what describes a typical opening to a sonata

IV. Form

38. Sonata Form

Many historians, theorists, and teachers consider one form in particular to be the premier compositional structure of tonal Western fine art music. Sonata form, as it is ordinarily known, emerged as ane of the most popular thematic/harmonic designs during the Classical and Romantic eras. It is found in nearly every type of limerick—not merely solo sonatas, but works for chamber groups and orchestras likewise. And although it grew out of instrumental traditions, elements of sonata grade may even be plant in vocal music from this period. In fact, the form had such sweeping influence that we might fifty-fifty go so far every bit to think of information technology every bit a style instead of just an organizational framework for melodies and keys.

For reasons that will go clear momentarily, we volition begin this chapter with an abstract overview of the sonata class blueprint. We will then trace the form through three separate works—the beginning two will exist relatively straightforward, whereas the third will demonstrate some of the playful alterations that composers tend to make when writing in sonata form. Our discussion will conclude with a brief overview of several common variations.

Note: Some texts and teachers refer to sonata class every bit first movement form, since it is oftentimes plant in the first motility of a multi-movement sonata. Others employ the term sonata allegro class since these opening movements are typically set at a relatively rapid tempo. Neither of these terms is completely accurate, though, since the course may be plant beyond the first movement and in slower tempos also. Given that the grade is oftentimes found in works outside the solo sonata genre, 1 might fifty-fifty fence that the term sonata form itself is misleading. Nonetheless, the term is widely used and we will utilize it hither.

Due in function to the wide variety of locations in which it may be found, sonata grade as a whole tends to showroom much more flexibility than the other forms discussed in this book. Whereas straightforward examples of binary, ternary, and rondo forms are plentiful, most instances of sonata form tend to have some unique or quirky qualities. Information technology would be misleading, then, to point to a singular thematic/harmonic design every bit universal. Instead, we will highlight some general characteristics that are common to many sonata forms and, in doing so, describe a kind of arcadian model. The analyses that follow will illuminate a few of the many means composers tend to adjust and reconfigure this model.

Generally speaking, a sonata course may be idea of as an expansion of a continuous rounded binary, the grade of which (equally discussed in Affiliate 36) is shown in the following diagram:

Example 38–one. Continuous rounded binary grade.

Like a continuous rounded binary, the first large-scale section of a sonata form accomplishes two things: outset, it presents the main thematic material of the piece, and second, it modulates away from the home key. The second section then begins with some contrasting material in the secondary key. Finally, the opening material returns in the home key to end the piece. This time, however, information technology is adjusted, recomposed to avoid the modulation that led away from the tonic in the first place.

In a binary form, the difference in character between the A and B sections is relatively subdued. In a sonata class, the B department plays a much more substantial part. In fact, in many afterwards works written in sonata form, the B section is much longer than would ever be constitute in a rounded binary. It is dramatic and exciting, and for many listeners it is the highlight of the composition. In this sense, the B section of a sonata course is more than similar the B section of a ternary form. Sonata class overall, then, is best thought of every bit a hybrid of the two: it takes the basic thematic/harmonic structure of continuous rounded binary grade and combines it with the feature contrast of ternary form. In other words, a sonata form has a iii-office thematic organization superimposed over a 2-part tonal plan.

The iii parts of a sonata form—corresponding with the A, B, and A′ of a rounded binary—tend to exist much longer and more than substantial than any of the big-calibration formal sections we've seen and then far and as such, they are given special names. The A section is called the exposition when information technology is heard at the get-go and the recapitulation when information technology comes back at the end. The intervening B section is chosen the development. The post-obit diagram replaces the letter labels of Example 38–1 with these names:

Example 38–2. Sonata form, structural overview.

Each of these three sections plays a crucial role in a sonata form. One introduces musical ideas, one provides dissimilarity, and one brings the opening ideas dorsum in a transformed country. And merely as we may talk nearly the place and purpose of each of these sections in the form overall, we may also examine their internal structures and draw what a listener might wait to hear and experience from each.

The exposition

The exposition section of a sonata form presents the main thematic material every bit well equally the complementary key areas in which the themes are presented. In its nearly essential class, the exposition volition consist of one theme in the home central and a unlike theme in a secondary key with a transitional passage in betwixt. The most common secondary keys in a sonata form are the same equally those seen in continuous binary forms: if the piece begins in a major fundamental information technology volition nearly likely modulate to the dominant; if information technology begins in a minor cardinal it will most likely attune to the relative major or small dominant. Inside this basic framework, though, in that location is quite a bit of flexibility.

Most expositions begin directly with the primary theme area, the commencement melody or melodies heard in the piece, presented in the home key. (In some cases, though, a sonata grade may brainstorm with a brief introduction—a passage designed to prepare the listener for the arrival of the primary theme.) The listener is expected to remember the opening melodic fabric, and so composers typically present it in a articulate and tonally unambiguous manner. The primary theme area is therefore oftentimes presented in a recognizable standard form such equally a sentence, period, or double period.

The master theme typically concludes in a clear cadence, after which the transition begins. The role of this section is to depart from the primary theme area. A typical transition may feature scalar passages, sequences, and diverse musical elements designed to disorient the listener. Elements of the primary theme area may be present, but if so tend to be fragmentary and disintegrating every bit the piece moves abroad from its origin.

An important musical issue is establish marking the end of virtually transitions: the medial caesura. The term "caesura" refers to a balance or interruption in the music and indeed the transition section is ofttimes followed past a short pause, sometimes drawn out with a fermata. The word "medial," in this instance, indicates that the result typically occurs close to the center of the exposition. In some cases, the music continues through the medial caesura without stopping. When this happens, the listener will likely withal have a stiff sense that the departing trajectory of the transition has halted abruptly. Nigh invariably, the medial caesura is marked by a dramatic half cadence setting up for the arrival of the next important melody.

Annotation: The modulation to the secondary central may or may not really take place in the transition. If information technology does, the medial caesura volition occur with a half cadence in the secondary key—ending, in other words, on a dominant function, the implied resolution of which is the tonic of the new key. If the transition does non modulate, the medial caesura will coincide with a half cadence in the home central, later which the following material reinterprets the home-key V chord equally the new tonic. More importantly, the transition department will almost always destabilize the home key and prepare the listener for the new key, regardless of whether or not the modulation takes identify within or without.

The secondary theme expanse follows immediately after the medial caesura. Here, the listener is presented with a new melody. This tune typically has a contrasting character when compared to the thematic material heard at the start. In many sonatas, the chief theme has a bold or aggressive nature while the secondary theme is comparatively sweet or lyrical. These characterizations are far from standard, though, and should not necessarily be taken as the norm. More chiefly, the new melody is set up in the secondary key (once more, the dominant or relative major).

Note: You may occasionally encounter a sonata class in which the secondary theme is just a transposition of the main theme to the new fundamental. Such pieces are said to be in a mono-thematic sonata class.

The discussion "area" is more appropriate hither because, unlike the main theme expanse, which typically includes just a single theme, the secondary theme expanse frequently features multiple distinct melodic ideas. Some texts and teachers use the term secondary theme group for this very reason. One of the more than mutual inclusions in this group is a endmost theme, a short tune heard at or about the cease of the exposition that projects a sense of conclusiveness. Just every bit an exposition may begin with an introduction, it may also end with a brief passage—normally only 2 to four confined—called a codetta which reasserts the secondary key with one or more clear PACs. In most sonata forms, the entire exposition then repeats before proceeding on to the development.

Note: More so than with other formal paradigms, the terminology used to describe sonata forms is inconsistent from one text or teacher to another. The following tabular array displays some of the semi-synonymous terms used to draw various parts of the exposition:

Table 38–i. Sonata course terminology synonyms.

Primary theme area:	Secondary theme area:	Closing section:
showtime theme master theme chief theme first tonal area first theme group	second theme subordinate theme secondary theme second tonal area second theme grouping	closing theme terminative section

The post-obit diagram summarizes the structure of a typical exposition:

Example 38–3. Construction of exposition section.

The development

The development section typically begins where the exposition left off, in the secondary primal. In some cases, a composer may take the primary theme and transpose it to the new key, giving the listener the sense that they have returned to the first once more. This sense does non concluding long, however, as development sections typically waste matter little fourth dimension in revealing their true function and nature.

Unlike the exposition, which, aside from the transition department, is harmonically stable and clearly organized, the typical development is chaotic. In some cases, the listener will recognize elements of melodies heard before in the piece. When this happens, though, the melodies are non exactly the same equally when they were first heard. They are instead—as the name of the department implies—developed. The themes from the exposition may be transposed, fragmented, rearranged, combined in new ways, or otherwise altered and transformed. The listener may also hear entirely new material in the development section. Similar the transition section from the exposition, a evolution section may too include passages of scales and sequences. The effect of all this can be very exciting, a peculiar feel in which moments of clarity emerge from an otherwise dizzying musical landscape.

Aside from working out diverse figures and melodies heard before in the piece—and occasionally presenting new thematic ideas—the other function of the development is to prepare the listener for the recapitulation. Harmonically, a development section may move through several keys before leading back to the abode key. To rein in this harmonic instability, virtually evolution sections finish with a retransition, typically written as a prolonged V or Five vii chord in the dwelling primal. The intention hither is to go the listener to expect a resolution to the home central tonic and in doing so prepare for the return of the primary theme expanse.

The recapitulation

The recapitulation is essentially a echo of the exposition with one crucial difference. Whereas the exposition begins and ends in different keys, the recapitulation must omit the modulation in guild to avoid catastrophe the piece in the wrong key. Most recapitulations will therefore recompose i or more sections of the exposition.

In a typical sonata form, the initial modulation to the secondary key takes place in the transition section of the exposition. Information technology is in the respective section of the recapitulation, then, that the recomposition usually takes place. In nigh cases, the various melodic elements that made up the transition in the offset identify will still be present. The listener, in other words, will even so recognize this passage equally a transition. Simply in the recapitulation these elements may be transposed or otherwise altered to avoid modulating. A composer may use whatever ane of a number of strategies to accomplish this task, but in almost all cases the transition section of the recapitulation will conclude with a medial caesura that sets upwards the secondary theme or themes to be presented in the home key.

Everything from the exposition that was originally presented in the secondary key—the themes, the closing, the codetta—will here be transposed to the opening tonality, thereby combining the thematic closure of the exposition with the harmonic closure of the home key and reconciling the thematic/harmonic conflict established by the exposition.

The post-obit diagram summarizes the structure of the development and recapitulation in a typical exposition:

Example 38–4. Structure of evolution and recapitulation sections.

Many authors writing nearly sonata class draw it in terms of a dramatic narrative. At its centre, this narrative—like so many fictional and historical stories—is one of conflict and resolution. In musical terms, the conflict is manifest in the juxtaposition of different melodies set in opposing keys. Following the initial presentation of these melodies and their respective tonalities (the exposition), the form proceeds through a tumultuous period in which the conflict is complicated by the reworking of previously heard ideas and the introduction of new elements (the development). The form concludes with a dramatic resolution when the alien melodies are both united in a single central (the recapitulation).

Now that we have discussed the general structure of a sonata form, let us look at several examples. The get-go two will be relatively straightforward; the 3rd volition nowadays some complications. As you listen to each instance, keep track of the bones formal elements discussed above. Identifying cadences every bit you hear them—their key and their type—will be particularly helpful. Merely also consider the character and nature of each section as y'all listen to it. When listening to a sonata grade, you volition very likely encounter passages that are:

• introductory, preparing the listener for music that is more than structurally significant,
• expository, presenting thematic material with clarity in a harmonically stable context,
• transitional, loosening the grasp of a key or theme and moving toward something new (oftentimes using sequences and other busy-sounding figuration),
• developmental, taking previously heard material and presenting it in new ways (typically in a harmonically unstable context), and
• terminative, signaling to the listener that an important ending indicate is coming up through the use of repetitive, conclusive sounding cadences.

Just as a chord may perform a item function within a phrase, and then too may a section of music perform a particular office in building a larger form. At each new turning point, ask yourself, "What is this passage trying to communicate or attain?" This mode of listening volition help illuminate the mode each section contributes to the overall form.

The following slice is in sonata form, and the various sections have been labeled.

Example 38–v. Johann Christian Bach, Keyboard Sonata in E-apartment major (Op. five, No. 4; W.A 4), I. Allegro.

Equally in most sonata forms, the boundaries of this exposition are clearly identifiable thanks to the double barline and repeat symbol at the end of g. 43. The main theme in this exposition is a sentence, heard showtime in mm. 1–eight:

Example 38–6. Johann Christian Bach, Keyboard Sonata in E-flat major (Op. five, No. 4; W.A 4), I. Allegro, mm. ane–8.

The harmonic setting is stable and unambiguous, giving the listener a solid sense of the key: E b major. The theme itself is clear and easy to remember. It ends with a half cadence in m. 8 and and so again in m. xvi when the sentence repeats.

Notice, withal, that in the second half cadence the embellishing notes around the B b in the upper staff include an A §. Equally a listener, information technology is safe to assume that because this piece begins in a major key information technology will attune to the dominant—in this instance, B b major, which volition demand A §s to cancel out the tertiary flat in the key signature. This A §, and so, is the first indication that the piece is moving away from the stability of the primary theme area and into the transition.

The new cloth in m. 17 confirms this suspicion. The left paw switches to a more energetic triplet rhythm while the right hand plays figures that are sequenced first up (mm. 17–20) and then down (mm. 21–23). These types of patterns are the hallmarks of a transition section and, every bit the now consistent A §southward confirm, that is exactly where nosotros are in the exposition. These elements project a stiff sense of motility toward something new, inviting the listener to go on on the lookout out for a clear indication of where the passage will atomic number 82.

The expected signal turns out to exist a prolonged F-major chord in mm. 24–28. When a small seventh (E b) is added to a clear arpeggiation of the chord in one thousand. 28, the listener will hear it equally the dominant seventh, a half cadence in the key of B b major. This is the medial caesura. Although the music does not stop, there is still a clear halting of the harmonic motion heard before in the transition. The F dominant seventh clearly implies a resolution to B b and that is exactly what happens next.

The secondary theme expanse begins with a new tune in B b major (m. 29). The melody is not entirely unrelated to the primary theme, but is distinct enough to identify it equally something new. Whereas the primary theme area consisted of a repeated sentence, the main melodic material of the secondary theme area consists of a parallel menstruum—the antecedent ends with a HC in m. 32 and the consequent with a PAC 4 bars later. The rest of the exposition presents a series of conclusive PACs in B b major, confirming the movement to the new key. Nosotros may phone call the material in mm. 36–41 a closing theme and mm. 42-43 a codetta.

Note: Note the trilled scale caste [latex]\hat2[/latex] leading to a PAC in one thousand. 41. As we volition see in the following analyses, this detail figure is often used to signal a particularly important structural cadence.

The development begins subsequently the exposition repeats. In this case, we hear quite a bit of the opening material coming back in new and interesting ways. The triplets, for case, are reminiscent of the transition section heard after the primary theme surface area. (This is advisable since, like the transition section itself, i of the functions of the evolution is to transition back to the original key area.) In m. 60 we find a passage that is once again reminiscent of the transition. Compare mm. lx–64 with mm. 24–28. They are nearly identical, though here it is a G-major chord that is being prolonged. Since the F-major prolongation led to the secondary theme in the cardinal of B b major, the listener might expect to hear the secondary theme in C major next. Instead, we are presented with the second half of the master theme, just now in the relative key of C pocket-size! Faux leads such as this and other surprises are to be expected in a typical development section.

The retransition begins in one thousand. 72, immediately following the passage in C pocket-size. At this betoken in the evolution section the listener may have given up on trying to figure out where things are going! We outset hear the V 7 of the dwelling key in m. 73, only coming after a cadency in C minor the listener will probable hear information technology equally VII 7 or Five vii /Three. The following measures articulate things up a bit. Several repetitions of this aforementioned chord resolving to East b-major, bespeak that we have returned to the habitation cardinal. The big HC in m. 84 sets up the recapitulation in much the same way that the HC in yard. 28 fix the secondary theme.

The following example shows the retransition and the first measure out of the recapitulation:

Example 38–vii. Johann Christian Bach, Keyboard Sonata in E-apartment major (Op. 5, No. 4; W.A 4), I. Allegro, mm. 77–85.

The recapitulation proceeds as expected with some pocket-size adjustments. Hither, for instance, we hear only the first viii bars of master theme surface area. The repetition of the sentence—the phrase that originally introduced the A §s (mm. nine–16)—has here been omitted since the recapitulation does non demand to modulate. The transition section also returns more than or less intact, but with one very important change. Here in the recapitulation it has been transposed downward a perfect fifth (compare m. 93 to thou. 17). The transposed transition now leads to a one-half cadence in E b major instead of B b major. Everything that follows matches the secondary theme expanse of the exposition, but at present in the home key.

The post-obit piece presents some other articulate case of sonata form:

Example 38–8. Maria Hester Park, Piano Sonata (Op. 7), I. Allegro spirito.

The primary theme in this sonata form is a double menses. Phrases ending in an IAC (m. four) and a HC (k. 8) make upwards the antecedent and phrases catastrophe in an IAC (m. 12) and a PAC (m. 16) make up the consequent. The transition section begins on an elided cadency, a phrase overlap in which the last tonic of ane phrase besides serves as the beginning of the next phrase. Once again, the transition section is marked not merely by a cadence ending the opening section but also by a shift in figuration. In this case, the octave scales in mm. 16–19 are designed to alert the listener that the piece is moving in a new management.

Since this piece begins in major, we can expect it to modulate to the dominant somewhere before the secondary theme area. Since the dominant of C major is Chiliad major, the telltale adventitious will be an F #. Sure enough, the F §s consistently get F #s starting in grand. 21. To the listener expecting a half cadence in the new key, the arpeggiated ascendant seventh chord in m. 28 sounds a lot like a medial caesura—compare this moment to m. 28 in Example 38–5—and the melody that follows sounds a lot like a secondary theme.

The new theme in yard. 30 seems to fit all of the requirements for the secondary theme: it is in One thousand major, it appears after a pronounced half cadence in the new cardinal, and its lyrical grapheme provides contrast to the comparatively brash primary theme. The only problem is that it does not last. After but four bars we find another large half cadence: a highly unstable V 7 chord in tertiary inversion marked by a fermata and followed by rests in both staves. This is the true medial caesura—the arpeggiated ascendant in m. 28 was a ruse! As mentioned at the commencement of this chapter, sonata course was exceptionally pop during the common practice era. We may understand moments such equally these, and then, equally composers having a bit of fun, playing with the expectations of an informed listener.

In this piece, the secondary theme expanse (beginning with the pickup to k. 34) is comprised of a serial of short, singled-out thematic ideas equally opposed to a single, more substantial melody. We hear a prepare of three 4-bar phrases—mm. 34–37, mm. 38–41, and mm. 42–45—each ending with a clear Thousand-major harmony. Cases such as this are why some analysts use the term second theme group. Get-go in m. 45, a series of scales reaffirms the move to G major. Notation once again the prolonged trill on [latex]\hat2[/latex] in one thousand. 51 signaling the most conclusive cadence in the secondary theme area. As was the case with Example 38–5, we may hear the terminative passage that follows this cadence equally a closing theme (mm. 53–60) with a codetta in mm. 60–64 rounding out the exposition.

The evolution in this sonata begins with material that is reminiscent of the secondary theme area simply distinct plenty that it may be heard equally a new tune—compare, for instance, mm. 65–68 with mm. 34–37. When this ends in m. 76, nosotros find the same octave scales that began the transition. In this case, though, they cease on G # and pb to a new tune in A small, the relative minor of the home primal (mm. 78–84). After a pronounced half cadence in m. 84, we hear what sounds at offset like another theme in A modest just turns out to be the retransition, pivoting dorsum to C major in grand. 89:

Case 38–9. Maria Hester Park, Piano Sonata (Op. vii), I. Allegro spirito, mm. 93–91.

Only minor alterations are fabricated in the recapitulation, mostly in the form of omissions. In the primary theme expanse, for case, nosotros hear simply the second one-half of the double period that opened the slice. The transition department is much shorter, too, consisting of simply the simulated secondary theme from yard. 30, here transposed to lead to a medial caesura in the home key. The beginning eight confined of the secondary theme area are cut entirely in the recapitulation, merely the material from mm. 42 to the end of the exposition remains intact and is, as expected, united with the primary theme in the home key.

Our 3rd analytical example of sonata form is taken from a harp sonata and incorporates several features that may surprise a listener familiar with the type of thematic/harmonic structures discussed above:

Example 38–10. Marie-Elizabeth Cléry, Harp Sonata in C major (Op. 1, No. ane), I. Allegro moderato.

Activity 38-1

The following questions pertain to the sonata class shown in Example 38–ten.

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Exercise 38–1a:

Question

In what key does this sonata class begin?

Hint

Note the lack of sharps and flats in the primal signature and the authentic cadency in m. nine.

Reply

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Do 38–1b:

Question

In what measure does the primary theme area cease and the transition begin?

Hint

Mind for a change in character in which the clear presentation of a melody shifts to arpeggios and passagework.

Respond

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Practice 38–1c:

Question

In which key does the exposition conclude? And is this the expected secondary key?

Hint

Sonata forms in major keys almost always attune to their respective dominants.

Answer

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Exercise 38–1d:

Question

Through which keys does the development pass?

Hint

Listen for the standout cadences: HC in k. 53 (note the accidentals in the melody that follows), HC in chiliad. 74, HC in grand. 83.

Answer

G major to G minor to B b major to C major.

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Exercise 38–1e:

Question

In what key does the slice conclude?

Hint

Sonata forms nigh invariably end with cloth from the cease of the exposition transposed to the home primal.

Reply

Ane of the near surprising features of this sonata form is the repeated delay of the secondary theme area. Post-obit a pair of parallel phrases in the primary theme surface area, the transition begins in m. 17. Since this piece begins in C major, nosotros may expect to find F #south indicating a move to the dominant. We observe the first of these in one thousand. 18, but in one thousand. 20 find it has reverted back to to F §.

The adjacent F #, at the finish of m. 23, tonicizes the half cadence in m. 24. This may at first seem like the medial caesura. Information technology is even followed by a new theme. But this melody is yet in the home key and so must be considered a part of the transition. The cadence in m. 24 was non the medial caesura, but instead was a misdirection. Another tonicized half cadence appears in one thousand. 33. The listener might wonder if this is the medial caesura. But one time again, the F § in the melody that follows confirms that we accept non yet fully departed from the dwelling fundamental.

F #s announced once over again beginning in thousand. 36, and this time they are here to stay. When the listener hears the prolonged arpeggiation of a D-dominant-seventh chord in m. 39, they might wonder if this is the true medial caesura or if information technology is only another trick. A fermata at the end of the mensurate helps confirm that this is finally the end of the transition. At this point, however, the end of the exposition is nigh and the secondary theme area consists of only a short G-major melody in octaves ending with a conclusive PAC in the secondary primal, a closing theme to complete the exposition. The result is every bit though time has run out and skipping over the secondary theme was done out of necessity, or perhaps that the melodies that should take been played in G major were accidentally put in the home central. Regardless, the way the exposition unfolds in this slice seems most like a parody. This kind of playful self-awareness, notwithstanding, is mutual in sonata forms. It happens so oft that it may be better understood as characteristic of the grade and not just as an occasional bibelot.

The development department begins in G major and passes through several surprising keys on its style dorsum to the tonic. A one-half cadency in m. 53, for example, leads to a passage in G modest—the parallel minor of the dominant key. This passage features a new theme, offset in octaves on the upper staff (mm. 54–61) and then on the lower (starting time in m. 64). A sequence in mm. 71–73 leads to another cadence, only like the 1 in chiliad. 53 simply here consisting of three F-major chords. Although coming after the sequence it may not be heard every bit such, it soon becomes clear that this is another one-half cadency. It leads to a familiar melody (compare m. 75 with the first simulated secondary theme in yard. 24), simply at present presented in B b major, the central of the subtonic. As is often the instance, this development department balances new material and new keys with old material presented in new ways.

The development retransitions back to the home key by tonicizing the 2 (C minor) chord in B b major. When the third 5/two resolves to a C major chord it is the beginning of the principal theme in the recapitulation:

Example 38–eleven. Marie-Elizabeth Cléry, Harp Sonata in C major (Op. 1, No. 1), I. Allegro moderato, mm. 79–85.

The recapitulation in this sonata class is much shorter than the exposition. The chief theme in mm. 84–88 matches the first five measures of the slice, but then begins to diverge. The transition section is dramatically reduced here, omitting all of the false medial caesuras and teaser themes, although the trilled [latex]\hat2[/latex] in m. 93 gives the impression of arriving at the finish before it actually happens. The transposed closing theme appears later on the fermata in m. 97 and closes the piece in the dwelling key.

Every bit we have now seen, composers writing in sonata class are fond of mixing things up and playing with their listeners' expectations. In some cases, these tricks and variations are common enough to warrant names. Composers volition sometimes include, for instance, a false recapitulation. In such pieces, the listener will hear an instance of the primary theme in the midst of the development, but rather than starting the recapitulation, it will lead instead to more developmental material. In other cases, the development may atomic number 82 to a subdominant return, a recapitulation in which the entire exposition appears intact but transposed down a perfect fifth. With the recapitulation starting in the central of the subdominant, the modulation that led up a 5th to the dominant in the exposition will instead lead upwards a 5th to the home primal, the proper harmonic goal at the end of the piece. As yous listen to and analyze sonata forms you should keep in mind that the grade is flexible, and twists similar these get in appealing to composers and listeners akin.

Some alterations to sonata form are substantial enough that nosotros may recall of them as creating an entirely new course. One example of this may exist found when a sonata form is set at a slower tempo: in a sonatina or slow-motility course, the development section is greatly reduced or omitted altogether. After the echo of the exposition, the listener hears a brief retransition followed immediately by the recapitulation—or, where the development is omitted, but the recapitulation:

Example 38–12. Sonatina form, structural overview.

Annotation: In the interest of conserving space nosotros volition not include examples of the forms discussed in this section. Readers are advised to clarify the following pieces to come across sonatina form in action:

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Piano Sonata No.three in B b major (K.281/189f), Ii. Andante amoroso
• Marianne Auenbrugger, Keyboard Sonata in E b major, II. Largo

In each of these two movements, the 2nd large-scale section features a brief retransition leading directly into the recapitulation. Neither has a substantial evolution.

Some sonata forms incorporate elements of other forms. A sonata rondo, for example, combines sonata form with the seven-part rondo (see Chapter 37). The course is very similar to a regular sonata course, but includes a repeat of the chief theme surface area at the end of the exposition and over again at the end of the recapitulation. If the form is mapped out every bit ABACABA, the A sections and B sections represent, respectively, the main and secondary theme surface area. A and B combined, then, grade the exposition and C the development.

The following diagram provides an overview of sonata rondo course. Notice that the master theme area (A) is typically set in the dwelling house key in each of its iv appearances. This is a rather meaning departure from sonata form as described above, where the exposition ends in the secondary key and leads directly into the development:

Example 38–13. Diagram of sonata rondo form.

The principal characteristic that distinguishes a sonata rondo from a regular 7-part rondo is the development department. For a rondo to exist considered a sonata rondo, the C department must incorporate developmental passages in the manner found in a typical sonata.

Note: Examples of sonata rondo form may be found in:

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Piano Sonata No. 13 in B b major (K.333/315c), III. Allegretto grazioso
• Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 8 in C pocket-sized [Pathétique] (Op. 13), 3. Rondo. Allegro

Every bit mentioned to a higher place, sonata forms routinely appear in symphonic works every bit well including a variant typically found in the first move of a concerto, where a soloist is accompanied by an orchestra. In concerto form, the soloist plays through all three of the main sections—exposition, development, recapitulation—in social club. (The solo sections are labeled with an "S" in the diagram below.) Alternating with these sections, nevertheless, are passages in which the musical focus is on the orchestra. (In the diagram below, the orchestral sections are labeled with a "T" for tutti, the Italian word for "all" or "together.")

Example 38–xiv. Diagram of concerto grade.

A concerto class begins with the full orchestra playing through the primary theme area in the main key. They may play through the transition and secondary theme surface area, too, merely if they do they will stay in the habitation key. The chief activity in a concerto form—including, for example, the modulation to the secondary key—is reserved for the soloist, who plays through the exposition once again in S_one. (Some teachers and texts adopt the term double exposition form over concerto class for exactly this reason.) At the cease of the soloist's exposition, the orchestra typically comes back (T_two) and plays a brusk passage, often featuring a brief melody, before the soloist launches into the evolution (S_two). Information technology is important to note that during the solo sections, the orchestra does not sit quietly. It plays behind the soloist, providing the supporting harmonies and musical punctuations. When the soloist reaches the end of the development, the orchestra may return once once again (T₃), but by and large the soloist's retransition will lead directly into the recapitulation (S_iii). At the end of the recapitulation, just before the final structural cadence, well-nigh concerto forms will include a cadenza, in which the soloist, unaccompanied, volition play through or improvise an extended passage full of virtuosic figuration. The cadenza typically concludes with a trill, a signal to the conductor to cue the orchestra, and the piece concludes with the full orchestra playing once once again (T_four).

Notation: For an case of concerto form, the reader is directed to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Concerto in E b major (K.107.3). This piece is particularly instructive since information technology takes as its basis the sonata written by Johann Christian Bach discussed in Instance 38–5 higher up. In other words, the iii main sections of Bach's sonata—the exposition, the evolution, and the recapitulation—are found in the S_i, S₂, and S₃ sections of Mozart's concerto. The T sections use textile from the same source.

Sonata form is often considered one of the premier thematic/harmonic structures of the mutual practise era and its influence may exist constitute extending to most Classical and Romantic styles and genres. The grade may be thought of as an extended continuous rounded binary, but with its substantial and contrasting heart section it too bears a meaningful resemblance to ternary course. Descriptions of sonata form typically go into much more detail than just the number and harmonic construction of the large-calibration sections, simply due to the remarkable diversity found between pieces exhibiting sonata-form qualities, it is difficult to pin downward a definitive and universal model. Instead, we describe some of the well-nigh commonly encountered general characteristics.

The starting time part of a sonata form, known equally the exposition, typically presents contrasting thematic fabric divided between two conflicting keys—most often the home central and the dominant or relative major. In well-nigh sonata forms, the chief theme area is heard first, followed past a transition, and then, after an abrupt intermission in the musical texture called the medial caesura, the secondary theme area. Some sonata forms nowadays a unmarried theme in each theme surface area, but many others feature multiple themes per area, especially the 2nd which often includes a endmost theme to conclude the exposition. Some expositions include introductions and codettas too. The exposition is typically repeated.

The 2d part of a sonata grade is the development, a lengthy department in which cloth from the exposition is reworked in new and exciting ways. Some developments present new thematic material equally well and in some cases do not contain erstwhile cloth at all. The event of a evolution section, with characteristic sequences and surprising changes of fundamental, tin be very heady and for some composers, performers, and listeners it is the highlight of the form. The development section usually concludes with a retransition leading back to the original central for the recapitulation, a replaying of all of the master thematic textile from the exposition, though hither recomposed to avert modulating to the secondary key.

More and then than with the other formal designs discussed in this book, composers of sonata forms are oft found defying or otherwise playing with expectations related to the listener's presumed familiarity with standard thematic/harmonic structures. Misleading cadences and imitation themes are common and add to the overall excitement of a piece. Along similar lines, nosotros observe several common variants of the form including sonata forms which lack a development (sonatina or first-movement class), incorporate the repeated refrain of a rondo (sonata-rondo form), and assign the primary sections to a soloist betwixt passages played by a full orchestra (concerto or double-exposition form).

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Source: https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/fundamentals-function-form/chapter/38-sonata-form/