Abstract
This article discusses the aetiology and evolution of musical structure, specifically the sonata-form exposition, from a memetic perspective. It regards established musical forms as replicated schemata arising from the conglomeration of foreground-level memes, the resultant archetypes (structural memes or Memesätze) being replicated (reinstantiated) by different collections of functionally analogous (allelic) memes. After a discussion of the theoretical background - including the top-down/bottom-up generative dichotomy as it applies to form, and some attributes of memes affecting conglomeration - three sonata expositions, by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, are discussed as specific evidence in support of the general hypotheses advanced.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 3-50 |
| Number of pages | 48 |
| Journal | Musicae Scientiae |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2010 |