Ioannis
Fulias, “Sonata forms
and their theoretical evolution:
Concluding remarks on the first three sonata
types – The contribution of Sonata Theory by Hepokoski and Darcy to the
current scientific debate”, Polyphonia 16, Athens 2010, p. 112-154.
The ninth part of this extensive survey of the
theoretical evolution of sonata forms from 18th to 20th centuries completes the
investigation of the first three sonata types (i.e. ternary, binary and sonata
without development), marking the
general tendencies that prevail in the relevant sources (handbooks of
composition and analysis, as well as newer musicological studies) during the
classic period, from mid-19th-century to mid-20th-century and afterwards.
Special emphasis is given to the known controversy on whether the basic sonata
type is ternary or binary, based not only on thematic or tonal-harmonic criteria
but also on the possible macrostructural repeats. Although Elements
of Sonata Theory by James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy belong to the
21st-century, this recent contribution is so significant and exhaustive that
could not be disregarded in the present study; on the contrary, Hepokoski’s
and Darcy’s main views on the first three sonata types are here summarised with some annotations
that mostly underline the (latent) historical background of their theory. At the
end of this paper, there is also a summary of the specifications of the three
aforementioned sonata types in the classic period, according to the music
theoretical writings from mid-18th-century up to late-20th-century.
© Ioannis
Fulias