The Sonata

An introductory survey of the most enduring and popular genre of instrumental music, perfect for students, teachers and performers.

Thomas Schmidt-Beste (Author)

9780521762540, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 10 March 2011

278 pages, 12 tables 45 music examples
25.2 x 18.2 x 1.7 cm, 0.7 kg

'5 stars: In this outstanding book Schmidt-Beste covers every conceivable aspect of sonata history.' Classical Music

What is a sonata? Literally translated, it simply means 'instrumental piece'. It is the epitome of instrumental music, and is certainly the oldest and most enduring form of 'pure' and independent instrumental composition, beginning around 1600 and lasting to the present day. Schmidt-Beste analyses key aspects of the genre including form, scoring and its social context - who composed, played and listened to sonatas? In giving a comprehensive overview of all forms of music which were called 'sonatas' at some point in musical history, this book is more about change than about consistency - an ensemble sonata by Gabrieli appears to share little with a Beethoven sonata, or a trio sonata by Corelli with one of Boulez's piano sonatas, apart from the generic designation. However, common features do emerge, and the look across the centuries - never before addressed in a single-volume survey - opens up new and significant perspectives.

Part I. Definitions: 1. Sonata and canzona
2. Sonata and sinfonia
3. Sonata and concerto
4. Sonata and suite/partita
5. The sonata and free instrumental genres: toccata - ricercar - capriccio - fantasia
Part II. Form: 6. The 'free' sonata in the seventeenth century
7. Corelli and his legacy
8. Sonata cycles and 'sonata form' after 1750
9. Beethoven's sonatas - consummating or transcending Classical form?
10. The cycle
11. The sonata after Beethoven
12. Sonata composition in the twentieth century
Part III. Functions and Aesthetics: 13. Locations and occasions
14. Target groups: professionals, connoisseurs and amateurs
15. Learned style
16. Virtuosity
17. Sonata form as an aesthetic paradigm
18. Absolute music? On meaning and programmaticism
Part IV. Scoring and Texture: 19. Developments in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
20. The paradigm shift of c.1750
21. The age of the piano sonata
22. Piano and others
23. The sonata for unaccompanied solo instrument
24. The organ sonata
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: 20th century & contemporary classical music [AVGC6], Romantic music [c 1830 to c 1900 AVGC5], Classical music [c 1750 to c 1830 AVGC4], Western "classical" music [AVGC], Music reviews & criticism [AVC]