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THIS STUDY SEEKS TO SHOW some aspects of stylistic change in the sonata-
allegro movement of the solo keyboard sonata during the middle of
the I8th century.2 In order to deal with an extraordinarily large body of
material, I have adopted a procedure that is widely employed in the sci-
ences but has been uncommon in musicological research. I use statistical
techniques to derive information about a large body of solo keyboard
sonatas from a "random sample" of 70 movements drawn from this "pop-
ulation." ("Population" is the statistician's term for "any set of individ-
uals (or objects) having some common observable characteristic."3 A
"sample" is a subset of a population. The sample is called a "random sam-
ple" when "every individual in the population has an equal and independ-
ent chance of being chosen for [the] sample. ..." ).4 If one knows, for
example, that characteristic A occurs in y% of the members of the sample,
one can say with a given degree of confidence5 that the true proportion of
characteristic A in the whole population lies between x% and z%. Table
i shows the 95% confidence limits for several observed proportions in a
sample containing seventy members:6
1 This article is an expanded version of a paper read at a meeting of the Greater
New York Chapter on January i8, 1964.
2A good summary of the main changes of style in the sonata during the i8th and
early i9th centuries may be found in William S. Newman, The Sonata in the Classic
Era (Chapel Hill, 1963), pp. 119-133. Rudolf von Tobel, Die Formenwelt der klas-
sischen Instrumentalmusik (Bern, 1935), summarizes the results of studies dealing with
middle and later I8th-century instrumental music. A more recent survey may be
found in Hans Engel, "Die Quellen des klassischen Stiles," International Musicological
Society, Report of the Eighth Congress, New York z96z (Kassel, 1961), vol. I, pp.
285-304. A useful description of "sonata form" in the mid-i8th-century keyboard
sonata may be found in Immanuel Faisst, "Beitraige zur Geschichte der Claviersonate
von ihrem ersten Auftreten an bis auf C. P. Emanuel Bach" (Berlin, x845), reprinted
in Neues Beethoven-Jahrbuch I (1924), pp. 7-85.
3 Wilfred J. Dixon and Frank J. Massey, Introduction to Statistical Analysis (2d
ed., New York, 1957), p. 30. My deepest thanks go to Mr. Cuthbert Daniel for his
extraordinary kindness in helping me with questions of statistical method. Of course,
I alone am responsible for any errors that may occur.
4 Ibid., p. 33.
5 All statistical inferences in this study will be made at the 95% confidence level.
This means that the true population proportion can be expected to lie outside the
stated limits one time or less in twenty. The true proportion will not often lie far
outside these limits.
6 The confidence limits in this table were obtained from A. Hald, Statistical Tables
and Formulas (New York, 1952), Table XI, pp. 66-69.
35(50%) 38-62%
70
60
- (86%) 75-93%
70
70
6(99%) 92-100oo%
If ten (14%) of the 70 sonatas in the sample are in minor keys, one can
say with 95% confidence that the true proportion of minor in the whole
population lies between 7% and 25 %. When, as here, the sample is a small
(6%) proportion of the population, the precision with which the sample
approximates the population depends only upon the size of the sample,
not upon the proportion of the population included within the sample.7
The population from which our sample was drawn consists of solo
keyboard compositions entitled "sonata," "lesson," "sonatina," "diverti-
mento," or "partita," published 1742-1774. The following categories were
excluded from the sample: i) keyboard sonatas with obligato or ad libitum
accompanying instruments; 2) compositions not published during this
period; 3) compositions appearing only in anthologies of works by differ-
ent composers; 4) compositions by Domenico Scarlatti. The first category
was excluded because the use of an accompanying instrument could con-
ceivably cause a difference in the design of the exposition. Sonatas in
manuscript and sonatas appearing in anthologies were excluded because
they frequently are difficult to date accurately. In the case of the an-
thology, a publisher might well have included a relatively old composition
simply because it was readily available. A composer preparing a set of
sonatas for publication might have done this also, of course, but it seems
more likely that he would have preferred to issue his latest works. The
compositions of Domenico Scarlatti were excluded because they are gen-
erally believed to be very different in style from other works of the
period. Since many of Scarlatti's sonatas were published, a small sample
might contain so many that it would be unduly "biased" in favor of a
very individual style.
The span of 33 years (1742-1774) was considered long enough to per-
7 Frederick C. Mills, Statistical Methods (3rd ed., New York, 1955), p. 671.
mit us to observe changes in style. The year 1742 is significant as the date
of the first sonata publications of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Gio-
vanni Platti. The year 1774 provides a convenient ending point since it
was the year in which Mozart composed his first solo keyboard sonatas.
A list of og90 works was compiled by searching through all available
library and union catalogues, catalogues of I8th-century publishers, and
modern studies of I8th-century publishers and dealers.8 Also consulted
were studies dealing with the keyboard sonata.9
These Io090 works were divided into two groups: the early popula-
tion, consisting of 544 works published 1742-1759, and the later popu-
lation, consisting of 546 works published 1760-1774. The date 1760 was
chosen as a dividing point because it was believed that works composed
after this date tended to differ markedly from those composed before.
A random sample of 35 movements (from 35 different sonatas) was
taken from each population. These samples will be referred to as "Group
I" and "Group II." The entire sample of 70 movements will simply be
called "the sample." The procedure employed to insure randomness in
the selection of the sample was as follows: each of the sonatas in both
populations was given a number (early population: 1-544; later popula-
tion: 1-546). Two sets of 80 numbers each were then taken from a table
of random numbers given in Frederick C. Mills, Statistical Methods, p.
665. Attempts were made to obtain microfilms of the 80 plus 80 or 16o
sonatas corresponding to these numbers. After about three months, the
sonatas that had been obtained were examined in order of their appear-
8 The main sources used in compiling a list of the sonata population were as fol-
lows: I) Library and union catalogues: Robert Eitner, Biographisch-bibliographisches
Quellenlexikon der Musiker und Musikgelehrten ... io vols., (Leipzig, 1899-1904);
Gaetano Gaspari (ed.), Catalogo della Biblioteca Musicale G. B. Martini di Bologna
(reprint of the original ed. of 1890-1905, 4 vols., Bologna, I961); Edith B. Schnapper
(ed.), The British Union-Catalogue of Early Music (2 vols., London, 1957); Alfred
Wotquenne (ed.), Catalogue de la Bibliothdque du Conservatoire royal de musique
de Bruxelles (4 vols., Brussels, 1898-1912); Bollettino dell'Associazione dei musicologi
italiani, I909-: Biblioteca del R. Conserv. di Napoli (in Series X), Biblioteca estense
de Modena (Series VIII), Citta di Firenze: Biblioteca del R. Conservatorio di musica
(in Series IV); Library of Congress Cataloguing Division: Classification M 23, Sep-
arate works (sonatas, sonatinas); 2) Catalogues of IS8th-century music dealers and
publishers: Catalogue Thematique ou Commencement de touttes les Oeuvres de
Musique qui sont du propre fond de I. I. et B. Hummel, Amsterdam; Catalogo delle
sinfonie [soli, duetti, trii .. .1 che si trovano in manuscritto nella officina musica di
Breitkopf in Lipsia (6 parts, Leipzig, 1762-1765); i6 Supplements, 1766-1787 (the last
ten supplements were not available to this study); 3) Studies of I8th-century music
dealers and publishers: Hannelore Gericke, Der Wiener Musikalienhandel von 1700
his 1778 (Graz, i96o); Albert G6hler, Verzeichnis der in den Frankfurter und Leip-
ziger Messkatalogen der Jahre 1564 bis 1759 angezeigten Musikalien (Leipzig, 1902);
Carl Johansson, French Music Publishers' Catalogues of the Second Half of the Eigh-
teenth Century (2 vols., Stockholm, 1955); Lothar Hoffmann-Erbrecht, "Der Niirn-
berger Musikverleger Johann Ulrich Haffner," and "Nachtriige," Acta Musicologica
XXVI (1954), pp. 114-126 and XXVII (1955), pp. 141-143.
9 William S. Newman, op. cit., appeared too late to be of use for this purpose.
ance in the sets of random numbers. The first 35 movements of each group
that conformed to certain criteria became part of the sample.'0
The following criteria governed the selection of movements:
i) The movement must be the first or second of the sonata. Conclud-
ing movements may not be chosen.
2) The movement must be divided into two parts by a repeat sign
or a perfect cadence. The first part must end on V or III and the second
on I. The first part must be at least ten measures in length.
3) The tempo indication must not be slower than "Moderato" or
"Allegretto." A movement with no tempo indication or with the indica-
tion "Cantabile" may be chosen if it seems to move at a pace no slower
than "Moderato" or "Allegretto."
Only sonatas whose date of publication could be determined within
a few years were admitted into the sample. A publication date is given
on the title pages of fifteen of the sample sonatas. In six other cases, a
date is given in a preface, a dedication, or in an announcement printed
in the edition. There were several important tools for determining the
dates of the remaining pieces. A very helpful article by Lothar Hoffmann-
Erbrecht dates the output of the Nuremberg publisher J. U. Haffner
through newspaper advertisements and plate numbers."1 A study of pub-
lishers' numbers by Otto Erich Deutsch was useful in dating the publica-
tions of Balthasar Schmid of Nuremberg.12 The British Union-Catalogue
of Early Music provided us with the dates of a number of sonatas pub-
lished in London.
In the appendix to this study, we give the full title of each sonata of
the sample. The movements of the sample are numbered in the approxi-
mate order of publication, and will be referred to by number.13
We shall now briefly describe certain aspects of our sample of 70
movements.14 Fifty-three composers are represented in the sample. The
following list indicates the number of sonatas contributed by each:
10 From several instances where we can exactly determine the true proportion of
a characteristic in the whole population, we can judge how representative our sample
actually is. The following lists the sample and population proportions for three classes
of sonatas: I) sonatas by C. P. E. Bach: 5.7% (sample); 4.9% (population); 2) sonatas
published by J. U. Haffner: 12.8%; 16.6%; 3) sonatas published in London: 37.1%;
43.9%.
" Lothar Hoffmann-Erbrecht, "Der Niirnberger Musikverleger Johann Ulrich
Hoffner," op. cit.
12 Otto Erich Deutsch, Musikverlags Nummern, eine Auswahl von 40 datierten
Listen 1710-1900 (1st ed. rev.; Berlin, 1961). A more recent study of Schmid's output
is Horst Heussner, "Der Musikdrucker Balthasar Schmid in Niirnberg," Die Musik-
forschung XVI (1963), pp. 348-362.
S7The 70 movements of the sample are included in the writer's "The Opening
Sonata-Allegro Movements in a Randomly Selected Sample of Solo Keyboard Sonatas
Published in the Years 1742-1774 (Inclusive)," (Princeton University Diss., 1964),
vol. 2.
14 Here we are interested only in the composition of the sample. In the following
sections of this study, we shall infer information about the population.
TABLE 2
35 35 70
Sonatas by German
Table 3 shows wher
Place of publication
City Where
First Published Group I Group II Totals
London 14 17 31
London and Amsterdam o 2 2
Nuremberg 16 o 16
Leipzig o 6 6
Vienna I 2 3
Dresden I o I
Berlin I o I
Paris o 6 6
Bologna I I 2
St. Petersburg o I I
City unknown I o I
35 35 70
or r or r-o-.. or
Ex. ib G. M. P. Rutini, Sonata in F, Op. r, No. 2, Allegro, numm. 1-3
ftQQM r I W
the first two beats into seven or eight I6th-notes: " ff? f7 or
f ' . (1:6; II:o).21 The other, illustrated in Example 3, is
the pattern J or J J j j where i) the eighths or quarters
surrounding the central rhythmic value may be subdivided in any way
(e.g., or _ J .J ), and where 2) an appoggiatura on the
middle note is not considered a change of the basic pattern (I: Io; II:2).22
h -O -P- -!
f" iiL F L
m m
As one might expect, during the time period of the sample there is a
real decrease in the proportion of expositions containing imitation or
voice exchange (see Table 5).23
TABLE 5
Totals 16 19 35 70
Totals 14 56 70
B-The 35 exposit
Imitation or No imitation or
voice-exchange voice-exchange Totals
Published in "Germany" II 8 19
Published elsewhere I 15 16
Totals 12 23 35
It may be recalled t
published in these c
the date or the place
23 Nos. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, o, 1
24We have included N
publication is not kno
weighting the evidence
imitation or voice-exch
9:F J . . , : , _ . - .P
_A
.-3 tr --
11B
Ok: - . .. -] f1'p IN
B'
i , -:. . .
16 35
1742-1749 average: 1760-1774 average:
23 measures 33 measures
27 It may be
might be no m
meet this obje
puted a secon
did not affect
28 The observe
whether there
the aid of th
within each sa
Mills, op. cit.,
number of me
29 Nos. 2, 4, IS
6I, 63, 64, 65,
80 Nos. 38, 55
~~blows
The A
positio
exposi
propo
Newm
1740's
indicat
employ
Harmo
period
of the
key (V
exposi
eral be
two m
and 3
a new
s 1Nos.
82 Nos.
83 New
8 By a
of the I.
35 This
that slo
p. 286,
86 Nos.
"IV " chord does not constitute a harmonic change.) The ending chord
of the exposition is extended by a pedal of at least three full measures in
length in nine movements of 1759-1774 and none of 1742-1758 (see
Table 8).37
TABLE 8
I A 1 A1 'z
oe
::- i"- __ -' J
II
r.] 61 IL-
,,
-k '"#-
It is defined
break betwe
B section:
I ENDING OF SECTION
Totals 28 32 60o
1I=. I-2
A section B section
-m. I8-2o
mm. 18-zo
44 Nos. I, 2, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 29, 34, 35, 38, 40, 4 s 43, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 53, 54,
55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 70.
45 Nos. 38, 45, 46, 48, 49, 55, 57, 58, 59, 61, 67. It could be argued that B sections of
the earlier group may well have been played piano even though not so indicated.
This, however, could have been true of the later expositions as well.
46 Nos. 43, 48, 49, 57, 59, 6i, 65.
We have been able to find only one significant difference between the
second parts of early and later movements. In most movements, the sec-
ond part begins with the thematic material of m. i of the exposition. Sec-
ond parts beginning with new material or with a section of the exposition
other than m. i are more frequent in later than in early movements (1: 3;
II: 1).4T
So far, this article has mainly been concerned with style characteristics
taken separately. We shall now consider a group of coordinated style
characteristics.
Sonata movements are sometimes said to fall into several basic types
or styles. Scholars have spoken of the "symphonic," "chamber," and
"empfindsamer" styles.48 We have been able to isolate only one set of
characteristics which co-occur with some frequency and which may be
said to constitute a special "exposition type." Five expositions of our
sample,49 all from Group II, contain at least five of the following six
characteristics: 50
i) Opening chord of the exposition containing five or more notes and first B
section beginning with not more than two simultaneous notes51
2) First B section beginning piano52
3) First A section ending with a) rests in both hands, or with b) a chord
whose top note is repeated at least twice and whose bottom note is not con-
nected to the following section by a scale segment53
4) Final chord of the exposition repeated at least twice, with at least two of
the chords containing three or more notes54
5) Tremolo or repeated double-third in the right hand for at least one meas-
ure55
'7 Nos. 14, 34, 35, 48, 49, 5o, 57, 59, 60, 64, 65, 67, 68, 69. This difference does not
appear to have been noticed before now.
4s See, for example, Newman, op. cit., pp. I22-I23, 222-223, and 332. A good de-
scription of the "symphonic style" in the sonatas of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach may
be found in Erich Herbert Beurmann, "Die Klaviersonaten Carl Philipp Emanuel
Bachs," (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Georg-August Universitait, Gijttingen, 1952),
pp. 48-54.
40 Nos. 48, 49, 55, 57, 59.
50 Two readily available examples of expositions of this type may be found in
Johann Christian Bach's Sonata in D major, Op. 5, No. 2, Allegro di molto, in Ludwig
Landshoff's edition (Johann Christian Bach: Zehn Klavier Sonaten, Leipzig: C. F.
Peters, 1925), and W. A. Mozart's Sonata in D Major, K.284, Allegro.
51 Nos. 48, 49, 57, 59. A total of seven of the thirty-five expositions of Group II
share this characteristic. A statement of this type will henceforth be abbreviated as
follows: (II: 7/35).
52 Nos. 48, 49, 55, 57, 59 (II: 10/35).
53 Nos. 48, 49, 55, 57, 59 (II: 7/35).
54Nos. 48, 49, 55, 57, 59 (II: 9/35).
55 Nos. 49, 55, 57, 59 (II: 4/35).
51 Nos. 48, 49, 55, 57 (II: 9/35).
APPENDIX
With three exceptions, the movements of the sample are listed in order of their
date of publication. Two movements, No. i and No. I4, are not listed in this order,
because they appear to have been published seven or more years after they were com-
posed. Another movement, No. 23, is slightly out of order, because a recent study
(Heussner, op. cit.) has led us to change our original dating by one year. Information
about the means used in determining the publication date of each sonata of the
sample may be found in Kamien, op. cit., pp. 82-94.
GROUP I
Domenico Alberti
VII Sonate per ii cembalo, Opera prima, I. Walsh, London [published 1748 bu
presumably composed before c. 1740].
I--Sonata No. 7 in F, Allegro
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Sei brevi sonate per cembalo, parte secunda, Balthasar Schmid, Niirnberg [1757-
1758], Publisher's no. XXXXVII.
29--Sonata No. 5 in C, Allegro
Johann Adolph Hasse
Sonate per Cembalo, Opera VII, Printed for I. Walsh, London [I758].
3o-Sonata No. 4 in Eb, Allegro
George Berg
Twelve sonatinas or easy lessons for the harpsichord, Op. III, J. Johnson, for the
author, London ['759].
3 i-Sonata No. 4 in D Minor
Christlieb Sigismund Binder
Sei Suonate per il cembalo, Opera ima, Alle spese dell'Autore in Dresda [I759].
32-Sonata No. 5 in A minor, Allegro
Baldassare Galuppi
Sonate per cembalo, Opera 2da, Printed for I. Walsh, London [1759].
33--Sonata No. 4 in C minor, Capricio
Giovanni Marco Placido Rutini
Three sonatas
54-Sonata No.for the
I in G,harpsichord, Henry
Allegro (second Fougt, London [I769].
movement)
Felice Bambini
Six Sonates pour le clavecin, dedides au Roy de Dannemark, Bailleux, Paris [c.
1769].
55-Sonata No. 3 in D, Allegro
Giacomo Croce
Six sonatas for the harpsichord, H. Fougt, London [c. 1769].
56-Sonata No. 4 in C, Allegro
Friedrich Theodor Schumann
Six sonatas for the Piano Forte or Harpsichord, Opera 5th, The Author, London
[c. I769].
57-Sonata No. 3 in E, Allegro assai
Six Sonatas for the Harpsichord, or Piano Forte, Opera prima, Welcker [1773].
64-Sonata No. I in Bb, Con Spirito
Muzio Clementi
Six Sonatas for the harpsichord or piano forte, Opera primo, Welcker, London
[c. 1773-1775].
65-Sonata No. 4 in F, Spiritoso
Joseph Haydn
Sei Sonate da clavicembalo, Kurzb6ck, Vienna, 1774.
66-Sonata No. 4 in D, Allegro
Ernst Eichner
Six sonatas for the harpsichord or piano forte, R. Wornum, London ['774].
67-Sonata No. 2 in Bb, Allegro Moderato
68--Sonata No. 6 in F, Allegro
Ernst Wilhelm Wolf
Sei sonate per il clavicembalo solo, Alle spese dell'Autore, Leipzig, 1774.
69--Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Allegro moderato
Elisabeth Weichsell (Mrs. Billington)
Three Lessons for the harpsichord or piano forte, Welcker, London [c. 1775].
7o--Sonata No. I in D, Allegro