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AppendixRondo and Ritornello Forms in Tonal Music

by William Renwick

This essay provides a background discussion of issues relating to ritornello and rondo. I would like toacknowledge the contributions of the students of Music 701 (2001) which have been important informulating the ideas presented here. After outlining the concepts behind the separate forms ofritornello and rondo, I discuss their interrelations. Subsequently I treat sonata-rondo and the problemsthat it poses for formal analysis. A postscript discusses Baroque antecedents to be found in the"prelude-form".

Ritornello

Ritornello has its roots in the Baroque genres of opera and concerto. However, it is not clear whetherthe instrumental ritornello forms were adopted from the operatic aria or developed separately.Malcolm Cole notes the use of ritornello in both instrumental and vocal forms of the early baroque,specifically in the operatic works of Peri and Monteverdi.1

The vocal forms arise through Monteverdi and the Italian and Neapolitan masters, includingAlessandro Scarlatti, and appear throughout the baroque opera, oratorio, and cantata repertoire. Theritornello aria forms were broken down by the end of the Baroque era, as less formal and moredramatic forms gained ascendancy. The instrumental forms seem to have developed through Torelli,(perhaps Corelli), Vivaldi, and Bach and Handel, and thence into the classical concerto movements.

A typical da-capo aria form with ritornelli would look like this:

Figure 1.r (I) A (I-V) r (V) A' (V-I) r (I)

B (vi)r (I) A (I-V) r (V) A' (V-I) r (I)

The ritornello itself usually comprises several contrasted phrases and concludes with a definitive PACin I. Ritornelli are often designed so that they can be repeated later in abbreviated form, by omittingone or more of their component phrases.

As Figure 1 indicates, the A section of a ritornello aria is normally a binary form, consisting of A andA'. Charles Rosen suggests that the "normal" tonal structure of the A' is I-I, not V-I.2 This seems likea small point, but in fact it is a corner stone of his theory that sonata form grows out of da capo ariaform. Ratner suggests that the "normal" tonal structure of the A' is x-I, where x is neither I nor V, buta noticeable tonal contrast instead.3

The B section is distinguished by being in a contrasting key, and without ritornelli.

It has been noted that a ritornello form need not necessarily end with a final statement of theritornello, although this is certainly the norm. I have to ask what effect the omission of a finalritornello statement may have on the perception of musical form and closure. One may look to thelarger context of an aria within an opera, cantata or oratorio, to find answers to these questions.

Rosen includes a brief description of the basic concerto form as follows:4

Figure 2.r Solo 1 (I-V) r Solo 2 (x-vi) r Solo 3 (I) r

This provides an interesting platform for comparison between aria and rondo forms (see below).

It seems logical that the instrumental forms are more likely than vocal forms to make a distinction inthematic content between ritornello and solo. In vocal forms, the ritornelli typically make use ofprincipal thematic material from the vocal solos, especially the first melodic idea.

Rondo

The rondo is a very basic and ancient musical form. Its roots go back to refrain and dance forms ofthe oral tradition. The rondeau appears throughout the Baroque era as a component of dance suites--principally instrumental compositions. Cole suggests that the evolution of the rondo from the FrenchBaroque to the Classical style has not been adequately investigated.5

In the Classical era, the rondo finds its place as a middle or final movement of sonatas, chambermusic, symphonies, and concertos. The early classical rondos were simple in design and of "little trueinner value" -- hence trivial in comparison with the evidently dialectical construction of the sonataform. Cole connects the instrumental rondo of the eighteenth century with the opera buffa use of thevocal rondo, in a light, simple, pleasing, charming style.6

The basic rondo form looks like:

Figure 3A B A C A D A etc.

where A is the main theme or refrain (or, confusingly, the ritornello), and B, C, D, etc. are thecouplets or episodes.

Douglass Green stipulates that to count as a rondo the refrain must appear at least three times.7 Cole,among others, stipulates that the rondo will conclude with the main theme.8

In essence, therefore, the rondo is an open ended form. It presumes literal repetitions of A (the theme)in the tonic key, although the repetitions are often ornamented. The theme itself always ends in thetonic, for it is this ending that will at some point be the ending for the piece as a whole. WilliamCaplin suggests that the theme can be ternary, rounded binary or binary, and will close with a PAC.9 Iwould like to propose, however, that ternary, as defined in McMAC 1999, is less suited for a rondotheme, because ternary is inherently based on contrast. Any contrast set up within the A theme willde-emphasize the contrast that ought to be established at the onset of the B and later themes. (Thisissue comes out in Anne-Marie Camilleri's paper on Beethoven's Sonata in E-flat Major, Opus. 4, No.7.) Rather, the A section is more typically static, in order that the couplets can develop dramatictension. In keeping with the static form, Rondo themes usually exhibit regular, symmetrical phrasing.

Louis Couperin was among the first to use abbreviated repetitions of the rondo theme.10 Suchabbreviations would typically be understood in relation to the degree of repetition inherent in thecomposition. Couperin also experimented with transposing the refrain to other keys. Caplin notes thatin abridged repetitions of the refrain, it is most usual that the abridgement still ends with a PAC in I.11

(In comparison, abbreviated ritornello statements often conclude in an incomplete manner, or elideinto succeeding sections.)

Heinrich Schenker views rondo as the conjoining of two ternary forms thus:

Figure 4.

A B A + A C A = A B A C A

In this way, Schenker likens the essential structure of rondo to that of ternary form.12

Theorists seem to differ as to whether variety and contrast amongst the couplets is necessary to

establish the rondo form. That is, whether A-B-A-B'-A is truly a rondo, or in essence merely an

extended ternary form.

The B,C, D, etc. sections--the episodes, couplets or digressions--are based on the idea of contrast to

the A theme. Nevertheless, a continuing issue in rondo is the degree of similarity, complementarity, or

difference associated with the sections. Cole notes that C.P.E. Bach developed couplets of an open

design rather than a closed binary or ternary substructure.13 Caplin takes this idea further, and

suggests that in principle the first couplet will either function as a "subordinate-theme complex", like

the transition, second theme and closing theme of a sonata form, or as an "interior theme", similar to

the B section of a ternary form.14 Caplin suggests that the former is more typical of a B section and

the latter for a C section; thus, "C" is construed as having more developmental and contrasting quality,

as compared to the "B" section. Caplin strongly suggests that in the case of a "subordinate-theme

complex", the various parts are to be considered as all under the umbrella of "B".15 This is a

distinction which is perhaps more important for theory than for practice. It comes into question when

we begin to think of classical rondos as variants of sonata forms.

Among the important means of contrast in the rondo is that of key. Rameau established something of

a standard by using the order V and vi for the two couplets (B and C) of a major key rondeau, and III

and v for the two couplets of a minor key rondeau. These key choices, of course, are also reflected in

countless Baroque dances and imitative forms such as fugue. Many later rondos bear important

relations to these fundamental harmonic plans.

Classical rondos admit of introductions, codas, transitional and re-transitional passages,

complementing their overtly rhetorical nature. It may be interesting to see how such passages are used

in specific movements. (Nicholas Donlevy's and Rebekah Jordan's papers deal with these issues in

some detail.) Cole suggests that Leclair, in the later 18th century, was one of the first to adopt the

retransition as a linking passage.16 The retransition, in fact, often becomes one of the dramatic focal

points of the rondo form in the Classical period..

As a result of our study in Music 701, we are finding in the Classical repertoire several interesting

phenomena concerning the rondo. First, the ending of the rondo theme is often not as clear cut as the

theory would suggest. Composers make use of several PACs in quick succession, any of which could

be used as the "real" ending of the theme. (See Jay Hodgson's and Rebekah Jordan's papers in

particular.) Further, we are finding that extensive use of transitions and retransitions in the Classical

rondo provide more dramatic and developmental qualities to the couplets. These devices are

essentially borrowed from the sonata-allegro form; indeed, in many later rondos, the B section follows

the plan of a sonata-allegro transition, second theme and closing group. Finally, we find the

intermixture of elements from the rondo theme and the couplet themes, particularly near the end of a

rondo.

All of these "aberrations" may be understood primarily as means of investing the basically static form

of the rondo with various degrees of dramatic and narrative elements. These trends are increasingly

evident in sonata-rondo (see below). Ernst Levy and Siegmund Levarie make very clear the idea that

it is the varied sections of a piece--the solos of a ritornello, the episodes of a rondo--that hold the

narrative content of the music.17

Cole points to the fantasy as a concept that may be used to understand the great variety of treatments

that C.P.E. Bach and later composers employed.18 In a similar way, we can see how Beethoven, in his

rondo finales, often makes direct or hidden reference to earlier movements, adding another layer offomal and dramatic complexity (see Jay Hodgson's essay.) According to Cole, both Haydn and Mozart"moved from a simple, sectional structure to a complex, integrated form into which he built surpriseand variety, and within which he attempted to offset and even exploit the regularity inherent in thetraditional layout."19

Rondo and Ritornello Compared

Occasionally one finds the term ritornello used to denote the theme of a Rondo. This terminiologicalconfusion is indicative of the complex relationship between the two forms. The fact that the termritornello means literally a "small return" helps us to understand that the ritornello by no meansshould be equated with the rondo return in terms of its structural primacy. Wallace Berry refers to "therondo principle in the da capo forms", and points particularly to the use of multiple trio sections ininstrumental forms such as Bach's orchestral suites.20 It is not clear at this point why these areconsidered da capo forms, however, except that the composer typically uses the designation "Menuet Ida Capo" for example, instead of re-writing the movement. The typical form here would be A B A CA, where each section is fully closed. This is another important way in which the Rondo idea alsoconnects with the ternary form, as Schenker suggests (vide supra).

Interestingly, Caplin notes the similarity of thematic structures between rondo and ritornello.21 Colenotes that "parallels between the later rondo and the ritornello principle and the rondo cantata need tobe more thoroughly investigated.22 Both forms have in common the idea that something -- Green callsit a refrain--is repeated from time to time.23

The essential difference--at least in theory--is that in rondo it is the main idea that is repeated, whereasin ritornello, it is subordinate material (interludes) that is repeated. In either case, the material isnormally a self-contained, harmonically "closed" passage. The analyses in this volume may help toindicate how true this is in any particular case.24

Levy and Levarie make clear the distinction between whether the music in question--the rondo themor the ritornello--is "an appendix" or the "main section of the piece".25 Unfortunately their use of theterms ritornello and refrain (read rondo theme) are opposite to the standard definitions. This onlyadds to the confusion.

According to Cole, the ritornello idea is to an extent transferred to C.P.E. Bach's rondos as he usestransposed repetitions of the main theme.26 This brings into question the validity of transposition ofthe rondo theme, a topic that is discussed in Jane Clifton's paper.

Joel Galand portrays the complexity of the issue with sensitivity:

"The late eighteenth-century rondo cannot be distinguished from expanded-binary or sonata form onthe bases of harmonic plan or patterns of thematic recurrence, development, and contrast. If one pointsto the regular return of the refrain in the tonic, another might note the existence of the modulatingrondo and its recognition by theorists like Turk. But the return of opening material in other keysarticulates ritornello forms generally, and ritornello construction in turn characterizes not onlyconcertos but also symphonies and chamber music, which often bear concertante traits. We mightcategorize rondos as song forms, but in the eighteenth century they are often ritornello forms; we heara return as a new beginning, and impetus for further expansion, rather than as a discrete frame for acontrasting middle section. . . . The rondo, in short, was not so much a form as a loosely defined genrethat could be adapted to any number of formal procedures. . . . Genre characteristics cut across formalboundaries, and formal procedures cut across generic categories."27

Despite this view, composers frequently labeled movements as rondos, implying a particular formal

procedure. It may be that music theory needs to develop better definitions of form and genre before

this argument can proceed. Galand goes further and suggests that

"Two principles need to be distinguished: that of variation or modification, and that of contrast and

return. Both, of course, depend on the recurrence of a readily identifiable theme, and this appears to

be the one necessary requirement for a rondo."28

Sonata Rondo.

It is interesting to note that a closer rapprochement of rondo and ritornello appears when we considerwhat Green calls the "classical rondo". Its form is A B A C A B A, where the first B is in V. This is

more usually called the sonata-rondo; as its name suggests, it is a hybrid of ""rondo design" and

"sonata-allegro tonal plan".29

Figure 5.

A B (V) A C (vi) A B' (I) A

This form bears close affinity to the da-capo ritornello form described above, and begins to look

rather like ternary as well. Caplin calls sonata-rondo "perhaps the most complex of the classical

forms.30 He considers the final A statement of the Sonata-rondo to be part of a coda: "the coda is a

required element of sonata-rondo, because that section includes the final return of the main theme."31

I am puzzled by this, because, in the usual notion of coda, the music is inessential to the completeness

of the work, as an appendix might be for a book. If a coda is necessary, how then is it a coda? Caplin

admits that this is problematic.32 He clarifies, however: "there is no consistent relationship between

the beginning of the coda and the beginning of the final refrain. . . . -- The former embraces the latter.

. . .the rondo refrain always appears somewhere in the coda."33 The interesting thing, then, is why

this final statement should be so functionally different from the previous ones. Would such a piece

still be a rondo if the final refrain were omitted?

The sonata-rondo form appears to resemble the da-capo form if A is considered the ritornello.34

However, the dynamic qualities tend to be much different. In particular, the da-capo form A-section

would typically be a binary form in itself. Further, the first thematic statement in da capo would be I,

not V, as the second section of a sonata rondo is. A question arises out of this arrangement: What

factors in the music demand a continuation beyond the A B A into C A and possibly beyond? What

prevents the music from sounding complete at the end of the first repeat of the refrain? In the case of

ABACABA, what factors that demand a return of B?

Caplin also likens later returns of A to a recapitulatory function.35 This is important when we view

sonata-rondo as a type of sonata form. The second A stands in for the repeat of the exposition; the

third A marks the recapitulation; the fourth A is embedded in the coda.

Apparently, Mozart's K 157, string quartet, contains the earliest known example of a sonata-rondo.

Mozart later tended to abbreviate the form by omitting the third statement of A.

Sonata-rondo form begs the question of whether the form is really sonata or really rondo: Rosen

implies the former when he calls it "sonata-finale", and goes on to say that it is sonata form with extra

thematic statements interposed; Ratner implies the latter when he calls it a "couplet-form".36

Postscript: Prelude Form

This postscript arises out of our study of Baroque antecedents to ritornello and rondo forms, and in

particular in the instrumental music of Telemann. In Bach's Precepts and Principles, we find severalfigured-bass exercises that are simply founded upon the transposed repetition of materials accordingto the following pattern:

Figure 6.A (I) A' (V) A'' (vi) A (I).37

Interestingly the final A in not written out, but simply indicated as da capo. These exercisesdemonstrate a simple basis for creating musical form out of any material at hand. They also exhibitfeatures that we associate with rondo, and ritornello. Similar structures are also found, often withfigurated link passages, in The Langloz Manuscript which stems from the Bach circle.38 Here, theepisodes of passage-work demonstrate how the basic form grows into something more like a regularritornello form:

Figure 7.A (I) bridge A' (V) bridge A'' (vi) bridge A (I)

where the bridges may be developmental or episodic.

Galand suggests several formal plans that combine ritornello with simple binary and with exposition-recapitulation binary.39 His models point up the idea of an A following B as perhaps a new beginningrather than a repetition of old material. This connects well with the techniques often seen in sonataforms, where the music after the double bar commences with a repeated or varied form of A; thisconnects also with the question of whether intermediate rondo or ritornello statements are seen asreturns to home base or as bridges between developmental sections.

In summary, the interrelations to be found amongst the various forms of rondo and ritornello areevidently much more complex than originally expected, and much more complex than would besuggested by most of the literature on the subject. As Cole has noted above, our detailed knowledgeof these forms and their evolution remains limited at this point.

Back to Contents

NOTES

1. Malcom Cole, "Rondo", The New Grove, (New York; London: W. W. Norton & Company, 1994)XVI, 172.(back)

2. Charles Rosen, Sonata Forms (New York:W. W. Norton, 1980).(back)

3. Leonard Ratner, Classic Music -- Expression, form, style. (New York: Schirmer Books, 1980).(back)

4. Ibid Rosen.(back)

5. Ibid Cole, XVI, 173.(back)

6. Forkel in Ibid Cole, XVI, 173.(back)

7. Douglass Green, Form in Tonal Music -- An Introduction to Analysis, (New York: Holt, Reinhardtand Winston, Inc., 1965). (back)


9. William Caplin, Classical Form (New York, Oxford, 1998), 231.(back)


11. Ibid Caplin, 233.(back)

12. Heinrich Schenker, Free Composition (Der Freie Satz), trans. Ernst Oster (New York: Longman,1935), 141.(back)





17. Ernst Levy and Siegmund Levarie, Musical Morphology: A Discourse and a Dictionary,(California: Kent State, 1983), 248-249.(back)

18. Cole, "Rondo", The New Grove,XVI, 174.(back)

19. Ibid.(back)

20. Wallace Berry, Form in Music, (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1976).(back)

21. Caplin, Classical Form, 231.(back)


23. Ibid Green, 153.(back)

24. Ibid.(back)

25. Ibid Levy and Levarie, 249.(back)


27. Joel Galand, "From, Genre, and Style in the Eighteenth-Century Rondo", Music Theory Spectrum,XVII-5 (Spring, 1995), 30.(back)

28. Ibid. 37.(back)



31. Ibid.(back)

32. Ibid, 239.(back)




36. Ibid Rosen; Ibid Ratner.(back)

37. J. S. Bach, Precepts and Principles ed. Pamela Poulin, (New York: Oxford University Press), 46-55. (back)

38. William Renwick, The Langloz Manuscript, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001), 20-21.(back)

39. Joel Galand, "From, Genre, and Style in the Eighteenth-Century Rondo", Music Theory Spectrum- the Journal of the Society for Music Theory, Vol. 17, No. 1, (Spring 1995), 39.(back)

Other Sources:

Arthur Hutchings, "Ritornello", The New Grove, XVI, 57.

Jack Westrup, "Aria", The New Grove, I, 573-579.

Copyright 2001 by William Renwick.

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