Path 05
Understanding sonata form
The form behind most first movements, heard twelve times, from a small sonata to a symphony.
Mozart → Haydn → Beethoven → Schubert → Mendelssohn → Brahms → Prokofiev
Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1
This guide follows Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1 (1795) in four parts: Allegro (sonata form), Adagio (sonata form), Minuetto: Allegretto (minuet and trio) and Prestissimo (sonata form).
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- I
- II
- III:
- IV
in F minor. The rocket-like opening arpeggio sets the hard-edged tone. The , in A-flat major, follows. The passes through B-flat minor and C minor and reaches a long held bass note on C. The starts loudly and brings the into the home . The is delayed by two false endings, and the ends fortissimo in F minor.
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Section boundaries in music are not always sharp; a transition may be felt over a pause or a held chord.
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BachTrio Sonata No. 1 in E-flat major, BWV 525
HaydnSymphony No. 1 in D major, Hob. I:1HaydnHorn Concerto in D major, Hob. VIId:3HaydnPiano Sonata in A-flat major, Hob. XVI:46HaydnPiano Sonata in C minor, Hob. XVI:20HaydnString Quartet in A major, Op. 20 No. 6HaydnString Quartet in C major, Op. 20 No. 2HaydnString Quartet in D major, Op. 20 No. 4HaydnString Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 20 No. 1HaydnString Quartet in F minor, Op. 20 No. 5
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