases or themes introduced (all the various kinds are gone through thoroughly). This then leads into a discussion of the nature of the development and recapitulation, and ends up discussing each of the normal "sonata-style" movement forms separately.

I think this is a wonderful book both for musicologists and would-be composers (you'll probably need to develop your own exercises on the way, but when you are ready to deal with a book like this, you should handle that). It can probably be read by the enlightened dilettante, but unless you are willing to spend the amount of time needed to recognize each element while listening, I think the book is most useful for people who are actually working with music on paper. Performers who are not put off by theoretical discussions could probably benefit from it as well.

The book uses functional harmonic theory in the vein of Schoenberg and Riemann. In my native Norway this method is a lot more widely used than Schenkerian analysis, so I haven't had any problems with it; I've understood that some American readers may have to spend a little time adapting, though. My only gripe with the book is that the terminological material presented is vast and, while I am in no position to suggest improvements, feels like it could have been simplified. This is a minor inconvenience, but the rewards of the book are so great that it's definitely worth the time to go through it that extra time just to get it all down.

Any other caveats? There's two, both minor ones. First of all, all referential notes are printed in the back of the book. I usually like to read all of these, so I prefer that they are printed on the page where they are relevant; Saves me a lot of page flipping. The other point is that this book leaves out a large part of sonata theory: Texture. Although some very general observations are made, such as the fact that Alberti Bass and similar procedures usually are first introduced in transition passages (p. 125), texture isn't mentioned much. This book is primarily about melody and it's harmonic foundation. Which, of course, is fine. For what it is, it is a wonderful book, and one would be deluded to think that you could cram everything there is to know about sonata theory into 250 pages.

For the interested reader I'd also like to add Charles Rosen's Sonata Forms as a complimentary read: While this is a book very focused on terminology and isolation and fragmentation of sonata elements, Rosen's book take a much more prosaic road, in the vein of D. F. Tovey. I am just about to start on Hepokoski/Darcy's book Elements of Sonata Theory; Hopefully I will soon be able to add it to my recommended list.

However, I have to withhold one star. Why? Before I bought the book from Amazon, I borrowed it from the library. Comparing the two versions, the newer versions have significantly worse print quality than the older prints. The font is thicker, heavier and slightly less pleasing, but this isn't much of a problem. What IS annoying though is the quality of the note examples. I don't want to believe it, but it honestly look like OUP decided they needed to reprint this book, but had lost the original digital version, so they simply photocopied an earlier book and copied the scans. Both the stems and the bar lines are of varying thickness, and sometimes look slightly bent, and the whole score looks more blurred, and harder on the eye. I don't know why it came to be that way, but it appears totally meaningless, since the earlier print looked perfect. As far as I can see there's been no changes whatsoever in content.

41 people found this helpful

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Ryan Leach

One of the best music books I've read

Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2013

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I read a lot of books on music, and in particular form. This is by far the best I've read on the subject, brilliant insights, brilliant analyses. Opened me up to a new way of understanding music.

I'm a professional composer, and although I don't write in the Classical style, the way the formal functions were explained in this book have already had a profound effect on my own work in a contemporary style.

It requires a lot of patience to get through because hearing the musical examples is crucial, but it's worth it.

7 people found this helpful

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Mario

very good

Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2019

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William Caplin states his ideas in a very straightforward way, precise and detailed

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karengersh

A Clear and Welcome book about Classical music forms.

Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2014

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This book is a welcome explanation of music in the Classical period. The examples are clear without being overly explanatory.
The list of selections are given as true representations of the period and their purpose in music history. A good companion to 'Sonata Forms ' by Charles Rosen.

2 people found this helpful

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Noah I. Bassel

Well worth your time

Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2006

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Caplin's book is, on the whole, an excellent revival of the Formlehre (study of form) tradition. His methodology of examining "formal functions" (i.e. how a particular musical module functions in the context of a full piece, rather than just labelling it) is incredibly revealing, and therefore his explanations of the various classical theme types (period, sentence, and small ternary) are likely the best you'll see in any study. The one caveat that I should express about this book is its reliance on the Riemannian and Schoenbergian traditions of harmonic theory: that's not necessarily a drawback, but to Americans who are used to the Schenkerian and roman numeral traditions of harmonic theory it can take a little getting used to (well worth the effort though).

32 people found this helpful

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Ron

Fine.

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2019

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Very dry read.

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Fabio H

Very well detailed with good examples of excerpts. Mr. Caplin did a very good job

Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2021

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This book is spectacular for people who want to deeply understand the classical forms and their characteristics!!!

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fourier

Much more than a 'form cookbook'

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 27, 2013

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I have quite a few music theory books in my library (that is, for a self-taught/amateur musician) and I have to say that this is probably the best of them. This book is so much more than just a 'form cookbook', it really provides incredible insight on musical composition, that is relevant not only on classical-period-style music, but whatever music you are interested in (be it, say, romantic or mainstream pop!).

As you may expect from such a book, all the prevalent forms of the classical period are discussed (sonata, slow-movement, minuet, rondo and concerto). However, and this is what makes the book great, explicit discussion on them is delayed for the last part of the book. This is because the author takes the time to first describe the common building blocks for all these forms, the so-called 'formal regions', namely 'tight-knit theme', 'subordinate theme', 'transition', 'development', 'recapitulation', and 'coda'.

Experienced readers will immediately recognize these regions as exactly the ones making up the sonata form. However, they are first presented without considering them as part of a larger form structure (such as sonata). Every formal region gets an extensive and more-or-less independent treatment in its respective chapter. The discussion is detailed, supported by numerous examples, and offers many insights on music composition in general. For example, one really understands issues such as how a (good) theme is build (melodic and harmonic wise), how to employ deceptive/evaded/abandoned cadences in making a looser theme structure, how to alter the original themes in a recapitulation and many more. These may seem overly technical but as one really understands them it is evident that they are constantly applied in all kinds of music (with the proper adjustments, of course).

After the formal regions are described, the author proceeds in explaining how these are combined to create larger forms. You might be surprised (as I was) to realize that a form such as the minuet, typically and elusively described as 'ABA', may actually contain all the above formal regions!

The book is certainly not an easy read and can sometimes get very boring. This is due to the attempt of the author to leave nothing unexplained, which, although valuable in the long run, can make reading difficult at first. Also, the analyses of the notated examples are, most of the time, not located on the same page, which can also become tiresome. However, these shortcomings are a small price to pay for the wealth of information one acquires after going through the book (which will probably take a while!)

P.S.: A new book by the author, Analyzing Classical Form: An Approach for the Classroom is due to publication in 2013 that may be a better choice in terms of readability.

3 people found this helpful

Giorgio Nascetti

peccato non esista la traduzione

Reviewed in Italy on February 15, 2015

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Un testo di riferimento. Il problema è probabilmente l'essere scritto in inglese. La traduzione in italiano dovrebbe staccarsi molto dall'originale per esporre la materia in modo semplice e chiaro

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Sarah

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on July 17, 2014

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Great book, and was in perfect condition.

wen

good book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 7, 2013

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although this is a second hand book but it looks like a new one, i think it worth the price !

One person found this helpful

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Classical Form: A Theory of Formal Functions for the Instrumental Music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven Revised Edition

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