Sonata form
Music theory · Musical form · Level 5 · 18 min
Sonata form is the grand architecture of Classical and Romantic music: it shapes the first movements of nearly every sonata, symphony, quartet and concerto by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms… It's a drama in three acts, built on a conflict of keys and its resolution.
The three parts
| Part | Content | Keys (in major) |
|---|---|---|
| Exposition (repeated) | 1st theme – transition – 2nd theme – closing section | I → V |
| Development | fragments of the themes, sequences, modulations, tension; retransition over a dominant pedal | unstable |
| Recapitulation | 1st theme – modified transition – 2nd theme – closing section | I → I |
| (Coda) | additional ending, sometimes very extended in Beethoven | I |
In minor, the exposition's 2nd theme is usually in the relative major (III).
The key idea: the 2nd theme “comes home”
In the exposition, the 2nd theme is stated in a foreign key (the dominant): that's the structural tension. In the recapitulation, it returns in the tonic: the conflict is resolved. Compare the same theme, first in G (exposition), then in C (recapitulation):
M:4/4 L:1/4 K:G "G"B2 d B | "D7"c2 A2 | "G"G B "D7"A c | "G"B2 G2 |]
M:4/4 L:1/4 K:C "C"E2 G E | "G7"F2 D2 | "C"C E "G7"D F | "C"E2 C2 |]
A model to study: Mozart's Sonata in C major K. 545
The first movement of this “easy sonata” (Sonata facile) is a miniature model:
- Exposition: 1st theme in C (the famous song over an Alberti bass), a transition in scales, 2nd theme in G, a short closing section. Then the repeat.
- Development: short, it passes through G minor and other minor keys, in arpeggiated figuration.
- Recapitulation: surprise! Mozart brings the 1st theme back in F major (the subdominant), which lets him reuse the transition unchanged and arrive at the 2nd theme… in C.
The sonatina
A sonatina is a miniature sonata, often written for teaching: a very short development or none at all. Clementi's Sonatinas Op. 36 and Kuhlau's Op. 55 are classic milestones for every pianist.