Are there similarities in form between the popular music of today and that of Classical music?

Question

How is repetition used?

Answer 1

Certainly there are. One thing that comes to mind is the similarity of the standard "strophic" form of poular songs (verse-chorus-verse-chorus etc.) to a constant-return form like a Rondo -- not the same, but similar.

Most songs are written in the A -B -A manner (the B sections being "the Middle 8" as they say.) This is a classic termary form used widely in classical literature. We can talk about "one part forms", binary, and rounded binary forms, and find examples of them in both classical and popular, but we don't need to get into a detailed discussion of form.

The differences arise when the classical forms begin to become more intricate, such as the above mentioned sonata form, which is only in the broadest sense a ternary form. Or theme and variations, whcih is very rarely seen in popular music (if ever). In general, popular forms stay, by necessity, quite simple, whereas classical forms became more complex and specified.

Answer 2

Sonata form in classical music is in three sections Exposition, Development and Recapitulation. The recapitulation revisits earlier themes from the exposition but in slightly variated forms or different keys. This is similar to a lot of popular music now which has a couple of verses and choruses, then a bridge passage (like the development) before returning to the chorus but often in a different key or variated form (like the recapitulation)

Answer 3

Great example-
Stand By Me -Ben E. King and Sean Kingston's Beautiful Girls. The background music from "Stand By Me" is used in Beautiful Girls." Another example is Amy Winehouse's "Rehab." It also has background music from an old song, don't know what that song is called though.