"Sonata” and “sonata form” are not the same thing, and that—in any kind of piece, not just sonatas—a movement composed in sonata form consists of three primary sections: an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation.
It’s in the exposition that the principal musical elements of the movement are presented—the themes, rhythmic patterns, and harmonic patterns. In the development, the themes and other elements are put through a process of modification—reworked and rearranged, and sometimes even chopped up into parts. Following the development comes the recapitulation, which is a restatement of the music of the exposition—sometimes a literal restatement, sometimes one with a few new twists—and often the recapitulation ends with a coda, a musical extension that brings the movement to a close in a convincing manner. Sonata form: exposition, development, and recapitulation.
A Minute with Miles – a production of South Carolina Public Radio, made possible by the J.M. Smith Corporation.
