GLOSSARY OF TERMS

introduction See thematic introduction or slow introduction.

large ternary A tripartite full-movement form consisting of a main theme, an interior
theme, and a return of the main theme (compare small ternary).
lead-in A boundary process involving a melodic link, usually following a cadential articulation, that helps provide rhythmic continuity between two adjacent formal units.
linking harmony* A harmony that functions both as the last harmony of one progression and the first harmony of the next progression.
liquidation The systematic elimination of characteristic motives.
loose A formal organization characterized by nonconventional thematic structures,
harmonic-tonal instability (modulation, chromaticism), an asymmetrical grouping
structure, phrase-structural extension and expansion, form-functional redundancy,
and a diversity of melodic-motivic material (compare tight-knit).
maggiore* A variation or interior theme set in the major mode of a minor-mode home
key (compare minore).
main theme Initiating thematic function that brings the main melodic-motivic ideas
of the movement, establishes and confirms the home key, and defines a standard of
tight-knit organization.
main-theme group Two successive main themes, each ending with a perfect authentic
cadence.
medial caesura* A prominent textural break or gap, created by a moment of silence or
by a fermata on the final sonority, that occurs at the literal end of the transition in
order to help highlight the entrance of the subordinate theme.
medial function Any number of formal functions at various hierarchical levels that
express the temporal quality of being in the middle (compare initiating function;
concluding function).
melodic overlap* A boundary process in which the goal of a units melody concludes
on the downbeat of the first measure of the next unit (compare elision).
mini-sentence* A 4-m. antecedent (or consequent) phrase whose internal organization resembles that of a sentence; the same as sentential antecedent.
minore* A variation or interior theme set in the minor mode of a major-mode home
key (compare maggiore).
minuet A large-scale tripartite form modeled on the small ternary theme type. It consists of an exposition (A), contrasting middle (B), and recapitulation (A).
minuet proper The first part of minuet/trio form. It is constructed in minuet or binary
minuet form.
minuet/trio A tripartite full-movement form consisting of a minuet proper, a trio, and
a da capo (of the minuet proper).
modal borrowing (mixture) The use of harmonies containing notes from the opposite
modality of the prevailing mode.
modal shift A change of mode within the same tonality.
model A unit established for the purpose of sequential repetition.
model-sequence technique A unit (the model) that is immediately followed by a
restatement transposed to a different scale degree (the sequence); the same as
sequential repetition.
modulating subordinate theme A subordinate theme that begins in a nontonic region
(of either the home key or a subordinate key), thus giving the impression of modulating to the subordinate key.

709