Sonata Forms

In his first book, The Classical Style, Charles Rosen claims Haydn's string quartets op. 33 to be the real origin of the full blown, mature Viennese Classicism. In it, the loose ends and mannerisms of Haydn's pre-classical works were shed, in favour of a style of total coherency and astounding economy. To me, the book Sonata Forms seems to have a similar position for Rosen's authorship. I must admit that I have only read The Classical Style and Arnold Schoenberg, but his didactic development from the first book is indeed impressive. This book is focused and structured on a very different level than The Classical Style, and although I can sympathize with some reviewers claiming that it's structuring may not be entirely coherent, I'm not even sure if I can count it as a weakness. Rosen likes to repeat himself, true, but I believe this either comes from the fact that the topic is so large that he needs to remind us every once in a while while reading, and/or that there are some points he really want to hammer in, so that we'll remember them. For anyone sceptical, I would like to make it clear that sonata forms (plural) in this context means a lot more than just what we may call sonata-allegro form or first movement form. Rosen's argument, taken to it's most basic level, is that the late 18th century realized that modulations can be thought of as dissonance on a structural level. Even early 18th century music featured a modulation to the dominant as an element of musical grammar; the sonata form simply made the modulation an event, creating a structural dissonance that would be solved by repeating (recapitulating) the elements in struggle, without the dissonance. Therefore, this book also talks about almost the standard forms in the late 18th century musical vernacular, including all standard symphonic movements. The subject of the book is, as mentioned, sonata forms. In The Classical Style, Rosen tore Carl Czerny's 19th century definition of sonata form to shreds; in this book, he constructs a new model that is worthy 20th (and 21st) century musicological scholarship. The book starts with an introduction of the social function of the sonata form (it was an essential element in the making of a tradition for public instrumental music), then to look at some of it's antecedents. Next comes a history of what we today would recognize as a sonata form in a pre-classical perspective, followed by an in-depth discussion of the various elements a sonata form consists of. While the better part of the book focuses on the styles of Haydn and Mozart, Beethoven and later composers are given their due in the last two chapters. Once you have the rest of the book in your memory, these parts are perhaps the most interesting, at least from an academic point of view: In the 19th century, the legacy of Beethoven weighted so heavilly upon young composers that sonata forms were being written long after the polarity between tonic and dominant had been made all but invisibl

First - a word of caution - the reader must have a working knowledge of music theory (particularly form & harmonic analysis) to understand this book. Even with that, this book is a commitment. Its not something one would read only a part of - it is to be taken as a whole. It will require the reader to analyze the music with the author to come to terms with the material. That being said, this book is well worth reading, given you have the time to read passages again and analyze the musical examples. It provides an excellent analysis of what sonata form is in the Classic Period, with all the details the average musician is not aware of. Rosen uncovers patterns not often discussed when talking about sonata form. This is an excellent history of its development, and in depth analysis of its parts. I've heard the complaint about Rosen - he is sometimes too harsh in his judgment of others. (Perhaps he is intolerant of stupidity?) However, with respect to clarity, he outclasses most music scholars (at least in writing.) Unlike some scholars, he defines start and end points with measure numbers so the reader can clearly see what is being discussed. He provides definitions for the terms he uses so that there will be little question of what it is he is talking about. Overall, he avoids showy, elitist vocabulary in his text. I find his writing a breath of fresh air. Understanding the material in this book will arm the reader with a deep understanding of the sonata form, down to is nuts and bolts. Well worth reading, but "Sonata Forms" is a huge commitment of time and energy to understand!

This book is chuck-full of information. He gives musical examples which I was unable to follow, but that was probably because I was not reading carefully enough. Rosen does not always define terms as he should. I would like to know what a "counterstatement" is, because he uses the term several times. On page 388, he speaks of Berlioz' idee fixe, but does not tell us what it is. On page 393, he categorizes intra-movement thematic relations as "explicit" and "implicit," but will not define the two. I would like to know what the two terms mean. On page 403, he tells us that the Stravinsky piano sonata is in the "concerto grosso form." What does that mean? While we are on the subject of terminology, this is the arena where Rosen throws a couple of boomerangs. He scorns the terms "first" and "second theme," preferring the terms "first" and "second group," but then he forgets and uses those terms himself. He also denies that Haydn's sonata movements are "monothematic," and charges users of this term of misanalysis. But then he forgets and uses this term himself. In the last chapter, he answers a question which I have been wondering: why does discussion of the sonata form usually ignore every composer since Beethoven. Rosen tells us that there has been little contribution to the form since Beethoven. He uses a composition by Schumann as a bad example and gives only a couple of good examples. He accredits Brahms with a few redeeming features, and give several other composers a cursory mention. I hope to compose good sonata movements despite the handicap of living after Beethoven.

Rosen's book, now in a revised edition, is a follow-up to his classic "Classical Style," and it helps to be acquainted with the earlier work, or at least to be somewhat accustomed to the author's elaborate and occasionally repetitive prose and his habit of illustrating the discussion with copious, lengthy musical examples. The early chapters explain the author's choice of the plural for the title and distinguish his view of the sonata structure as opposed to the single form dictated by nineteenth-century authorities such as Czerny. Particularly interesting, if not altogether coherent, is the attempt to relate the rise of use of sonata principles by composers to the rise in prestige of instrumental music. A couple of chapters on sonata-form predecessors (aria, concerto, other works by early Italians such as Scarlatti and Sammartini) are succeeded by generally lucid discussions on motivic development and the component parts of fully developed sonata form: exposition, development, recapitulation, and coda. The last part of the book examines how sonata structure has continued to influence and at times frustrate post-Classical composers. If one looks for it, there are brilliant analyses to be found throughout this book, often in unexpected places: a full-scale and fascinating dissection of the first movement of Mozart's great "Prague" Symphony in D major is hidden away in the middle of the "Motif and Function" chapter. Therein lies the major problem of this book for me, in that Rosen, ironically enough in a work about form, seems to have trouble ordering and presenting his ideas in a logical fashion. The chapter on concertos seems intended to illustrate pre-sonata principles, but contradicts its purpose with illustrations mainly from Mozart and his contemporaries. Elsewhere, Rosen first cites minuet form as a sonata-form predecessor but then clouds the issue by discussing classical minuets in a later chapter--the casual reader may miss the distinction, which he never states explicitly. In fact, some important overall points--that the turn toward the subdominant in many recapitulations is intended to balance the basic tonic-dominant polarity of the exposition, for example--are never stated by Rosen but left to be gleaned by the reader. He also fails to spend enough time, in my opinion, discussing the ways in which minor-key sonata movements differ from the prevalent major-key models. Still, with careful reading, following some of the examples with recordings, and perhaps a bit of reordering, a comprehensive picture does emerge of one of the most important currents in Western tonal music. I still have to recommend this book as the best available on this knotty subject.

Sonata form is not quite as dry as it sounds--it's the "plot line" that gives works of the Classical period their drama, even though they're not "about" anything, the way program music is. I find that I enjoy Classical-era works more when I know their form and can keep track of where I am in the piece.This book goes into sonata form in considerable detail, covering its history, evolution, and variants. It displays the thoughtfulness and insight that Rosen brings to all of his books. It's not an easy read, and I find that it helps to be familiar already with the works under discussion before you read about them. One way to approach the book is to listen to one of the works it discusses several times, until you're quite familiar with it, then come back and read at what Rosen has written on that particular work.Another bit of advice: don't try this book unless you've already read Rosen's much more famous book _The Classical Style_ and enjoyed it. _Sonata Forms_ is a follow-up on the earlier book, pursuing the same ideas about sonata form at a more technical level.Bottom line: this book is written for a particular audience, but people who are part of that audience and put in the time to listen to all the works analyzed will feel that their reading efforts have been rewarded.