On The Formation Of The Classical Sonata

Taking the historical development of sonata as the study topic, the dissertation analyses and examines the different connotations and social functions endowed to "sonata" as well as distinct characteristics of its musical form and composing ideas in different historical periods starting from the birth of the term of "sonata", to the clarification of the form and meaning of "sonata" in the Baroque period and the final shaping of the Classical sonata.The paper is divided into three parts and eight chapters. The first part elucidates the origin of the term sonata and the relationship between the early sonata and other contemporary instrumental music genres, pointing out the fact that the intertwining and mixing among sonata, canzona, sinfonia and concerto was caused by the obscure defining and distinguishing of different music genres. Since they overlapped in many aspects such as composition and performance, they were often confused with each other in actual practices. Yet along with the development of instrumental music, the relationship between those music genres was re-defined through substitution, differentiation, and derivation. As a result, sonata, symphony and concerto had acquired new connotations and hence developed toward different directions. The second part of the paper analyses the evolvement of sonata in the Baroque period from its exterior appearance, musical function and composition idea, lining out the development route and trend of sonata in the Baroque time and demonstrating that the changes in its musical function and composition idea led to the evolvement of sonata. The third part summarizes the application and practice of sonata in the Classical time. During the turning from the Baroque to the Classical, there are two reasons accounted for the fundamental changes in the instrumentation and structure of the Baroque sonata, thus determining the formation of Classical sonata.Through the depiction and summary of the development and evolvement of sonata, the dissertation has lined out clearly the progress of this particular music genre, which is complicated and attracts different opinions. The analysis and study on the mixing of the early sonata and other contemporary instrumental music genres and the evolvement trend for sonata in the Baroque period have complemented former studies on these issues. In addition, the paper has proved that the early sonata and modern Classical sonata are not only linked in name. In fact, the development of this music genre since its birth has been continuous for centuries.