mozart's piano sonanta in e-flat major, k. 282 analysis

By using the arrow to denote any place where a single formal span contains a pair of usually disparate and separable formal functions, one can aptly describe formal units that begin as a main theme but conclude as a transition section (main themetransition). I propose that Schmalfeldt's model of the unfolding of thematic material as a process of 'becoming' can lead to a more flexible system of labeling formal units.

This paper examines several sonata expositions from the Classical period, drawn from Haydn's orchestral works and Mozart's keyboard sonatas, in which the boundary between main theme and transition is unclear due to insufficient or unusual cadential articulation. However, neither Caplin nor his numerous adherents use the arrow to signify formal blending-a sense of 'becoming'-at deeper levels of structure. (3) This dual-purpose phrase type usually follows a presentation phrase and occurs when phrase members that represent middle and concluding functions fuse into a single unit that flows seamlessly from one function to another. William Caplin adopted Schmalfeldt's mode of thought into his influential theory of formal functions with the phrase type known as continuationcadential. Other authors have embraced this analytical strategy. (2) This sense of 'becoming' permits the analyst to propose a linking or blending of normally discrete formal units, based on their complementary musical processes.

The arrow, used by Schmalfeldt to signify a sense of 'becoming' (i.e., formal blending), betrays an understanding of 'form as process' (to which she acknowledges a debt to the Beethoven-Hegelian tradition with Theodor Adorno and Carl Dahlhaus as its chief proponents). One of Janet Schmalfeldt's greatest contributions to the current theoretical focus on Formenlehre-based analysis is a small but provocative and meaningful symbol.

Mozart's piano sonanta in e-flat major, k. 282 analysis