A Recurring Pattern in Mozart's "Music"

Author(s): David Beach and Mozart

Source: Journal of Music Theory , Spring, 1983, Vol. 27, No. 1 (Spring, 1983), pp. 1-29
Published by: Duke University Press on behalf of the Yale University Department of
Music

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/843558

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 A RECURRING PATTERN IN

MOZART'S MUSIC

David Beach

In classical sonata movements in the major mode the tonal motion

of the development section is most often directed back to the dominant,
which is then extended for several measures until the return to the
tonic. However, in several Mozart works the goal of this motion is not
the dominant, but the major triad on the mediant (III#); from there the
return to the tonic is accomplished either directly or through the dom-
inant, which is sometimes passing but other times more extended.1 The
greater the emphasis on the connecting dominant the more obvious it is
that the motion to the mediant is subsidiary to the larger prolongation
of the structural dominant. However, when the connecting dominant is
only passing or missing entirely, the mediant appears to divide the tonal
space between the preceding dominant (end of exposition) and the sub-
sequent tonic. Thus, in these circumstances, the return to the tonic is
accomplished by a large-scale bass arpeggiation of the tonic triad, the
members of which support the harmonic progression V-III#-I.2
The following study will focus on those movements where this
large-scale bass arpeggiation is most clearly articulated. These are the
first and third movements of the Piano Sonata in F, K. 280, and the first
movements of the Sonata in F, K. 332, and the Sonata in Bb, K. 333.
In each case it will be shown how this pattern and its elaboration is

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related to the primary motivic component of that movement. Thus we
will be examining not only the development sections of the four move-
ments mentioned, but their opening sections as well. Finally, as a sup-
plement, we will examine a somewhat different though particularly
interesting example of this recurring pattern in a non-keyboard work,
the first movement of the Quartet in F, K. 590.

K. 280 (I). The development section from the first movement of the
Sonata in F, K. 280, is given in Example 1. The brackets indicate the
several statements in the bass of the ascending arpeggio-figure that is such
a prominent feature of the second thematic idea (not shown). The deriva-
tion of the sequence beginning in m. 67 from the opening of the second
theme is obvious, whereas the relationship between the second theme
and the initial phrase of the development section is somewhat concealed
by the surface characteristics of the latter. First, note the elaboration
(in triplets) of the ascending arpeggio-figure in the bass. Second, note
the prolongation of g2 and its supporting harmony (I to 16 in the key of
the dominant) in mm. 57-63, which corresponds to the earlier connec-
tion between mm. 27 and 35. Internal to this prolongation is the unfold-
ing of a fifth from g2 down to c2, from an outer to an inner voice with a
transfer of resolution, as shown in Example 1.3 This motion, though
concealed, may be taken as a representation of the equivalent motion
of a fifth that is unfolded over the span of the entire second theme. The
prolongation of g2 in mm. 57-63 is extended through the remainder of
the phrase while the harmony is altered to lead to the following d minor
chord, which initiates the sequence. This sequence is broken in m. 75 at
the augmented sixth chord, which is prolonged and altered before re-
solving to the A major chord (which, in the local context, is the domi-
nant of d minor) in m. 78. These important events, the statement and
prolongation of the augmented sixth chord and its resolution to the A
major chord, are articulated by changes of surface design and register. A
further change of surface rhythmic pattern occurs in the brief retransi-
tion, in anticipation of the return to the opening thematic ideas.
A two-level representation of the voice leading of these measures is
given in Figure 1, a few features of which warrant brief comment. First,
note the fV in parentheses at m. 67. This pitch, though not stated, is im-
plied by the context-as resolution of the preceding chord and, in
retrospect, as suggested by the following sequence. The reason for the
omission of the f2 is clear enough-to allow for the direct imitation of
the opening two measures of the second theme. As shown at level b,
this implied f2 moves to e2 and d2 in parallel tenths with the bass, and
eventually to c1 via octave transfer and the chromatic passing note c#,
thus completing an additional statement of the linear progression of a
descending fifth from g2. That this progresion is again a motion from an

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 f P

- i I 10F

--;l . -. .80 -, .. < .

s s

Example 1. K. 280 (I), mm. 57-83

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-h

57 3

a.
10 o 10

2 -- - --- ------
b.

Figure

Figure 1

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outer to an inner voice is clear from the contents and continuation of
mm. 74-76, where, despite the doubling of d2, one's attention is drawn
to g#2 by the chromatic voice-exchange with the bass. As was noted
above, the resolution of g#2 and its supporting harmony to the A major
chord in m. 78 is articulated by a registral shift and a change in surface
design. The former prepares for the return of the opening theme in the
original register. Regarding the latter it is interesting to note that the
prolongation of a' by bb1 and gf1 in mm. 78-80 is a diminution of the
approach to a' in the preceding measures: bb2 (m. 69)-a2(m. 73)-g#2
(m. 74)-al(m. 78)! Articulation of m. 78 as an important point of ar-
rival is also accomplished by a large-scale rhythmic shift. In this regard
it should be noted that the larger metric organization of the develop-
ment section is quite regular. The first phrase of ten measures is formed
by repetition of the seventh and eighth measures, and the remainder of
the section is divided by the augmented sixth chord of m. 75 into two
eight-measure units. However, the subdivision of the latter unit is far
from regular, the A major chord falling in the fourth measure, thereby
creating a pattern of 3 + 5 (3 + 2). Thus the A major chord is given
further stress by virtue of its "dissonant" super-metric placement. The
interpretation of this A major chord in relation to the large-scale bass
arpeggiation of the tonic triad is indicated by the bracket below the
staff in Figure Ib.
The descending arpeggiation of the tonic triad is a fundamental
motivic component of this movement. As shown in Example 2, it occurs
twice in the opening two measures, first in the bass and then embel-
lished immediately afterward in the treble. The descent of a fifth and
its subdivision into thirds is articulated in a different way over the span
of the entire first theme. Following the initial prolongation of c2 by the
neighboring motion of mm. 4-5, the line is split into two registers. The
lower register completes the descent of a fifth to fV in m. 13. However,
in the upper register the line moves only as far as a2 (m. 11), which is
picked up later in the transition (m. 17), as indicated in Example 2. In
this case the descending arpeggiation of the tonic triad, though filled-in
by passing notes as in the development, is articulated by registral dif-
ferentiation. An abstraction of this motion is given in Figure 2.
The importance of the descending fifth of the tonic triad in the open-
ing theme gives support to the idea of a large-scale bass arpeggiation of
the tonic triad in mm. 57-83. Yet this representation of the basic
motive must also be understood in relation to the large-scale harmonic
motion V-I, as is indicated below the staff in Figure 1. At this level the
melodic a in mm. 78-80 can be understood as a consonant passing note
-which is supported by the A major chord-between g and bb, thus
filling in the melodic motion 5-7 above the structural dominant. The
two levels, the one motivic and the other structural, coexist, though in

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 i N N
Allegro assai

diA,~ i do of d - , Wf1

101 F-I N i. A.I1I

::.... F F F F ? .- _ ...

v ps moo' ',
at
17 ,L

Exampl

h
5 4
A3'

"5C
6 -- '~ 6

Figure 2

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this instance the former is secondary to the latter. The only way the
motivic component, the large-scale bass arpeggiation, could be artic-
ulated more clearly would be to omit the connecting dominant (m. 82)
altogether.

K. 280(111). It can hardly be chance that this same idea, the large-
scale bass arpeggiation, occurs in the final movement of the same sonata,
this time without the connecting dominant between III# and I. As
shown in Figure 3, the structural dominant that initiates this motion is
not stated at the outset of the development section, but rather at the
end of the exposition. The pitch g2, which is supported by this domi-
nant, is reinstated at the end of the first phrase of the development sec-
tion, now supported by the locally stabilized supertonic (G minor). Note
that the g2 of m. 85 is approached in the second half of the phrase by a
stepwise descent from c3, a note attained by octave transfer of the c2 in
mm. 78-81. The second phrase begins as a sequence of the preceding
material a step lower, but the sequence is not continued into the second
part of the phrase; instead the descending fourth is extended over eight
measures so that f2 is not reached until m. 97. As shown in Example 3,
the extension of this idea is accomplished by the repetition through
voice-exchange of the two-measure subcomponents of this section. The
sequential harmonization of the two parts of the descending fourth re-
sult in the support of fP by a d minor harmony (vi) rather than the F
major chord that would have occurred at this point if the sequential
treatment of the first phrase had been continued. This motion to d minor
is important, since it prepares for the following motion to its dominant
(III#) in mm. 103 and 105. Meanwhile the fP moves through eb 2 to d2
within the d minor harmony prior to the registral shift to d3 at the intro-
duction of the augmented sixth chord in m. 102. This shift prepares for
the subsequent restatement of the opening idea in the original register.
As shown in Figure 3b, the completion of the large-scale bass arpeggia-
tion in its "proper" register occurs in m. 123, at the end of the restate-
ment of the first theme.
There are many similarities other than the large-scale bass arpeggia-
tion between the development sections of the first and third move-
ments of K. 280. For example, both move to d minor (vi) as a way of
preparing the eventual motion to III#. In the first movement the d
minor harmony initiates a sequence that leads to the augmented sixth
chord and the following dominant (of d minor), whereas in the third
movement the d minor hamony is the goal of sequential motion, after
which the augmented sixth and dominant are introduced very shortly.
Also, both movements contain middleground melodic motions of a
descending fifth from g2(2). In the first movement this fifth is a motion
from an outer to an inner voice, but in the third movement it is the
primary melodic line, the way 5 is reinstated at the beginning of the

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 4L U a

Example 3. K. 280 (III), mm. 78-108

a.

a. - - - ,-i,t sl
l, ,16
7 7it

e--

b.

Figure 3

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recapitulation. Finally, as has already been noted, the return of the
opening material is prepared in each case by an important registral
change at or immediately before the A major chord.
The idea of the descending arpeggiation of the tonic triad is clearly
established at the opening of the third movement. The various state-
ments of this motive at the surface and foreground levels are indicated
by the brackets in Example 4. As shown in the corresponding figure,
the antecedent phrase of this opening theme is divided into two parts.
The first contains the initial stepwise descent of a fifth, and the second
involves a descending arpeggiation from f2 to bb 1 (4). This implied dis-
sonance is not resolved directly, but instead the fifth scale-degree is
reinstated by virtue of the repetition of the opening idea. In the second
part of the consequent phrase this descending arpeggiation is trans-
formed into an ascending scale pattern that leads back to the original
register. The reintroduction of c' at this point allows for a final state-
ment of the melodic fifth at the cadence. However, this pitch, though
metrically accented, may also be regarded as a displacement of bb 2 (4),
the goal of the ascending arpeggiation f'-d2-bb 2 (the circled pitches in
mm. 13-14 of Example 4). Once again there is no resolution of this im-
plied dissonance, except perhaps in an inner voice. Instead it is stated
again in the lower octave in m. 17, and finally resolved to a' in m. 24;
resolution in the upper register occurs in the following measure. This
registral connection from opening theme to a mid-point in the transi-
tion also occurred in the first movement.
Though certainly different in many ways, it is clear that the opening
themes from both the first and third movements of K. 280 articulate
the descending fifth of the triad and its subdivision into thirds. In both
cases this idea is expanded to become the controlling bass line connect-
ing the end of the exposition with the recapitulation. Having demon-
strated this motivic relationship, we will now reverse the order of
presentation and begin the investigation of each movement with an
examination of its opening material.

K. 332(I). The opening section of the first movement of the Sonata

in F, K. 332, is divided into two distinct though related ideas, labelled
la and 1b in Example 5. The first of these consists of three four-measure
units, the second of which functions, in part, as a registral link between
the outer two. Had mm. 3-4 contained a descending arpeggiation from
bb 1 in answer to the opening gesture to c2, a direct connection between
measures 4 and 9 would have been possible, thus creating a shorter
eight-measure phrase. Instead the gesture of mm. 3-4 introduces a new
register, which in turn creates the necessity for some kind of link be-
tween that point and m. 9. Though it may seem superfluous to consider
what might have been rather than what Mozart actually wrote, it is im-

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 Presto

2f,',L k ,, F F

. a S.-R

3 3

Example 4. K. 280 (III), mm. 1-25

10mm17-241
Figure 4

Figure 4

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 la
- - 1 'F . . I. IXa. .I
A

i -~lli 1.174

to m. 24

see mm. 7-9

,P ,- P I I I P,i,

A Example 5. K. 332 (1), mm. 1-24

5 5 4 3

Figure 5

11

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portant to understand the function of these measures in relation to the
entire phrase. As shown in Figure 5, the motion to fV in m. 7, which
completes a descending fifth at the foreground level, also serves to pro-
long a' from m. 5 (the immediate resolution of bb 1) until its restatement
in m. 9, thus dividing the larger-scale motion of the descending fifth
from c2 to fl into two thirds. (This division is articulated in another
way by the simultaneous unfolding of the upper third of this fifth over
the same time-span.) An additional feature of measures 5 to 8 is the
introduction of a rhythmic grouping (2 + 2 + 2) that is "dissonant" in
relation to the established meter. (See the brackets in Example 5.) This
pattern of 3 against 2 is developed at various levels throughout the
movement.4
The descending arpeggiation of the tonic triad, which occurs in a dis-
guised way over the span of the first twelve measures, emerges as the
primary surface motive of theme lb. The two statements of this motive
in the upper register prolong c3 until the cadence in mm. 19-20, where
bb2 is resolved to a1 by octave transfer (cf. mm. 11-12). Completion of
the large-scale descending third in the upper register occurs only after
the beginning of the transition (m. 24), at a point coinciding with a re-
turn to the opening melodic gesture-the ascending arpeggiation. Mean-
while the first theme group has closed with two statements of the
melodic fifth of the tonic traid, one in each register, thus summarizing
and emphasizing the most essential features of the preceding material.
The development section of this movement, which is given in
Example 6, can be divided into three parts. The first begins with an
eight-measure phrase that prolongs the dominant harmony and its fifth
(g2). This phrase is then repeated with minor alterations an octave lower.
The voice leading of the opening phrase is given on the score and in level
a of the corresponding figure. The second part, following the modal
change from the major to the minor dominant (mm. 109-113), moves
sequentially to the A major chord in m. 123. As shown in Figure 6a the
connection between the two important melodic registers of the move-
ment is accomplished by a series of overlapping motions in conjunction
with two voice-exchanges with the bass voice. By this process g' moves
melodically through g#2 to a2 over the corresponding bass progression
C-Bb-A. The final part connects the A major chord (III#) with the
tonic harmony at the beginning of the recapitulation. The A major
chord is first prolonged by a motion to an inner voice (e2), then by
octave transfer before the cancellation of the c#. The connecting dom-
inant (in the 4 position) is prolonged briefly by its inversion (in the 7
position) in mm. 131-132.
The large-scale melodic connections of the development section (and
elsewhere in the movement) are articulated by registral placement. That
is, the g2 of mm. 96 and 100 eventually moves to a2 in m. 123, which in

12

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 N

6 5 I 'M6 5 I" p-
66

4 ! 3 6 t 3

1713
... .......3......m m 94,1

(resluton t1a n1m.156

_UF I

16 t1 FA R

Example 6. K. 332 (I), ram. 94-133

13

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 A AN

b. 4 7
F: 6 I 3
; A - -C

F: .. 7

Figure 6

14

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turn connects to the bb2 of mm. 131-132. The resolution of this dis-
sonant seventh in the upper register does not occur until well into the
recapitulation-not until m. 156, which is the spot in the recapitulation
equivalent to m. 24. Similarly the large-scale bass arpeggiation is not
completed in the lower register until after the beginning of the restate-
ment of the opening material, namely in m. 144 (at the end of theme
1 a). The same type of registral association across major formal bound-
aries also occurred in the third movement of K. 280 (see Figure 3b). As
was the case with the first movement of K. 280, this large-scale bass
arpeggiation may also be considered in relation to the progression V5s- I.
That is, the A major chord not only divides the descending fifth but it
also supports the passing tone a2 within the larger prolongation of the
structural dominant. Compare Figures lb and 6b.

K. 333(I). The opening theme of the Sonata in Bb, K. 333, is given

in Example 7. The brackets above the score indicate the various surface
occurrences of the primary motive, the descending fifth of the tonic
triad. As shown in Figure 7, the initial statement of this idea-with g2 as
a momentary displacement of f2-is immediately followed by another
statement a step lower. Resolution of the resulting dissonance (eb 2-a1)
in m. 4 completes the larger descending third f2-eb 2-d2. The subsequent
prolongation of d2 and the tonic harmony is first accomplished by a
voice-exchange with the bass, internal to which is a further melodic
statement of the fifth-motive, complete with decoration of the f" by its
upper as well as lower neighbor-notes. The varied repetition of this two-
measure pattern is followed by a scale passage leading to the upper
register for a final statement of the descending fifth. The division of this
fifth into thirds is articulated by the harmony and the change in the
surface rhythmic pattern. As shown in Figure 7, this final fifth com-
pletes the larger unfolding of the same interval over the span of the
entire theme. At this larger level the division of the fifth is accomplished
by the internal prolongation of its third and the subsequent change of
register. Thus the arpeggiation of the tonic triad is established at various
levels within the first ten measures of the movement.
The development section of this movement can be divided as follows:
(1) the opening phrase (mm. 64-71), which prolongs the dominant and
overlaps with the following section; (2) the motion from the minor
dominant (mm. 71-2) to IIIT (m. 81) and the subsequent prolongation
of the latter; and (3) the return through the connecting dominant,
which in this case is prolonged for several measures until the beginning
of the recapitulation. The overall melodic motion of the opening phrase
is the descending fifth from c2 to fl, which also occurs at the surface
level at the beginning and end of the phrase (see the brackets in Example
8). The larger-scale bass motion of the next section-up to the D major

15

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 Allegro

--;u--- -----_-----; "I-- .~_~

Example 7. K. 333 (I), mm. 1-10

A )repeaed

43

Figure 7

16

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chord in m. 81-is the descending third, f(mm. 81-2)-eb(m. 80)-d(m.
81). (Compare the melodic motion f2-e b2-d2 in mm. 1-4.) The f is pro-
longed by two motions to its upper neighbor-note g, possibly a reference
to the similar decoration of fV by its upper neighbor in the opening
theme. The first g, which supports the unstable chords in mm. 73-75,
returns to the dominant harmony via the chromatic passing tone gb.
The second g, which is introduced by the f#, supports a g minor chord
(vi), from which its dominant (III#) is introduced almost immediately
via the augmented sixth chord. The corresponding motions in the upper
parts are indicated in Example 8 and, with registral simplification, in
Figure 8. As shown in the latter the large-scale melodic motion of
mm. 64-81 may be interpreted as c2 (m. 64)-c#2(m. 80)-d2(m. 81),
though the actual approach to d2 is from above. Furthermore, the c?
that occurs as part of the augmented sixth chord is never stated in a
prominent position, further obscuring the underlying voice leading.
The return to the tonic is initiated by the passing dominant in m. 87.
As was the case in K. 332 (I) this passing dominant (the 4 position) is
prolonged by its inversion (the 7 position), though here the prolonga-
tion is more elaborate, the dominant seventh chord itself being pro-
longed by its own neighboring chord. The melodic eb that is prolonged
during the same measures is not resolved directly, but instead is forced
back up to fV (5) via the chromatic passing tone e and the overlapping
g2, the note displacing f2 at the opening of the movement.
The registral shift that occurs in the bass in m. 87-at the introduc-
tion of the connecting dominant-serves several purposes. First it pre-
pares for the restatement of the opening theme in the original register.
Second, it separates the prolonged dominant and subsequent tonic
registrally from the preceding material, thus helping to articulate the
division of the large-scale descending fifth of the bass into thirds. Finally,
as a result of this registral shift the large-scale bass arpeggiation is not
completed in the lower register until several measures into the recapitu-
lation-at the end of the restatement of the opening theme (m. 103).
(We have seen the same type of registral connection across major formal
divisions in the Sonatas K. 280 and K. 332.) In this movement, however,
the prolongation of the connecting dominant emphasizes more than
ever before the secondary role of the motivic component, the arpeggia-
tion of the tonic triad, in relation to the prolongation of the structural
dominant.

At the outset of this study it was noted that the large scale progres-
sion V-III-I occurs in several movements of the Mozart Piano Sonatas.
To be more precise it occurs in twelve of the twenty-seven movements

17

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 c1106*

0 L

P I

.... .... ..... i "-

-', ~~~- F9,' ,
a p ',dow"Wf d do, - 111,'
EI: i'p 49 a

L_ ML1TY
........~ , ,... ,, i ! .-
_ I - b - _

b : i 1

b 1 ,, -6011 oe

..... 0
6-" 01.
Of00

dop , IMP . ...

10 1

Exampl

].8

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 NL

INF) ---

Example 8 (continued)

A A
2 5

I
-BI
7 :V1
6 7 66 7 (m.103)
15 -:7)I

Figure 8

19

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that are in a major key and have a sonata-allegro design. These twelve
movements occur in ten different sonatas, ranging from the first (K.
279) to the last (K. 576). Certainly it is a progression that was of more
than passing interest to Mozart.
Interpretation of this progression is not as simple a matter as its
identification, since the individual as well as multiple occurrences sug-
gest more than one possibility. With regard to the four movements dis-
cussed above it has been noted that in each there is a direct motivic link
between the large-scale bass arpeggiation transversing the development
section and the opening thematic material. In fact, in all but two of the
twelve movements containing this progression the opening thematic
material is based either directly or indirectly on the arpeggiation of the
tonic triad.5 This suggests more than a casual relationship. Thus, in
several of these movements this large-scale bass motion may be regarded
as an expansion of a simple motivic idea; that is, the motive has been
used as a means of organizing the larger harmonic motion connecting
the exposition and recapitulation. Though this is only one possible ex-
planation, it does give meaning to the emphasis on the mediant (III#).
On the other hand it has been noted that the mediant can also be under-
stood as supporting a passing note within the dominant harmony. This
interpretation is not in conflict with the other, but rather suggests that
the motivic component must eventually be considered in relation to the
larger structural connections.
The juxtaposition of major triads a third apart can be found in music
from the late Renaissance on, and one can safely assume that Mozart
would have heard this progression in the works of his predecessors,
particularly those of the late Baroque. One such example occurs in the
chorus "Since by man came death" from Handel's Messiah. The first
phrase of the text ends on an E major chord (the dominant) and the
following phrase, which is contrasting in character, is set in C major.
This type of situation is described by at least one theorist of the Baroque,
Francesco Gasparini. The following passage is from his L'Armonico
Pratico al CYmbalo (1708):
Sometimes the composition forms a kind of cadence, coming to rest
on a note with its major third, and then makes a new start, moving
to the third below ...

AM

Mr .c e r
67 "4 # i 3 3 3!

This is found in sacred as well as secular vocal compositions, both

for the chamber and for the theater, in which it is used to end an

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 interrogative or explanatory phase and then to begin the next; it is
usually found in the serious style or recitative. 6

Except for the change of genre this description could fit those in-
stances in Mozart's sonatas where the connecting dominant has been
suppressed, that is where the connection between III# (V of vi) and I is
direct. Mozart's use of this idea is certainly derived from earlier practice,
and its prior existence helps to explain its occurrence in his works. How-
ever, what distinguishes Mozart's use of this idea from earlier practice is
its occurrence at more than just immediate levels of connection. This
unique feature of Mozart's music apparently did not go unnoticed by
later composers. Consider, for example, the first movement of Beetho-
ven's Spring Sonata-the Sonata in F major, Op. 24, for violin and
piano.7 In this case there is an immediate juxtaposition of V7 and III#
(in the sixth position) from the end of the exposition to the beginning
of the development and from III# (V of vi) to I at the end of the
development to the beginning of the recapitulation. The large-scale pat-
tern is quite clearly V 7-III-I. A somewhat different situation occurs in
Chopin's Etude in F major, op. 10 no. 8. In this work the immediate
goal of the harmonic motion in the "B" section is III (V of vi), which
is prolonged for several measures before giving way to the dominant.
When considered in the local context, the dominant is passing between
III and the return to the tonic. However, when considered in the larger
context, III# can be seen as leading to the dominant, that is as part of
the progression I-III-V.s
It is interesting that the two works just mentiond, as well as half of
the twelve movements from Mozart's piano sonatas which contain this
emphasis on the mediant, are in the key of F major. This suggests the
possibility that Mozart may have associated certain progressions W'ith
certain keys. This does not seem to be an unreasonable assumption
given the obvious keeness of Mozart's musical ear. However, it is also
clear that his interest in this progression surpasses such simple connec-
tions. Having found a unique solution to a compositional problem-the
large-scale connection of the exposition to the recapitulation-he con-
tinued to develop and reshape this idea throughout his career.

SUPPLEMENT

A most intriguing description of sonata-allegro form, at least in rela-

tion to the present study, is found in the writings of the nineteenth-
century theorist, Ernst Richter. According to Richter the development
section is often divided into two parts. The first consists of the modu-
lating periods, which "frequently come to rest on a half cadence in a

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related minor key".' The second is the retransition to the repetition of
the first principal idea, which is accomplished through the dominant of
the main key. The example provided by Richter is Mozart's Sonata in F
K. 533 (Allegro). The first part of the development section, which be-
gins in C minor (the minor dominant), comes to rest in m. 116 on a half
cadence on A (V of vi), which is extended through m. 125. The second
part leads sequentially to the dominant, which is prolonged several mea-
sures before the return to the tonic. Once again we find III (V of vi)
occurring at an important structural point in a Mozart Piano Sonata, in
this instance at the point dividing the development section into two dis-
tinct though related parts of approximately equal length. Though this
same progression can be found in several of the Piano Sonatas (see note
1), its most striking use occurs in a non-keyboard work, the first move-
ment of the Quartet in F, K. 590. Furthermore, the relationship between
the opening motivic ideas of this movement and the subsequent empha-
sis on III# seems particularly clear. Thus, as a final example, we turn
our attention away from the Piano Sonatas to the final quartet.
A score reduction of the opening measures of K. 590(I) is provided
in Example 9. Indicated on the score are surface occurrences of two im-
portant motives, designated x and y respectively. The first, which in its
original form is an ascending arpeggiation of the tonic triad, is the
primary motivic component of the movement. Its first three statements
(mm. 1-2, 4-5, and 7-8) articulate the prolongation of scale-degree 5
(5) by its upper neighbor-note. The second motive (y), the recurring
scale pattern leading down to A, provides the basis for the subsequent
emphasis on III# (A) in the development section. This motive is shown
to be an elaboration of the descending third c-bb-a (with the important
extension to the lower octave), an interpretation supported by its har-
monization in mm. 12-14. In the opening phrase this third is part of a
larger descending fifth, as indicated by the dotted beam.
An interpretation of the voice leading of the opening section is
given in Figure 9. First note the large-scale motion of the melodic line
down to 2, arrival at which is articulated by a transposed statement of
motive x. More important to this discussion, however, is the interpreta-
tion of the bass, which is shown to contain two statements of the as-
cending arpeggio of the tonic triad (motive x), one embedded within
the other. The first occurs through the A articulated by the initial
statement of motive y in mm. 2-3, and the larger one through the
subsequent statements of that motive in mm. 12-14. This view is ger-
mane to the larger-scale interpretation of the development section,
particularly the arrival at III# (A), in relation to the rest of the move-
ment.
The development section (see Example 10) opens with a descending
arpeggiation from d2, a gesture that is answered only at the beginning of

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 A

XI

,.- !. i I -f ii i.. .
P f

IL T

,~ ~ f ,

Example 9. K. 5

Oi

b76 b74 6
i. Figrei. 9
F444

2 16 6
Figure 9

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the reprise by the ascent to c2 (5). This connection is a large-scale ex-
pansion of the neighbor-note relationship articulated by motivic repeti-
tion in mm. 1-8. The development section divides into two large parts.
The first consists of the passage leading to the A major chord (III?) in
m. 90 and the subsequent extension of that harmony though m. 94.
The second consists of the sequence (based on motive y) leading to the
dominant, which is prolonged for several measures in preparation for
the return to the tonic in m. 112. Important changes of surface design
in m. 100 articulate the pivotal role of that measure in relation to the
preceding A major chord and the following dominant. That is, the bass
note Bb in m. 100 is a large-scale passing note connecting the A of
mm. 90-94 and the c of m. 103. Also, it is interesting to note that the
arrival at the high c (c3) in m. 103 is preceded by octave leaps outlining
motive x.
An interpretation of the voice leading of the development section in
relation to its immediate surroundings is given in Figure 10. Here the
bipartite division of the development section is made obvious visually.
The initial part is shown to be a motion from C (V) down to A (III$)
through the prolonged passing note Bb. As was suggested earlier, this
motion can be understood as an expansion of motive y, itself an elabor-
ation of the descending third c-bb-a. Here the goal of this motion, the
A, carries its own harmony (III#), whereas in the beginning it supported
the tonic harmony in sixth position. As was noted in the paragraph
above, the second part returns to the dominant harmony, again through
the passing note Bb. The corresponding melodic motions, though some-
what more complex, are clearly indicated in Figure 10.The d2 that opens
the development section is prolonged, with an octave shift upward,
until its resolution to c#3 in m. 90. In the larger context this c4 is to be
understood as a chromatic passing note leading to c?2 in m. 103, which
in turn anticipates the return to 5. However, as shown in the graph, this
c 2 is actually approached through a descent of a sixth from a2, a note
that also leads to bb 2, the seventh of the dominant harmony.
An interpretation of the large-scale tonal connections of this move-
ment through the beginning of the recapitulation is given in Figure 11.
As indicated by the half notes in the bass and the corresponding dotted
beam, the development section prolongs the structural dominant. With-
in this context the function of the A major chord is to support the
passing note a between the fifth and seventh of the dominant. Thus, at
this level, the tonal motion is V s-7. At the same time the A supports the
chromatic passing tone c$, which in relation to the second theme (itself
a descending fifth) is part of a descending motion of a fifth preparing
the reintroduction of 5. At an entirely different level the bass note A is
shown to be part of a large-scale ascending arpeggiation leading to the
dominant in m. 103, thus forming an enormous representation of motive

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 x (inv.)

fikOp L-Ei _- 4 .
mfp

m'fp

mli
fmf

III

*- i P".. _ f ' # I
. . . ..7-5! " I ! --P

?:
'
if
LDP
p
, ,
- r" " .
80d m le 0

1 0

86'

,. , i ,Li . ...A

-~~~~~~ F kt v,
14=6 1 i
K 50 F
) m . 4--
Eiol =1i ?
i!

=. ?w_,
_-P Ow' i _ i P ' _.. ...d
Ow..4'
&A-

Examle 1. K

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 r_

EMM , n . -.

Em 10(cntiue
y (inv.) .
E l 1 tnuv.) y(inv.)

105

109 X

. . .. . . . . . . . . ... .. . . .. ... . . .. . . . .IAi m' .. . .

-- b - " ....... - ... . ......... 0 _ 0:

....... .......

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 21

6 16 $7 9 876 b7 6egistm sirglifica

- su 5 8 7 7r 7 ks 7 F7 ir565

Figure 10

- 5 th-

[ Th. E2 ... -7 IRep

6

t Figure 11

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x. This latter interpretation suggests that the embedded relationship in-
herent in the first theme is represented at a much higher level encom-
passing the entire exposition and development.
To a certain extent there is a contradiction implied by this dual in-
terpretation of the A major chord (III#), a contradiction that may also
exist to varying degrees in the earlier discussions of K. 280(I), K. 332(I),
and K. 333(I). The real question is the following: Can the A major chord
exist both as part of a larger prolongation of the dominant and as part
of a motion directed to that harmony? The answer, I think, is both yes
and no. From a tonal point of view the prolongation of the structural
dominant must take precedence; that is, the emphasis on III must
eventually be understood in relation to the tonal area of the dominant
that encompasses it. However, I think it is also possible to view the A
major harmony as being generated motivically. Whether or not the
above-mentioned interpretation of that A as part of a large-scale repre-
sentation of motive x is reasonable, let alone aurally perceptible, is open
to question. Certainly one must always be careful in analysis not to
create relationships that do not exist in the music. But there is no doubt
in my mind that, at least at some level, this A major harmony results
from the composing out of motivic connections stated at the outset of
the movement. Such relationships are fundamental to the art of musical
composition.

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 NOTES

1. This motion to the major triad on the mediant occurs in twelve movements
from the Piano Sonatas alone. In two instances-K. 280(III) and K. 283(II)-
the return to the tonic is direct, that is with no connecting dominant. In K.
280(I) the connecting dominant is passing, and in three others-K. 332(I),
K. 333(I), and K. 547a(I)-this passing dominant is slightly extended, more so
in the latter two. In the remainder the emphasis on the mediant articulates a
dividing point in the development section; from there the motion is directed
back by sequence to the dominant. These are K. 279(111), K. 283(III), K. 310
(II), K. 533(Allegro), K. 570(I), and K. 576(I).
2. This pattern was first pointed out to me by the late Ernst Oster in reference
to the first movement of the Sonata in F, K. 280. The present study is the
product of Oster's suggestion, made years ago, that an examination of all the
sonatas-and, in fact, other works by Mozart, Beethoven, and others-would
reveal multiple and diverse occurrences of this idea.
3. Completion of the fifth occurs through the d2 in m. 62, which in the local
context is heard as an upper neighbor-note rather than passing note to c .
4. See Maury Yeston, The Stratification of Musical Rhythm (New Haven: Yale
University Press, 1976), pp. 103-108.
5. The exceptions are the second and third movements of the Sonata in G, K.
283. In most of the other movements the arpeggiation of the tonic triad is
quite clear. On the other hand there are several movements whose opening
themes are based on the arpeggiation of the tonic triad but do not contain
this idea as a large-scale bass motion, meaning that there is not a one-to-one
correspondence between its use on these different levels.
6. Francesco Gasparini, The Practical Harmonist at the Harpsichord, trans. Frank
S. Stillings and ed. David L. Burrows (New Haven: Yale School of Music,
1963), p. 39.
7. I would like to thank Allen Forte for suggesting that I examine this piece
from this point of view.
8. See Heinrich Schenker, Five Graphic Music Analyses, with a new introduction
and glossary by Felix Salzer (New York: Dover Publications, 1969).
9. Ernst Friedrich Richter, Die Grundzige der musikalischen Formen und ihre
Analyse, (Leipzig: Georg Wignad, 185 2), p. 32.

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