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verse–chorus form

{{Short description|Musical form common in popular music}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}

Verse–chorus form is a musical form going back to the 1840s, in such songs as "Oh! Susanna", "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze", and many others.RMS 1 Census-Catalogue of Manuscript Sources of Polyphonic Music, 1400-1550, edited by Herbert Kellman and Charles Hamm in 5 Volumes. Vol. I A-J (Volume 1), American Institute of Musicology, Inc. (1 January 1979), {{ISBN|1595513116}}{{cite web |url=http://www.gfpm-samples.de/Samples13/appenfrei.pdf |title=Aaba, Refrain, Chorus, Bridge, Prechorus — Song Forms and Their Historical Development |website=www.gfpm-samples.de |author1=Ralf von Appen |author2=Markus Frei-Hauenschild |access-date=March 27, 2021}} It became passé in the early 1900s, with advent of the AABA (with verse) form in the Tin Pan Alley days.The Life and Death of Tin Pan Alley, David Ewen, Funk & Wagnalls; First Edition (1 January 1964) {{ASIN|B000B8LYVU}}{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/art/Tin-Pan-Alley-musical-history |title=Tin Pan Alley | musical history | Britannica |website=www.britannica.com |access-date=27 March 2021}} It became commonly used in blues and rock and roll in the 1950s,Michael Campbell & James Brody (2007), Rock and Roll: An Introduction, [https://books.google.com/books?id=RK-JmVbv4OIC&pg=PA117 page 117] and predominant in rock music since the 1960s. In contrast to 32-bar form, which is focused on the refrain (contrasted and prepared by the B section), in verse–chorus form the chorus is highlighted (prepared and contrasted with the verse).Covach, John. "Form in Rock Music: A Primer", p.71, in Stein, Deborah (2005). Engaging Music: Essays in Music Analysis. New York: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-517010-5}}.

The chorus often sharply contrasts the verse melodically, rhythmically, and harmonically, and assumes a higher level of dynamics and activity, often with added instrumentation. This is referred to as a "breakout chorus".[http://www.mtosmt.org/issues/mto.11.17.3/mto.11.17.3.doll.html Doll, Christopher. "Rockin' Out: Expressive Modulation in Verse–Chorus Form", Music Theory Online 17/3 (2011), § 2.] See: arrangement.

Contrasting verse–chorus form

Songs that use different music for the verse and chorus are in contrasting verse–chorus form. Examples include:

Simple verse–chorus form

Songs that use the same harmony (chords) for the verse and chorus, such as the twelve bar blues, though the melody is different and the lyrics feature different verses and a repeated chorus, are in simple verse–chorus form. Examples include:

Simple verse form

Songs which feature only a repeated verse are in simple verse form (verse–chorus form without the chorus). Examples include:

and with a contrasting bridge:

Both simple verse–chorus form and simple verse form are strophic forms.

See also

References

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Category:Song forms