Main Body
36 Strophic form
Learning goals for Chapter 36
In this chapter, we will learn:
- How strophic and modified strophic forms are organized
- To explore strophic and modified strophic formal organization aurally and in score analysis
Strophic form
form is one of the most common form types for vocal music in a variety of genres. Songs that use strophic form use and re-use the same musical material, but with each iteration, new text is sung.
When strophic form is used without modifications for settings of each (also referred to as a verse or stanza), it often appears using repeat signs around the repeated musical material, with the lyrics for different verses beneath the staff. See an example of this in Josephine Lang’s op. 6, no. 3 “Frühzeitiger Frühling” (Example 36‑1). This song features an (mm. 1–4) and a conclusion, which we call a “” (mm. 18–22), in addition to the strophic treatment of verses in the repeated mm. 5–17. You can always add an introduction and/or coda to any piece without altering its primary form.
Example 36‑1. Josephine Lang, op. 6, no. 3, “Frühzeitiger Frühling”
Listen to the piece, performed by Heidi Kommerell, on Spotify.
Read an English translation of the song text from German to English by Sharon Krebs and Harald Krebs on lieder.net.
Learn about German composer Josephine Lang (1815–1880) by reading this Oxford Music Online article, written by Marcia Citron.
Figure 36‑1 displays the overall form design of Example 36‑1 as notated with repeat signs, and Figure 36‑2 shows the form as perceived with repeats written out.
Figure 36‑1. Overall form design of Example 36‑1
Figure 36‑2. Perceived form design of Example 36‑1 with repeats written out
Modified strophic form
Often, composers use variation in the setting of each strophe, which we call . Because the repetitions are not exact in this case, repeat signs are not used; instead, each strophe is written out individually to enable variation, creating a longer score. An example of modified strophic form appears in Example 36‑2.
Example 36‑2. Transcription of Paul Simon, “April Come She Will”
Listen to the song, recorded by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, on Spotify.
Learn about American singer-songwriter Paul Simon (b. 1941) by reading this Oxford Music Online article, written by David Brackett.
The audio recording in Example 36‑2 features an instrumental introduction, notated in the transcription as mm. 1–11, before the first strophe begins about twelve seconds in. The settings of the first two strophes are similar—having nearly identical melodic structure and chord changes—as evidenced in the transcription by comparing mm. 12–32 to mm. 37–57. Although the setting of the third strophe (notated as mm. 62–81) has the same overall structure (thus sounding like A” rather than B), it deviates near the end of the section and thus requires a new, differently written section in the transcription. Figure 36‑3 summarizes the perceived form of the audio recording featured in Example 36‑2.
Figure 36‑3. Form diagram for Example 36‑2
Time Measures Section
0:00 1–11
0:12 12–32 Verse 1 (A)
0:37 33–36 Interlude
0:42 37–57 Verse 2 (A’)
1:07 58–61 Interlude
1:12 62–81 Verse 3 (A”)
1:35 82–89 /
EXERCISE 36-1 Analysis with strophic form
If possible, obtain access to a score for “The Daffodils,” Adolphus Hailstork’s beautiful setting of poetry by William Wordsworth. If you cannot access the score, you can still analyze the music aurally. This piece is in modified strophic form, and the score has no repeat signs; all strophes are written out, with variations among the sections. By listening to the recording and studying the score, create a form diagram that shows the measure numbers and/or track timings of each section, along with the section name. Pro tip: this piece features an and , in addition to the standard strophes.
Worksheet example 36-1. Adolphus Hailstork, “The Daffodils”
Watch soprano Amber Cierra Merritt perform this piece on YouTube.
Learn about American composer Adolphus Hailstork (b. 1941) by reading this Oxford Music Online article, written by Doris Evans McGinty.
Listen to the audio examples featured in this chapter and many more examples of strophic form here: Spotify playlist for strophic form
For further reading
Malawey, Victoria. 2014. “Strophic Modification in Songs by Amy Beach.” Music Theory Online 20, no. 4 (December), http://www.mtosmt.org/issues/mto.14.20.4/mto.14.20.4.malawey.html.
form consisting of repeating sections (called strophes, verses, or stanzas), each with different lyrics set to the same melody and harmonic content
term referring to one section in a strophic song; also called a verse or stanza
beginning section of a piece or movement
ending section of a piece or movement
strophic form in which settings of one or more strophes are varied
abbreviation for "introduction," which refers to a section at the beginning of a piece or movement
synonym for "coda" used in pop music analysis, which refers to a section at the end of a piece
