Lecture Eight
Classical-Era Form: Minuet and Trio II, Rondo & Sonata-Allegro Form I
This lecture continues the discussion of minuet and trio form begun in Lecture seven with an examination of Classical-era minuet and trio form. Using Baroque-era minuet and trio form as a model, late eighteenth-century composers extended the formal structure and the expressive content of minuet and trio to create movements appropriate for the multi-movement instrumental genres of the Classical era. Using minuet and trio movements by Mozart and Haydn as examples, this lecture examines the highly stylized minuet and trios of the Classical era. It also discusses the meaning and origin of “Köchel” numbers as they apply to the music of Mozart, and it examines the reputation and personality of Joseph Haydn. We continue the examination of Classical-era instrumental musical form with a discussion of Rondo form. Rondo form, based on the process of periodic thematic return, is the least formulaic of any of the Classical era forms. (First the antecedents of Rondo form—the French Rondeau and the Baroque Ritornello (or refrain) form). In a Classical-era Rondo form movement, the Rondo theme itself is the central musical element, not the departures from that theme (the contrasting episodes), as is the case in so many Baroque Ritornello movements. Movements by Ludwig van Beethoven and Joseph Haydn are demonstrated and analyzed as examples of Classical-era Rondo form. Lastly, we begin an examination of sonata-allegro form. Preliminary to this formal investigation, we observe the life and personality of the extraordinary Wolfgang Mozart and then discusses the many various meanings and uses of the word “sonata.” Sonata-allegro form is introduced as that Classical-era formal procedure that allows for the introduction and development of two or more principal themes. Sonata-allegro form is then discussed as an instrumental manifestation of operatic procedure, with the character introductions, development, denouement, and curtain calls of the opera house corresponding to the exposition, development, recapitulation, and coda of sonata-allegro form. The fourth movement of Mozart’s Symphony in G Minor, K. 550 is analyzed and discussed in depth as an example of sonata-allegro form.
Outline: We continue our exploration of Classical-era minuet and trio form.
A. The large-scale structure of Baroque-era minuets and trios was ternary:
(A B A). The individual dances were composed in binary form: //: a:
II: b :// (except for the “Da Capo”).
B. Classical-era composers retained the large-scale ternary form, but they extended the internal structure of their minuets/trios— II: a: II: b a :11 —rendering them rounded binary. (Again, there are no phrase repetitions in the “Da Capo.”)
C. The third movements of most four-movement Classical-era works are (stylized) minuet and trio form movements.
II. Featured Music: Mozart, G Minor Symphony, third movement, minuet and trio (1788)
A. The minuet has the following musical characteristics: triple meter, minor mode, disjunct melody, syncopation, scoring for the full orchestra, andforte dynamic. The music is symphonic rather than highly stylized.
B. The trio, by contrast, is pastoral, sweet, and idyllic.
1. It is in major mode, its melody is conjunct, and the dynamic is soft.
2. By the Classical era, the middle minuet, still called the trio, will typically be scored for more than three instruments; the designation thus rarely has any numerical significance in a Classical-era minuet and trio.
III. Featured Music: Haydn, Symphony no. 88, third movement, minuet and trio (1788)
A. The minuet is a royal, pomp-filled dance. It is in major mode and played by the tutti. It is generally forte and highly stylized.
B. The trio is a rural, drone (bagpipe)-dominated countryside dance that reflects Haydn’ s delightful sense of humor. It is in major mode and more lightly scored than the minuet.
IV. We can draw the following conclusions regarding minuet and trio form.
A. It is a sectional form.
B. It is a relatively non-dramatic form.
C. Adjacent sections are related as contrasts.
D. The generic schematic is:
//:a:ll:ba:ll ll:c:ll:dc:ll lla/ba//
Minuet Trio Minuet (da capo)
A B A
Rondo Form: Definition, Antecedents, and Character
Outline
A. Rondo form is based on the principle of periodic thematic return. It is the least predictable or formulaic of the Classical-era homophonic forms.
B. Rondo is a ritornello (return)-type form.
I. In Baroque ritornello form, the theme is usually not heard in its entirety following the initial statement.
2. In Classical-era rondo form, the theme is the focal point, and it is stated in its entirety following each departure.
C. The Classical-era rondo grew out of the French rondeau (often found in Baroque dance suites), which in turn grew out of medieval French refrain poems called rondeaux.
D. Classical rondos are generally light and engaging.
II. Featured Music: Beethoven, Piano Sonata in G Major, op. 49, no. 2, second movement (1795/96)
A. This movement has the following overall form: A B A C A coda.
B. The theme is memorable, bright-sounding, and in triple meter. It has the following internal form: a b al . Each phrase is followed by a closed cadence. The tune itself is characterized by a rising/falling semitone motive.
C. The first contrasting episode (“B”) is characterized by nonthematic material.
1. It includes no memorable tune.
2. It concludes with a brief extended dominant that creates considerable musical tension.
D. The second contrasting episode (“C”) is a peppy march tune. It also concludes with a brief extended dominant.
E. The coda ends the ongoing process of departure and return.
III. Featured Music: Haydn, Symphony no. 88, fourth movement (1788)
A. This movement has the following overall form: A B Al C A2 Coda.
B. The theme is upbeat and almost cartoonish.
1. It consists of two motives: repeated notes and a turn.
2. Its inner form is //:a: // :b al ://.
3. The “b’ phrase is essentially an inversion of “a” and is minorish in tone.
C. The first contrasting episode (“B”) is characterized by non-thematic material.
1. It features a false restatement of the theme about halfway through.
2. It concludes with a brief extended dominant.
D. The thematic restatement (“Al”) is abbreviated.
E. The second contrasting episode (“C”) includes a dramatic, polyphonic exploration of themes. It concludes with an extended dominant.
F. The coda is characterized by material drawn from the rondo theme.
IV. We can draw the following conclusions regarding rondo form.
A. It is a relatively nonsectional form.
B. It is relatively dramatic.
C. Adjacent sections are related as contrasts.
D. The generic schematic is: A B A C A Coda.
Sonata-Allegro Form I
Outline
I. We begin with a biographical diversion: Johann Christian Wolfgang Gottlieb (Amadeus) Mozart.
A. Mozart was born in 1756 in Salzburg, Austria. He died in Vienna in 1791.
B. His prodigious talent as keyboardist, violinist, and composer was discovered early.
C. His father, Leopold, was a professional musician. Throughout his early life, Wolfgang completely depended upon his father, who showered him with advice. Perhaps to escape his father, Mozart left Salzburg for Vienna in 1781.
D. The story of Mozart’ s reaction to the death of his pet bird sheds tremendous light on both Mozart and his relationship with his father.
E. Mozart’s ten years in Vienna (1781- 1791) was a time of unparalleled musical creation.
1. He composed 17 piano concerti, 6 operas, the clarinet concerto and quintet, the Requiem, 7 symphonies, 5 string quintets, and 1 1 string quartets.
2. He produced this tremendous output despite serious health problems.
3. His downfall resulted ultimately from his inability to secure an adequate professional position and the fickleness of the Viennese public.
F. Mozart was a prodigious composer, but he was not superhuman! His “mature” works are a synthesis of form and content. Had he lived, we would remember these “mature” compositions as his early works!
II. A sonata is literally a “sound” piece or “sounded” piece.
A. In pre-Classical-era usage, almost any instrumental work for small forces could be called a sonata.
B. In the Classical era, sonata has two different meanings:
1. It is an instrumental genre: a multi-movement work for piano or piano plus one instrument. Or—
2. It is a musical form: a specific musical form, often called sonata-allegro form.
III. Sonata-allegro form differs from the other Classical-era homophonic forms in that it contains at least two main themes.
A. Sonata-allegro form evolved as a dramatic conflict/narrative between two or more themes.
B. Sonata-allegro form has its antecedent in Baroque opera.
C. Sonata-allegro form has four main divisions.
1. In the exposition, the themes are introduced.
2. In the development section, the themes interact and are developed.
3. In the recapitulation, the themes return in their original order but with important changes.
4. The coda provides a convincing sense of conclusion.
IV. The first section of a sonata-allegro form movement is the exposition.
A. The greater the contrast between the themes, the greater the potential for dramatic conflict during the movement.
Featured Music: Mozart, G Minor Symphony, fourth movement (1788)
1. Theme 1 is brutal, dramatic, and minor. Its contour is disjunct, the dynamic varies widely, and it is played by the whole orchestra. Its inner form is: //: a ://: b a1 :1/.
2. Theme 2 is lyric and major. Its contour is conjunct, the dynamic is piano, and it is played by the strings and winds. Its inner form is: a a’
B. The themes will contrast in key; in the case of Mozart’s movement—
1. Theme 1 is in the key of G minor.
2. Theme 2 is in the key of Bb Major.
C. The modulating bridge is a nonthematic transition between the themes, characterized by:
1. Unstable harmony—there are few, if any, closed cadences.
2. Sequences and other motivic, fragmented materials.
D. The exposition concludes with the cadence material.
E. The exposition will almost always be repeated.
1. We need to hear the themes more than once in order to understand the developmental processes to which they will later be subjected.
2. We need to anchor ourselves in two stable key areas prior to the harmonic instability of the development section.
3. The composer tells us to repeat the exposition, and thus we should do so!
V. The themes are developed during the development section.
A. Almost all development sections have these general characteristics.
1. They are based on previously heard material.
2. They are not characterized by closed cadences or a strong sense of tonic.
B. Developmental techniques (all of which Mozart employs in the G minor symphony) include:
1. Open/deceptive cadences
2. Polyphony
3. Fragmentation
4. Sequence
5. Modulation
Featured Music reprise: Mozart, G Minor Symphony, fourth movement (1788)
VI. The exposition is followed by the recapitulation of the themes.
A. The themes return in their original order.
B. Theme 2 is heard in the tonic key.
C. The modulating bridge begins and ends in the same key.
Featured Music: Mozart, G Minor Symphony, fourth movement (1788)
VII. We can draw the following conclusions regarding sonata-allegro form.
A. It is nonsectional.
B. It is dramatic.
C. Adjacent sections are related as contrasts.
D. The generic schematic is: II: A (Exposition) :11 B (Development) I Al (Recapitulation) / Coda.
Sonata-Allegro Form "Recap"
The sonata-allegro form was strictly a creation of the Classical era: sonata form is modeled on the dramatic interaction and development of two or more main thematic characters as demonstrated in opera.
Exposition: The “characters (themes) are introduced. Theme I : Modulating Bridgç: Theme 2: Cadence Material:
Typically Transitional passage, A “new” characters Brings the charactersdramatic and features only typically “introductions” forceful; tonic melodic fragments quiet and lyric; to a conclusion; key (home); and constantly contrasts with “recitative”-like “aria”-like changing harmonic
Theme 1 ; NEW centers (modulation); KEY; “aria”-like “recitative”- like
Development: The themes interact dramatically! Fragments of the themes will be heard over constantly shifting and changing harmonies. This is the “action” sequence of the movement, during which great musical drama and tension can interact dramatically.
Recapitulation: The themes return in their original order with some important harmonic changes.
Theme 1 : Modulating Bridge: Theme 2: Cadence Material:
Tonic key; Transitional; Tonic key; “Recitative”
“aria” “recitative” “aria”
Coda: An additional section of music added to bring the movement to a convincing conclusion.