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Emilio Chase
Dr. Young
Musicianship II
13 February 2015
Binary
Binary form can be defined as two sections in a piece of music that have a tendency to
repeat themselves. Both of these sections usually have different aspects between them that are
the same, such as having similar melody, rhythm, or harmony. Binary form gained popularity
during the Baroque period, where it was often used in sonatas to keep structure. Additionally, it
was also used for short, single movement works to add a structure to the piece. By the middle of
the 18th century, binary form was not used as much when the idea of organic development began
to gain prominence. However, it is still found in some later works in the form of variations, or
the Minuet, Scherzo, or Trio sections in a piece of music. Many more complicated forms, such as
sonata forms, share certain characteristics with binary form.
The structure of binary form follows a fairly strict pattern. A piece in binary form has two
complimentary sections that are about the same length and appear frequently. These two sections
are commonly referred to as A and B. The first section (A) will start in a key and usually
modulate to and end in a related key. Following this, the second section (B) will begin in the
newly established key, but modulates back to the original key before ending. Compositions in
major keys will tend to modulate to the dominant, or the fifth scale degree above tonic, while
compositions in minor keys will typically modulate to the relative major, the major key centered
on the third scale degree above tonic. Typically, the A and B sections are separated by double
bars with repeat signs, indicating each section would be repeated. This was extremely common
in 18th century compositions. Binary form is characterized as having the form AB or, since both

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sections repeat, AABB. The label AA has also been used to describe the form, since one of the
defining features of binary form is the relation between the first and second sections. Since the
melodies and rhythms tended to be closely related, the label AA can also accurately describe the
form.
Binary form can also be further classified by specific characteristics in a particular piece
of music. Occasionally, the B section will end with a repetition of the opening material of the A
section. This is referred to as Rounded Binary and is typically labeled as ABA. The B section in
rounded binary will usually end in a half cadence in the original key. Additionally, while rounded
binary is similar to another form known as ternary form, they have distinct differences. While
both have the labels ABA, the B section in ternary form is completely contrasting with the A
section. Another difference is that ternary form ends with the entirety of the A section, while
rounded binary will usually contain about half of the full first period. If the B section does not
have a return of the opening material, the piece is classified as Simple Binary. If the A section
ends with a perfect authentic cadence in the original key of the piece, it is referred to as Sectional
Binary. This refers to the idea that the piece is in different tonal sections since each begins in
their own respective keys. If the A section ends in any other cadence, it is referred to as
Continuous Binary, referring to the fact that B will continue with the new key established by the
cadence at the end of A. If both sections are roughly the same length, this is referred to as
Symmetrical Binary. If both sections are of unequal length, this is referred to as Asymmetrical
Binary. Typically, the B section will be much longer than the A section. Asymmetrical binary
became the more common type around the time of Beethoven onwards.