Ioannis
Fulias, “Sonata forms
and their theoretical evolution: 18th-century theorists (II)”, Polyphonia 9, Athens 2006, p. 67-97.
The
second part of this extensive survey of the theoretical evolution of sonata
forms from 18th to 20th centuries deals with Heinrich Christoph Koch’s theory
of sonata form. Koch offers a relatively detailed description of the
construction of the ternary sonata form, which can be applied in every movement
of a symphony or another multi-movement instrumental work. There are three
“main periods” that are identified with the posterior theoretical terms of exposition,
development and recapitulation: each of them has to follow
definite tonal specifications, presenting and developing at the same time and
in a different way a given “Anlage”, i.e. a sequence of main and subordinate
themes – except for the case of an especially developmental middle part, where
only selected thematic elements need to be developed. Koch also examines the
binary sonata type, which formerly constituted the starting-point for the
sonata theory, but only as a means of shortening the basic (ternary) form, in
case of its application in a rather brief slow movement.
© Ioannis
Fulias