Really Big Form: Taking the Sonata on Tour

Jennifer Beavers et al., University of Texas at San Antonio

At many universities, sophomore music majors progress from learning how to analyze relatively short dance-movement forms to large-scale sonata forms in one or two semesters. For students and teachers alike, this shift from small- to large-scale form can be challenging. Often times one of the hardest things for the students to grasp is the sheer size of these larger movements. This poster presents a unique approach to studying "really big form"-one that enlarges the standard 8.5x11 score to nearly 65 feet. I will detail a multistep project I do annually with my sophomores, in which I enlarge a Beethoven piano sonata score on butcher paper for students to analyze in great detail. The large-scale form is annotated by groups of students with formal and harmonic analysis, as well as fun and funny facts, much like that of a VH-1 pop-up video. The project is first displayed in the classroom, annotated by the students, and then hung within our building as a community art piece. We have presented the analyses in art galleries, participated in research symposiums, and have plans to display it in the lobby of our city's symphony hall. During presentations, students act as docents to the sonata form art piece and give visual/sonic tours of the chosen composition. Everyone is encouraged to participate by adding their own observations, such as performance notes, sonic experiences, and historical contexts. In this way, this project takes the sonata form out of the classroom and into the general public.