Movement (music)

A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession. A movement is a section, "a major structural unit perceived as the result of the coincidence of relatively large numbers of structural phenomena."

A unit of a larger work that may stand by itself as a complete composition. Such divisions are usually self-contained. Most often the sequence of movements is arranged fast-slow-fast or in some other order that provides contrast.

As with concertos and symphonies, many chamber works use these forms. These chamber pieces are typically named after the ensemble for which they are written: string quartet, piano trio, wind quintet, etc. As with symphonies, numerous exceptions to the standard scheme exist: for example Beethoven's String Quartet op. 131 is in seven movements played without any breaks.

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