1. Sonata Form
Jorge Padrón

2. Historical Context
Used widely since the early Classical period (middle 18th century)
The term is first found in the 17th century, when instrumental music had just begun to become increasingly separated from vocal music.1
Derived from the Italian word suonare, to sound on instrument, and referred to a piece for playing, distinguished from cantata, a piece for singing.
Initially, it implied a binary form with some tripartite elements (think rounded binary or da capo aria with a DC or some other recall of A section)
Typically the first movement of a large, multi-movement work (concertos, symphonies, string quartet, etc.) will be in sonata form
The de facto sign of compositional mastery in the Classical era
Sonata form would be manipulated and elaborated by many different composers, with some having trademark influences on it

3. Comparison of Musical Forms
Binary: A :||: B :|| OR A:||BA’:||
Ternary: A:||:B:||AB OR ABA:||:CDC:||ABA
Sonata: Exposition:||Development – Recapitulation(:||)
(Early examples of sonata form resemble two-reprise continuous ternary form2)

4. General layout of a sonata movement
Note that the key centers and overall sections are general, NOT ALL COMPOSERS DID THIS!

5. Sections in Detail Exposition (PTSK) Principal theme in the tonic key
Transition that modulates away from tonic to the second key area
Secondary theme now in the new key area
C(K)odetta that brings the section to a close, though not always used
Development
Starts in the key that the expo ended
Varies in length
“Experimental section”
Development section would become more detailed and lengthy as time passed
Usually, though not always ended by a “retransition” (a.k.a “Big V pedal section”)

6. cont. Recapitulation (PTS)
Identical themes to the expo, but no modulation (stay in tonic)
Transition section doesn’t actually transition to a new key
Usually no codetta in recap
Coda/Introduction
These sections are optional, though codas are far more common than introductions
The coda often contains material from earlier in the movement and varies considerably in length depending on the composer/time period
Romantic composers, Beethoven in particular, liked to treat the Coda as a second development section
Intro can be lengthy or short and may or may not contain material that will appear later in the sonata
Intro is not often included in the expo repeat

7. Formal structure w/ optional sections3

8. Audio/Visual examples
Piano Sonata No. 8 in Am, KV 310, W. A. Mozart
Exp (PTSK) – Dev – Recap – Coda (w/ all repeats)
Symphony No. 5, I. Allegro con brio, L. Beethoven
Intro – Expo (PTSK) – Dev: Retrans. – Recap – Coda… and surprise!

9. Works Cited White, John D. (1976). The Analysis of Music, p. 57.
Kostka, Stefan and Payne, Dorothy (1995). Tonal Harmony, p rd edition, McGraw-Hill.
Benjamin, Thomas; Horvit, Michael; and Nelson, Robert (2003). Techniques and Materials of Music, p th edition. Thomson Schirmer.
Much of this was taken from my own memory…