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Sonata form in the classical concerto:

An analysis of Mozart’s piano concerto K488, 1st

movement

Gavin Meredith

© 2003 MusicTeachers.co.uk
Background

The A major concerto K488 was one of three piano concertos written during the winter of
1785-86, whilst Mozart was also at work on his opera The Marriage of Figaro. Set in the
usual three- movement form, it is one of his most attractive works, contrasting a genteel
opening movement with a pathos-laden second movement and a bubbling, joyous finale.
During the late 18th century no other composer had such a defining influence on the piano
concerto than Mozart; in his works in this genre one finds an outpouring of inventiveness
and variety of mood, melody and, importantly, form.

The first movement is set in a modified sonata form, as was typical of Classical
concertos. A traditional sonata form poses problems when the idea of a soloist is
introduced: how should the thematic material be distributed between soloist and
orchestra? Which passages should be played by just the soloist and which by the
orchestra alone?
Many solutions to this were found, not the least in the concertos by Mozart himself, but
in general one can discern the following basic pattern:

Exposition

In Classical concerto sonata form there is typically a double exposition. This means that
the thematic material (i.e. first and second subjects) are presented by the orchestra alone,
and then by the soloist. The orchestra’s exposition presents both subjects in the tonic key.
The soloist begins their exposition in the tonic key with the first subject, but modulates
for the second subject, which is then often followed by a consolidatory passage, to
confirm the new key.

Development

As in a solo or symphonic sonata form, thematic material is developed and the sense of
tonality is destabilised. This invo lves both orchestra and soloist, and usually culminates
in a dominant pedal, bring the tonality back to the original tonic.

Recapitulation

Both orchestra and the soloist participate in recalling the first and second subjects in the
tonic key. This leads eventually to a paused tonic chord in second inversion, which
prompts to the soloist to perform a cadenza. This is usually a pre-prepared virtuosic
passage, designed to show the technical prowess of the soloist. However, some talented
performers (Mozart included amongst them!) have, in the past, preferred to let
spontaneity take over and have improvised a cadenza. This is not common practice today.
A trill over a dominant seventh chord is traditionally the signal to the orchestra that the
cadenza is over, heralding a closing passage to end the movement.
This model can be recognised easily in the first movement of K488, although there
enough interesting anomalies and additions to place it above mere textbook formality.
The double exposition in this case is clear enough (see analysis). However, at bar 137 the
exposition appears to be coming to a close with a loud tutti, confirming the new tonic of
E major, when a new theme is suddenly introduced at bar 143, almost as an afterthought
to the second subject. In the subsequent development section the surprising aspect is the
fact that the first and second subjects are totally ignored and the only thematic material
explored is this short theme tagged on to the end of the exposition.
The other role of the development section in sonata form, that of destabilising the
tonality, appears as expected. Many keys are briefly visited after the music finally leaves
E major in bar 156. There is a noticeable pattern in the keys visited between bars 156 and
169; the tonality repeatedly drops down a third, and alternates from minor to major (e
minor at 156, C major at 160, a minor at 164, F major at 166 and d minor at 168). After
this, during bars 170-176, the harmonies follow a cycle of fifths pattern, a device often
found in development sections due to the fact that it can be used to suggest a number of
key changes in a short space of time. This ends up in the tonic minor of the movement (a
minor), and through an Italian sixth chord (F, A and D#) at the end of bar 177, slips onto
a long dominant pedal in the bass to prepare for the recapitulation and its return to the
tonic key of A major.
In the recapitulation, the exposition is condensed as necessary (no need for a ‘double
recapitulation’!). Mozart refrains from always repeating material exactly, and keeps a
feeling of freshness through allowing the piano to add decorations, such as those to the
first subject in bars 206-207. The reappearance of the ‘tag’ theme at bar 261 is again a
point of interest, as it sparks off a new section of development, based on the same theme.
Sections of extra development within the recapitulation were not unheard of in Classical
sonata forms; they certainly became an important part in the expansion of sonata form at
the beginning of the 19th century, especially in large scale symphonic structures such as
those by Beethoven.
Analysis
Key: A major

Form: Sonata

No. of bars: 313 (excluding cadenza)

Bar What Happens Comment

1-30 The strings open the work with the first The first subject is in two
subject in the tonic key of A major. halves which form an
After eight bars the wind take up the antecedent-consequent pair
same theme and close it in the tonic with (i.e. has a ‘question and
a repeated perfect cadence (the strings answer’ feel). The first part,
opening phrase had ended on a bars 1-8, ends on a dominant,
dominant chord in bar 8). The repeated whereas the second part, bars
quavers of bar 16 are then adapted in the 9-18.1, starts with the same
tutti starting at bar 18 and become an idea but ends it firmly on a
important 3-note rhythmic cell. tonic chord.
The section ends with loud, alternating The first subject has harmonic
tonic and dominant chords over a interest from the outset, in that
dominant pedal (E). Ending on a loud its second note is harmonised
dominant (bar 30), the music is left by turning the tonic into a
hanging in mid-air, preparing the way dominant 7th chord, hinting at
for the second subject. the key of D major. However,
this is only a hint, and the
theme carries on in the
original tonic. Despite minor
excursions into D major (bars
18-22) and E major bar 23-
27), there is no strong move
away from the tonic key.
31-45 The second subject is a very grace full In typical sonata form, the
theme characterised by its gentle, falling second subject appears in a
lines. It is also underpinned by a bass key other than the tonic.
line that descends stepwise for the first However, here we have
four bars. something called a double
The theme is restated at bar 39 with the exposition, whereby the
flute and bassoon joining in, but it orchestra play both first and
deviates after bar 43 to close with a second subjects, to be
perfect cadence at the beginning of bar followed by the soloist doing
46. the same. In these cases, the
modulatory work within the
exposition tends to be done
mainly by the soloist.
46-66 A passing reference to the subdominant
minor (d minor) in bars 46-48 is soon
eradicated by the strong, tutti D major
chord that starts bar 49, pulling the
music back into the key of A major.
 An interrupted cadence (V-VI) at the
beginning of bar 52 allows the music to
dwell on the relative minor (f-sharp
minor). Again, this is temporary, and at
bar 56 there is a restatement of 49-51,
which is extended and closes with a
perfect cadence.
A series of perfect cadences (63-64, 65-
66) settles the music in the tonic key for
the first entry of the soloist.
67-81 The soloist opens with the first subject, By introducing melodic
played in the tonic key (A major). The decoration and fast scalic
first four bars of the theme are figures to the piano part from
reproduced exactly, but in bars 71-78 the outset, Mozart makes it
the outline of the theme is decorated clear that this movement is a
with scales and broken chord-type vehicle for the soloist’s
figures. The thematic decoration virtuosity.
continues and the strings begin to fill
out the harmonic progression. Bars 79-
81 replace the original bars 13-17, but
remain rooted in A major. The soloist
ends this first entry with a brief, dashing
scalic passage, closing with a perfect
cadence.
82-98 An orchestral tutti replicates bars 18-22, The modulation into E major
after which the soloist joins in, is, of course, the traditional
decorating the original melodic shape modulation to the dominant
with rapid semiquavers. The chord for the second subject, a
progression follows the original until feature typical of most
bar 90, after which the piano continues Classical sonata form
the move into E major (the dominant). movements.
At bar 93 there is a B in the bass, which The repeated B in the bass of
is repeated in virtually every bar until bars 93-98 is a form of pedal
the cut-off in bar 98. Above this, the note, which prepares the
orchestra play detached, descending arrival of the second subject,
chords, which are decorated by the this time in the dominant key.
piano with arpeggiated figures. This
pattern is repeated in e minor in bars 95-
96, but the descending B ma jor scale
and repeated B major chords in bars 97-
98 pulls the music back away from a
minor tonality, ending on V of V (ie the
dominant of E major)
99-113 The soloist resolves the hanging B
major chord of the previous bar onto a
tonic of E major for the second subject.
The theme is transposed faithfully until
106, except for the semiquavers in bar
105. After this the orchestra take over
the theme, and the soloist enhances the
 texture by doubling it in broken octaves.
114-136 The piano’s left hand drives the texture Note the use of a trill in the
on with a flurry of semiquavers. The piano part to highlight the
harmonic structure of 114-128 is cadence in bar 136(-137).
basically the same as 46-60 Long trills were often us ed in
(transposed), although the texture is this way in Classical pieces to
obviously different; the piano’s right emphasise important cadential
hand is full of sparkling semiquaver points.
runs. Subtle changes to the orchestration
make the passage more interesting than
a mere repeat of the original e.g. in 47-
48 the wind imitate the strings an octave
higher, but in 115-116 it is reversed,
with the strings doing the imitating.
At 129 the music takes a brief diversion
to allow for extended virtuoso passage
work by the soloist. The E-sharps in
129-132 hint at the key of f-sharp minor,
but this is only local harmonic
colouring; at the beginning of 133 the
fall onto an E major chord (2nd
inversion) starts an extended four -bar,
Ic-V7-I cadence. This is a strong
confirmation of E major as the new
tonic key.
137-142 The soloist rests as the orchestra recall Whether or not the exposition
material originally heard at bar 18, now finishes at the start of bar 137,
transposed. A rising sequence in bars or later at 142, is ambiguous.
141-142 leaves the music hanging on an The strong cadence at 137
unresolved dominant chord. would suggest that it is the
closing point, but the tutti that
follows (137-142) is basically
a restatement of bars 82-86,
and feels more like it belongs
to the previous section, rather
than being the start of a new
one. Also, what follows
suggests that the exposition
may not properly close until
the start of bar 149.
143-148 A new theme appears (theme C), played A new theme at this point in a
by the strings. It has a gentile character, sonata form movement is
and the underlying texture includes unexpected. It seems to bear
imitation of the theme, especially the no thematic relationship to
dotted quaver-rhythm in bar 144. either the first or second
subjects. However, new
themes are occasionally
introduced into the closing
section of the exposition in
classical sonatas. In this way
 the theme acts as a further
second subject idea (here we
can see that it fits this pattern
as it is in E major, the same
key as the second subject).
149-155 The soloist has 5 bars on their own, with
some two-part counterpoint in E major.
The left hand then drops down to play
the bass whilst the right hand descend
down to the cadence point at the start of
bar 156.
156-163 The wind play a variant of theme C in e Mozart makes great use of
minor (the dominant minor). Only two textural contrast here by
bars of this them are used, and a leap of juxtaposing legato winds with
a perfect 4 th is added to the beginning. staccato strings in segments of
The smooth lines of this theme are two bars each.
suddenly interrupted by the piano’s
rattling semiquavers, reinforced by
staccato quavers in the strings. These
cadence in e minor at the start of bar
160, whereby the winds take over again.
The e minor chord at the start of bar 160
is missing a B. The remaining E and G
are then reinterpreted as the 3rd and 5th
of a C major chord, and thus the tonality
is lowered by a third into C major. As
previously, the soloist and strings
interrupt and then cadence in C major.
164-177 The C and E at the beginning of 164 are By now it is clear that Mozart
reinterpreted as an a minor chord in the is using theme C as the
orchestra, so the tonality is again thematic basis for the
lowered by a third. The rising perfect development. This is unusual
fourth that had been added to the start of as there is no reference to the
the theme in 156 is now inverted, so the principle subjects of the
theme begins with a falling perfect 5th . exposition.
At bar 166 the piano takes up the same There is, however,
thematic idea in F major (a third lower), considerable destabilising of
which is echoed a further third lower (in the tonality during this
D minor) by the strings in bar 168. This development section. Between
starts a passage of imitation between the bars 156 and 168 the key
flute and clarinet, developing the same repeatedly drops by a third,
motif (theme C). Over this, the piano then the subsequent cycle of
plays cascades of semiquavers. fifths continues this fluid
In bars 170-176 the harmony follows the sense of harmonic pace.
‘cycle of fifths’, ending on a minor in
bar 176. This slips onto an F major
chord in the following bar (the
submediant).
178-197 At bar 178 the music slides onto an E The bass pedal note of E that
major chord, the bass note of which underlies this section is known
 remains as a pedal note right through to as a dominant pedal,
bar 197. preparing the listener for the
Between 178 and 185 the orchestra return of the first subject in the
further develops theme C in a minor (the tonic key. This pedal note is
tonic minor). not always part of the
Bars 182-185 are a repeat of 178-181. In harmony above it, as in bars
both of these sections the piano’s top 192-193.
line rises up to a top E, highlighting the Between bars 186 and 197 the
importance of that note at this point in is no reference to any thematic
the movement. material – the function of this
Bars 186-191 see the piano pondering section is purely harmonic,
on an E major harmony. After this it steering the music back
uses arpeggiated and scalic figures to towards A major.
elaborate on the sustained harmonies in
the orchestra (and to once again show
off the soloists technique!). In bars 192-
193 a dominant 7th chord on B major
(dominant of the dominant) threatens to
pull the tonality away from its intended
course, but this is soon quashed in the
next bar.
The last bar of this section has the
pianist’s right hand gliding
chromatically upwards to an E, the same
pitch at which the strings
simultaneously begin the recapitulation.
198-212 The recapitulation begins with the
orchestra recalling the first subject in the
tonic key of A major.
Bars 198-205 reproduce the orchestral
version of the first subject from bars 1-
8. Originally just played by the strings,
this time the wind join in and double
some of the parts.
The pianist then enters with the second
half of the theme, but the version
originally played by the soloist in bars
75-81. There are, however, several
further elaborations on the part of the
soloist; the grace notes in bar 206, the
falling arpeggiations in bar 207 and the
scales a tenth apart in bars 210-212 (the
original had only scales in the right
hand).
213-228 The recapitulation continues to be based The change of direction at bar
on the soloist’s version of the 221 is for harmonic purposes;
exposition, reproducing the tutti of 82- the use of a dominant pedal
86, then the soloist’s semiquavers. of E throughout 223-228
However, after 3 bars the piano veers prevents a modulation to the
away from the original to land on a dominant key (E major) which
 pedal note of E in the bass in bar 223 occurred in the exposition,
(the equivalent in the exposition landed thus preparing for the second
on a B in the bass). The subsequent subject to arrive in the tonic
dwelling on an E major harmony in bars key.
223-228 culminates in a loud cut-off in
bar 228. Note that the piano’s scales that
precede it are ascending here in bar 227,
whereas in bar 97 they are descending.
229-243 The soloist recalls the second subject,
transposed up a perfect 4th into the tonic
key of A major. The orchestra take over
the theme as they did in the exposition
(bar 107). The soloist again decorates
this with broken RH octaves.
244-260 Bars 244-258 are basically a straight Bars 129-140 are omitted from
transposition of 114-128. There is a very the recapitulation because they
slight difference in the shape of the are unnecessary. In the
piano’s semiquavers at the start of bars exposition, they served to
257-8, compared to 127-8. reinforce they change of key
Bars 129-140 of the exposition are and confirm E major as the
omitted from the recapitulation; instead, new tonal centre. As there is
the cascading scales that appeared in the no equivalent key change in
orchestra in bars 141-142 are played by the recapitulation, there is no
the piano (the texture is padded-out by need to repeat these bars,
the strings), leaving the music hanging which contain nothing of
on a dominant chord of E major. thematic interest.
261-283 The piano alone plays theme C (still in Note that the exposition
A major). This is followed by a lengthy material has been slightly
passage of virtuoso writing in the piano rearranged in the
part. Underneath this the orchestra recapitulation, keeping a sense
develop theme C further, in an imitative of freshne ss and adding
manner similar to that in the interest through the avoidance
development section. This section of pure repetition.
remains rooted in A major and ends In the exposition, theme C was
with a strong perfect cadence in bars a springboard into the
283-284. This corresponds to bars 136- development section. Here,
137 in the exposition. Mozart expands the theme C
section to include further
development of it. This makes
this section disproportionately
large compared to a traditional
sonata form model, in which
the first and second subjects
have thematic dominance.
284-297 Here we find a repetition of bars 137-
148, transposed into the tonic key. After
the orchestra have started to play theme
C at bar 290, it digresses after 3 bars to
slip onto a B major dominant 7th chord
(V of V). The bass line slides
 chromatically from here to land on a
tonic chord in second inversion, full of
expectancy for the soloist to leap into a
virtuosic cadenza.
(CADEN ZA)
298-313 With the resolu tion of the soloist’s trill The trill was the device
the orchestra take up the music which conventionally used in
closed the first half of the exposition classical concerto cadenzas for
(bars 56-66) to end the movement. Five the soloist to signal to the
extra bars are added; three bars based orchestra their return.
entirely on a tonic chord, then two bars
containing two perfect cadences. These
cadences are played suddenly piano,
which after the preceding forte brings
the movement to a witty conclusion.