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Section 24.6 Binary Principle

Binary principle, as defined by Peter Spencer and Peter Temko in their book A Practical Approach to the Study of Form in Music, states that the first section of a binary form modulates to a new key and the second section modulates back to the first key. We find this principal exemplified in a high percentage of binary forms in the Baroque era, and diagrammed in the example below.
Figure 24.6.1. Diagram illustrating Binary Principle