I wish I had paid more attention in Form and Analysis. That was the name of a music theory class I took at Northern Arizona University. The only things I remember about that class were writing a paper on a concerto when it should’ve been about a sonata (or the other way around), the professor storming out of the room once because he was fed up with us students, and finding my first gray hair. Seriously. I was 20.
Reacquainting myself with the sonata form just now, I think I’ve stumbled upon one of the reasons I like this song so much. In fact, I effin’ love this song. After its introductory phrases, it has an exposition, then a development, then a recapitulation of those thematic elements and a teeny-tiny coda.... This song is a sonata!
I wonder if Glen Hansard, star and composer of the Oscar-winning film “Once” knew that he was using compositional techniques first found in the 17th century?
