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The Sonata-Allegro Form
The first movements of many symphonies are such powerful works that they often take on the identity of the entire work. For example, many people are familiar with the 1st movement of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. But that movement, powerful as it is, lasts for only about seven minutes. The other three movements fill an additional twenty-five minutes.
The sonata-allegro form makes three musical statements within its boundaries.
1. Exposition
Three musical themes are stated in the exposition. Generally, the character of the first theme in the exposition is strong, bold or “masculine” and it is always written in the tonic key. The second theme in the exposition is lyrical, poetic or “feminine” and is always written in the dominant key. The final theme is the least significant theme and is also written in the dominant key. The entire exposition, with its three themes, is repeated once.
2. Development
The three musical themes are expanded in the “development” section. Each theme is developed in a key other than the tonic or dominant. Musicians call such keys “foreign keys. Listen for the modulation that takes place in the development section. This section of the sonata-allegro form is played only once. Generally this is the longest section of the sonata-allegro. It is also the section on which music critics make their strongest analysis. A wonderful set of themes may be introduced in the exposition, but if the composer fails to do a good job developing these themes, the symphony will be considered a failure. In the development section the composer is expected to freely combine the themes of the exposition section with new material.
3. Recapitulation
The three musical themes are restated in the recapitulation section. Often the themes are clearly stated and more spartan than when first presented in the exposition. In this final section of the first movement, all three themes are written in the tonic key.
Click here to see a graphical representation of the sonata-allegro structure. Notice how the simplest rondo form of A B A – the basic song form – appears in the vastly more complex form of the symphony.
As you listen to symphonic music, be aware that composers must make use of short transitional passages at times. To move from the up-tempo theme a of a sonata-allegro movement to the lyrical theme b of the sonata-allegro movement requires that the composer apply (metaphorically speaking) the brakes. It is common to hear short passages of music between the major themes. These sections are not the expressive themes of the composition. They are the sinews that hold the composition together.
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