Music has been described as the ordering of sound in time. Composers have shaped music into countless forms, many of which have endured for hundreds of years, such as the symphony or the string quartet. Describe ONE of the following musical forms in detail.

Be sure to include in your discussion: the defining characteristics of this form when in musical history this form developed and how it has evolved since major composers who wrote in this style

Possible Choices:
mass
madrigal
concerto
aria and recitative
sonata
symphony
programmatic symphony or symphonic poem
song cycle