Modulation in sonata form

Feldman wrote:

Hello everyone,

Analyzing the modulation scheme in sonata forms of the Classical and pre-Romantic periods (therefore Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven), I wanted to understand, especially in relation to the Development section, what the modulations refer to... because if I am in G Major in the second theme, then I have a coda and the Development begins with a chain of modulations to related or distant keys, okay... but of which key?

Starting from the assumption that the destination is the tonic of the recapitulation, I believe that all the modulations (therefore the keys touched) in the Development refer to this one and not to the dominant at the end of the exposition... what do you think?

To what do the modulations of the development refer? To the home key or to the dominant?

Then a question that concerns us closely: wanting to apply these modulations in practice, is it possible to do so with the same elasticity that the composers of that period had? That is: is it possible to modulate without the haste of given bass lines, where a modulation lasts less than 3 seconds, whereas in every respectable Modulating Bridge (in sonatas and string quartets) the passage from the tonic to the dominant is always well-calibrated and strategically thought out, with a very wide field of action?

In your opinion, can manually copying modulations from the works of the masters help acquire this type of manual skill?

You will certainly know him, but for this and the other topic, in my opinion you could take a look at Schoenberg's "Fundamentals of Musical Composition". He discusses some of Beethoven's quartets (although it doesn't seem to be specifically op. 18)....

in the paragraph dedicated to elaboration he writes:

"To pass from one harmonic region to another, the closest tonal affinities are usually used, but in the course of this process, even more distant regions can also be reached.

There is a tendency in this to favor regions with a greater number of flats or a smaller number of sharps compared to the home key,

perhaps because the second theme group is almost always in the dominant area, that is, in keys that have more sharps or fewer flats."

Feldman wrote:

What do the modulations of the development refer to? To the home key or to the dominant?

I don't know if I understood your question correctly. I mean: modulation, in itself, is the passage from key x to key y. So y is simply referred to x, and it doesn't matter whether x is the tonic or the dominant.

It is quite interesting to see the transition between the end of the exposition and the beginning of the development. Since in the other post you were talking about Beethoven's op. 18: in op. 18 no. 3, in D major, the exposition presents three final bars that serve to return to the home key in view of the recapitulation. A very dry and abrupt modulation. Then, when moving into the development, instead of D major we find ourselves in D minor.

In op. 18 no. 2, in G major, the exposition concludes in D major, and the development begins in D minor: here there is no form of connection, it is the direct juxtaposition of two different keys on the same thematic material (the passage from major to minor between exposition and development is also found in Mozart). I was alluding to this type of connection when I was talking about Brahms' op. 60.

http://www.pianoconcerto.it/forum/index.php?/topic/3890-il-linguaggio-armonico-di-brahms/page-2&do=findComment&comment=32382

Even more distant are the keys touched in this place of op. 18 no. 1: from C major to A major, again without any form of modulation.

If you then intend to refer all the keys touched during the development to a single harmonic center, I would certainly take the home key of the piece as a point of reference. For what reason refer to the dominant?

Maybe useful

www.pianoconcerto.it/forum/index.php?/topic/1355-la-varieta-delle-forme-sonata/

Feldman wrote:

Hello everyone,

Analyzing the modulation scheme in sonata forms of the Classical and pre-Romantic periods (therefore Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven), I wanted to understand, especially in relation to the Development section, what the modulations refer to... because if I am in G Major in the second theme, then I have a coda and the Development begins with a chain of modulations to related or distant keys, okay... but of which key?

Starting from the assumption that the destination is the tonic of the recapitulation, I believe that all the modulations (therefore the keys touched) in the Development refer to this one and not to the dominant at the end of the exposition... what do you think?

What do the modulations of the development refer to? To the home key or to the dominant?

Always consider one thing. There is modulation and modulation, especially in a form like sonata form. As red says, a modulation must be considered on its own, with a starting point and an arrival point, but within a development section, modulations nonetheless have certain "roles". Generally, progressions "distance" what was there before, i.e., they liquidate, as the Schoenbergians would say. Liquidation consists of bringing to completion the implications of a theme, a rhythmic cell, or a melodic cell. It serves to close a discussion by taking it to its extreme consequences, and it is typical of the development of the sonata form. Progressing harmonically, in this case, also serves to liquidate the home key of that cell. I don't know, let's say this cell is a series of triplets on the notes of a C major arpeggio. At the end of the liquidation, I will have to say "ok, there have been enough triplets and now my ear no longer connects them only to C major but to a series of other keys, triads, etc.". In a similar situation, the value of the modulation (which is generally a progression, so sometimes it doesn't even have time to cadence seriously in the new key) is one of distancing.

But obviously, there are also modulations that bring you closer to the re-exposition of the theme. Generally, one passes from a long dominant pedal, which has a tension-building function; it tells you that something new is about to arrive, but you have to get to this pedal somehow. And in some cases, you can assign a value of "approaching the dominant" to the previous modulations. On this movement, games of confirmation and denial can also be created; that is, if suddenly in the development one stops on the dominant of the dominant, it is automatic to think that the pedal will arrive shortly, but if this does not happen, then the effect is even more astonishing, fulfilling even more that role of estrangement characteristic of the development. In short, a development section also has its parts, and modulations have different roles in relation to the part in which they are located.

Dusting off the settlement

Even though a single chord is often enough to modulate, we frequently find ourselves facing pieces that carry out the modulation process over very extensive periods of the composition; this is because there are needs that go beyond modulation itself, such as "rhetoric," the desire to create a compositional discourse that is rich, extensive, and interesting.

Usually, one refers to the home key, and while it is true that in a classical sonata form there is a strong opposition between the home key and the dominant, the development is the moment when the material traverses (a term not used by chance) harmonic paths that are more unstable and, why not, more distant from the home key. On average, the classics move within the circle of fifths, but as a good pre-romantic, Beethoven begins to move away a little. The techniques to achieve this "deviation" are various, but the problem is doing it "a la maniera de".

Beethoven, from a didactic point of view for learning how to use sonata form, is probably the most difficult because he does not follow a recurring pattern and, in fact, he starts by using the sonata form only to then surpass it; in between lies the world.

It is also true that Op. 18 was composed between 1798 and 1800, a period to which it seems you are interested.

Aside from Op. 18, it wouldn't hurt to take a look at the first two symphonies and about twenty piano sonatas, without overlooking the 3 piano and orchestra concertos, some trios, and the violin and piano sonatas. You will see that the need to expand formal structures and enlarge compositional proportions is evident; he also skillfully develops the composition for violin, to which he entrusts brilliant passages with double strings, triple strings, etc., and assigns equal importance to both the piano and the violin (see the Sonata in F major Op. 24 "Spring" for its lyrical/sentimental vein, and the Sonata in C minor Op. 30 No. 2 for its dark and heroic tone).

Beethoven's compositional development is extraordinary, as demonstrated by the 32 piano sonatas created from 1795 to 1822—pieces that present expressive, compositional, and technical innovations favored also by the perfection of the instrument's mechanics. The early piano sonatas approach the formal models of Haydn, Mozart, and Clementi, although rich, brilliant sonorities and great thematic expansion are already perceptible with the addition of a fourth movement (minuet or scherzo). The first movements in sonata form are large in scale, with expositions rich in contrasting thematic material, dynamic effects, and significant rhythms (see the sonatas: "Pathétique," which begins with a slow movement followed by contrasting themes); in the slow movements, moments of lyricism are present, followed by dark sonorities and particularly expressive atmospheres. The sonorities have different characteristics based on formal construction; for example, Op. 26 begins with an Andante with variations, and Op. 27 presents itself as a quasi-fantasy sonata where freer ideas derived from improvisation are present, such as the Adagio sostenuto of the C# minor sonata, later named "Moonlight" for its dreamy character.

The string quartets and piano Op. 18, published in 1801, are influenced by Haydn, although some formal solutions are already present, such as final movements written in sonata form or sonata-rondo form. The First Symphony in C major Op. 21 was written at age 30 and follows the formal model already adopted by Haydn and Mozart, although the novelty Beethoven introduces is given by the exploitation of technical and expressive resources in all orchestral sections and also by the broken style of the melody that runs between the different instruments of the orchestra.

These are just some elements for reflection to better respond to

http://www.pianoconcerto.it/forum/index.php?/topic/4106-imitazione-stilistica-procedimenti-pratici/

In particular, in the absence of a specific treatise on a certain language, one must approach the issue as if you were writing a stylistic synthesis yourself. Certainly, understanding a composer's style deeply is of great utility, but it is a demanding task; consider that old traditional courses led to writing a fugue (and not always a credible one) after 7 years; after many years of study, some times are shortened, but it remains an arduous task to write well and in a credible way in poetics that are different and distant (even in a temporal sense) from us... since there was mention of "historical forgery."

I found Thallo and Frank's answers very interesting. For a long time, I have been fascinated by the thought (which comes and goes) of being able to write a piano sonata, but we are talking about another world.

Piccinesco wrote:

For a long time I have been fascinated by the thought (which comes and goes) of being able to write a piano sonata, but we are talking about another world.

If I am not mistaken, there was also a composition workshop on the subject

You're not wrong, I vaguely "remembered" too that something like this had been done, here is the link: http://www.pianoconcerto.it/forum/index.php?/topic/1599-laboratorio-forma-sonata-2012-elaborati/

Perhaps it would be best for me to try writing a sonatina; ideas permitting, I could do some trials starting from pieces that I have already written.

Here (sometimes it all seems automatic, at least mentally, then in practice things change), I thought of a short piece I wrote years ago and a phrase came to mind that could serve as a flywheel for a movement (as I said before) of a sonatina, an allegro. The piece I had already written could, due to its cantabile nature, be an andante, so a second movement; therefore the first remains, and here it would be quite complicated, but working backwards would be an excellent exercise. It's a pity that enthusiasm lasts for a short time, it has been years now. Sooner or later I will talk about a sensation I often feel, a sensation linked to an image, whether it be of an instrument or of a musical score.

Feldman wrote:

Assuming that the destination is the tonic of the recapitulation, I believe that all the modulations (and therefore the keys touched) in the Development refer to this one and not to the dominant at the end of the exposition... what do you all think?

Furthermore, precisely in op. 18 no. 3, in D minor, the principle of the dominant at the end of the development (one of the true cornerstones of sonata form) is clamorously refuted.

The development has this harmonic structure: D minor (7 measures); then through G minor (7 measures) it arrives at Bb major (7 measures) to cadence on G minor (5 measures).

Followed by the progression: A minor (4 measures) and B minor (4 measures).

In the final phase of the development, G major is traversed (3 measures), to arrive at the D of F# minor (4 measures) emphasized by a further pedal of D of F# minor (7 measures).

Only C# remains in the bass (1 measure), and then the recapitulation begins.

http://petrucci.mus.auth.gr/imglnks/usimg/e/ea/IMSLP04757-Beethoven_-_String_Quartet_No.3_Dover.pdf

The dominant of the home key is not even touched: in its place, we find its relative minor. The relationship with this harmonic area can be traced starting from m. 9: the E# here is a chromatic appoggiatura (rhythmically emphasized), and subsequently it is reinterpreted as the leading tone of F# minor. The E# at the beginning of the development becomes F (in D minor) and then, in the recapitulation, disappears, replaced by G.

I also suggest (though Feldman has undoubtedly already thought of it) considering the supporting structure of the ascending bass by stepwise motion (diatonic in the exposition, appearing also in chromatic version in the recapitulation).