Sonata form, explained in 10 minutes

[@AntonioSilvaToronto]

Great lesson! And for free! Thank you Samuel.

[@samuel_andreyev]

Thanks for your feedback, Antonio. Many more are on the way!

[@christophersurnname9967]

Best videos on music. So glad I found your channel.

[@dianarotaru6299]

Samuel, you rule. Keep these coming.

[@bluechex7881]

I enjoyed this explanation, as I have now made it a hobby to try and understand wth a sonata is.

[@embersremembers]

6:33 we don't want to stay at home forever, you say?

[@samuel_andreyev]

O the irony

[@brynbstn]

Hi Samuel, nice video, very clear, though you sound a little hungry :-) - - Would be interesting to see a sequel and include examples - the pieces by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven that follow the form closely, and those that keep the form in mind but extend it, like Schubert's 3-themed sonata form movements, the romantics handling of the form (Schumann, Brahms), and more recent examples that adhere to the classical model, like some of Prokofiev's sonatas (#5). Hmm, maybe a book is needed - -

[@ReneBroekhoven]

Thanks Samuel. Having read (several times) about the sonata form , this really helped to internalize the concept much better. Looking forward to hear more clear explanations from you. Great work ! Still to really hear this form played in mucis pieces remains very difficult. To connect the parts in the development section to the melodies stated in the exposition, for me is really hard work and very often I do not see/hear it.

[@samuel_andreyev]

Hi Rene, glad to hear this was helpful for you. A short piano sonata by Mozart or Clementi will be easier to follow than a late work by Beethoven, so it depends on the piece. But there are many ways to listen, and this kind of analysis is only one. Thanks for listening and for your comments.

[@mikesimpson3207]

One good way to internalize the form is to try it with a movement in a minor key. I often find the shift from tonic to dominant a subtle one, but the shift from (minor) tonic to relative major jumps out, since we've changed not only pitch location, but type of scale as well. It's a guaranteed change of mood that is easy to listen for.

[@1970kiraclarke]

A great explanation. Thank you.

[@larrytroxler7017]

Are there any examples of contemporary compositions that are based on sonata form? Perhaps with variations? Perhaps instead of I-V something else? Or three themes rather than two?

[@matthewking1873]

Astonishing. And all before breakfast.

[@vesayakarnak1185]

In Recapitulation why are the two Exposition-al poles re-presented in the same tonic degree? What is its metaphorical implication in the 'familiar-home---strange-world' context that is implied in the Exposition-Development dialogues of the sonata? Thanks for the lesson, I am a rock/blues guitarist and your lessons make me appreciate classical music better.

[@samuel_andreyev]

Vesaya Karnak Synthesis.

[@sagecarter2368]

Great video! Quick question: usually when I hear the word Modulation it’s in reference to a key change, but the way you use it here seems to describe change of chord/harmonic region within a single key. Is that the common use of the word in classical music? I’m more used to jazz haha. Please let me know if I’m way off here

[@samuel_andreyev]

A modulation isn't a change of chord, it's a change of harmonic region / key. But the new key usually has some kind of functional relationship to the scale of the original key of the piece (ie, subdominant, flat mediant etc). Thanks for your question.

[@caracarissima5808]

Amazing, thanks!

[@LudmillaTSF]

Great lesson 🌷

[@rock9529]

Great, thanks man!

[@opticalmixing23]

well spoken guy

[@tanjaknezevic4960]

I love it!

[@Alexagrigorieff]

I've seen the principle of sonata form described as an *argument*. I see sonata form as a drama.

[@kebabas222]

Wow. I'll try to play sonatas every day. Society should do that too.

[@ENT_PRESTIGIOUS]

4:14 development LOL

[@juwonnnnn]

👍

[@larrytroxler7017]

My composition teacher thought that Sonata Allegro form was a piece of junk. I wish I had the foresight to ask her why she thought that.

[@mojeo522]

Scarlatti be like: 555 AA:BB Sonatas

[@LudmillaTSF]

A question: you say the sonata form in its essence doesn’t require a theme. How could that be?

[@mikesimpson3207]

He goes into it when analyzing Boulez's second sonata (the first movement) in another video. Basically, it uses a modern analogue for sonata form, where the two "groups" are differentiated by texture and tempo (not key, since it's an atonal work), and neither section has any recognizable theme. There are motifs, but they're used very loosely in a polyphonic way, making them less effective as memorable themes.

[@LudmillaTSF]

@@mikesimpson3207 thank you :)

[@marrymailand7792]

tak for hjælpen

[@samuel_andreyev]

kein Problem

[@mariannabach5759]

I think we could have had some real musical examples. Your analysis, though thourough, lacks its main ingredient, MUSIC

[@samuel_andreyev]

Good point

[@bipolar-polar-bear-east9717]

Yogurt commercial Lol.

[@Katsariss]

bro needs to drink water

[@alexwalker1608]

Your microphone picks up every little sound of saliva in your mouth, and it is absolutely unbearable. I don't know if it's your microphone or just your manner of speaking, but... holy shit. People with misophonia will be unable to listen to this. Source: I have misophonia.

[@samuel_andreyev]

Thank you, Alex. That is quite an old video. My more recent ones have improved audio quality.