Tag Archives: Sonata form

Repeating the exposition

Who writes sonata form these days? I don’t know that I want to follow the form exactly, but after listening to so much Mendelssohn, I feel inclined to look up what people say – does he actually follow sonata form or is it some kind of modified form? I actually found Katie Walshaw’s dissertation, and started reading what she had to say about it. I’m sure I’ll find a lot more if I keep reading it. Basically, she seems to claim that people have been judging Mendelssohn after Beethoven’s style, and that it’s unfair to do that. I’ve always kind of wondered why we would stick to one composer for analyzing form, and her thoughts resonate with me.

I add in a repeat of the first five measures of the piece, and then start diverging again. I feel like I’m coming into a more intense version of the exposition.

It was a lot of fun to have that one cello line leading into the repeat, and then to fill in the other parts, that all lead to a crescendo, landing on a forte. I keep going after the brief repeat, but finally I’m tired of thinking of new lines, and I’m leaving it for today. I’m searching for some new harmonies, and land in a new chord (B-flat minor seventh), but I want to think about it when I’m fresh again. I am not sure where I’m going to go after that landing.