# What do I call my pieces, in terms of form?



## tonystanton (Mar 18, 2013)

As a composer who's not classically trained, I'm unsure of what to call my pieces (sonata, concerto, symphony etc) if I have the right to give them such titles in the first place. I've written two in the last couple of months, one of which I've called a sonata, the other a symphony, and although they seem to fit with other examples of those forms and with what I could gather from wikipedia definitions, I'm still unsure of the exact criteria a piece must have to be classed as one and not the other. Or maybe my lack of understanding of such things means I shouldn't or can't define my pieces in this way? Any help on this would be greatly appreciated, thank you.


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## userfume (Nov 21, 2012)

Really generally:
Symphony = work for a big orchestra e.g. Beethoven's 5th symphony (with conductor)
Sonata = work for one or multiple instruments, often solo (piano, violin, cello etc) or + another instrument (often piano). e.g. Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata for Piano or Shostakovich's Cello Sonata
Concerto = a work for a main solo instrument with an orchestra sort of like an accompaniment, with emphasis on virtuoso playing e.g. Dvorak Cello Concerto
Chamber Music = can also be sonatas, but usually refers to groups of 3 - 12 players, without a conductor e.g. String Quartets


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

It would be worthwhile to study these things, because 'sonata form' is a specific term relating to a type of music. It's to be distinguished from other types. Likewise, a 'fugue' isn't a fugue if it doesn't conform to a style or state. They're technical terms that relate to musical interior workings. I have no training so can't help beyond what I've written here...


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Have you arranged it for several instruments, or for an orchestra, or is it in a simpler tune-based format? (Don't know how to put it, as I'm lamentably ignorant.) But I'd be inclined to give it an evocative non-musical name ('Blast of Light'; 'A walk through the past' or some such) & let people hear it & like it, & maybe categorise it for you. 
Kieran's advice is sound. One could draw a parallel from poetry: it would be no use calling something a sonnet if it didn't have 14 lines, or 'blank verse' if it wasn't written in iambic pentameters.


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## tonystanton (Mar 18, 2013)

Thanks for the general guide userfume, but that's what i assumed kieran, and I think I shall hold off naming pieces in that way until I've at least got an idea of how to write for each of the forms. Thanks again guys


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## tonystanton (Mar 18, 2013)

Yes ingenue its arranged for several instruments piano strings and a number of other parts, definitely will be studying this in particular now, and I shall name my pieces things like 'shadow of the darkness' for now haha


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## Norse (May 10, 2010)

It's perfectly fine to use 'evocative' titles like that. Symphonies and sonatas are big and 'prestigious' genres, and if you weren't consciously trying to write one there's really no point in calling it that.. 

But there are other titles you could use. Say if you've written a standalone piano piece that's not particularly long, you could just call it a Prelude. Or if it was a fairly 'offhand'/'unprententious' improvisatory thing (or if you want to give that impression), you could call it an Impromptu. I won't go through all of these 'single piano piece' names, but some of them (like Prelude) have little in the way of 'requirements' attached to them, while others, like for instance Toccata, are usually thought to have certain stylistic traits.


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## rborganist (Jan 29, 2013)

If your piece is for a keyboard instrument and is intended to show off the player's technique, you could call it a toccata (from the Italian toccare, meaning to touch, hence a toccata is literally a "touch piece"). I had to look this up recently, so I can tell you that a toccata is somewhat improvisatory. If you base it on a constantly repeating pattern in the bass while the other parts vary, you could call it a passacaglia. If you take a theme and give it several different treatments, such as augmentation (lengthening the note values) or ornamenting it in several ways, you could call it theme and variations. Try studying dance rhythms and writing pieces based on those. I've used the gavotte rhythm a couple of times and really enjoy working with it. You might have fun composing a suite using (for instance) a tango, cha-cha-cha, waltz, gavotte, and an allemande.


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## tonystanton (Mar 18, 2013)

Thanks so much guys, a lot of helpful advice and information are there, given me a lot to think about and look into. Thanks so much for taking the time with some thoughtful answers. I've posted the 'sonata' on the forum if you're interested in having a listen, thanks again.


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

Yea, I'm still working on my Minimalist Sonata for big Banjo, called "Sonata with small score for big banjo" and this discussion has been very helpful......


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