Variations in Sonata Form

Abstract This chapter explores how variation—as a multifaceted, dynamic process—can contribute productively to sonata form construction. The relationship between variation and sonata form has undergone significant change since the latter’s emergence in the eighteenth century. Historically, variation, broadly defined, was one of many compositional processes employed in a range of formal contexts. Conversely, for many twentieth-century critics, variation came to mean only that subset of compositional techniques found in the Classical ornamental variation. This narrow understanding of variation, positioned in opposition to thematic development, rendered variation “unfit” for sonata form in the eyes of many. In this chapter, an initial review of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century formal treatises demonstrates the terminological fluidity of variation. Subsequent analyses of works by Kalkbrenner, Schumann, Cherubini, and Schubert showcase formal fluidity, highlighting the myriad ways in which elements of variation commingle with elements of sonata form.