The Sonatina and Sonata Allegro Forms

The Sonatina and Sonata Allegro are extremely close in their form. Both forms may be summarized as follows:

The Sonatina
The Sonatina may be perceived as a diminuitive, somewhat more simplistic and less weighty version of the Sonata Allegro. In essence the significant distinctions between the two are:

1. The material of the Sonatina is less weighty and pretenious than that of the Sonata Allegro.
2. The use of an introduction is rare in a Sonatina
3. Transitions between the Principal and Subordinate themes are often omitted in the Sonatina
4. The closing theme of a Sonatina is usually represented by the auxiliary members: Codetta or Cadential repetition
5. The closing theme of a Sonata Allegro often is an independent section.
6. The development section of a Sonatina, when present, is neither long nor involved.

The Sonata Allegro
The Sonata Allegro form is a typically instrumental form of the greatest importance and most widespread use. Not to be confused with the term Sonata which referrs to a particular type of three or four movment instrumental work, the Sonata Allegro typically is the first movement of the larger Sonata form. As its name suggests it is generally allegro in tempo. Often times we see the Sonata Allegro form as the final movement of the larger Sonata form and, ironically, the form often appears as the slow movement of the larger Sonata Form despite the "allegro" designation. In order to simplify the terminology we will refer to the entire 3 or 4 movment work as a "Sonata". The "Sonata Allegro" will be any movement that follows the form discussed below.

Stein goes into a significant explanation of the history of the Sonata. I encourage all to read this section in addition to referencing outside sources at their leisure.

	||: -------------------------------Exposition--------------------------------------- :||
Introduction	Principal Theme	Transition	Subordinate Theme	Development ("Fantasia")	Recapitulation	Coda
Usually Key I	Key 1	Contains Harmonic Pivot	Key 2 (Typically Dominant if in Principal is in Major and Relative Major if Principal is in minor)	Various Key relationships Tends to avoid tonic Key1	Key 1 (for both Principal and Subordinate Themes)	Key 1
Indpendent or Simple	Length = Phrase - 3 Part Song	Length ≤ the Principal and Subordinate Themes Length phrase to ≥ double period	Length = Period to ≥ Song Form	Length ≈ Exposition sectional in form (song forms or even simple movment forms)	Length ≤ Exposition	Varies
•Optional. More frequent in orchestral works •May or may not contain motives or themes that will appear later in the piece •When the independent introduction is in a contrasting tempo and/or meter, the introduction may contain an independent form of its own.	•May end in a semi or full cadence or •Auxiliary members codetta and/or dissolution may lead to transition •Establishes the character of the piece •Often contain significant motives which may be isolated and developed. •Tends to be assertive and emphatic •The variety of mood, rhythm, meter, contour, harmony and tempo is limitless • In order to provide a contrast with a more lyric subordinate theme, the principal theme may be active and energetic	•Most often contains material from the Principal Theme but •May be indpendent and episodic •May be anticipatory of Subordinate Theme Note:  In the Sonata form, The Auxiliary member Transition appears as a structural component with greater weight than other auxiliary members.	•Most frequently lyrical and expressive •May contain one or more themes •phrase or period extensions of ending cadential material is common. •Auxiliary member codetta may be found *Exposition as a unit may close with a. emphatic cadence b. Bridge to repeat c. Bridge to development *Note: In overtures that employ the sonata allegro form, no repeat is used.	•Almost entirely derived from material presented in the exposition •Choise of material, method of treatment, structure, key relationships etc are at the discretion of the composer •Each section is uaually terminated with some kind of non emphatic cadence *Usually avoids the tonic key *Last section of the development contains the auxiliary member retransition or anticipatory retransition. See Table below for Developmental Techniques	•Return to both Principal and Subordinate themes •Alterations are minor or insignificant •Transition may be shortened or rarely omitted	•Rarely contains new material *Often previous material is employed in a cadential manner.
Exceptions >				•statement or derivation of theme from fragmentary elements presented in the exposition ("Inductive" approach) •Simultaneous use of motives presented in succession in the exposition ("Mosaic" approach)	•Omission of either principal or subordinate Theme • Return of principal or subordinate theme in key other than tonic •Return of Sub before Principal

 

Development Techniques

The development section of a Sonata Allegro may be derived in one of three basic methods 1. Transposition: A considerable amount of material from the exposition is restated in another key with little alteration 2. Transformation: Material from the exposition is modified to some degree without destroying its recognizeable identitiy 3. Metamorphosis: A much more radical alteration changes the original character of the material.

These methods of derivation may have applied any one or combination of the following procedures: Change of: Key Mode Harmony Texture Dynamic Character Color Register Accompaniment

These procedures may employ the use of any one or combination of the following Rhythmic Variation, Entropy or Expansion Interval, Variation, Entropy or Expansion Contrapuntal Treatment (Canonic, fugal or free) Contour Variations, retrogrades and inversions Figure and Motive reconstruction via repetition and sequence Functional thematic and rhythmic variation

Note: It is useful and interesting to compare the procedures employed in the Development section of the Sonata Allegro to the procedures employed in the creation of successive iterations of the Variation form. To be sure, one may conceive of the development section of the Sonata Allegro as a derivation of the Variation form.