Posted by John Rasmussen on May 04, 19103 at 17:26:58:

In Reply to: Newbie posted by Aida-Chicago on April 20, 19103 at 12:35:53:

"Philosophy of the creative drive"? Unfortunately the creative drive has been discussed to death without defining it, since it really is indefinable. Composers composed, basically, because they wanted to or had to. Beethoven: "What is in my heart must out."

Do you have the text already? Clical song form is usually driven by text; a fine example is Schubert's "Erlkoenig," which really has no "form" (the textbooks call it through-composed, a fancy way to say it has no repeated section) but unfolds in a completely natural way. But there are many forms you can use. One of my favorites, and I've done some writing, is an A-B-A form, which the textbooks call "ternary." Within each of the sections you can do anything you want; many older composers used a binary form within the ternary (check out almost any symphonic minuet or scherzo).

Of course, you could imitate Wagner and write your own text.

I wish you well!

John

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