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Home > SparkCharts > Music > Music Theory & History > Musical Forms and Genres
Contents
Music Theory and Notation
Instruments and Ensembles
Musical Forms and Genres
Eras and Movements in
Western Music
Notable Composers in Western
Music
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by the same author or poet. Schubert is famous for his song cycles.
Symphony: A work for orchestra, usually of substantial length and of
several contrasting movements for example, a fast first movement
followed by a slow second movement. As the symphony developed, it
increased in size and scope: Some Romantic symphonies approach two
hours in length and require a large orchestra.
Theme and variations: A piece that begins with an opening theme that
then evolves and develops through multiple variations. Typically, each
variation comments on the original theme or on the previous variation.
Many composers have written variations on themes written by other
composers, as in Brahmss Variations on a Theme of Haydn.
Tone poem: A freeform single-movement programmatic orchestral work
that recounts a story or depicts an image or setting. Liszt pioneered the
tone poem.