When we are listening to music and perceive, recognize and follow things, we are involuntarily and often unconscious structuring our perception. Principles connected with that process of structuring in visual perception have been formulated in Gestalt psychology. Research has shown that those principles apply to musical perception as well.
- figure-ground (in music: solist and accompaniment, melody and (chordal) accompaniment, the use of rests, ...)
- grouping by similarity (in music: strings, woodwinds, brass; chords, motives, ...)
- grouping by proximity (in music: register/range, color, chord, motif, ...)
- "closure" (in music: rest, cadence, fermata, ...)
Hermann Erpf described form in music with the following general statements:
Musical form is a psychological phenomenon and exists therefore in the perception of the listener.
- Unity arisises out of inner coherence
- Segmentation arises out of separation
- General means of form are: repetition, contrast, variation
As a result of a targeted use of form means, the following principles of form can be distinguished:
- Repetition:
separates
concludes
asks for contrast
(depending on the location in the whole) - Contrast:
asks for repetition
connects
opens
(depending on the location in the whole)
The working of these principles is (of course) depending on and connected to the place in the composition where repetition, variation and contrast occur.
He distinguishes three basic form characters:
- sequential form
- balanced form
- developing form
In order to describe what's happening in the sound we need Working model describing musical sound.