# Pocket Reference Guide for Classical Composers



## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

So I just got a pocket Moleskine music notebook, so I can take staff paper with me wherever I go, and I needed something to fill that niftly little pocket that comes in the back. And then it hit me: a handy-dandy reference guide! So I took out my notes (most of which came from either Wikipedia or _Music in Theory and Practice_) and started typing them up. Included are: a "deluxe" Circle of Fifths diagram, Schubart's ideas on affective key characteristics, brief descriptions of 32 forms from Medieval music all the way up through the Classical period, plus five extra general forms, including "March" and "Sonata-Rondo form". Along with those are more detailed descriptions of Sonata-allegro form and the Fugue. After the forms comes a list of instruments for the Classical orchestra and the early Romantic orchestra (my personal favorite ) and brief notes on cadences, voice leading, and nonharmonic tones.

Now, say you're composing at the park, or your local coffee shop, and you come upon any of the following questions:
_How should I go about composing a Polonaise?
What was the next movement for a Baroque Suite?
Is this a Gregorian chant or an Organum?
How do I turn this sonata movement into a sonata-rondo movement?_
This guide will help you answer these questions and many more! So don't hesitate and download this guide now for the low, low price of only $0.00! 

Disclaimer: This guide is heavily abbreviated and might not be entirely accurate. And the font size is really small. I wrote this guide for myself, but you're welcome to use it as you wish. Use at own risk and viewer discretion is advised!


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

Well done for writing such a concise and helpful little guide, however im not sure how much use this will be to classical composers as its all extremely elementary stuff that will likely have been drilled into the deepest regions of the brain by now. (with the possible exception of renaissance/medieval forms)


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