sonata
Solo instrumental work
A sonata is a composition for one or two instruments, typically in three or four movements with contrasting tempos and characters.
The form dominated classical music from the Baroque era onward: a piano sonata, a violin sonata.
Sonata form, a related but distinct concept, refers to the internal structure of a single movement—exposition, development, recapitulation—found across symphonies, quartets, and sonatas alike.
Keyed percussion instrument
- violinBowed string instrument
- celloDeep-voiced bowed instrument
- violaMidrange bowed instrument
- fluteTube blown sideways
clarinet · oboe · harpsichord · fortepiano · keyboard · solo · duo · accompanied
Spirited orchestral movement
German classical music giant
- MozartEighteenth-century Austrian composer
- SchubertViennese song composer
- ChopinPolish Romantic pianist-composer
- BrahmsRomantic German composer
Haydn · Prokofiev · Liszt · Debussy · Rachmaninoff
Systematic explanatory presentation
- developmentProgress toward maturity
- recapitulationSummarizing what came before
- codaClosing musical passage
- movementChange in position
theme · motif · variation · transition · ternary · binary · structure · analysis
Excessively ornate or elaborate
Subdued, lasting sadness
- passionIntense emotional drive
- longingIntense, persistent desire
- serenityUndisturbed mental quietude
- pathosPity-evoking quality
drama · lyricism · intensity · tenderness · turbulence · triumph · introspection · yearning
piano
Keyed percussion instrument
flute · clarinet · oboe · harpsichord · fortepiano · keyboard · solo · duo · accompanied · unaccompanied
scherzo
Spirited orchestral movement
opening · trio · dance · sequence · order · classical · romantic
Beethoven
German classical music giant
exposition
Systematic explanatory presentation
- developmentProgress toward maturity
- recapitulationSummarizing what came before
- codaClosing musical passage
movement · theme · motif · variation · transition · ternary · binary · structure · analysis · contrast
allegro
Brisk tempo marking
largo · vivace · moderato · lento · grave · tempo · pace · marking · indication · character
baroque
Excessively ornate or elaborate
melancholy
Subdued, lasting sadness
pathos · drama · lyricism · intensity · tenderness · turbulence · triumph · introspection · yearning · expression
- piano piecesnocturne, etude, prelude, ballade, impromptu
- art formspainting, drawing, sculpture, photography, music
- creative worksbooks, autobiography, memoir, novels, diary
- musicmusic, song, songs, singing, singer
- creationsnovel, artwork, poem, song, film
- classical musicBach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms
sonatasymphony
Extended composition for orchestra
concerto · opera · oratorio · tone poem · symphonic poem
sonatapop song
Mainstream radio track
rock anthem · jazz standard · electronic dance music · country ballad · rap
- piano sonataClassical composition for keys
- Moonlight SonataCelebrated nocturnal piano work
- violin sonataComposition for fiddle and keyboard
- Hyundai SonataKorean midsize sedan model
consonant, resonance, resonate, consonance, dissonant, dissonance, resonating, sonatas, resonator