Song
and dance must have come into being at the same time, and the earliest
dancing was done with a singing accompaniment. As people advanced in the
art and became able to manufacture instruments with which to produce
music to dance by, it is readily apparent that those persons who did not
dance, derived pleasure from listening to it. The next step was to play
these dance tunes without dancing. This naturally led to a collection of
dance tunes. By playing three or four in succession it was soon found
that a more agreeable effect was produced by selecting those differing
in rhythm. Here we have the suite, the earliest orchestral form. After a
while it was found that a change of key heightened the effect, and, when
composing purely orchestral music not intended for actual use in
dancing, the more original of the composers at times allowed the strict
dance form to fall into abeyance in one or two movements to enable them
to try their hand in another style, and also for contrast. A broadening
and augmenting of the different forms and we have the sonata.
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