That's the dominant. Now comes the main event—how these two key-centers, the tonic and the dominant, are related to each other. If I play a tonic and a dominant chord, in that order, what do you feel? Something is left unfinished, unresolved, isn't it? You feel a desperate urge to get back to the tonic, where you started, don't you?
So you see, that tonic is like a magnet; you can pull away from it, going to all kinds of other chords,. And out of this magnetic pull, away from and back to the tonic, classical sonata form is built.
That's where the drama lies, the tension—in the contrast of keys with one another. Let's see how this works in an actual piece of music by Mozart. The composer will naturally begin his sonata in the key of the tonic, and his opening theme will be in that key, as in this famous C-major Sonata by Mozart.
Here's the main theme. So there we are, solidly established in the dominant key of G-major and the exposition part of this movement is over. Now at this point in the classical sonata we usually bump smack into a repeat sign, which means go back to the beginning and play that whole A Section or exposition you have just heard, all over again.
Just like the Beatles: Remember? You repeat that phrase. And so for the second time, we hear the full exposition - first theme, second theme, and closing theme; starting in the tonic and winding up in the dominant. But there's no point in playing it for you now. You've all just heard it. So you go on to the next section. Actually this whole exposition we've just heard is like a drama, the drama of running away from home—a pulling away from that magnet we call the tonic.
Now the next act coming up, the development, intensifies that drama, wandering even farther away from home, through even more distant keys, but then finally giving in and coming home in the third act—or recapitulation. That's the drama of it all. So in the second part, or development section of this Mozart sonata, the composer lets his imagination roam free; the themes he has stated in the exposition wander around in one foreign key after another—like a trip around the world.
Now because this particular sonata of Mozart's is a very short one, the development section is also very short. In fact the only theme Mozart does develop is that little fanfare tune we just heard—the closing theme of the exposition. Which brings us to the third and last section of this three-part sonata form—the recapitulation.
And this is the moment when that magnet we were talking about finally wins out and draws us back home, to the tonic; and the whole exposition is repeated or recapitulated. Only this time we must hear it all in the tonic key, even the second theme and the closing theme, which we originally heard in the dominant; so that when the movement is over, we are safely at home, in C major where we began.
Of course Mozart, like all geniuses is full of surprises. He doesn't always play the game according to the rules. In fact he often gives us more musical pleasure by breaking rules than by obeying them. In this C-major Sonata of his, where the recapitulation should be in the tonic in the key of C, Mozart holds out on us; he is still resisting that magnet of the tonic; and so he gives us the recapitulation in the unexpected key of F.
But now Mozart yields, and the magnet wins after all. The rest of this little movement is all safe and warm, back home in C-major.
Now that wasn't too terribly hard, was it? It's certainly hard to play. It sounds easier that it is. But it's not very hard to follow the form. Do you see now what I mean by balance and contrast? Sonatas were a popular and important form, and many were composed for amateur performers to play at home. During the Classical period the harpsichord had been largely replaced by the piano. Many piano sonatas were written and many composers wrote sonatas for a solo instrument and piano.
The core elements of sonata form are subverted and overlaid with other structures. Yuja Wang performs this Liszt work below. The Chinese pianist appears on the cover of issue of Pianist. This combines traditional elements of sonata form with a personal language, often ambiguously combining major and minor modes, and a jazz-inflected rhythmic energy. Have a listen to this Baroque sonata for violin with harpsichord accompaniment:.
Other examples of sonata that were popular in the Baroque period include:. In the Classical period , the sonata was a very popular form of composition. Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven all wrote sonatas. Haydn and Mozart usually but not always wrote sonatas in 3 movements. The first movement is usually Allegro and composed in sonata form. Have a listen to the opening of the 1st movement: Beethoven Piano Sonata 1st Movement.
The second movement is usually Adagio slow. The third movement tends to take the form of a dance of some sorts — often a minuet and trio. It could also be a scherzo. Beethoven Piano Sonata 3rd Movement. The final movement tends to be fast.
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