Original ABA
Today, the first of five short, original compositions for Advanced Harmony II was due. First, a little bit of background. For my music theory class (Advanced Harmony II with Joan Pinkston), I am required to write five compositions that reflect the musical forms we are studying in class. We started off the semester by learning about Binary and Ternary forms. Besides the regular classwork/homework, we were required to write a short piece that met the following qualifications.
- Distinct “A” theme of at least four measures
- Distinct “B” theme of at least four measures (accomplished by changing key, meter, tune, style, etc.)
- A return of the “A” theme or a slight variation of it.
- At least one harmony line (minimum of two notes)
- Can be for piano or any other instrument that can be played/brought to class by members of the class…
- Because they will be performed in class for everyone
I wrote my ABA composition for piano and french horn (big thanks to Jed for playing the horn part for me!). The A and B themes are 8 measures long. The piece progresses from F major to the borrowed mediant (Ab major) in the B theme and back to F major with a D.C. al Fine. Here is a MIDI of my piece if you care to listen to it. Let me know what you think.
Later this semester, I will be required to write . . .
- Original Theme and Variations
- Original Modal Piece
- Original Impressionistic Piece
- Original Piece - Pandiatonicism, Non-Diatonic Harmonization, or Polytonality
I’ll post them too if they’re “note”-worthy 
