Chapter 10

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Exposition (I):
Main Theme
This chapter, the first of three on the sonata exposition, treats in detail the main
theme, the initiating function of the exposition. (The following two chapters
explore the transition and subordinate theme, the expositions medial and concluding functions respectively.)

The Basics
The main theme presents the principal melodic-motivic material of the sonata
form in a stable tonal and phrase-structural context.
Tonal stability is achieved by the main theme beginning and ending in the
home key of the movement and always closing with one of the three cadence
types (most often a PAC, sometimes an HC, rarely an IAC).
Phrase-structural stability is achieved by the main theme acquiring a generally tight-knit organization relative to the more loosely organized thematic
functions of transition and subordinate theme.
Many main themes are structured as conventional theme types of the
kind that we have examined in Part I of this book. The sentence formwith its
dynamic momentum pushing toward a single cadenceis particularly suitable
for opening a sonata exposition. The period formwith its symmetrical phrasing that emphasizes closureis used less often. Ternary forms are relatively
uncommon, and the small binary rarely begins a movement in sonata form.
Main themes can also be organized nonconventionally, though they still
retain a degree of tight-knit expression (compared to later thematic regions).
If the main theme ends with a PAC, then a closing section consisting of
codettas may follow. A main theme ending with an HC may, analogously, lead to
a standing on the dominant. A main theme may also be preceded by a thematic
introduction. (See again Chap. 5 for a discussion of these framing functions.)