Western Classical Tradition

The sonata

What is meant by ‘sonata’?

The word sonata means ‘sounded’ or ‘played’.

It was originally used to describe music that was written for and performed by instruments, rather than voices.

During the classical period, the term sonata was used to describe a composition for one or two instruments that was in three or four movements.

At least one of the movements (often the first) was in sonata form.

Sonata Structure

The usual plan of a three-movement sonata was:

First movevement – fast

Second movement – slow

Third movement – fast

In a four-movement sonata, there is usually a minuet and trio, or scherzo and trio between the slow movement and the last movement.

The solo sonata

This is a sonata written for one instrument.

The most popular solo sonatas during the first half of the 18th century were composed for violin and harpsichord.

The Italian composer Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) wrote more than 500 sonatas for the harpsichord, mostly in one movement and in binary form.

However, during the second half of the 18th century, the piano replaced the harpsichord as the principal keyboard instrument, and the three- or four-movement piano sonata became the most popular form of solo sonata.

The solo sonata

The piano, unlike the harpsichord, could vary the dynamic (volume) of a note by touch. If you press down a key on the piano harder you will produce a louder sound.

This does not happen on a harpsichord: the volume stays the same.

The word ‘piano’ is short for ‘pianoforte’, which combines the Ialian words for ‘soft’ and ‘loud’, and the name was coined to show off the piano’s unique ability to play different dynamics by varying the touch.

The solo sonata

Through the 18th and 19th centuries developments in materials and design enabled pianos to increase their compass (range of notes) and to produce a sustained, richer quality of sound.

This was reflected in the increasing technical difficulty and expressive range of music composed for the piano during this period.

Listening Activity

Listen to the opening of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in C sharp minor, op. 27 no. 2.

The time signature is 4/4, but notice the triplets that accompany the melody.

The legato (smooth) sound is helped by using the piano’s sustaining pedal, which allows the strings to vibrate freely without being stopped, or dampened.

Activity

Find out more about the harpsichord and the way it works.

Compare this with a piano and listen to the sound of both instruments.

Listen to recordings of music played on original 18th and 19th century pianos (or modern copies), and compare the sound to a modern piano.

What are the differences in sound?

How does this affect the music?

The duet sonata

A duet is a piece of music written for two players.

The most popular type of duet sonatas are those written for a piano in combination with another instrument.

The piano’s ability to play a wide dynamic range and sustain a sound make it ideal to accompany and interrelate with other instruments.

Duet sonatas are often known by the name of the other featured solo instrument (e.g. violin sonata), but the piano is an equal partner.

Activity

A piano can have two or even three pedals.

On a piano, experiment by pressing down the pedals and playing the notes to compare the sounds produced.

Look inside the piano to see what happens to the mechanism when you press down the different pedals.

Listening Quiz

Listen to the opening of Beethoven’s Violin Sonata no. 5 in F op.24, ‘Spring’. Note the relationship between the violin and piano. First, the violin has the melody with the piano accompanying, then the roles are reversed. Finally both instruments combine to share the musical material. This kind of close relationship is typical of chamber music.

1. Which term best describes the violin melody at the start of the excerpt?

mostly conjunct mostly disjunct mostly triadic mostly arpeggio

2. Which term best describes the piano accompaniment at the start of the excerpt?

scalicbroken chords pedal drone

3. Which of these terms best describes the melody?

chromatic pentatonic diatonic modal