The Non-Modulating Transition in Late Eighteenth-Century Expositions 

Authors

  • Ethan Haimo Bar-Ilan University Author

Keywords:

Sonata form, exposition, transition, non-modulating transition, Mozart, Haydn, William Caplin, James Hepokoski, Warren Darc

Abstract

 Influential studies of late Eighteenth Century sonata form by William Caplin and by James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy, argue that there can be such a thing as a “non-modulating” transition in the exposition.   The present study critiques these claims.  It is argued that although the term “transition” is particularly apt for passages where there is modulation to the secondary key, it may be less suitable when there is no modulation or where there is no clear transitional change of tempo or volume or other factors. 

Author Biography

  • Ethan Haimo, Bar-Ilan University

    Prof. Ethan Haimo, theorist and composer, is Professor of Music at Bar Ilan University.   He has written extensively on the music of Arnold Schoenberg  including many articles and three books: Schoenberg’s Serial Odyssey (Oxford, 1990), Schoenberg’s Transformation of Musical Language (Cambridge, 2006), and Schoenberg’s Early Correspondence (co-author, Sabine Feisst; Oxford, 2016).  He has also written about form in the late Eighteenth Century, including a book, Haydn’s Symphonic Forms (Oxford, 1995) and many articles.  His compositions have been widely performed in the USA, in Europe, and in Israel.  

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Published

2024-04-23

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Section

Articles