Music is roughly defined as organized sound. The organizational scheme can take many different forms. There are binary forms (AB), ternary forms (ABA), rondo forms (ABACA), sectional forms, and arch forms among others. Coming up with a form for a piece is an important consideration since it gives the piece structure. Along with form, two other important aspects of Music are Repetition and variation.

Repetition gives the listener a reference to something that was already heard. Hearing something that was previously heard can be very satisfying. Too much repetition can be boring. Variation provides relief from what has already been heard. Variation can make a piece more interesting and artistic. But again, too much variation can be less than positive for the listener. When there is no repetition, the listener often has difficulty processing what is happening aurally.

Contemporary classical music, Art Music, or whatever you want to call it, often incorporates form that has very little repetition (except for minimalism). This is why I think many people have difficulty listening to 20th and 21st century art music. When there is little repetition it makes the listening experience more difficult. More repetition could also make the music more apprehensible to listeners. This is the suggestion I have for contemporary composers – incorporate more repetition in your music.

To be clear, repetition does not need to be exact. In fact, exact repetition may sound trite or unprofessional. Taking parts of a theme or motive and developing them can give the listener relief from the through composed paradigm of sonic complexity that is so common among contemporary art music composers. Stravinsky was fond of modifying repetitions of passages to make them more musically interesting. A happy medium between exact repetition and the seemingly endless meandering of through composed post tonal music can be a more effective way of connecting with listeners.