Download Sonata Form, Ronda and Minuet

Classical Forms
Sonata Form, Rondo and Minuet
Sonata Form
Sonata form is a theoretical principle applied to music of the Classical era by academics. It
consists of three sections: Exposition, Development and Recapitulation. The Exposition
contains the statement of two themes, the first in the tonic key and the second in the
dominant. The Development explores the thematic material of the exposition before the
Recapitulation restates the original themes, although this time in the subdominant and tonic
keys. Sonata form movements are generally found at the beginning of longer, multimovement works such as sonatas, concertos and symphonies.
A
B
Exposition
C
C
Development
A1
B1
CODA
Recapitulation
Rondo
At its most basic, the rondo consists of a principle theme which is then repeated in between
contrasting episodes resulting in the structure ABACA.
A
B
A
C
A
Rondo form can also be combined with sonata form (see above) to create the sonata-rondo
form.
A
B
Exposition
A
C
Development
A
B
CODA
Recapitulation
Both Rondo and Sonata Rondo form are usually employed in the final movement of longer
works.
Minuet
The Classical minuet is a development of the menuett movement from the Baroque Suite. It
is in ternary form (ABA) with the middle section often in a related key other than the tonic.
Minuets were frequently written in contrasting pairs, with the second minuet being named
the trio. The first minuet would then be repeated, giving the movement the overall form of
ABA CDC ABA. Minuet and Trios were often used as the second or sometimes the third
movement of larger works.
A
B
A
C
D
C
A
B
A
Teacher’s notes on ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’ (notes from Wikipedia, score on imslp.org)
Allegro
This first movement is in sonata-allegro form, which aggressively ascends in a Mannheim
rocket theme. The second theme is more graceful and in D major, the dominant key of G
major. The exposition closes in D major and is repeated. The development section begins on
D major and touches on D minor and C major before the work returns to G major for the
recapitulation.
Romanze
The second movement, in C major, is a "Romanze", with the tempo marked Andante. A
feeling of intimacy and tenderness remains throughout this movement. It is in rondo form,
taking the shape A–B–A–C–A plus a final coda. The keys of the sections are C major for A
and B, C minor for C. The middle appearance of A is truncated, consisting of only the first
half of the theme. Heartz describes the movement as evoking gavotte rhythm: each of its
sections begins in the middle of the measure, with a double upbeat.[8]
Menuetto
The third movement, marked Allegretto, is a minuet and trio, both in 3/4 time. The minuet is
in the home key of G major, the contrasting trio in the dominant key of D major. As is normal
in this form, the minuet is played again da capo following the trio.
Rondo
The fourth and last movement is in lively tempo, marked Allegro; the key is again G major.
The movement is written in sonata form. Mozart specifies repeats not just for the exposition
section but also for the following development and recapitulation section. The work ends
with a long coda.