Composer Samuel Andreyev presents a quick, mostly painless introduction to the basics of Sonata form. Web: www.samuelandreyev.com Twitter: / samuelandreyev Patreon: / samuelandreyev
Hi Samuel, nice video, very clear, though you sound a little hungry :-) - - Would be interesting to see a sequel and include examples - the pieces by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven that follow the form closely, and those that keep the form in mind but extend it, like Schubert's 3-themed sonata form movements, the romantics handling of the form (Schumann, Brahms), and more recent examples that adhere to the classical model, like some of Prokofiev's sonatas (#5). Hmm, maybe a book is needed - -
Thanks Samuel. Having read (several times) about the sonata form , this really helped to internalize the concept much better. Looking forward to hear more clear explanations from you. Great work ! Still to really hear this form played in mucis pieces remains very difficult. To connect the parts in the development section to the melodies stated in the exposition, for me is really hard work and very often I do not see/hear it.
Hi Rene, glad to hear this was helpful for you. A short piano sonata by Mozart or Clementi will be easier to follow than a late work by Beethoven, so it depends on the piece. But there are many ways to listen, and this kind of analysis is only one. Thanks for listening and for your comments.
One good way to internalize the form is to try it with a movement in a minor key. I often find the shift from tonic to dominant a subtle one, but the shift from (minor) tonic to relative major jumps out, since we've changed not only pitch location, but type of scale as well. It's a guaranteed change of mood that is easy to listen for.
Are there any examples of contemporary compositions that are based on sonata form? Perhaps with variations? Perhaps instead of I-V something else? Or three themes rather than two?
Great video! Quick question: usually when I hear the word Modulation it’s in reference to a key change, but the way you use it here seems to describe change of chord/harmonic region within a single key. Is that the common use of the word in classical music? I’m more used to jazz haha. Please let me know if I’m way off here
A modulation isn't a change of chord, it's a change of harmonic region / key. But the new key usually has some kind of functional relationship to the scale of the original key of the piece (ie, subdominant, flat mediant etc). Thanks for your question.
In Recapitulation why are the two Exposition-al poles re-presented in the same tonic degree? What is its metaphorical implication in the 'familiar-home---strange-world' context that is implied in the Exposition-Development dialogues of the sonata? Thanks for the lesson, I am a rock/blues guitarist and your lessons make me appreciate classical music better.
He goes into it when analyzing Boulez's second sonata (the first movement) in another video. Basically, it uses a modern analogue for sonata form, where the two "groups" are differentiated by texture and tempo (not key, since it's an atonal work), and neither section has any recognizable theme. There are motifs, but they're used very loosely in a polyphonic way, making them less effective as memorable themes.
Your microphone picks up every little sound of saliva in your mouth, and it is absolutely unbearable. I don't know if it's your microphone or just your manner of speaking, but... holy shit. People with misophonia will be unable to listen to this. Source: I have misophonia.
