sonata form

Sonata form, also known as sonata-allegro form, is an organizational structure based on contrasting musical ideas. It consists of three main sections - exposition, development, and recapitulation - and sometimes includes an optional coda at the end.

In Sonata Form, the Exposition, Development and Recapitulation sections of a work (or a movement) are just like the beginning, middle, and end of a story.

In Sonata form, the composer creates a tension, or drama, between two (or more) sections, and just like two people, the sections react and interact to each other.

The sonata first appeared in the 16th century as an instrumental piece. Sonatas came from instrumental transcriptions of canzonas (songs) in Italy. The word “sonata” originates from the Italian word “suonare”, which means, “to sound”.

Many authors writing about sonata form describe it in terms of a dramatic narrative. At its heart, this narrative - like so many fictional and historical stories - is one of conflict and resolution.

Sonata form was a new structure that evolved from the Baroque forms of the Classical period. It was usually the form of the first movement of sonatas, symphonies and concertos.

It is a genre that can include either one movement or many movements. The first movement of the sonata usually includes a sonata form. Many important composers have contributed to the piano repertoire by composing a variety of sonatas. The sonata genre is also very similar to the symphony.

It combines the word "cantata," which is a type of vocal music, with Italian word suonare, which refers to instrumental music. A strong early example of the sonata form in practice is Pergolesi's Trio Sonata No. 3 in G Major, written some time before the composer's death in 1736.

Deriving from the past participle of the Italian verb sonare, “to sound,” the term sonata originally denoted a composition played on instruments, as opposed to one that was cantata, or “sung,” by voices. Its first such use was in 1561, when it was applied to a suite of dances for lute.

The Sonata form gets its name because it is the form that was being used in first movements of Sonatas. A Sonata's other two movements are often in different forms (such as a Theme and Variations for the second movement, or a Rondo for the third).