The sonata is the most common musical form in the oeuvres of the great masters of classical music, from Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven to Schubert and Brahms. Sonata Theory, an analytic approach developed by James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy in their award-winning Elements of Sonata Theory(2006), has emerged as one of the most influential methodologies for understanding this musical structure. What can this method from "the new Formenlehre" teach us about how these composers put together their most iconic pieces and to what expressive ends?In this new Sonata Theory Handbook, Hepokoski introduces readers step-by-step to the main ideas of this approach. At the heart of the book are close readings of eight individual movements - from Mozart's archetypal Piano Sonata No. 13 to more structurally complex pieces like Schubert's StringQuartet No. 14 - that show this analytical method in action. These illustrative applications of the method are supplemented with four updated discussions of the most foundational concepts behind the theory, including dialogic form, expositional action zones, trajectories toward generically normativecadences, rotational theory, and the five sonata types. With its detailed examples and deep engagements with recent developments in form theory, schema theory, and cognitive research, this handbook updates and advances Sonata Theory and confirms its status as a key lens for analyzing the sonataform. | A Sonata Theory Handbook by James Hepokoski, Paperback | Indigo Chapters