For how many instruments is a sonata written

Now let's follow the growth of a three-part song even further, as it expands into a big operatic aria—for example, the famous aria from Carmen that is sung by the other woman, Micaela.

This is a little more sophisticated; it doesn't break up quite so neatly into an exact A-B-A but I'm sure you'll be able to follow its three parts, just as easily as the Beatles song: the sweet, lyrical first part the more excited and dramatic middle part, and the return again to the quiet first part.

And here to sing it for us is Miss Veronica Tyler, who made her television debut on one of our Young Performers Concerts just a few years ago. We're delighted to have her back with us again singing Micaela's aria from Carmen.

Well, now that we have learned to recognize a three-part song form, which I'm sure we have, I think we're ready to take the plunge into sonata form itself.

Because a typical sonata movement is really only a more expanded version of a three-part form, even to the balancing of its two A-sections on either side of the central B section. And here's where those nasty road map names come in — I'm sorry but they have to: the first part, or A-section is called the exposition: this is where the themes of the movement are stated for the first time—or exposed, if you will: therefore the word exposition.

This is then followed by a B section, in which one or some or all of those themes are developed in different ways; and so it is called the development section. And finally, just as you expected, we get the A section stated again; and this third part is usually called—watch out!

Wow, that's a tough one. Actually, I'm not too crazy about those terms, either but what can we do? We have to use the words that are most commonly used in order to be understood; so I guess we're stuck with those words - exposition, development, and recapitulation for our A-B-A. But whatever words we use, the idea of the three parts is still clear and simple; the feeling of balance we get from two similar sections situated on either side of the central development section, just as the ears are situated in a balancing position to the nose.

But you remember I said that there were two main secrets to the sonata; balance, and contrast. And this idea of contrast is just as important as the other idea of balance; it's what gives the sonata form its drama and excitement. Now how does this contrast take place? I'll show you; and here we're going to have to get technical for a minute or two. But I'm sure you won't mind that; because what I'm going to show you now is very important—in fact this is the root of this whole sonata business.

And that is the sense of key, or tonality. Most music that we hear is written in one key or another; not so much the concert music that's written these days, but most of the music you are likely to hear is written in a key. For instance, the Beatle song we played before is in this key:. Not twelve others, twelve in all. But whatever key it's in—let's say C-major—you feel a key-note, a center, or home plate, where the music belongs, starts out from there, and gets back to. That home plate center is called the tonic.

Now all the other notes of the scale also have names; but I won't bother you with them except for this one, which I'd like you to remember: the dominant. That's the name given to the fifth note of any scale—. 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. 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.

Violin, cello and flute sonatas were all popular. Sonatas were a very popular form of composition in the Romantic period. Liszt, Chopin, Brahms and Schubert all wrote sonatas. The Romantic period sonatas are full of increased chromaticism, dramatic contrasts and complex performing techniques. Have a listen to this performance of a Liszt piano sonata performed by Valentina Lisitsa. Within the 1st minute of the piece you can clearly hear the drama and complexity of the music. Sonatas with a solo instrument and piano became increasingly popular in the Romantic period — these were known as ensemble sonatas.

The 20th century was a period of great experimentation in classical music. Composers wrote in a wider range of forms e. As a result, the sonata became less used as a form of composition. For example, Claude Debussy the late Romantic and early 20th century composer wrote a large number of very significant pieces for piano, but none were sonatas!

In fact, there are only 3 sonatas in his entire catalogue of works. The examples of sonatas we do see in the 20th century push the boundaries of tonality. His sonatas have had a great influence on many composers and musicians. One of my personal favourites. You can hear clearly the standard structure of fast-slow-fast clearly in the 3 movements in this piece. The first movement of this sonata is very well known. Beethoven has used a slightly different structure than usual; The sonata builds up to a dramatic climax rather than using the typical fast-slow-fast form.

This is the basic form of a 3 movements sonata or you can think of it as parts of an individual movement. The form is similar to that of a pop song and can be known as the ABA — style. During the Classical era — it came to be used to mean the structure of an individual movement as well as the overall layout of a piece of music. This is the era when composers like Beethoven took the Sonata into the form we now know best.

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