Presentation function

The information on this page may be skewed – click here for details.

The info on this page is either entirely based on or mostly based on the content published in caplin-2013 or caplin-1998. Caplin is considered to be responsible for reviving interest in the analysis of form in North American music theory.

While Caplin's impact cannot be understated, it is worth understanding that his 1998 work (and his 2013 followup) are focused on Classical music: particularly the works of Haydn, Beethoven, and Mozart. It is important to not assume other styles of music (both preceding and following the classical era, or music in other parts of the world) follow these same conventions. Music theory is descriptive, not prescriptive, and so the theory you see describing what was common in the Classical era may not apply to anything else.

The presentation function of a sentence is meant to solidify the "feeling" of being at the beginning of the theme. This is done by establishing a tonic and establishing the characteristic melodic content of the theme.¹

To establish a tonic, a composer can use tonic prolongation.

To establish the characteristic melodic content – the basic idea – the content should start almost immediately and then be repeated.

If this seems esoteric or abstract, creating a presentation phrase by going off the definition alone will satisfy the requirements of the presentation function. The continuation phrase is a bit more complicated...