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ATV 1,  2002-2003 
 october 11, 2002

Mozart: Sonate in G gr. t. KV 283, 1e deel
The piece is played by Michael Endres
(Arte Nova classics)
A general schedule of  'the' sonata form - the form of, in most cases, the first movement of sonatas, symphonies, etc. - could be as below..
The schedule is about a (not really existing) sonata in C major, and a (non-existing) sonata in c minor.

In the two colums at the very right I give the most probable key plan - that is, when we consider the schedule to be about the classical sonata (that is ca. untill Beethoven).
In the romantic era (and already from the 'middle period' of  Beethoven) different key plans are possible
In the second column the most important dutch and german translations of musical terms.

 
EXPOSITION expositie / Exposition
first theme or first group
if this part of the form consists of more then one musical sentence at is better to call at a group - a group of sentences.

 

 eerste thema, eerste themagroep /
erstes Thema, 
(better:) Hauptsatz, Hauptthema		 C             . c             .
transition
this part of the form very often has a more loose structure then the first and second group.
That means: very often the transition is not a closed musical sentence.
For that reason in german and dutch a distinction can be made between a 'transition sentence' (overgangszin, Überleitungssatz) and a transition group (overgangsgroep, Überleitungsgruppe).
In english this distinction is usually not made.
Sometimes a part within a transition sounds like a theme (but is in most cases not really finsished like a closed sentence). We could call that a transition theme.

 

 overgang, overgangszin, overgangsgroep / 
Überleitung, Überleitungssatz, Überleitungsgruppe		 C
modulation
to
G
(dominant 
key)		 c
modulation
to
Es
(relative major key)
or- sometimes - to
g (minor dominant 
key)
second theme or second group
if this part of the form consists of more then one musical sentence at is better to call at a group - a group of sentences.
A second theme/group more often consistst of more then one phrase then a first theme. So in a sonata form we find often a first theme, and a second group.		 tweede thema, tweede themagroep / 
zweites Thema,
(better:) Seitensatz, Seitenthema		 G
(dominant key)		 Es
(relative major key);
sometimes:
g
(minor dominant key)
closing group or codetta (= small coda)
Often this part is formed by a group of final cadences, presented in rather short sentences.		 slotzin, slotgroep, codetta /
Schlussgruppe, Schlussssatz		 G
(dominant key)		 Es
(relative major key);
sometimes:
g
(minor dominant key)
Untill ca. Beethovens middle period at the end of the exposition there is normally a repitition sign (and are development and recapitulation normally repeated together).
Later (starting at the beginning of the 19th century) repeats are often left away.
The exposition must not end exactly at the repeat: sometimes between the end of the exposition and the beginning of the development stands a (short) transition. In those cases the exposition in general has ended before this transition with a clear cadence in the key of the second group.

 
DEVELOPMENT or DEVELOPMENT SECTION doorwerking / Durchführung
It is difficult to make general statements about the development- like about the exposition and recapitulation.
But in almost all sonatas we find:
- modulation(s)
- (together with these modulations:) sequences
- development of motives or themes from the exposition (often, but not necessarily, the first and/or second theme)
- often: process of shortening motives

Sometimes in a development a new theme is introduced. We could call such a new theme the development theme.

In general the end of the development is formed by a pedal point on the dominantof the main key (and this pedal point 'announces' the beginning of the recapitulation).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

doorwerkingsthema /
Durchführungsthema
 

orgelpunt / Orgelpunkt

 the key is chanching frequently.

Often, but not always:
development starts in G or g dominant key)
 

in most cases:
 at the end: C 
(main key)

 the key is chanching frequently.

Often, but not always:
development starts in Es (relative major key)
 

in most cases:
 aan het eind c 
(main key)

 
RECAPITULATION reprise / Reprise
first theme or first group
if this part of the form consists of more then one musical sentence at is better to call at a group - a group of sentences.

 

 eerste thema, eerste themagroep /
erstes Thema, 
(better:) Hauptsatz, Hauptthema		 C             . c             .
transition
different from the exposition: in this part of the form in principle there is no need to modulate (because in the recapitulation the second group is in the same key as the first group). 
For that reason in dutch this part is called verbinding (=connection) instead of overgang (=transition): it is in the recapitulation more about 'connecting the themes' then about 'modulating to the key of the second theme'.
This distinction seems to be somewhat artificial: in most sonatas the transition in the recapitulation is modulating - but the modualtion ends in the same key as where it started.
In german and english a terminologic distinction between the transitions in exp. and recap. normally is not made.		 verbinding, verbindingszin, verbindingsgroep / 
Überleitung, Überleitungssatz, Überleitungsgruppe		 C
(quasi) modulation
to
C
(main
key)		 c
(quasi) modulation
to
c or C
(main key, or parallel major of main key)
second theme or second group tweede thema, tweede themagroep / 
zweites Thema,
(better:) Seitensatz, Seitenthema		 C             . c or C major (the latter is only possible when the second theme in the exposition was in Es major)
closing group or codetta (= small coda) slotzin, slotgroep, codetta /
Schlussgruppe, Schlussssatz		 C          . c or C major (the latter is only possible when the second theme in the exposition was in Es major)

Often, but not always:
 
CODA coda / Coda
In some pieces a coda 'grows' from lengthening the codetta of the recapitulation. In thoses cases it is sometimes very difficult the tell exactly where the recapitulation ends, and the coda starts.
In other sonatas the coda is clearly a formal part of its own, and is then starting clearly after the end of the recapitulation.
Often at least one of the two main themes is used in a coda.		               . C              . c or C major
Some sonatas start with a SLOW INTRODUCTION, before the actual sonata form starts: the sonata form is then starting with the tempo change (to the faster tempo) and the first group.
Most slow introductions end on the dominant of the main key (and are thus 'announcing' the tonic/the first theme, somewhat like in the end of the development section). 
Very often in a slow introduction material of the exposition is 'prepared (a fine example: first movement of the first symphony of Brahms..)
a Make a schedule like this 'schedule of a fictive sonata' of the first movement of the  Mozart-sonate.
You could add more specific remarks to such a schedule (for instance about the structure of themes, harmonic intersting points etc.)
b Have a look into the question whether the 'schedule of a fictive sonata' is describing the Mozart-sonata in an adequate way (on other words: does Mozart do things that are clearly different from what the schedule suggests / is the schedule suggesting things that are not happening in Mozart?)