Composition task

Planning a movement in sonata form.

• Create your own ideas for the main sections of the sonata form

You could make a map of the movement based on the sonata by Mozart discussed above or make an entirely original plan e.g.:

Bar	Key	Material
1 - 12	Tonic	1st subject
13 – 26	Modulation to the dominant	Bridge
27 – 42	Dominant	2nd subject
43 – 56	Dominant	Codetta (exposition’s coda)
57 – 82	Various	Development
83 – 94	Tonic	Recapitulation 1st subject
95 – 108	Tonic	Bridge
109 – 122	Tonic	2nd subject
123 – 144	Tonic	Coda

Then try to formulate draft ideas that you will assemble as the composition develops.

Here are examples of initial ideas that will surely change during the compositional process.

The idea below for a 1^st subject contains features that could be developed later on. Also, it displays some of the techniques that you studied during this section e.g. suspensions (B4) and tonicisation (B6).

Fig. 5

The bridge uses two-part homophony (B3), a modulation to the dominant (B6), as well as a canon (B9).

Fig. 6

It might be easier for you to keep your draft ideas separately to begin with a view to fully refining them. Afterwards, use a pencil and paper or music software to gradually blend the ideas together.

Fig. 7