Bar form
A strophic form from Meistersang: two identically built Stollen forming the Aufgesang, followed by a differently built Abgesang (AAB).
What it means
Bar form is the central strophic form of German Meistersang. A strophe, called a “Bar” in that tradition, divides into two identically built sections, the Stollen, which together form the Aufgesang, and a third, differently built section, the Abgesang. This yields the pattern AAB: the same melodic and metrical shape stated twice, followed by a contrasting close.
Musical use
Bar form shaped the Meistersang of the guild-organized singing schools from the late Middle Ages into the early modern period, building on older models from Minnesang. Its underlying principle reached far beyond the Meistersinger tradition itself: the AAB pattern also underlies many Protestant chorales and countless secular songs into the modern era.
Bar form should be distinguished from simple strophic form, where every stanza repeats the same melody in full: bar form already contains a contrast within a single strophe, between the Aufgesang and the Abgesang.
Performance practice
When listening to a song in bar form, pay attention to the moment where the second Stollen gives way to the Abgesang: the melodic turn changes there, often audible as a new phrase or a shift in tone, while meter and verse structure usually remain the same.