Music 3822

Music 3822
Summary of Sonata Form

HAYDN

String Quartet, op. 76, No. 2, 4th movement

1) There is no introduction (common only for first movements)
2) There is a second theme, but it is not an important theme and does not contrast
      strongly with the first theme
3) The development is quite short and is based on the second theme
4) The transition (bridge) in the recapitulation is new, is based on the first theme,
      and modulates to the tonic major (D major)
5) In the recapitulation, the second theme (which was in the relative major in the
      exposition) appears in the tonic major (D major), and that key is retained to the
      end of the movement
6) There is a brief coda at the end
7) There are no repeats, either of the exposition or of the development/recapitulation

General observations about Haydn

1) Slow introductions are common for first movements
2) The second theme is often omitted, or, if there is one, it is often brief and incon-
sequential
3) The development often avoids main themes, particularly the first theme
4) The development/recapitulation is repeated as a single section in early works only
5) In general, sonata form tends to be employed with considerable variety

MOZART

Eine kleine Nachtmusik, 1st movement

1) There is no introduction and no real coda (what Machlis calls a coda is really a
      codetta within the recapitulation)
2) There is a clear second theme that contrasts with the first theme and a brief clos-
      ing theme
3) The development is short and is based solely on the first theme
4) There is a codetta after the closing theme in the recapitulation only
5) Both the exposition and the development/recapitulation are repeated Eine kleine Nachtmusik, 4th movement 1) This movement blends sonata and rondo techniques
2) There is a clear second theme that contrasts with the first theme but no closing
      theme
3) The exposition includes a return of the first theme in the relative key (D major) at
      the end
4) The development is short and is based solely on the first theme
5) The recapitulation begins with the second theme (in the tonic key of G major) and
      then continues with the first theme
6) There is a brief coda at the end
7) Both the exposition and the development/recapitulation are repeated Symphony #40, 1st movement 1) There is no introduction
2) There is a clear second theme that contrasts with the first theme and a brief clos-
      ing theme
3) There is also a codetta that is based on the first theme
4) The development is based in its entirety on the first theme
5) The transition (bridge) is extended in the recapitulation and modulates through
      several keys, before returning to the tonic
6) The second theme in the recapitulation is in the tonic (minor) key (g minor),
      whereas it had been in the relative major key (B^b major) in the exposition Piano Concerto in G major, 1st movement 1) There is no introduction
2) There is a double exposition: the first contains all material (first theme, transition,
      second theme, closing theme) in the tonic key (G major) and is an orchestral
      tutti; the second adds a new theme (third theme) before the second theme, both
      the new theme and the second theme being in the relative key (D major), and is
      for solo, except for the closing theme, which is a brief orchestral tutti
3) The development is rather short, entirely for solo, and contains mostly free ma-
      terial, except that the new (third) theme from the second exposition appears in
      the retransition
4) The recapitulation shares material between the orchestra and soloist in the follow-
      ing order: first theme (tutti), third theme (solo), second theme (tutti), cadenza
      (solo, based on the first and second themes), closing theme (tutti)
5) There is no coda and there are no repeats of any of the sections Piano Concerto in G major, 2nd movement 1) There is no introduction
2) There is a double exposition: the first contains all material (first theme, transition
      1, second theme, closing theme) in the tonic key (C major) and is an
      orchestral tutti; the second includes a new transition (transition 2), replaces the second
      theme with a new third theme in the relative key (G major), and is for solo
3) The development begins with a tutti statement of the main theme and then contin-
      ues with a solo passage that develops transition 2
4) The recapitulation begins with a solo passage that contains the first theme, tran-
      sition 2, and the third theme, after which an orchestral tutti provides the second
      theme; the closing theme is omitted (or delayed until the coda)
5) After the solo cadenza, a concluding coda begins with a tutti statement of the first
      theme, followed by a solo passage that ends with the closing theme that had been
      missing from the recapitulation
6) There are no repeats of any of the sections "Marriage of Figaro," Overture 1) There are no repeats of any section (true of most opera overtures)
2) There is no development section, although there is a retransition at the end of the
      exposition that leads to the recapitulation
3) There are two parts to the first theme, and there are also two closing themes General observations about Mozart 1) Usually sonata form is quite clear with distinctive themes
2) Development sections tend to utilize main thematic material, but not always
3) The development/recapitulation is rarely repeated
4) In his piano concertos, sonata form is used more freely with a lot of variety, due
      to the necessity of reconciling Classical sonata and Baroque ritornello forms;
      often there is more thematic material, either as sub-themes or as additional
      themes BEETHOVEN

Symphony #5, 1st movement

1) There is no introduction
2) The movement is dominated by a rhythmic motive, which is more important than
      the thematic material; only the second theme is free of it, and there it appears in
      the accompaniment; this motive is also used in the third and fourth movements
3) The development is roughly the same length as the exposition and recapitulation
      and develops the rhythmic motive, rather than any theme as such
4) In the recapitulation, the second and closing themes appear in the tonic major (C
      major), rather than the normal tonic key (c minor), because they do not adapt
      well to the minor mode; the tonic key (c minor) returns in the coda
5) The coda is also roughly the same length as the other three sections and develops
      the rhythmic motive further Symphony #5, 4th movement 1) The entire movement is in the parallel major key (C major)
2) This movement is linked to the preceding movement by a transition, which recurs
      in varied form as the retransition at the end of the development and is based on
      the rhythmic motive that is found both in the first and in the third movements
3) The transition, both in the exposition and in the recapitulation, contains a notable
      theme in its own right
4) The second theme is based on the unifying rhythmic motive from the first and
      third movements and is followed by a closing theme
5) The development contains more measures than the exposition or recapitulation,
      but in performance time it is only half as long; it develops the second theme and
      then introduces a new, third theme
6) The recapitulation contains all of the material of the exposition in order
7) There is a lengthy coda which develops all thematic material further in the follow-
      ing order: second theme, transition theme, closing theme, first theme Piano Sonata in C minor, 1st movement 1) There is a slow introduction which is brought back briefly at the beginning of the
      development and coda
2) In the exposition, the second theme does not appear in the normal related key (E^b
      major) but in its parallel minor (e^b minor); the closing theme establishes the
      normal key, however
3) The development is fairly short and utilizes the first theme and fragments of the
      introduction material
4) The transition (bridge) in the recapitulation is new
5) The second theme in the recapitulation appears in another related key (f minor);
      the closing theme once more establishes the normal (tonic) key (c minor) General observations about Beethoven 1) There is a wide variety of applications of sonata form, ranging from extended
      forms to short, miniaturized forms
2) He prefers to develop his material, rather than merely state it, so many themes are
      developed within the exposition and recapitulation sections
3) For the same reason, the coda also tends to function as a "terminal develop-
      ment," and both the development and coda at times are as lengthy as the exposi-
      tion and recapitulation
4) His themes tend to be dominated by rhythmic motives, and frequently his devel-
      opment is based solely on the rhythmic motive
5) Introductions occur infrequently and are often integrated into later material when
      they do occur